Boat Building: Lightest materials available and how to to it????

[Mark42]

I really want to start building my next boat now that the Bayliner has been customized to my liking, and its running like a top. I figure my next build will take about three years, due to not spending much time on it at all.

So after many searches, and my own personal experience with doing epoxy/glass over 1.5" foam board has held up so well for a few years, and the huge weight involved with a wood hull boat coated in glass/resin (typical home-build today) I really think that the big short-cut and weight savings is as follows:

- Decide on the length and configuration. Such as a center console, or a walk around fishing, or a deck boat. Choose what fits your needs AND fuel economy.

- Start with a solid hull in the size you want. Boats with no motors and rotten stringers/transom are often cheap or free.

- Gut the boat clean to the hull.

- Install a new set of stingers and deck. This can often be done at a few inches lower level than the original deck. Of course this has its issues. A lower floor means a narrower floor (due to hull shape). But careful placement of benches and accessories can make this change a non-issue. A low deck means a lower profile cabin on the boat. Very important for wind resistance and fuel economy.

- Windows and doors will ordered from the motor home catalog, or other marine catalog. But custom sized windows are very expensive (learned from the hard top project).

So, what do you think? Light weight cabin, rot-proof stringers and deck, great fuel economy, and an overall boat that would probably last for years.

Please leave your comments, as this is my plan in the short future.

 

[oops!]

Re: Boat Building: Lightest materials available and how to to it????

hi mark...

i have read this about 15 times and am still thinking about it.

first off the lightest structural materials are alum....kevelar and epoxy. (the hulls of the new vector bat boat are made this way....but due to the epoxy...this is mostly a hand laid boat...and each is one off.

im still trying to figgure out what you want to build.

if you go with a newer hull......the liner will dictate the layout of the interior...so you cant lower deck height. (or are you going to re design the layout?)

if you go older.....then there is no liner and you can do whatever you want keeping in mind c.o.g. and weight and weight distribution.

so.....im kinda lost as what you want.
what do you want to do on the boat?

personally.....i really love the new deck boats....wow....finally an all around boat......it has a berth....an open bow...tons of room....a head, shower....and all in a 25 footer !
but this is a new design.....so rot ones are nowhere to be found

but..whatever you decide, as you know.....we are here for ya bud.