What type of boat design is best for me

I'm would like to build a boat and I'm wonderind what type of boat design would best suit my purposes. I will use the boat in the open ocean for a scuba platform, deep sea fishing and family day boat. The boat will be 33' +-, have 2 berths, stove, table and sitting space, a head and be trailerable. I'm going to build the boat from steel or aluminum. Oh and the boat should have ample aft deck space for 5 guys with scuba gear.
So my question is what type, v-hull vs. semi-disp., will better suit my purposes.

 

The key point in the design of any boat is the determination of requirements, "desirements", and constraints like costs, draft, etc. This is the hard part, then you can do the trade-offs to figure out what you can have. This is the beginning of the design spiral - Hamlin's book is a good place to start on this.

Any simple answer to this question is the wrong one.

 

Hey, thanks for your reply. I'm new at this so "Hamlin" would be the athor of ? and thankyou again for your reply.

 

You need to get some personal experience before you even consider jumping into building a boat. Find boats in your area that do what you are interested in and try to get rides on them. Charter if you have to, or offer to pay fuel, just get rides on various types of vessel. Also I've seen people spend years building their dream boats only to find that they become deathly seasick the moment they launch...chum for thought?

 

Get experience...

The guys are right get experience.

Buy a good used boats with good service records to get some experience.

If you buy an undervalued quality boat (relatively poor resale value but well built -maybe boring so bring fun guests) you can get in and out for a lot less money than you would waste building the wrong boat (think 30%)

 

CDBarry is right on the money here. All boats are a compromise - there is (generally) no one type that will best fit your needs.
Write down a list of all the things you require. You've made a start on this with things you've already mentioned (and already there are possible conflicting needs from just the few that you've mentioned: for example, you want the boat to be trailerable, so it can't be more than 8' 6" wide. But at 33'+ long there's every chance that it will roll whilst at rest.... not too good for 5 guys fishing. It also limits your accomodation space..... You get the drift.)
There are many other things you need to know - How fast do you want to go, what are the typical weather conditions you're likely to face, how far will the boat need to travel on one tank of fuel, what type of engine(s) do you prefer (or what type will best suit your needs), what are the laws concerning maximum trailerable sizes and weights.... the list goes on and on.
Once you've answered all these, look through magazines and books and make a list of all the production boats that fill your needs. Go take a look at them. Go out in them if you can.
(At this point, like those above, I'd recommend that you find a 2nd-hand one and buy it..... building a boat is not for the faint hearted )

There's an article here http://www.newavesys.com/spiral.htm that describes the design spiral. It's for computer aided design, but it will give you the general idea...

 

I"m in the same process and it is hard to well evaluate all variable. Take time, read many book, go to boat show, and try and try boat and speak with owner. You have to establish what concept you want (speed, trailerability, program, kind of use) and think for the futur. Maybe next year you will realize that you first idea is not really what you want.

The design spiral article is very good. Very helpfull for design. It will help m. But you have to determine what you want before.

 

Trailering rules

Trailer Boat magazine usually has an annual survey on State regulations for towing etc.

If you tow infrequently and have a home base for the boat (slip or park-at-the-ramp) you may be able to build wider and take out a permit (I think 1 for each state) when you go on a trip. You are also looking at the biggest truck you can get to tow this rig.

For 33 foot you will need to get a custum trailer to be ready for unknown boat ramps, shallow or worse - steep.

Keep the center af gravity low for such a narrow boat a flat foredeck with chair mounts would be great for fishing And sunning.

 

Preliminary Design of Boats and Ships, by Cyrus Hamlin

 

for a good choice i would like to give some concrete examples. i had an uncle, who has build himself a 6 meter wooden dingy back in the 70's, which he has adopted sails. he has sailed all southern turkish coast and he was very happy and proud with his boat. then there is this boat i came across while cruising last year. i heard a distress call on the vhf that a motor yacht was calling for help. when i asked them to tell their location i realized that they were just on my route, within my sight but i was not seeing any yacht, the only boat was this junk fisherman's boat just next to shore. i towed them to a secure anchorage. still very early morning, but these two guys on the boat were really drunk, tough no doubt they had been enjoying what they are doing. then myself i started with a 40' motor boat, moved to a 53 footer and then to a 68 footer all in 9 years and planning to move to a 115 feet displacement boat these days. to make the story short, you can enjoy your boat whatever the size and cost is and your decision might evolve during the course of yr boating life. you need to experience and find your own way.

 

The design spiral can be found here:

http://www.newavesys.com/spiral.htm

Joey

 

NO MONO HULL!!! Try a catamaran for that kind of size.