Hull design

[bahiatrader]

Anyone have any favorite hull designs for the ocean? I've had four different hull designs I've used in the ocean. 1. a V hull, 2. a modified tri-hull, 3. a catamaran, and 4. A McKenzie type river boat.
I grew up using a V hull in the Pacific Norhtwest and I had one on The Sea of Cortez. Maybe it's because of what I grew up with, but I've always felt pretty good about a V hull. I've taken on some pretty heavy seas in the Pacific Northwest and felt like it was as good as I needed. It cut through somne pretty heavy chops withoiut too much jarring. I felt like the V hull was as good as I could get for heavy seas.
I had a modified tri-hull I've used on rivers, lakes and The Sea of Cortez. It was fast and stable on smooth water, but it would jar the hell out of you in a chop. I never felt comfortable with it in heavy seas. I once ran almost a mile of the Grand Canyon by accident which was kind of unnerving. It was my own damn fault for not anchoring when I had motor trouble after putting in at Lee's Ferry. I banged the hell out of the hull and ruined one prop getting back to the relatively smooth waters above Lee's Ferry.
I've used a catamaran on the Columbia River and the Pacific. I loved the speed and efficiency of it on smooth water. I'm sorry Stuart, but I always felt like it was too tippy on heavy seas in the ocean. I saw one tip over out by Catalina Island, and heard of a couple others.
My McKenzie River boat doubled for fishing in the ocean with a 40 hp, outboard on it. I thought it was as seaworthy as it needed to be. I was once escorted back across the Columbia bar by a Coast Guard cutter when small craft warnings were out. A guy on the cutter told me with a loud-speaker the next time they caught me out there I was going to pay their fuel bill for escorting me back. They never caught me again. Dories and Panga hulls are a similar design and I always thought a Panga would be an ideal ocean fishing boat. I had one for a short while. While I was looking for a motor a guy came along that thought it was more valuable than I did, so I never got to try it.
After reading about Thor Hayerdahl and the Kon Tiki I always wanted to try a tri-hull, but never got the chance. Anyone else out there have any preferences?

 

[bahiatrader]

Incidentally, I don't do kayaks. I was going to buy a kayak once and had to learn to do the eskimo roll out of necessity when I tried it out during the spring runoff on the Luckiamute River.

 

[RIC]

The deep V is excellent for running in the chop but suffers at anchor or on the drift as it rolls back and forth a lot more if there is any wave action. Pangas are the exact opposite as they have very little transom deadrise so they pound more when running but are very stable when sitting still, making them more comfortable to fish from once you get to the fishing grounds. Every year, I tend to find myself leaning towards a boat that is more comfortable to fish from and then just run slower and in a favorable direction in rough water. It is great to go fast in choppy water but in the end, it is all about being able to fish effectively. With a little practice and with the help of trim tabs, you can still get a very comfortable ride in choppy water in a boat with very little transom deadrise, especially if you SLOW DOWN! It also helps if you pick a boat with a sharp entry and have taken the time to learn a lot of different reefs in all directions from the launch so you can always have somewhere to go if it is a little rough no matter which direction the wind is coming from. The worst thing you can do is become one of those guys who only has confindence fishing the 51 mile reef so if the wind is from the north or south, you are out of options.

Ric

www.ricsrockypointfishing.com

 

[Stuart]

Going slow... naaaah. I wanna run like the wind. I like being able to go to the 16, the 18, then the 23, then still have to the option to run to the 43, Witch's Hat or even the 51 before the day is over. Run and gun, baby! Of course, it all depends on water conditions. Nobody wants to get pounded regardless of what boat you're in. And man oh man, I've had my feces severely compacted and compressed in a panga on more than one occasion! Typical tiller Mexican pangas run with the bow way too high - the guy at the tiller can't even see where he's going half the time.

The best hull design is whatever you can afford. Add to that, experience operating it in all conditions. Knowing how to trim it up properly for the best ride. Boats are the one place that size really DOES matter! A big beam makes a difference. If money were no object, I'd have a large trawler style displacement hull. It doesn't go fast, but it has the range to go anywhere, and very smoothly at that. Of course, if you can afford something like that, then time is no longer an obstacle, either, and there's no need to go anywhere fast.

My dream boat - click here.

 

[rockyptjoe]

Going slow... naaaah. I wanna run like the wind. I like being able to go to the 16, the 18, then the 23, then still have to the option to run to the 43, Witch's Hat or even the 51 before the day is over. Run and gun, baby! Of course, it all depends on water conditions. Nobody wants to get pounded regardless of what boat you're in. And man oh man, I've had my feces severely compacted and compressed in a panga on more than one occasion! Typical tiller Mexican pangas run with the bow way too high - the guy at the tiller can't even see where he's going half the time.

