Point of reference: Freeboard

[marinesteam]

Hi all,

In one of those moments I was thinking about what I was looking for in a hull that would be suited to the engine that I am currently building. Yes, I know that I'm doing this backwards and I should be fitting the engine & boiler to the hull. But I have the engine and it's too late to go back.

I really like the shear lines of the Frolic hulls (and the Rose as well) but a 23-24 boat would be better suited to the engine (30' is too big for me) and it would be prohibitive to import from the UK anyway. What I am thinking is working up a drawing for a ~24' hull with the approximate shear lines of the Frolic hull but with a drake stern to be built cold molded. To my eye, the freeboard on the Elliott Bay hull seems to be a bit too deep, it always looks like the passengers are to the wrong scale (too small) for the boat, in the photos that I have seen (except for the photo of Flyer with 6 passengers aboard).

I would like to get an idea of the design freeboard of the Frolic 21 and Rose hulls as a place to start.

I think the combination of the Frolic sheer and drake stern would make for a boat with pretty (and fast looking) lines.

P.S. Is it wrong to have a name for your boat before you have the actual boat?

Thanks

Ken

[gondolier88]

Hi Ken,

Off the top of my head thinking back to the times I've been on Frolic 21's, the lowest freeboard is about 17/18".

However, it really is a case of getting some profile lines down on paper, or Delftship etc if you wish, a drake stern will draw the eye down rather than along the sheer as a fantail does, as such a freeboard equalling that of a Frolic may give the appearance of the launch being bow and stern heavy.

To get a decent idea draw a line 24" long horizontally, this being a 1:12 scale LOA of your proposed design at the waterline, make it a box above at a depth of the height of the bow at the sheer (not the stem), and then put a horizontal mark at the stern end of the box at the proposed height of the sheer at the stern.

Mark by eye, or with a ruler if you want, roughly where you want the lowest point of the sheer to be, both in the X and Y axis.

Using a thin steel rule; fair a line in using one end at the point where the top of the bow meets the sheer, going through the point of lowest freeboard and back up to where the horizontal stern line was marked.

Now don't pass opinion- go and put it at the other end of the room, ask someone elses opinion if they are there, and imagine it in 3D- if it doesn't work then tinker- move the point of lowest sheer around, move the height of the sheer at the stern etc and see what comes out.

This method gives a very accurate idea of what the launch's profile will look like, as well as allowing you to have a proper input into how YOUR design looks, unlike a copy, or part copy of someone elses.

It sounds like a lovely design, and no, I think having a name before you build the thing only helps to keep you going, your bringing something personal to life rather than building a lifeless object.

Good luck with your project.

Greg

[steamboatjack]

Have a look at the Selway Fisher web site, He would send you a study plan for about 30 USD probably tell you all you need.
regards
Jack

[farmerden]

Hey Ken Here's another hull to consider. The "Magic" hull is a plug made from an Ed Monk boat that Bob Dessert found rotting away on a beach in the Pacific Northwest .There are about 5-6 boats made.They look a lot bigger out of the water but the boat is 23 ft.

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[farmerden]

Ken I never noticed in the last picture that the "Flyer" is right behind "Magic" and the black boat "Uno" is to the right.There you have three side views of three great looking boats-which is prettier?-that's up to you! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! The downside is that "Uno" is wood and one of a kind and my favorite-but that's only my opinion! Den

[marinesteam]

I had a chance to see UNO and Magic in person at the NWSS annual meet the year it was in Seattle (2003?). They are both nice looking boats. The Elliott Bay hull as well as the Ken Ross / Pastimes hull listed on the NWSS classified page are both on my list as possibilities if designing my own doesn't pan out. I didn't realize that the Magic hull was available, so add that to the list of options. The rise of the bow on all of these hulls is still a bit much for my eye but all still very attractive hulls. Still a long way off until I need to make the decision, so have time to play with designs of my own.

I'm am going to announce the name of this yet to be built vessel......

The name will be; S.L. Chequamegon

Pronounced SHO-WAH-MA-GON, the name is derived from the Ojibwa Indian language and means "place of shallow water." The reference is to Chequamegon Bay, which extends north from Ashland, Wisconsin, into Lake Superior.

Cheers

Ken

[PeteThePen1]

Hi Ken

As an inveterate scribbler I felt that I had to put my oar (pencil?) into this discussion. Do get your pencil out and do some nice big sketches. As Greg suggests, drawn big and seen from some distance does give one something of a feel for the final boat. The line drawing image at the start of the post about Frances Anne on this website was the result of doing that. She is a Rose with a "mucked about" sheer. I have forgotten the actual freeboard and not being at home just now cannot pop out and measure it. However, she id 20ft long and the drawing is to scale so it should be possible to scale it.

Don't forget that if you buy a f'glass moulding the actual sheer is up to you. I learned that the hard way and wrote up my experiences in Steamboating magazine, in case it is useful. For me, at least, it has helped to have in mind an image of what the boat shoud look like and then try to draw it. Of course the mental image is always much bigger than the actual so there is never quite enough room for the things one wants. Sticking it on paper at least shows that before one starts to cut wood!

So, good luck with S.L. Chequamegon - do share your sketches if you have a chance to digitise them.

Best wishes


Pete