Party Barge boat design, customer pontoon help!

[nville boatin]

Hi Everyone, I am in the early to mid stages of looking for a custom pontoon/barge that is roughly 35x10, has river capability w/ enough power to move 18 people with full stability and coat guard approval. I have contacted some customer pontoon builders, some are too far aware, some are completely unresponsive and some seem incompetent and overpriced.

Does anyone have any reccomendations on a boat design or customer builder? If i can find a boat already built in similar dimensions? Currently I am looking at a tritoon with 30in in diameter tubes. This would hold a little of 15,000LBS not including the boat weight.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

 

[rasorinc]

Look at house boats on the Glen-L marine site. They will probably list out capacities.

 

[keysdisease]

Any time from a US Port when taking more than 6 passengers for hire, the vessel needs to be a USCG "inspected" vessel. The vessel will need to pass a stability test for the intended passenger load regardless of river, lake or protected water use. There are variety of other requirements regarding fire safety, flotation, life jackets, life rafts, wiring, pumps, etc.

I would suggest you either purchase an inspected vessel that meets your needs, or employ a Naval Architect to design one and direct you through the inspection process. The learning curve for this is very steep for a novice, and not at all cost effective for someone not familiar with the process.

Here's a guy that builds a 47' vessel w outboard power approved for 49 passengers.

http://www.coopermarine.com/

49 passengers is the "break point" in inspected vessels where anything with more passengers has to meet higher standards.

Here's a 36 footer in aluminum

http://www.sightseerboats.com/USCG-Small-Passenger-Vessels.html

Here's another pontoon manufacturer:

http://www.tridentpontoons.com/index.html

I would highly recommend you only deal with a builder that has experience with USCG inspected vessels.

 

[nville boatin]

perfect

great call on trident, just spoke with Robbie there, full of info and sounds like a good fit, they are coast guard approved before they even leave the shop.

Thanks!

 

[Ike]

First lets get some terminology straight. The USCG does not approve boats. An "inspected vessel" is certified by the USCG if it meets all the qualifications and passes certain tests. It may sound like nit picking but there is a significant difference between certification and approval, based in law and it does mean something important to you, because if the builder is telling you their boats are Coast Guard approved then they don't know what they are talking about. Lifejackets, toilets, fire extenguishers, and some other equipment are Coast Guard Approved. This means that they are tested by an independent testing laboratory and found to meet Coast Guard requirements. Recreational boats are "certified" by the boat manufacturer to comply with Federal regulations. They are not inspected or certified by the USCG. This includes boats carrying up to 6 passengers for hire. More than that the boat has to be "certified by the Coast Guard. This is a long process and does not apply to boats coming off a production line. The plans have to be inspected by the Coast Guard a ok'd and then the construction has to inspected throughout the building process and then finally tested for stability and other factors.

So if you are buying a recreational boat to carry friends and family then the boat is certified by the builder. If you plan to carry 6 or less passengers the the same applies, and you have to have a six pack license from the USCG.

If you plan to carry passengers for hire over 6 then the boat has to be USCG certified, so if the builder is claiming it is then you better ask for some paperwork from them to prove it. They will have document from the Coast Guard if it is certified for passenger for hire and will also state where it can carry passengers for hire. Plus you have to have a license to carry passenger for hire from the Coast Guard based on the number of passengers, vessel size and location.

Sorry for the rant but there is a lot of confusion about this even among boat builders.

 

[keysdisease]

The three manufacturers I referenced make Sub Chapter T USCG inspected vessels. All three have been is business for many years and have numerous inspected vessels in service around the Country.

As long as the OP contracts for an "inspected" vessel these manufacturers will deliver a USCG inspected vessel with appropriate documentation and the necessary equipment to legally carry more than 6 passengers for hire on US waters from US ports.

It will of course be up to the owner to ensure a USCG licensed operator runs the boat. I would think a minimum 100 ton USCG license with a navigational range within the waters the vessel will be operating on would meet the minimum requirement.

 

[Ike]

Good. I am familiar with trident. Don't know the other two. 100 tons is good.

 

[nville boatin]

Thanks Everyone!

Thanks,

 

[PAR]

The simple answer to this query is, you need to have the boat designed professionally. You're not going to design one, without a sign off by a pro or classification society. It's as simple as that. This means a significant design cost initially, though carries the assurance, it'll meet or exceed the appropriate requirements and carry the appropriate documentation for certification and compliance.

 

[wilkidan]

Catamaran hulls

Hi Everyone, I am in the early to mid stages of looking for a custom pontoon/barge that is roughly 35x10, has river capability w/ enough power to move 18 people with full stability and coat guard approval. I have contacted some customer pontoon builders, some are too far aware, some are completely unresponsive and some seem incompetent and overpriced.

Does anyone have any reccomendations on a boat design or customer builder? If i can find a boat already built in similar dimensions? Currently I am looking at a tritoon with 30in in diameter tubes. This would hold a little of 15,000LBS not including the boat weight.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

I have built several houseboats using a set of developed hulls (not pontoons) from 35' to 57' that I have molds for. Don't believe you would need tri hulls since our hulls are 36" across and "U" shaped. We are located in FL and can build complete or partial. Let me know if any interest.