AluminumAlloyBoats.com

Reactivating this old thread. I tried backing into my garage with the bow door open, turns out it doesn't fit. Bent the door a bit and popped the window out on one corner. I removed the window and straightened the door, but there is corrosion around the frame. So I'm going to finally address the cor...

I haven't seen many semi-displacement glass outboards. I've seen alloy in that configuration, something like the North Westerner 2510 made by Hybrid Boat Company. I saw this performance item posted on a forum: "cruises over 14 MPH, to about 20 MPH with a 90 HP Fuel efficient Power Thrust Honda...

Saw an interesting boat for sale couple of weeks ago, but don't remember which site it was on. Glass, semi-displacment, nice cabin accommodations, 90HP Honda, built in the Seattle area IIRC. Price reduced to ~$100K. I'll look for it.

Chtucker wrote:http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/Maxsurf/
http://orca3d.com/Orca3dJ/
http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/MicroStation/

Get your checkbook out...

Probably about what 22' boat would cost to build..

Yep, not worth it. Better to pay a designer to modify an existing design or do a custom one.

It might be better for me to delve into boat design myself than discuss design features here. What is the best software available for designing small aluminum boats? I've read Pollard's book on boat building with aluminum, but would also like to explore the engineering aspects more also. Any suggest...

Kevin, your tracing the evolution of the bracket is the most complete explanation yet of what I've been saying for quite some time. Extending the full hull by the length of the bracket yields more usable space, better transom support and more engine flotation than a bracket boat of the same LOA. I p...

Kevin, you haven't chimed in on this topic from a design perspective, and I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts. Charles, aka Tinman, gave a couple of thoughtful responses on this topic over on ifish. He's not one of the "morons" over there. He suggests that the cost/benefit equation tilts ...

capesteve wrote:Hmmm, why ask for other's opinion when you have already made up your mind? I'm with you MacCTD...

Just wondering if I'm missing something or if self bailing decks are like brackets, ie, good because everybody says so without really thinking them through.

CC Response Boats have a different job description than my boat. I get spray in my boat. The bilge pump takes care of it. I was worried about what was happening under my decks, so I pulled them a couple of years ago. Everything looked pristine. I agree about the crevice corrosion, though, it's a con...

Well look, you do what you wanna do. Simple as that. 15 years or 30 years it makes no difference how much experience you think you have. You live in UT so that limits the amount of fishing days your ever going to get on the ocean. Just how many hours do those 15 years actually pen out to btw? Accid...

Well the first time the sheet hits the fan and you don't have one you'll wish you had one. My old Davis had em. Loved em. Needed them in the weather I fished in. Took a green wave over the bow just 200 yards from the mouth of the harbor. Put enough water to have me standing in at least 2-3" of...

I certainly am not going to say don't innovate..but... You seem to want to reinvent the wheel. No self bailing deck, want to "engineer" strength with thinner metal.... Everyone else is looking for 1/4" and self bailing decks with a bracket... Probably for a good reason. There's lots ...

I certainly am not going to say don't innovate..but... You seem to want to reinvent the wheel. No self bailing deck, want to "engineer" strength with thinner metal.... Everyone else is looking for 1/4" and self bailing decks with a bracket... Probably for a good reason. There's lots ...

This is another sacred cow topic I'd like more insight about. I fully understand the value of self bailing decks in boats intended for rough conditions. However, I don't fish in those conditions. I've been out in stuff when you can't really walk from the helm to get to a rod that goes off, but rathe...

Thanks, Glen. I think you're on the right track. One of the main advantages of aluminum cited by boat builders is it's light weight compared to 'glass. Yet it seems most builders don't take maximum advantage of this property to produce strong, lightweight hulls. An overbuilt hull is just that, too h...

Glen, in the brochure of the 26' SS pilothouse with the fishing machine and pilot packages, the weight totals ~4400#. With the bracket, the LOA is ~28'3", correct? North River lists their 26' OS at 5500#. Can you explain the 1100# weight difference? I like that you build your smaller boats with...

The problem with Specmar is that there aren't a lot of boats out there even if it's a "popular" design. I had some lengthy email exchanges with them and talked to a few builders about some of the boats that have been built. Just not a lot of confidence in a design when there's maybe 2-3 o...

You say you paid $18K? Trade in?

I think you might be getting lost in the forest, Paddler. Sometimes the perfect is the enemy of the good. Go get something that suits your needs. Mike If I'm going to spend $100K(+?), I like to have a better understanding of boat structural design. Don't want to rush in and regret not having though...

I'm sure this has been discussed before, so I'm looking for a discussion regarding the different types of internal construction for hulls. Pollard's book states that longitudinal bracing is the strongest and makes the argument that thicker skin material saves labor costs vs using a thinner skin with...

You might rethink the porta potty and bulkhead. I have a pee bucket. Guess what? Nobody is close enough, nobody can see over the gunnels, nobody looks, nobody cares. My Lowrance LCX 111c HD disconnects in a minute or so. I store my boat inside, so leave it on anyway. You will use a small boat more. ...

Boat.jpg Hi all, been lurking from NZ for a while now.. Thoughts on this transom arrangement? I believe the hull was retrospectively extended to under the transom steps to accommodate the weight of the 115hp on this 5m hull. The pod does not extend down to the keel line. I am having the same boat b...

By smaller, I mean Jeep towable. As in <4000#. Such a boat would give you the flexibility to fish out of any marina in the Sound, SJF, and the coast. It wouldn't be a cruiser. You basically need to refine the boat's job description; that will tell you which types of boats are most applicable. Then s...

Thanks, Kevin, your input is, as always, very informational. When I visited North River last summer and met their the guy in charge of the commercial side, I asked him to build a splashwell boat. He said it couldn't be done without reengineering the boat at the one-off cost of $7000. In other words,...

My Expedition is rated at 9000#, but I don't want to get anywhere near that. You're right about buying the smallest boat that meets your needs if you trailer. That's why I insist on maximum space and weight effifiency. I would never commission a small boat with .250"/.190" plate, as using ...