I'm to design a canal cruiser that can handle high seas...

I always find UK canals interesting, but information about them is irrelevant to what Solitaire is interested in. Size restrictions are considerably different.

 

I suggested it might be possible that was what you thought but didn't claim you did. Someone else also understands that. And I did not claim you actually said it here.

It does appear we have very different ideas about the initial stages of design. Probably worth a separate discussion sometime.

I was asking if I was correct that your statement I quoted indicated you agreed you made a mistake and overlooked the "on open water" phrase.

I'll let others decide who your statement actually applies to.

 

Guys... guys? It was a joke....

 

Ok, how about some thing like this ?
Not to bad and with some mods fills the sor .

 

Usually I'd say that I know less than anyone here, but a 15' wide canal IMO rules out any multihull unless you never have other traffic. I have been over European canals and there are gradual banks in some areas meaning the side of the craft won't be along the edge but a couple feet out. What if there were a real canal boat 9/10 feet wide. You might need a canoe.

You might search for micro cruisers, a sharpie. An easy, simple build. Matt Layden and his wife have made several trips to the Bahamas and up the northern ICW on the east coast in his. You can slap a small outboard on for efficiency and hold enough fuel for a couple hundred miles I'd think.

If you need to go larger, the sharpie can be longer as with Bolger's Tn. but the beam goes up. While the Bolger boats can do the ICWs probably not as seaworthy as Laydens smaller Little Cruiser.

The OP's SOR is similar to mine and while I'd like a larger boat, the rivers seem to dictate the required design more than the Gulf coast. It just means that while in the Gulf the ride will be jarring at times but most of the time the lazy rivers will be enjoyable.

 

The canal may be 15 feet but the bridges are not,- neither are the locks. They use narrow boats,--- called narrow because they are narrow and they are narrow because they need to be.

 

The narrow boats were English though weren't they? Are we sure the locks in Sweden are that small?

 

You had better be or your boat will be able to only go between them.

This was a dumb thread to start with, Obviously some hypothetical university question.

A misunderstanding of both sea and canal.

A perfect sea boat is a life boat, a perfect canal boat is a narrow boat --do they look similar,---in any little way,---they both float is all I can think of.

 

I don't think that you are being fair to him. I think that he chose some words poorly, but I don't think that it's totally unreasonable that he should want a boat to use in some protected coastal regions, in some large lakes, and on canals and rivers.

 

I am aiming my frustration at the academic fool who asked him to design such a thing.

This has to be a college or university question.

Every boat is a compromise of many things from fuel capacity to sleeping accomodation. But use has to be pretty well much clear.

Sure it can be cobbled up but as long as its not for the real world,--so what will he learn from this? nothing of any use.

 

I found a link to some info about cruising Göta canal in Sweden.

http://www.gotakanal.se/en/Gota-Canal/artiklar/Canal-facts-for-pleasure-boats/

It says that the maximum beam for traversing the 190 km canal is 7 meters. One of the lakes OP mentioned it on this canal.

Strömsholm Canal has the other lake that he mentioned. http://www.sverigesochnorgeskanaler.com/waterways/sv/the-stromsholm-canal

suggests that ti can handle boats with 5 meter beams.

As to compromises, I don't think he mentioned any sleeping accomidations, so those don't have to be fit in.

I don't see it as being as unreasonable as you do. I think a wide variety of boats could suit his SOR very well.

 

So it has to go to sea and venture the canal but you cant sleep on it.

Does it then need a toilet --a holding tank, discharge pump perhaps.

Bilge pumps to sea specs?--cant sink in a canal --its not deep enough.

Wiring and navigation regulations would be amusing as both uses are miles apart. Evidence perhaps that a boat for both uses is merely imaginary in the real world.

Or do we dismiss those point too.

No educational benefit will result from such a design.

 

Since he mentioned fitting 6 people with out overloading it I don't think he envisioned having it be big enough for 6 people to spend the night on. When you are on a acanal you are never more than a few meters from land, it's not like an ocean passage where you have to go for days with out seeing land. If you want to go on a long trip you can do what people on long car trips do.

I really feel like you are going out of your way to make this seem more complex than it has to be. I don't even know what you are talking about wiring wise, I think that an outboard and maybe a radio would be all that they would need. I say maybe a radio because I suspect that they will never be out of cell service.

There doesn't need to be an educational benefit, it just feels like you are puffing this up to something it doesn't need to be. An blue water crossing boat that fits 6 and can fit in the narrow canals of the UK would be an educational endeavor if it were possible, but the boat that the OP wants to design is much less restricted.

 

I have no knowledge of the canals or lakes of Sweden. On the web I see a marvelous canal system connecting a number of lakes. Thanks to this thread I will be spending another hour looking at the canals and lakes there! Solitaire said he needs a boat that won't be blown about and will be very stable in 1m waves on "larger lakes or coastal areas". He also needs a boat that will work well in the canals. He doesn't mention accommodation anywhere. My read is that the primary requirement is mobility in the canals and acceptable sea keeping in these lakes. Post 22 is worth quoting again:

Lake Vättern http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSPfX6m5Dho
Lake Mälaren http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSgL_qPB12Y
Strömsholm Canal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxq9gBUHHCE
http://kanaler.arnholm.nu/english/sverige/strome.html

 

Hi Solitaire, I am not familiar with these narrow canals at all but from what I have read it appears your main aim is to travel the canals but be able to cross the lakes with confidence if it gets a little rough. I wonder if a pontoon type craft would suit. These could be built narrow enough at whatever length you like and are quite stable. Some of that permanent bumper rubber around the craft to protect against scrapes, It wouldn’t be too hard to get an outboard that’s big enough to push it to the speed you want but also small enough not to cost a fortune to run.
One of those bolt on bow thrusters to help turn it since you only have one engine.
A flat deck has many options for cabin etc to the required maximum height.
If you need more stability on the lake you could have outriggers that fold out when on the lake to give some extra width (2m on either side).

Don