new member needs hull choice guidance

hello all . i would like some input on what type of boat hull to research
towards building .

first off i own a fabrication company that specializes in aluminum but we work a fair amount with fiberglass also

the needs in a boat for me is to be a mobile ,vacation home that if i start in the next year could be finished in 7 years (when youngest graduates college)

i would like to have around at least enough room for the wife and me to comfortably live in

we plan on wintering in belize inside the barrier reef so draft is important

so.. does a power cat best meet these needs ?? im thinking 45 - 50 ft

would a vee hull be a much quicker boat to build ??

if i build it in the midwest how would i ever get it to the water??

thank you very much .. kevin

 

Look at all options, even mine, being narrow hulled, fuel efficient to cruise 10 to 15 knots (I hope to better 13 knots at 1 litre per nautical mile). Cats do not like weight above designed loads, so if you or the captain are hoarders go mono displacement.

cats offer S P A C E to move around, a shorter motion, mostly staying flat and don't need gimbals for stove or tables. Although mine is being designed to have around 22 ft beam I know I can sneak into sheltered areas mono's can only dream of during severe storms. I am told I may expect 20 knots to be able to flee from bad weather.

I was keen on sail - still am but acknowledge age will restrict my capacity to trim sheets when I could turn a key to start the iron sails. Good sailing

 

If you're hauling it from the midwest I think you're probably limited to a monohull, depending on the load restrictions in each state you'll be going through. You'll want to check it out before you pay for a design. I had to limit my beam to 14'6" because the same restrictions.

 

in ohio the legal width is 10 ft ,hight is 13ft,,I believe and you can get permits to travel in daylight hrs with a chase car ,,but if your cheap like me ,,go to erie on earlys sunday morn ,,,specially after the cops had a good saturday or stormy weekend,,,but kidding aside ,you can build a good cradle for your boat ,and hire a reputable boat moving company ,I choose a differant route,,I can go to the lake or the chesepeeke bay or gulf of mexico via ohio river,,,,,with a good custom trailor,boat weight 10,500,trailor 3500lbs hydrolic bracks ,and a good 10ton dumptruck,,,but also be ready for any flexing and seem damage upon arival,,many time money is invested in a yacht,,,,but a cheappy trailor is used and the cost is substantial for repairs,,,,remember boats dont like to feel thier own weight,,,longliner

 

An aluminum cat with flat or vee bottom hard-chine hulls will be great. But as Masalai says above , be very careful about your weights.

Build the cat in three longitudinal sections, any one of which will fit on a standard flatbed. Bolt or weld together when you get to open water....headwaters of the Mississppi?

 

As was expressed by many others on another thread, aluminium comes into its own above 40ft WL approximately & presents with electrolysis problems unless you know what you are doing.

If you can be OBSESSIVE about weight constraints, buy a kit in a container and assemble. See Fusion Cats in the Australian Whitsundays area who do just that for their 40ft loa sailing cat, also quite reasonable as a motor-cat.

It does not meet my needs but as a learning exercise worthy of a look.
http://www.fusioncats.com.au/newsletter/ Also this site in the States offers lots of info http://fusioncats.com/

 

Build in modules, ship to coastal waters and either weld together or use http://www.westsystem.com/

Here is a power cat that could be built in two halves and joined at the coast.

http://glen-l.com/designs/hankinson/slotmachine.html

Pericles

 

Build, take it to the Mississippi (or any inland river system), and take it down to the Gulf.
.
You & your wife need a trawler style boat, or tug yacht,if power boat or a ketch if sailing, (better charter a sailboat a few times to see if it suits you).
YOU have lots of homework & magazine reading to do! Magazines like "Cruising" & "Passage making" are good.Join different groups & forums.
.
Get a Bruce Roberts catalog & study it. It will be very informative.
I have a houseboat, but then I don't plan on going down to Belese.
There are specific hulls for every application, but I'm going to say that on the 10 scale, cats are a 1, maybe. Above all, remember the old saying, "A man needs a foot of boat for every year of his life".

 

to be a little more specific in my questioning .. i think i am pretty set on a boat such as the bruce roberts 45 trawler cat
and weather i go with aluminum or glass i have enough knowlege of either
to get by
but i still am worried about the 50 miles between my shop and the ohio river
and a boat of 20 plus feet of beam

 

A low loader in the middle - under the bridgedeck and an escort. makes a good video for the launching ceremony. A regular occurrence here just check road clearances for the route & carry a chainsaw in case?

 

you can also check with your local tractor trailor companys and ask them to route you ,,they do this on a daily basis for thier trucks ,,it tells them the hieght on bridges and types of roads ,,ext,,,you sound close to me ,,where is your shop?longliner

 

boy I have read some drivel on this thing but this takes the cake"build it in modules" and fabricate nr water?
With the logistics involded, the need for all your gear, a shed that is windproof and a strange town? forget it
The man just said he had no experience so
Look mojo, a fabricator does not make a boatbuilder See my gallery, I know this that it takes at least five years to get a tradesman into boatbuild mode and same to get a welder up to cert grade to produce quality xrayable welds that look good and are good
I should advise you to start with a twin chine mono, for stability and anti roll charecteristics esp. at anchor
i would go for lighter disp, because disp cost money, money to build an money to push BUT HEY you can do it, and there has been some good advise here abt transport

 

longliner im outside of the canton area i got family in the trucking business
but the problem is I KNOW like the back of my hand the routes down to the ohio river and there aint no way to get a boat from here to there short of a chinok helicopter

thanks jack ... the truth is im enough of an expert at welding aluminum to know id be an idiot to try to weld up a boatout of aluminum my expertice is in trailer design and service bodys for the back of utility company trucks
apples and oranges

 

however i did see an aussey company with a design that is modules but I TOO really question the concept http://www.kelsall.com/methods5.html
not saying it cant be done but it does seem like a huge obsticle to overcome but if someone has a proven design
it COULD be a answer to my biggest problem
and although building a smaller practice boat doesent really inspire me i realize it would be wize to do so

 

I'm doing the same thing...thinking about 6 or 7 years to finish. I decided to go with a wider, mono-hull to have more room below. Our boat, 16' 6" beam, is illegal on the roads so we'll have to sneak it to the marina in the middle of the night! (only 2 miles) We're making 5 and selling the first 4. But the guy buying the first plans to do the Great Loop as soon as it's ready. Man, I can't wait.

Tony in Sw FL