Weymouth ferry boat design?

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Rohit, Sep 21, 2018.

  1. Rohit
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    Rohit New Member

    I'm trying to find design plans of boats similar to the Weymouth rowing ferry that can hold up to 9 people. Anyone know of stock design plans of similar boats for 6-9 people?

    The closest I found is Welsford's Sherpa, but even though it claims 6 people capacity, it doesn't look like that many people would fit it in.

    29537739195_c17823e889_b.jpg

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    Last edited: Sep 22, 2018
  2. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    One source of plans might be Standard Designs for Boats of the United States Navy which was published in 1900. You may find a copy in a large public library or a university library.

    Do you intend to carry "passengers for hire" in the US which has a broad definition? If so a boat carrying more than 6 passengers for hire in the US will be subject to USCG rules on stability and similar.
     
  3. philSweet
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    philSweet Senior Member

  4. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    The Outward Bound boats are considerably larger than the ferry boats used in Weymouth, England and depending on the usage might be difficult for one person to row.
     
  5. philSweet
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    philSweet Senior Member

    But somehow I doubt that the type pictured in the OP would get a CG cert for 9 passengers. Maybe Ike can comment on any exemptions for this type of craft.
     
  6. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    I also doubt the boats in the photos could be USCG certified for 9 passengers. But USCG certification is only required if the boat is carrying "passengers for hire" on "Federal waters" or on state waters in a state which required boats on state waters to meet USCG requirements. Hence my question about use of the boat.

    Also I don't think a row only boat for certified for 9 passengers would need to be as larger as the Outward Bound sail and row boats. A major factor in the USCG stability requirements is the calculated heel angle due to wind and a row only boat would have a much smaller calculated heel angle than a sail boat.
     
  7. Rohit
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    Rohit New Member

    I guess I asked an incorrect question. I am looking for a 6 person rowboat in the same style where I could take 6 friends around similar on Lake Washington (<1' waves, <15knot winds).
    1. Weight <250lb (so can be pulled on a dolly to the water 7 min walk from my house)
    2. Beach launchable (shallow draft, no deep keel, so we can launch near my house)
    3. Flat floor to lie down on (not blocked by seats)
    4. Massive built in positive flotation (optional, but water gets to 45 degrees in the lake in winter)
    5. Some kind of enclosure/tent (optional, but it rains a lots and its cold in winter)
    6. Can be rowed/pedaled much more efficiently efficiently than a RIB.
    7. Available as close to ready-made / boat-kit / plans for beginners as possible (I haven't built any boats before)

    The closest thing I've found is a 6 person RIB with an enclosed tent, that I should be able to mount a H2 Pro Ped pedal drive on, and was wondering if there are any more efficiently driven alternatives.

    The second closest I've found is CLC's Southwester dory, but it doesn't look rated for 6 people. Also, I tried out their Northwester dory it the boat was very hard to row for me. I'm 6'5 and their seats felt too low to be comfortable, and boat sides felt too low, and there wasn't enough space between the twarts for me to stretch my legs straight so I could row.

    The third closest I've found is Gartside's 20' surf dory but I doubt I could build that myself from plans.
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2018
  8. DCockey
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    DCockey Senior Member

    How many people would row or pedal? Do you have a preference for rowing vs pedaling?

    What distances do you plan to cover? Any speed requirements?

    Flat floor to lie down on (not blocked by seats) and Some kind of enclosure/tent (optional, but it rains a lots and its cold in winter) sound like you also evision using the boat for camp cruising or similar, presumably with less than 6 people aboard.

    A RIB large enough for 6 people is unlikely to be pleasant to row.

    Do you have a budget?
     
  9. philSweet
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    philSweet Senior Member

    One thing to consider - most normal small boats have a capacity only a couple times greater than their empty weight. There are some exceptions. Sharpies, canoes, dories and prams are good in the payload to weight department. But realistically, a reasonable stable, reasonably comfortable-for-a-day-on-a lake 250 pound boat is a two person craft.

    There is one of those way-too-simple-but-we use-it-anyway rules for capacity. Length times Beam divided by 15 = number of people. This is in common use for boats under 20 feet. So a 20' boat with seven people would need a beam of 5.25 feet. A 17' boat would need a beam of 6'2". Done in Plywood and glass, you are probably looking at 700 pounds. Fancy composites could get that down to half, but you are looking at some serious money. Like enough to build a small house kind of money. There's a ten year old 18' Lake and Bay Flats boat selling for $36,000 on Boat Trader, and that's for the fiberglass version. The Kevlar version would be more.

    So I think you need to accept that this thing will come and go on a trailer pulled by a truck.

    One place to look is Ruell Parker's sharpie book. Gato Negro, at 19'5" x 5'8" carried 7 people. Also look at his Seabright skiff 18' micro cruiser for ideas. It could be built at 400 pounds and carry maybe five somewhat comfortably with some arrangement modifications.

    Oh, I reckon a '32 DeSoto sedan would be easier to row than a RIB. That really isn't asking for anything.
     

  10. Rohit
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    Rohit New Member

    > sound like you also evision using the boat for camp cruising or similar, presumably with less than 6 people aboard.
    I have two different things I'd like to do that I think I may need separate boats for. One is "floating-around": just spending time with friends on the water nearby or lying down with a laptop working on the boat in the rain under a tent. The other is "long-distance": trips between San Juan islands and long races like seventy48 (70 miles in puget sound) with one-other person in a tandem row/pedal boat where one person can also nap along the way.

    > How many people would row or pedal?
    Two or more is ideal.

    > Do you have a preference for rowing vs pedaling?
    I get severe back pain if sliding seat rowing fast for > 2 hours on my Alden 18 and I guess the same thing will happen with fixed seat rowing, so I guess the only option is pedaling.

    > What distances do you plan to cover? Any speed requirements?
    For floating-around, 3 miles, 2 knots. For long-distance 15-70 miles, 4 knots.

    > A RIB large enough for 6 people is unlikely to be pleasant to row.
    Would it be equally hard to pedal? Also, 2 knots is fine here since its just for floating around.

    > Do you have a budget?
    Let's say under $6k.

    @philSweet: I understand there are few options but it does look comfortably possible for calm lakes. That 20' Gartside surf dory is 250lbs and built for 5 crew. It says it was used for rescue which suggests at least one more person should fit in it. It also looks more heavily built than needed for traditional aesthetic purposes. Similarly Welsford claims his 85lb Sherpa can hold 6 people somehow..

    Overall as it stands it looks like 2 separate boats may be the right option:
    - A RIB (140lbs) with a tent for floating-around with upto 6 people capacity.
    - One of the innumerable other fast non racing-shell boats (~200lbs) with tandem pedal drives like this for 2 people to go long-distance.
     
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