liveaboard sailing barge - retirement home

What - buy a proven, reliable plan and save days of work to get superior results ? What a strange idea

Peter should not be deprived of the angst in working out weights, scantling calculations, engine/plumbing/electric placement and safe installation.

The biggest problem with buying plans is that you actually have to start building and getting the boat on the water - which is just much too much work and expense.

 

Did I say anything about Peter using stock plans from a designer to build a boat?

There is lot to be learned from Benford and his designs, and from Anne Hills' books for someone who is designing a somewhat similar boat. lt may even be worthwhile for him to buy a set of plans from Benford just to study.

 

ok, stick the knife in and twist it. The Badger and other sailing dories are nice, they are however not shoal draught. The ability to go to a sandbar, river bank and just walk ashore. A while back I was sailing a compass 28 yacht, found that instead of going anywhere we were limited to wharfs, peirs deep water.

An off the shelf design that suits best is probably the AS39 by Bolger. For scantlings, 4x2 on the floor, 4x6 on the chine, 4x2 on the vertical. What is the maths behind this,,, well it looks right. I did say it is a retirement boat. Seriously I like what I have drawn,,, and eventually it will get built.

 

as to the design,,, its a scaled up Madrigal. 150 percent in all dimensions, the 22 footer crossed the altantic, so a 33 footer should be reasonable. I would probably get it built in PNG or other country where labour and timber are cheaper. A simple design goes together faster than a complicated design.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/osbourn/Madrigal/

 

True, but IMO you still should get the Benford study plans and look at what he's done. They are very, very roomy boats inside. I've sailed on one of the 34' designs and was most impressed with the clever use of space.

I'm not saying to build one, but see how things were done. The design is in fact very much shoal draft, if you gave up on the keel and went to your leeboards I doubt there's a lot in it WRT your design.

As for George Buehler's book, I've just about worn my copy out over the years. I love his lines and was very tempted to build an ARCHIMEDES. Fortunately I came (partially) to my senses.

Point I want to make is, his scantlings are way, way, way over the top for an epoxy-ply goop boat. You don't need to use anywhere near that much wood. Once again the Benford BADGER design is a good one to examine closely because it works and has a proven record of blue water travel far in excess of anything you have planned. There's absolutely no need to build heavier than Benford has specified for that design.

I agree with you about shoal draft and parking the nose on a bank etc. My next boat may well be a scow or barge type as a long-term liveaboard. But I need to get the current one finished, out of the shed and rack up some sea time on it first.

PDW

 

Port Isabel Butthead Sloop

I've been a scow fan for many years and have collected every design I could find. The sweetest set of hull lines I've ever seen was in Howard Chappelle's
American Small Sailing Craft.
He found the hull in Texas and measured it in 1944. It looks very fast and manoeuvrable. At only 30 ft LOA, the freeboard and headroom are too low for a live aboard, but with some scaling up I think it would serve you well. I have redrawn the original plans from the small one in the book.

Gary

 

Were there any construction details with the drawing? Is that a swing up center board thing?

 

There is a typical section with scantling dimensions. Centerboard and drop blade rudder.

 

Port Isabel Butthead Sloop

Yes, there are scantlings shown with a structural cross section. There is also quite a large centreboard to handle a very large sail area.
Below is a shot of a model I made showing the centreboard truck with the hatch off of the fish hold. Some of the fleet would have a galley in that location to cook for the fleet.
Some years ago a museum in Texas built a boxier version about this size and when I asked them if there was any ballast, they said that 10 bags of cement in the stern did the job.

 

You just might have a look over here....stand-up head room, shallow draft, beachable, simple to build......
I like the 39 footer, particularly if you plan on LIVING aboard.
http://markvdesigns.tripod.com/boatbuilding/




...or maybe PAR's boats over here
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/riverboat-designs-42920.html