The best hull design is whatever you can afford. Add to that, experience operating it in all conditions. Knowing how to trim it up properly for the best ride. Boats are the one place that size really DOES matter! A big beam makes a difference. If money were no object, I'd have a large trawler style displacement hull. It doesn't go fast, but it has the range to go anywhere, and very smoothly at that. Of course, if you can afford something like that, then time is no longer an obstacle, either, and there's no need to go anywhere fast.

My dream boat - click here.

A condo on water.....the motion up on that flybridge must be horrendous even with a little rocking.....I had a sailboat and was up at the top of the mast (bosun's chair).....even a little rocking that was almost imperceptible at the deck was mangified (28 times!!!!). I wonder what is considered cruising speed for that behemoth!

 

[moore_rb]

I wonder what is considered cruising speed for that behemoth!

My Stepfather sold mid-tier luxury yachts like that in Newport Beach throughout the 80's and he used to say that the fuel burn rate will equate to roughly 80-90% of the cruising speed in knots. It's a pretty rough rule of thumb with a high standard deviation, but it's good for guesstimating, so I'm gonna guess that boat probaby cruises 15-18 knots...

 

[Stuart]

Cruising speed is about 10 knots. And contrary to what you might think, no rocking at all. It has ballast and a gyro stabilization system. It tanks 4500 gallons of diesel - enough to leave LA and sail to Hawaii or the Galapagos. For its size, it's amazingly fuel efficient.

 

[PintoPoint]

My dream boat is a little smaller. But it was built with fishing room and fish storage in mind. If I get a clear day I can get there fast. Self bailing and lots of bilge pumps for the nasy days.

 

[moore_rb]

My dream boat is a little smaller. But it was built with fishing room and fish storage in mind. If I get a clear day I can get there fast. Self bailing and lots of bilge pumps for the nasy days.View attachment 1070

Ya know, I've seen that boat in pictures on this forum three times now.... but when will we actually see it live at Safe Marina, or idling out of the old port into the swell?

:-D

 

[rockyptjoe]

Cruising speed is about 10 knots. And contrary to what you might think, no rocking at all. It has ballast and a gyro stabilization system. It tanks 4500 gallons of diesel - enough to leave LA and sail to Hawaii or the Galapagos. For its size, it's amazingly fuel efficient.

That's about the cruising speed of the "trawler" types...like Grand Banks.....but for something that huge...not bad on the fuel economy...when you consider that power boats are measured in gallons per mile instead of mpg! :rofl:

If that's a 74 footer, that flybridge looks like it's somewhere around 30-35 ft. above the waterline...and even a 1 degree rock'n'roll would be pretty extreme up there (but what do I know...I used to sail....with a keel/ballast under me)....:-D

 

[PintoPoint]

Ya know, I've seen that boat in pictures on this forum three times now.... but when will we actually see it live at Safe Marina, or idling out of the old port into the swell?

:-D

Robert,
It's only way I keep my sanity! I just want to put it in the water to see if it float upright. Just put the new trailer under it and working on the electrical this weekend. Maybe June.

 

[bahiatrader]

My favorite boat was a 26' San Juan Sailer with a Volvo Penta auxiliary gas motor.

 

[Stuart]

My new boat for the 51! Just gotta figure out where I'm putting the bait tank...

 

[moore_rb]

My new boat for the 51! Just gotta figure out where I'm putting the bait tank...

Forget the bait tank, where is the steering wheel? That looks like a 25 horse outboard hanging off the back...

I'll bet that thing is a BLAST.

I once considered mounting rod holders on a jetski-

 

[moore_rb]

My new boat for the 51! Just gotta figure out where I'm putting the bait tank...

ok, I checked the Craigcat website- now I understand how you steer it... that's just crazy.

 

[rockyptjoe]

Forget the bait tank, where is the steering wheel? That looks like a 25 horse outboard hanging off the back...

I'll bet that thing is a BLAST.

I once considered mounting rod holders on a jetski-

There's a company that sells a frame with cooler that you mount on the back of the jetski...they also carry rodholders for it....I have the cooler. Can't for the life of me remember the company name.....

 

[rockyptjoe]

My new boat for the 51! Just gotta figure out where I'm putting the bait tank...

That must be a hell of a ride in rough water. My jetskis are about the same length, and when my daughter and I rode out to Bird Island, we had really rough water coming back....took a pounding, even runnuing at about 10-15 mph....

 

[rockyptjoe]

My favorite boat was a 26' San Juan Sailer with a Volvo Penta auxiliary gas motor.

Pearson 26 with an outboard kicker....never put the rail under even with about 15-20 knots and flying a #1 genoa (over 400 sq. ft.). That boat was built like a tank.....got broadsided by a cabin cruiser surfing off a wave coming in to a harbor...the only damage was a bent stanchion and a nick taken out of a stainless steel track