flaired sides vs plumb for the Fred Murphy

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by tugboat, Aug 23, 2012.

  1. tugboat

    tugboat Previous Member

    Hi- I was hoping to see if any n.a's might inform me as to why Ken Hankinson would have chosen flared or canted inward sides for his 26 ft x 9.7 ft Fred Murphy design as opposed to standard plumb sides which is usually the norm for a working tug - In fact all his small tugs have flared sides...What i know from working on tugs is that the plumb sides help working alongside or "on the hip" of other vessels, barges etc.. I have never seen any tugboats with plumb sides unless they were round bilge...I love the FM design but wonder if Mr Hankinson had some reason for flared bows for a tug that I might have missed? what does flared sides help do for the hydrodynamics?? it moves beautiful through the water though--does this help with fuel economy? power requirements?

    thanks- this is a burning question i have had for a while..

    Doug
     

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  2. Tad
    Joined: Mar 2002
    Posts: 2,321
    Likes: 214, Points: 73, Legacy Rep: 2281
    Location: Flattop Islands

    Tad Boat Designer

    It's not a "real" tug, it's a pleasure boat designed to look like an old style tug. Mr. Hankinson had no experience with real commercial vessels, he was designing pleasure boats. The flair narrows the waterline to make the boat easier to push with tiny toy engines. A true commercial tug will be overpowered when running light, volume (for stability and tankage) being more important than economy.
     
    1 person likes this.
  3. tugboat

    tugboat Previous Member

    Tad--looked at your site- I love your PL series- i could never afford to build one- but if i can dream id go with your PL 39. nice choice of engine the - John Deere- I like them!. great work!
     
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