My simple boat design, that could be my 1st build.

[parkland]

As many of you know, I've been looking at boats, designing boats that are un-realistic for a 1st build, or overly complicated.
I have been thinking of "getting my feet wet" by building something cheap, simple, and usable.

Its a 8'6" wide 26 ft long barge type boat, and is all square except for the angles of the bottom at the front and back.
I would install a single engine, probably a 3 or 4 cyl diesel, marine transmission, and manual cable controlled rudder.
The hull would be 1/4" thick steel on bottom, 1/8" on the sides, and 1/8" checker plate for the deck.
The cabin would be thin sheet metal like 1/16" or 1/32" thin light flimsy metal.
The cabin frame would be maybe 1.5" square tubing, or 2" angle 1/8" or so.
The hull would be 36 inches tall, with 5 ft of cabin protruding above.


What do you guys think of the angles I put on the hull? ( 1 ft over 8 ft)?
It makes sense to use the same angle front and rear right?
What type of characteristics will this posess driving it? I've never driven a barge !! lol
I imagine it might turn sluggish, and hit waves a little hard.

As always, any thoughs or opinions would be great

 

[parkland]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KUBOTA-D110...161?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c3e39ee9

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZF10M-Hurth..._Accessories_Gear&hash=item5651b5db8a&vxp=mtr

 

[parkland]

Also this will be a work boat style boat,

I'm not trying to make something that will be insulated or have appliances for living on it, just a fun low budget fuel effecient cruising boat.

I will paint the hull black, and the decks and cabin white.

I'm working out the weights, and it should still be able to get pulled by a 1 ton truck just fine.

 

[lewisboats]

As far as the hull shape goes it would be fine for a canal or something where waves can't build up. It looks similar to a Chanteuse only longer. It will pound in a chop and probably be quite noisy too. The flatness of the panels will make it easy to work with but you will have a time bending 1/4" steel and it still might oilcan a bit in a chop. Plus, you are looking at some serious weight at around 350/sheet of 1/4" at 4'x8'. You will need at least 8 sheets solely for the bottom (2800 lbs for the bottom alone). You are looking at probably 6000-6500 lbs for the boat plus another 1500-2000 lbs for the trailer which would have to be custom made to handle the hull shape and would require excellent brakes and perhaps a fifth wheel or goose neck for proper handling. Launching it would be problematical and recovery would be a nightmare. The hull shape will limit it to an absolute max of a little less than 7 kts but probably less as it isn't a really slippery shape. I would expect to cruise at about 5 mph and have a max speed of about 7mph or so. This is limited by physics and fluid dynamics so a bigger motor won't do much good. Why build the accommodations if you aren't going to furnish it? And plain steel everywhere would be cold an uninviting as well as loudly noisy. Spec it in Plywood and the entire build would be easier, lighter and quicker to build and quieter, warmer and more homey to use.

 

[rasorinc]

1/4" bottom plate is overkill. 3/16" or even 1/8" will work depending on your internal framing and 3/32" for sides. Weight is the killer on boats so do consider plywood. A steel deck even painted white will get to hot to walk on in direct sun so consider wood over steel frames if going with steel.

 

[parkland]

The hull shape will limit it to an absolute max of a little less than 7 kts but probably less as it isn't a really slippery shape. I would expect to cruise at about 5 mph and have a max speed of about 7mph or so.

Once again, a nail in the coffin for one of my ideas.
Oh well.

 

[Petros]

two suggestions: First I suggest to build a small dingy or a skiff using the same construction type you want to do on the larger build. It will "get your feet wet" in much less effort and cost, and give you valuable building skills, and it will be useful as a tender or runabout.

The other is that what you want to build looks very similar to other designs that are available, many free for very low cost. Find something in the size you want and just get yourself a set of plans from a proven design. You can redesign the interior to suite your needs but at least that way you will have safe and reliable hull design. There are many designed to use exterior grade plywood, fiberglass and I imagine even metal, but either way it would not take much to have a professional give you sheet metal thickness and joining details for a known design. for the amount of cost and effort you will take, using a proven design and/or a known designer or NA, will make it that much more valuable and much easier to resell (rather than have to scrap it).

trying to save on plans is a false economy, you will waste materials or make it much heavier than it needs to be, adding cost and harming its performance and usability. If you want to design your own boat, nothing wrong with that, it will save you a lot of time to work with a design professional to review your work and make corrections/suggestions to help you achieve your goals. While you might able to teach yourself what you need to know in terms of design skills, but it would take you at least a year of "spare" time study. That time would be better spent actually building it if you pay a design professional to give you what you want in a few weeks.

 

[C-mack]

What about a hull from Carolina skiff. It's 27' x 8'6". About two feet dept on the inside. 30" on the outside. then you just play with the inside