TX18

[Gerardus]

I have questions about the TX18 but when i paste my question I get a message that only English posts are allowed. As far as i knoe I am writing in English!

[Cracker Larry]

That one worked, and it looks like English to me

[jacquesmm]

Gerard, send it to me and I'll correct it. You probably have a French keyboard and it complicates things.

That language check is one of the ways we use to keep spam out. If we didn't, we would be flooded with Putin's propaganda. You wouldn't believe how much spam Joel still has to delete manually.

[Gerardus]

Good Morning. Sorry for the delay. I was at sea and communications were not the best and then things started happening! I am at home now and life is calmer. I do believe that it is a French keyboard issue and so cannot copy and paste directly as I have to type this in manually, also - good practice.

I am interested in your TX18 plan, your version of the Hickman Sea Sled. You mention that an extra set of free plans are included. Are these the plans by William D. Jackson available in the May 1964 issue of Practical Mechanic or those through D.N. Goodchild as a Sea Jet Plan #5253?

I noted that the Hickman Sea sled had straight sides, some with a chine and others that had the side and bottom forming a chine/keel. i note that your version and that of Mr. Jackson have a bit of a bottom so that the chine is separate from the bottom. is this to alleviate the problem of the hull tripping when cornering by allowing some slippage sideways? I also noted that in the Hickman Patent of 1950, filed May 1945, that the small outside bottom (chines) had a series of three steps. Your and Mr. Jackson's versions do not have steps. Is this to simplify construction? Were the steps included to get on a plane faster or to allow air to escape and/or reduce/eliminate the tripping of the hull in cornering? Including the steps would make for a challenging build. Have you ever made a version with the steps? If yes were they worth the effort?

There was some mention of an adjustable jack plate being needed so that when the boat lifts at speed the motor can be lowered to allow the prop to get a bite in solid water. Has anyone fitted such a device or have you simply lowered the transom or used a longer shaft version? In the waters I would use this shallow water is not a great concern. What are your suggestions - lower the transom (motor), a longer shaft version or a jack plate? Would the plate need to be powered (hydraulic or electric) to allow for adjustments underway? What would the be the height difference required?

Have many people constructed the TX18? What sorts of horsepower are being used? I have a older Evinrude 40 regular shaft given to me, would that be enough to drive the hull at a good clip? Could I do with less? I have seen older photos of Sea Sleds with fairly small motors hung off the end.

What is a reasonable capacity for the TX18 before the weight starts to compromise the performance?

I look forward to your feedback.

[jacquesmm]

Let's try to handle this one question at a time.

Hickman must have designed more than 50 sea sled hulls, some with anti-trip chines, some without, some with steps, most without, some with a reversed vee deadrise at the transom, some with 0 deadrise etc.
Our set of plans contains drawings for two hulls. The main one is the TX18 version, the one that you see on the study plans. It looks somewhat like a Popular Mechanics version of the Sea Sled in size but look closer, it's not the same hull.
I don't know if that old plan was a Jackson design.
Goodchild is not a boat designer, he resells old plans and some are sea sleds. I don't know the one you mention, sorry.

The TX18 hull is my version of a sea sled mostly for inshore use, see the study plans for comments.
That set of plans is complete, ready to build and available as a kit.
We sold many plans but not many builders stay in touch and I have seen only two completed boats.

Years before designing the TX18, I drew the lines of a larger sea sled (23') for a custom builder. The boat was built and performed well. It was much closer to the early Hickman's designs than the TX18. I scaled it down to 18' and include the lines plan, stations and expanded panels drawings in the TX18 package.
The boat is narrower, has more freeboard and a different hull shape.
You can clearly see the differences in the ghosted perspective view I show on the study plans page.
That 2nd plan can be built with the same specifications than the TX18, same materials.

Performance figures are posted on the study plans page. There is also a post from a TX18 builder on the forum, from 2 years ago.

The transom is designed for a 20" shaft. See this if your engine is different:
http://www.bateau2.com/howto/shaftlength.php

Designed capacity is displacement minus hull weight (see study plans) = about 1,000 lbs but look at the PPI, the boat can take more.

No steps in my designs, not worth the troubles. You state that you may use an old engine. If you want to go faster, don't bother with steps, get a new engine instead.

A jack plate is helpful but not required.

[Aripeka Angler]

Here is a video I shot of a TX-18 in Texas a few years ago.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e8kie54lYQQ

It's a wonderful boat, it rides very nice in chop. We had 3 good size guys in the boat at one point and it planed effortlessly.
I wish I had one...

[jacquesmm]

Thank you Richard.
I am working with Jamie on putting more links and pictures in the study plans.

[Prarie Dog]

That boat now lives a little over 4 hours south of you on a lake in New Hampshire. Drop me a pm and I'll put you in touch with the owner.

[Daniel Huckleberry]

I sold mine about 5 years ago. I spent a good bit of time tracking it down recently and found it in a barn in the middle of nowhere! I took cash, knocked on the owners door and begged to buy it back but without hesitating he said "no". It broke my heart at first but later I realized it was a compliment. The boat was solid and sound and he loved it still. They were in the process of getting it ready for floundering this fall.

I have been considering building another one and have really put some thought into the taller sided design.

Jacques, if you're reading this and giving advice to a guy wanting to build a sled with more freeboard, would you recommend building the alternate plan or building the Texas Sled and adding a second hull panel with taller frames to the sides? Mine performed beautifully so I know what to expect from that bottom design.

Thanks, always love your boats,

Huck

[jacquesmm]

I'm reading this.
The bottom of the TX18 is, IMHO, more advanced than the high side sled I show as an option on the plans. The lines of the high freeboard one are closer to older Hickman's sleds. I designed the high sides one almost 10 years before the TX18. At least one of those has been built 23' long. It worked but I lost track of the builder.
I remember that it took a while to find the best prop depth with that one.
I prefer the one you built and I can help you with raising the sides. If you build her, I will draw a couple of sheets to show higher sides.
What do you have in mind, how high?