Crowd sourced Boat build

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by ilikeboats

Chris Craft Express 25 is too wide too heavy maybe... It seems tall. ... I don't know. I agree with you guys. Find something close and affordable that I can do mods on interior.. I was thinking gut a project c 25 might work if I could make it a lot lighter. Otherwise I love the demountable catamaran idea if I build... Seems like a V bottom is not the original boat idea at all but like what was said trying to be flexible... Love the idea of 24' cat the has 6'2' hd room in back smaller deck queen sm shower/pissed combo very small kitchen and u shaped or small booth. Swim Deck.. electric propulsion and small generator to charge w solar Bimini could be a cool idea it isn't about go fast

Seems like you are trying to reinvent the wheel. Get on YouTube and do a search for "shanty boats". Forget about electric power, it would not be suitable for the type of boat you are talking about. Yes, you are not concerned about speed, but you should be concerned about range. That takes a big battery bank and big battery banks are heavy. A 15-20 hp outboard will do the job for you with a lot more range. Buy some plywood and get to it.

[ilikeboats]

I think your right in a way.. everything is a trade off,. The original idea isn't a shanty boat but a boat with terrible sea going traits but accommodations, cost, trailering. So I think I should reinvent the concept. But try to make it more modern yacht styled, and into a catamaran if possible..?? While still keeping it simple and cheap

[ilikeboats]

The flat bottom of the house boat 20 from the original idea. Could easily give 6'3" standing room in boat.
.. How much space at minimum do you have to have between the water and the bottom of the main hull for a costal cruiser without that annoying slapping sound???

Thinking about redesigning the HB20 as a catamaran or detachable catamaran lightest weight it is 1750 # stitch and glue right now empty..

[ilikeboats]

So what is the easiest,cheapest,,simple to build, best seaworthy, I could use to change the HB20 to a small cat?? Are there a variety of free hull plans out there that could be used for a 20 ft 2800# boat?? What do you guys suggest?

[ilikeboats]

What is the widest hulls you can put on a 8'6' width catamaran?

[Rudderless]

As has been mentioned previously in this thread, in the end you will probably spend less money and far less time by buying a cheap or free boat and fixing it up, and you'll probably save even more of both by taking the time to find a boat that needs very little. Even if the ready to sail boats cost more, you might want to consider working a part time job instead of spending the hours you would put into building a boat, and then using that extra cash on a boat that's ready to go.

As far as design and plan choices, I don't think this is the best forum as it doesn't seem many (any?) people here have gone this route. I think you'd do better to find an active forum that focuses on building boats from available free plans. Good luck with everything.

[Cadence]

Build a light house on a pontoon boat. There are some made, I had one, I intended for use on a lake which was a wide spot in a river due to a dam. I wouldn't recommend anything other than "very" protected waters. As I recall 28' and the house was constructed like a travel trailer with aluminum framing and came with no interior layout. Towed well. If you can find one it might fit your desire. Again, very protected waters.

[Fence Man]

Originally Posted by ilikeboats

So what is the easiest,cheapest,,simple to build, best seaworthy, I could use to change the HB20 to a small cat?? Are there a variety of free hull plans out there that could be used for a 20 ft 2800# boat?? What do you guys suggest?

Hands down cheapest/most efficient would be a sailboat. Older trailerable boats are a dime a dozen, ESPECIALLY in the Midwest. Take the mast off, and if its not a swing keel, whack it off too. When you are done with it and ready to move on, simply strip the boat of anything valuable, pull it off the trailer and toss a match on it. 12 hours later, it will fit in 3 trash bags and you'll have a trailer to sell.

Cheap. Easy on gas. Cheap. Problem solved.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by ilikeboats

What is the widest hulls you can put on a 8'6' width catamaran?

4'3"

The issue with this is the goal of going catamaran would be to go with the narrowest hulls that can support the weight. Narrow hulls are generally more easily driven at higher speeds.

[ilikeboats]

the catamaran hulls the idea is stability,nicer ride,faster on the water so if i build a slow one it will still be all good, and the most important accommodations on the water i am eyeballing tow away catamarans the ones big enough not to have a pop top since earlier in the tread that was brought up and from visiting no one thinks that is a good long term it's ok to have time extending cat hulls to get wider stance but detach it takes away all the benefits of a small trailerable boat at a certain length/size. So it brings me back to Jarcat like boat but bigger size and accommodations.Or also to speed time putting up a sail..hmm So after extensive reading it has me wondering if ratios 1/2 as in width needs to be around 50% of length or more for a nice seagoing ability. so a cat that is 20' and 8'6' on the trailer but one side is free floating pulls out from the cabin with some type of tubes with pins to bring it to 11' wide with a tarp between the cabin/back and front hard deck would make it trailer friendly or if best make a 8'6' width fixed.... so by asking what is the widest hulls for a 8'6" hull on a catamaran. My intention is to figure out what is the safest seagoing dimensions for That. then use the best hull for the accommodations after if fat wide squared hulls are best then put accommodations in them like the small towaway great barrier reef cats if not it dictates that they should be narrowest to support the weight
so i am hoping to hear someone say well at 8'6 the hulls can be 3' for example and the cabin needs to be 1.5' above the water to avoid the slapping sounds and better ocean going
because the follow up question to that is and how high can those hulls be. see where i am going with this??

[ilikeboats]

then if fat squared off U shaped hulls are best. flat Trailer becomes easy, could use polyurea "bed liner" on the bottom of hulls and make it a beachable catamaran, make use of space in hulls and easy to build. does that all make sense now??

[Rudderless]

I really think you're in the wrong forum to get answers to your boat design questions as I don't think many, or any, of the people here are boat designers.

I have thousands of miles in canoes, a degree in engineering, a fair bit of construction experience and I've read many books and articles about canoe building and design criteria. All that said, if I wanted to build a canoe myself, I'd buy plans from someone who knows how to design canoes and has experience doing so.

I'm all for people taking the bull by the horns and learning from doing but, respectfully, I think what you're looking to do is beyond you at this point. That's not a knock; I think it's beyond most of the people on this forum and they've got years or decades of experience with ocean going boats.

If you are adamant about building a boat to your own design criteria, please find a boat building forum and ask your design questions there as you are likelier to get meaningful design advice there.

Best of luck.

[ilikeboats]

i have costed it out 2k to build isn't so bad. it also isn't about not buying plans just not the wrong ones / its about getting what you want instead of what someone wants to sell you.

[ilikeboats]

yeah, thanks for your admin response i am just trying to make a inland and costal cruiser. lakes would be it favorite travel destinations.. not all of are so lucky to call home next to the ocean but we still have a love for the water and boating...

[ilikeboats]

rudderless: i am on 4 different forums and from my experience this is exactly the place to look for people who enjoy boats and cruising just for the enjoyment of being on the water after all that is cruising! The design forums that i am on under other names mainly focus of people trying to "sell their plans" I have 5 sets of plans and not a single one of them really fits what i want to build. Classic Plastic isn't around for what i am looking for since they were either built in wood or never built as all at that time frame as in the small cruiser catamaran. and not to insult designers but they like to sell big boats...