Hull Design

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Samdaman, Dec 26, 2015.

  1. Samdaman
    Joined: Dec 2015
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    Samdaman Junior Member

    Hello!

    I'm new here on this forum and to the idea of boat building so please go steady on a first timer :). My fascination for boat building piqued two years ago when I was an undergraduate in university. I've recently graduated in Civil and structural engineering and the fluid papers I took at university went over the basics of hydrostatic and dynamic fluid forces (More for civil applications like dams and water gates or buoys etc.) so I have a preliminary knowledge of how forces and buoyancy works.

    I come here today in the hopes for a little more guidance in a small project I'm looking to set up in my free time. I'm looking to design a little boat at first, hopefully out of wood or metal and attach an old motor to it. Thinking about this I know there is a heap of thinking to do about concerns with durability and construction but first I'd like to understand the process into designing a hull so it won't buckle or fail in bending.

    I have no starting point on where to start I did have a slight look into designing the hull in a structural engineering software but the aluminium thickness for my barge shaped hull became so large I felt I was doing something wrong considering other hulls of similar sizes had much thinner aluminium. I was also put off by a friend who took a preliminary boat design course said that the main forces you would want to consider on the hull aren't the hydrostatic pressures but the wave actions on a moving boat.

    To condense the story above into a small paragraph. Where do I start? I'm savvy on materials and how they work from my extensive knowledge in structural engineering but where should I begin for aspects such as getting the hulls design stresses.

    If I'm going in the completely wrong design direction, please steer me in the right one because I aim for this to be a large learning process.

    Thanks in advance,
    Sam
     
  2. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Best to find some suitable reading matter, you might find something here:

    http://books.boatdesign.net/

    Of course, there is much more to consider than "stresses", although any structure for any purpose has to stay together to be any use.
     
  3. Samdaman
    Joined: Dec 2015
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    Samdaman Junior Member

    Thanks for the reply,

    I've started reading into the matter already. Preferably trying to find some texts for free because I'm not really rolling in money at the moment :). I understand theres more to look into than the max stress the hull will endure then finding a material that can withstand that. I'm looking for a poke in the direction of how I find all the relevant factors so that I can tweak a hull design to be safe and that suit my desires.

    Also some particular books on hull design would be greatly appreciated.

    Sam
     
  4. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Shoestring budgets are a major impediment in the world of boats. Unless you have very modest ambitions. You won't save money by designing your own boat, either, the simple boat that is very affordable, will be easy to buy cheap plans for.
     
  5. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

  6. Samdaman
    Joined: Dec 2015
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    Samdaman Junior Member

    The boat I'm aiming to build is tiny, big enough for two people to play around in a sheltered bay or lake (i.e not overly ocean worthy). The main goal of this project is to gather the knowledge and build up some experience, not to make an elaborate boat. Coming from an engineering background I love the process of design which is what got me intrigued.

    So to clear some things up. I'd mainly like to get out of this venture a methodology for hull design rather than an actual hull itself.

    Sam
     
  7. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    There are no strictly formulaic ways of designing boats really, you will have to acquaint yourself with general principles, by reading a book that starts with the basics.
     
  8. Leo Lazauskas
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    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

  9. JRD
    Joined: May 2010
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    JRD Senior Member

    Principles of yacht design by Larsen and Elliason would suit a mech/civil engineers knowledge base. Sadly not free, but it covers the design practicalities and quite a bit of the engineering with worked examples.
    Don't be put off by the "yacht" part as so many of the rules apply to both if you want to approach it from an engineers angle.

    Good luck
     
  10. DCockey
    Joined: Oct 2009
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    DCockey Senior Member

    Second recommendation for Principles of Yacht Design. Now in 4th edition by Lars Larsson, Rolf Eliasson and Michal Orych, though a copy of an earlier edition would be suitable for Samdaman.
     

  11. Samdaman
    Joined: Dec 2015
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    Samdaman Junior Member

    Cheers guys,

    going to source a copy of all of them for my beach reading this summer, I'll probably be back with a million questions afterwards! :). Thanks for the suggestions.

    Sam
     
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