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Hello Fellow Boat Builders,

I am starting my PH 18 and would love your input regarding some minor design changes.

I would like to modify the traditional bench seat in the back to fold up and down similar to what is seen on a Cayman (Ranger Boats). This reduces the distance from where a person sits and where their feet rest on the floor, making for an uncomfortable position. Can I drop the cockpit about 3 inches to make up for some of the loss? The modification looks to be rather easy and require minimal adjustments in the stringers and two bulkheads. I can reinforce the stringers toward the front where it looks like taking out 3 inches might make them a little thin.

I am also interested in moving the bulkhead that is just behind the console toward the front of the boat a little, maybe 8 or 10 inches, to increase the size of the deck space in front of the poling platform.

I would like to have the front deck be shaped in more of a rainbow fashion, similar to a Mitzi skiff. This will allow more room for fly line.

I hope to be acquiring some BS 1088 Okoume from an acquaintance at a greatly reduced price. The sizes I will receive will require me to build the stringers, bulkheads, and deck with ½ inch Okoume instead of the required 3/8 inch. I see this as an advantage considering the design changes I am planning to make.

Any thoughts from fellow builders or the designer will be most helpful.

Sincerely,

Casey

flyfish2743 wrote: Can I drop the cockpit about 3 inches to make up for some of the loss? The modification looks to be rather easy and require minimal adjustments in the stringers and two bulkheads. I can reinforce the stringers toward the front where it looks like taking out 3 inches might make them a little thin.

I am also interested in moving the bulkhead that is just behind the console toward the front of the boat a little, maybe 8 or 10 inches, to increase the size of the deck space in front of the poling platform.

Welcome aboard Casey, I'm just a builder but have some feelings on this: Dropping the whole cockpit 3 inches will take away the self bailing feature. This is dangerous if it's raining hard and the boat is at a dock. The boat can sink! Also dangerous to take a wave into the cockpit. I know one PH18 that swamped the cockpit drifting an inlet at night for snook. If his cockpit was 3 inches lower the boat may have sunk. Try to think of another solution to your folding seat desires. It's a huge change for the desire of a seat feature.

You can ALWAYS add another bulkhead rather than moving one. In the aft area it's not always a good idea to move bulkheads. That aft planing area needs to be well built and to the design specs.

I was born in Ft. Worth.

It would not be self bailing anymore which I find a huge advantage. Jim Pelligrino dropped the sole in a much smaller area for a bass boat version but I don't think you could drop the entire cockpit area w/o affecting the stringers in the front too much. I thought about the same thing but decided against it. Too much work and not particulary functional when fishing.

welcome.

I would keep the sole height for the reasons mentioned above.

As for using the 1/2" Okoume; its fine for all those parts you mention (flat parts), it will not add much weight and since your using Okoume your going to be on the lighter side anyway.

One thing to remember is that you will need to account for that added thickness when spacing your molds/frames on the jig. If you do not take note of what face you are measuring from one mold to the next, you jig could end up a couple inches too long for the side and bottom panels (1/4" difference for each mold adds up)

Post some pictures when you get going

Doug, you stated, "It would not be self bailing anymore which I find a huge advantage." Why the advantage?

Shine, do you think it can be dropped any distance?

Casey

It depends on where you fish.

Freshwater lakes and fish its nice to have self bailing, saltwater fishing in the bays and gulf its a must have IMHO. I have a large (2 1/2") drain in each rear corner so if you take water over the side, which you will in a Phantom, it drains very fast w/o batteries. Even a big Rule bilge pump is going take many times longer to dump the water.

Also the boat gets full of mud when I wade or gets fish slime/blood so wash down with a bucket is easy and goes back in the water instead of the bilge where you have to clean it out.

All your changes are possible ........

I am also interested in moving the bulkhead that is just behind the console toward the front of the boat a little, maybe 8 or 10 inches, to increase the size of the deck space in front of the poling platform.

You make another one 8 to 10 inches forward, but the other one will still need to be there below the sole (its a floor frame at that point). Its a matter a spacing between supports. The portion above the sole can be open - just keep 3" of the frame along the sides.

I would like to have the front deck be shaped in more of a rainbow fashion, similar to a Mitzi skiff. This will allow more room for fly line.

The deck shape is defined by where it meets the side panles. The only way to get the rounded deck it to have the casting deck overhang the sides, you will just need to make your casting deck thicker to support the weight cantilevered over the outside of the sides

As for the self bailing cockpit: its a good idea a myriad of reasons which I cant really go into right now. its pretty basic - you want water that makes its way into your boat to also make its ways out. there are A LOT of potential problems when water that comes in does not go out

A LOT of potential problems when water that comes in does not go out

To say the least

You guys make a heck of a lot of sense. I will probably keep the floor right where it is.

And Doug, I misinterpreted your first post. It sounded like you found it an advantage not to self bail. That was why I asked.

I would love your thoughts on the hatches. I do not want any hatches in the front of the boat at all. I like the idea of accessing that area through the bulkhead and am not fond of fishing while standing on a wobbly hatch. However, it looks like a couple of hatches in the back will be needed for various things. I would like the back bench seat itself to be a hatch door. Do you guys like having a lot of hatches. They look like they will increase weight and build time.

What are your thoughts on placing the batteries up in the front of the boat close to the gas tank?

Thanks for all the advice, and do you guys know of any PH builders here in the Dallas metro?

Casey

P.S. Shine, thanks for the heads up on the wood dimension. I was definitely going to keep and eye out for that.

you are correct that hatches add time, unless you buy ready made ones

You will need at the very least one hatch towards the bow. That forward casting deck is very long and there is no way you would be able to reach all the way up there.

On the PH16 I built, I had 9 hatches plus a motor well hatch That was way a lot. On the Aquasport we made 6 custom hatches and used 4 more pre-made

On the FS17 Im building now I will keep hatches to a minimum, and I may use pre-made hatches from bomar