The comments by Tobolamar and ChicagoRoss are a good surprise, I may revisit the idea.
Spokaloo wrote:Agreed Jacques.
If you did a bottom like Reuel's Commuter or something between a Mullet skiff and a Hooper Island Drake, that can run in the teens and twenties, she'd sell like hotcakes.
I think it's worth putting in the time, that's got lots of appeal, even if it's dreamers.
E
Do a search for comments on the Reuel Parker Commuter: on plane, she trims with the bow high and slams too much to be taken offshore at planing speeds.
At that trim, there is no difference between a flat bottom and shallow vee.
It is clear from her lines and the same will happen with a FL26 redesigned with a straight run.
I did spend a few days on the hull shape and there is no way around it: unless we go for a deeper vee, she will pound in a chop.
If one wants more vee, we have a Panga25 with cabin, a smoother running boat than the Commuter 27.
A redesigned FL26 outboard will still be a real good hull for protected waters or good days offshore. She will also be seaworthy enough to take offshore in moderately bad weather but not at planing speeds and less seaworthy than the existing FL26.
There is the point of balance in bad weather. I mean the longitudinal volume distribution.
As designed, the FL26 is a well balanced boat but in order for the hull to plane, I have to straighten the bottom aft and increase volume there. That can lead to problems in a formed sea.
Researching it by comparison with existing designs, I remembered the Dave Gerr Offshore 28.
That hull is almost as good as it can be designed if you want a flat bottom outboard in that size.
The bottom is very narrow to reduce pounding and that makes her tender, very tender.
He remedy to the unbalance by pinching the bottom at the stern and have a pronounced rake in the bow
but the narrow bottom beam at the stern requires some extra HP to compensate.
This is reminiscent of the OD16/18 concept: pinched bottom at the stern (less than Gerr) and instead of bow rake, I use a very flared bow and pronounced sheer.
It works and within the limits of flat bottom boats, they are very seaworthy. Just ask owners of the OD's.
I prefer that to the Gerr compromise: more stable and more efficient, less HP.
That hull concept is a good base for a FL26 outboard.
So, a planing FL26 for outboards will require a complete redesign, more work and time than what I expected.
Builders who know may buy the Gerr plan and those who don't will complain about the limitations of my new design.
However, a slower boat, one with a speed target just above 10 mph is very feasible with the existing hull.
I'll keep that in mind but right now, I have a bunch of small boats on the list: fine tune the building of the SUP, at least one more kayak and some other small boats.
