Car-Carrying Box Boat?

This is probably the best design goal.

If you can ship the boat from one continent to another, you can dispense with all of the rigors of making a blue water capable boat (which, I don't think these would ever be).

You can make just what you are imagining, the exact size of a shipping container with the proper lift points welded on and ship it (with your car inside) anywhere you want to go.

Getting a car on and off would be very difficult, even on a boat ramp, of which you will find very few in other countries.

 

The difficulty of landing an automobile by such a hull type has been historically proven. Think Normandy or any of the countless landings made in the Pacific throughout the '40s and '50s. I'm even using some of the same vehicles that were used in those landings. At boat ramp would be great for it, but ultimately I could use any flat land that's not too sandy.

Efficiency is also not a concern. If the best I get is 5 knots, well, it moves and floats and I can call it home. Those are the real needs here, to have a home that moves for minimal cost and carries, quite literally, everything I have left in the world when I need it to.

 

I'm with you. I understand your wants and I've felt the same ones too, so I get it. Some responses in green...

 

I agree with Catbuilder. If you watch war films of the Normandy landings (I assume you haven't been there yourself - I have) you'll know there were sand dunes behind the beaches. And also remember the Allies had to wait for good weather to make a landing.

And the implication is that you are by yourself, if so then who looks after you boat on the beach while you drive away?

The fuel price in Europe is 3 times higher than in the USA. So that ICW equivalent trip in Europe would cost you not USD2000 but USD6000

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

I could have sworn that I had posted to this before!

PAR, Please direct me to your various designs capable of carrying a motorcycle...

Hey Gyrl, You and I have very similar requirements, but I'm wanting to take a motorcycle, a 650 Transalp dual sport bike.

When I was a younger I did some off road racing and I'm very familiar with the older VWs. I pluged up the vents and floated from sand bar to sand bar on a small river. Metion that because, a Willy's won't float! I too think the issue will be the car and choice landing spots.

All of the canals in Holland, as I recall, have been dredged with rather high banks at the waters edge with vegitation, I don't recall seeing any with a gradual slope to the water. Along the Rhine it's much the same way and I have gone across with an Army bridge unit at optimal points. At the time I drove a Dodge 4x4 pickup and as mentioned above, it's not only getting past the waters edge, but getting through slop beyond the river to a decent trail. And this was a military venture.

I'm pretty sure if the police in many countries see you trying to drive off road along some cannal areas or rivers, they will have something to say. In many areas it is forbidden to drive any vehicle off road.

Now, for ocean fronts, when putting equipment ashore as shown in those films, the operator keeps the boat, sometimes using power, keeping the boat against the beach. Depending on tides and the wash, the boat can be lifted and head back out, simply dropping the ramp may not keep the boat ashore. I'm not sure how you could do this alone.

I suggest you come with me and we will use a motorcycle! LOL, A dual sport bike can climb many of the banks and blast through a foot of water going ashore. Much easier to load and unload with a boom off either side or ride off a ramp.

If you must have a 4 wheeled vehicle, may I suggest using a Baja VW, if you get stuck you can pick up the front end and move it off to one side and take off again! I won't go into preparing a baja bug, but it would be the best IMO. Your Willys jeep won't float, is heavy and having 4x4 wheel drive is not always that much of an advantage, especially considering the weight.

Sorry this is so long, but having transportation on my boat and living on it is about all I have been considering for several months!

I'd love your dream of being in Europe, I'm staying in the eastern side of the states.

This is the best site I have found to get expert advice, Richard, PAR, Bataan and others really know their stuff about design! I considered a Higgins, but it's too expensive to operate, the military has a larger budget than I do. While I have been told here that a catamaran would need to be close to 40' to haul my bike, I guess I'm stuborn because I'm convinced that a motoring cat can carry 325 pounds as a camp cruiser/liveabord.

I'm beginning to think that a houseboat is the best solution and having deck space for the vehicle. They can be beached and with a small outboard, it would be economical. But then, I need to get in the gulf and ICW, so finding a design that could take the chop seems to be a problem.

As PAR mentioned, some guy hauled his bike on a 32 footer, so obviously it can be done. Those of use that want to go to remote areas and have transportation and have a livable boat, seems to be a delima. Having a car is a much grander requirement.

