10 ft "cabin" cruiser

Some pictures of the 10 footer I'm building.
Be warned, I'm not a carpenter or even a half good skillsmen (whatever that may mean) engineer or what is needed to build a boat LOL !!
Screwed up a few times allready although still early in the build, oh well....
No plans/drawings other than it "has" to be 10 ft LOA....so the shape comes along as the build goes.
It's a flabottom thinghy with chine runners and probably Bermuda rigg.Very small cabin with store space under the floorboards and 200 lbs balast space at both sides.Being rather short, I can stretch out (barely) and enough room to sit on the cabin floor to cook a hot meal.Space to store about 100L of water.
Bottom will be 15 mm plywood/glass,hull sides 6mm plywood/glass.

 

some more pictures....not the best quality,I know

 

It may sail like time has been suspended, I suspect, but who's in a hurry ? Just so long as you can get back to shore, all is well !

 

Westel; your craftsmanship appears to be far better than you have suggested. The boat looks like it might have been done by an experienced carpenter.

You have built it like a fortress. The size of the parts are far larger than necessary or desirable.

The problem is that the boat is going to be brutally heavy. When all that weight along with the skipper, the supplies, and the ballast......(The ballast???) is put into the tiny boat it will need to push a lot of water out of the way to get it moving. Mr Efficiency has politely suggested that it will be dreadfully slow.

The pictures do not reveal whether you have put some rocker in the bottom. It will need quite a bit of bottom curvature in order to get the transom up to the waterline. If not, the boat will be even slower than it might have been. True this is not a race boat but it needs to have enough speed to make some progress when facing an opposing tide or current.

Please keep us informed about your progress and continue the good work.

 

Welcome to the forum Westel,

I like it. I love pocket cruisers. it may be slow but looks like a great idea. hope is performs better than that short wide shape might suggest.

the extra weight actually might not be a bad idea in such a small boat, it will help improve the ride in rough going (which will be bad enough in such a short hull). it appears you have enough free board to handle the weight, it will just slow you down a bit.

but it is not like you will be going very fast in any 10 ft displacement hull anyway.

keep us posted on your progress, and if you would like any assistance do not hesitate to ask the panel of experts here.

 

Thanks for the kind words regarding my "carpenter skills" and looking at the pictures I would agree....if the real thing wasn't sitting in my shop LOL !!
No doubt about your observation that it's overkill but that's due lack of knowledge.A marine architect would probably use half the material of what I used so far.
I also realize that the holes drilled in the bulkhead planks for example are more for looks than actually getting the weight down in the upper part of the hull..You can call it an amateur attempt of engineering.

A 10 footer will be slow by any means and carrying a lot of weight certainly ain't gonna make it faster.
There is bottom curvature but probably not as much as it should have.
What I tried is to create as much "usable" living space as possible in such a small boat and at the same time make it still look like a sailboat and keep it simple to build......doubt if I will succeed in any of these goals....LOL.

We'll see what comes out of it.

Thanks again for the thumbs up !!

 

Thanks Petros !!

That's why I hesitated a bit to post the pictures of my build, there are so many knowledgeable people here but I guess my ego won it from my fear LOL

There is something weird about those micro/pocket "cruisers". You love them or you find it a complete waste of time/effort/money which contribute absolutely nothing to the "sailing community".
Having no keel or dagger/leeboards as such (chine runners), the boat needs to be in the water deep enough to make the chine runners work (I know their greatest effect is when heeling).
I don't mind the weight (I still can lift the frame easy in this state) because like you've said, I hope it will smooth the ride a bit.......and I don't know any better...

It may take a while before this little boat will be finished because the chief of staff,admiral SWIMBO, has decided to do a major renovation of our house....

I'll keep you posted......about that little heap of wood LOL !!

 

I have considered the chine runners as a means of eliminating a center board and have thought it can be made much more effective if it was made like a little winglet rather than a long flow fence. I mean rather than being say an 1.5 inches the full length of the chine, if making it 4 or 5 inches wide (in the horizontal direction) only say about 3 or 4 ft along the chine at the lowest point (where it will be most effective). More like a low aspect ratio winglet rather than a flow fence.

I have also considered the design of a minimalist pocket cruiser, and the pram or squared off bow would give you the most interior space for the same length. Personally I just can not bring myself to make a boat with a flat front, it just needs to have a pointy bow, but there are many examples of scow or pram type bows for just that reason; max interior volume for the same length.

 

Petros,

I don't know enough about dynamic's (hydro/aero) to fully comprehend the working of chine runners.
Chine runners however are a steady part of the hull and making them 5 inches wide might make them vunarable.
I fully follow your reasoning that a boat "should" have a pointy bow but that's my opnion based on looks rather than practicality.
I must say though that modern scows are quite attractive but perhaps less suited for a backyard builder like myself.
The pram or rounded bow will provide much more inner space which on such a small "cabin cruiser" can be crucial over time.

I wish I had the patience (and skill to build them)to experiment with models.
Might well be that the "winglet chine runner" is a vast improvement to the concept.

 

I like it. As mentioned before it is way over built, but putting that aside, it shows a lot of intuitive know how that is often lacking in the "Look, I'm building a boat!" first time build category. Are you thinking of sail power or a small outboard?

When it comes to finishing the top sides be very careful about overbuilding it there. A lot of your heavy structure is down low and that is good for stability. If you build heavy up high, and combine it with an already burdened vessel, you may run into stability issues.

Keep us posted. Small boats are cool, especially because of the thought processes required to maximize use of internal spaces and the unique solutions that people come up with.

 

Thanks,

yes,sail power it is.
I have the wacky idea to use 2 front stays,spreaded from the top of the mast to inbetween the first bulkhead position and the bow.
Intention is to use two furling jibs, each on a forestay.......but don't ask why...it's adding weight to the structure above the waterline.
I wanted to have the mast within reach when standing in the hatch in order to avoid as much as possible, climbing onto the foredeck.
Have no clue if the angled offset of the jib would have a great negative influence.

Intention is to make the cabin as light and strong as possible,probably 6mm ply/glass.Thought about using 3 mm ply/glass but I probably will have to stand/sit on the cabin top more than once.
The planks I used for the hatch opening are redicilous in size.......but they give me enough meat to fasten the hinges without needing a doubler on the inside......it's also weight up high.......

I will post pictures when there's something to show.

 

Dry fit of the chine runner.Glued together over a mold,rough shaped to fit curvature and rocker of the bottom.

Does any one know if there is something like a watertap that can be screwed on a 5 liter water bottle ?
Pouring water in a cup with a 5 liter bottle can be tricky I guess on "a boat that never sleeps" . The water bottle can easily be inverted/removed when things get rough.

 

As for stretch out room, a comfortable shorter 'bunk' could be built if it resembled in form a recliner chair in reclined mode. I don't mean install an actual 'Lazy Boy'. but the bunks bottom doesn't HAVE to be all one level. There's no law or regulation saying so.
A comfortable and secure place to rest is important.

 

I agree about the reclined position requiring less length but...I'm a restless a#s when it comes to sleep and laying in a reclined position on your side isn't very comfortable I guess.
Besides that, half the water storage is located just in front of the cabin and the other half just behind the cabin, I need to have easy access to that.
Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

The process of doing a skillful boat build has its' disadvantages. Showing such ability is all the commander in chief needs to see when planning a renovation of the house. Doing a good boat build can sometimes be likened to shooting oneself in the foot.