New boat idea, but flat bottom?

[BigB9000]

I love boating, obviously, but my budget is quite low, I cant afford a new boat, so i keep getting myself near free boats and fixing them up, then selling them.

The only thing Im after is ride quality. My first boat was a 14' alum tiller set-up flat bottom. And water chop wasn't noticeable at all.

the next 4 boats were all fiberglass flat bottoms, all were horrible in slight chop. and just a nightmare for boat wake.

My recent boat, a 66 lonestar, aluminum flat bottom, does wonderful through heavy chop, boat wake, you name it, this this thing is great at everything. but why? Its a blat bottom, and a hooked/bent keel:

So I have my eye on this beauty:

Its a 15 foot (?) aluminum. trailers probably shot, and so are the outboards it comes with.

But how well do you all think the beauty will do through rough river/lake water?

 

[wellsc1]

Re: New boat idea, but flat bottom?

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. You just have to have natural love for it.

 

[steelespike]

Re: New boat idea, but flat bottom?

Properly setup it should handle about any normal sea.
The rounded shape will be much smoother than any flat bottom.
and will be more forgiving handling waves.The rounded bilge will roll inward
in a turn.Perfectly normal and not unsafe.As stupid teens we used to push these types through tight turns till water would trikle over the side.
will be harder to get up on the water than a flat bottom

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: New boat idea, but flat bottom?

great boat.

 

[BigB9000]

Re: New boat idea, but flat bottom?

will be harder to get up on the water than a flat bottom

Get up? what do you mean?

 

[BigB9000]

Re: New boat idea, but flat bottom?

great boat.

Think it'll be smooth through choppy water and waves?

 

[jdlough]

Re: New boat idea, but flat bottom?

Get up? what do you mean?

I think he just meant that a tru flat-bottom is the easiest boat to plane. (Did you ever see that old outboard add with kids planing while riding on an upside-down table?)

Any other shape trades ease of planing (flat) for better ride in chops (V).

But this boat has a V in the front, and flat in the stern (where planing happens), so it looks like a nice compromise between ride and planing.

AT REST, it will prob feel stable in flat water, but tippy and rolling with the waves in choppy water (since the flat mid-to-stern part of the hull is sitting down). WHILE MOVING, it should get on plane easy enough (due to the flat stearn where the boat planes), and cut through the waves well enough with the V bow, but may be a bumpy ride for severe chop (because the V is not all that pronounced, and the hull flattens out).

All boats are a compromise.

This looks like a nice compromise for not too choppy water.

When it's choppy, a boat like this will feel better and more stable while moving, than if it was just anchored or drifting and bobbing with the waves.

Or as Tashasdaddy said, "great boat".

Jim

 

[ezmobee]

Re: New boat idea, but flat bottom?

Think it'll be smooth through choppy water and waves?

I personally do not think it will be. It's still flat in the back and probably most of the bottom. Keep looking for something with much more V to it. This is coming from a V bottom owner with not enough dead rise who gets beat to death in the chop....

 

[mrdancer]

Re: New boat idea, but flat bottom?

A number of variables contribute to boat ride quality. The boat in question should do well at low speeds and will likely pound a little once the boat gets up on plane. If you can keep the bow down (with trim tabs), then you can cut the waves and go a little faster before pounding. Take it slow and there shouldn't be any problems. A heavier boat will also ride smoother in the chop. Fiberglass tends to absorb pounding more than aluminum, but again, hull design and weight are major factors. Other factors are length and width of the basic hull form.

I'm not sure what makes a "true" flat bottom. I would say the boat pictured is a flat-bottom with rounded chines and a mod-V bow. The mod-V bow is quite common in larger jon boats (those with side and center consoles), but they typically have square chines. It seems you find rounded chines only on the smaller aluminum boats, not sure why...

FWIW, I'm running a 26-foot flat-bottom mod-V bow aluminum jon boat with center console. The boat is somewhat heavy, but has a narrow hull, only 60 inches across the bottom. The slender hull contributes to ride quality, and the boat is quite comfortable in one-foot chop. The ride isn't bad in two-footers, but you start to get water spray over the sides. It doesn't really start to pound until you get into three-footers, but it will still get you home reasonably well.