So, Gyrl, what is the least space you can get by with as a cabin, berth, head, galley and storage?

Last tip (sorta) I have used goggle earth and zoomed in to many rivers and the ICW, I can tell (from my photo interpertation days) what shore lines will be like to off load and if I can get to road ways, you might take a look at where you want to go and scout out the areas. But it would be so cool to pull up to a ramp and watch people watching you off drive off a boat!

 

To wavewacker

Not sure who said you needed a 40ft cat to take a motorbike

That's just not right, at least as far as load carrying is concerned. A bike weighs what, 300lbs? many people weigh more than that.

You'll have seen on my website a 22ft Janus with 7 on board, a 22ft Wizard with 6 on board, a 25ft Sango with 20! on board. None of those are considered live aboard cruisers, yet can take the weight.

My friend motorbike is a 'classic" bike from the 50's, probably a Triumph (I know nothing about bikes) so about the size of a Harley. He has to take the wheels off to get it through the hatch and it must be a major deal to move it around down below with its weight, awkwardness and no wheels

But I have to say. I don't think the OP's idea is a sensible one

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

boatramps for holland: http://www.trailerhelling.com/ at the moment 10cm ice tho ;-(

 

Didn't anyone tell him how to launch a boat?


I used to import and export cars around N. America,Japan etc and on occasion was asked to export to Europe- at the time it was a huge hassle and cost and usually just not feasible.
Add on import duties of up to 25%,VAT,changing lights etc to conform to EU specs plus the logistics problems as mentioned above.
Maybe you can do a temporary import, and put up a large bond to be forfeited if the vehicle is not exported out.

I dunno..go look into it.

If you have a desire for a Smart car..just buy one in Germany...they're dirt cheap

 

There is a co. making trawler style vessels,and you can have space for a car on them. Name?

 

I had actually figured I could live very comfortably on my own with 15-20 feet of living space with an 8' beam. I actually have a 20' boat right now that has plenty of space for living on my own for weeks at a time, and she's about 6' across. So, no I really don't need much for just myself. Figure enough clothing to fill a small wardrobe and two cases or bags roughly the size of an Army duffel bag full of photographic gear.

The only thing about what I have now is that there is no way I can figure to stow the fuel I would need for that stretch from Iceland to Brittain. Not to mention doing anything to help sink-proof her. That's why I really want to have something with at least a small sail that can be taken down.

 

Gyrl, what kind of boat do you have?

Have you ever been off shore in the north Atlantic?

Then you are a minimalist.

 

It started as an open-deck runabout, but I added a cabin to it and made it kind of an improvised house boat. I've been using it around Puget Sound, but never been out beyond that.

 

Its tight inside, but then, so was the CHU I lived in while in Iraq.

 

I definitely don't doubt the living area being adequate.

While I am building a boat, I am currently living in a 14' x 5'6" space which has in it:

*Sink
*Refrigerator and freezer
*2 beds (bunks)
*Closet
*Head
*Stove/Oven
*Air Conditioner
*Heater
*Electrical closet
*Pantry

Certainly, any space at all is livable. I'm just concerned with your ability to launch this vehicle. I didn't realize you were not on a budget, so please forgive my post suggesting $2000 in diesel to go from say, WA to CA was too much. I didn't realize you were considering stocking up on fuel to cross oceans. I though budget was an issue.

The two major obstacles to overcome would be:

Launch and retrieval of automobile and...

Not dying on an ocean crossing in a boat that's not designed to do one.

Do you have plans for those two things?

Take a read of this description of the landing craft at Normandy for an idea of what these boats are capable of:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_craft

"Because of the need to run up onto a suitable beach, WWII landing craft were flat-bottomed, and many designs had a flat front, often with a lowerable ramp, rather than a normal bow. This made them difficult to control and very uncomfortable in rough seas."

"None of the above was capable of making a voyage longer than about 6–12 hours, mainly through fuel limitations. The Landing Craft Utility (LCU) is used to transport equipment and troops to the shore. They are capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and troops from amphibious assault ships to beachheads or piers."