Small offshore fishing boat

[Lit Hudgins]

Does any one know of a small fishing boat 23'-25' Beam no biger then 8' so it can be trailerd. Some thing that will cruise at 20 to 25 knots with inboard power. What I talking about is a small offshore battle wagon. Large cockpit, little wheel house, able to sleep two. It needs to have some weight for rough seas, and a range of 200 miles min. The main perporse is fishing, fishing and more fishing.

[Wild Dingo]

Gidday and welcome Lit

mmmmmm where to start is a better question???

cmd (http://www.cmdboats.com/smlboat.htm) has some

Hankinsons (http://www.boatdesigns.com/) has some

Glen L (http://www.glenl.com) has some

Devlin (http://www.devlinboat.com/dcfp.htm) has some

Tracy Obrian (http://www.tracyobrian.com) has a couple

Gartside (http://www.gartsideboats.com/catpow.php#22cruiser) has a couple

Tom Lathrop has one somewhere in Liz that may be right on the money but then Ive lost his link somewhere so maybe he will chime in sooner or later and give us a heads up...

Theres also the Simmons Sea Skiff and the Ocean Pointer... But dont be daunted

There are others!!! :cool: many many others! ;)

Welcome and best of luck mate! :cool:

[ 02-08-2003, 04:56 AM: Message edited by: Wild Dingo ]

[On Vacation]

You are asking a lot of that size boat. Here is the deal. To aquire that speed with an inboard, you will need an inboard of a lot of horsepower in gas. Then you will need a lot of fuel tank. A inboard diesel would be much better, but more expensive initially for that size boat.

A cabin on that size of a boat will not be much if you will have some fishing room. Start looking at no less a 25 to 26 footer, or a 23 with a bracket and outboard. There are some of the older fiberglass inboards with a cuddy cabin, but not much romm for sleeping in it. I live on the mainland at the lower end of the Outer Banks and understand your request and what you maybe looking for to fish your area.

Go down around Oregon Inlet and look around at some of the older fishing hulls to redo. Some of the older work boats were in that size and had a cabin to get out of the weather. Also look around the eastern shore for a crab boat hull to update. Chrisfield or around Cambridge and Salisbury, Md. has built some in that size that can be cleaned up.

[Wiley Baggins]

Oyster makes some really good points regarding both cost and size. You have not indicated what you're willing to spend, so we'll assume that "money is no object" (it's your money, not mine).

The size issue is a little tougher to ignore. Below is a link to Lowell Brothers, they have a 25' boat that might meet your needs with the addition of a hard-top.

Lowell Brothers (http://www.gwi.net/lowell/boats.html)

Another Lowell designed boat is the SISU 26 (I don't believe that these hulls are currently in production). The link below is to one that is for sale. No photo, but the owners comments mirror your requirements.

SISU 26 (http://www.everythingboats.com/ryob/ryob_search.pl?type=view&boat_id=132)

Neither of these boats have a beam of 8' or less, and I am not sure that you will be able to get everything else you want, and still hold the beam to that

If you are willing to go a bit shorter (and sacrifice some of that fishing room) another Lowell design is the SISU 22, and she has a beam of just under 8'. Below are three links to various iterations of this hull. It is no longer manufactured by SISU, but the last link is to a firm that now has the molds.

Customized SISU 22 hull for sale (http://knip.home.sprynet.com/Brezy/)

SISU 22 restoration project (http://myboatclub.com/MP13.html)

Current builder for SISU 22 hull (http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/bobrosborough/rf22/RF22design_specs.htm#softtop)

Lastly, these are all 'glass boats (I assume that you could get the Lowell 25 in wood). As Oyster indicated, you restore or customize this sort of hull, or you can use these as guide to customize a similar wooden hull.

[frameshop]

Welcome to the forum Lit!. I went throught this last year and tore my hair out looking for something in this category. I settled on Ken Hankinsons "Cuddy Sport 24' You can see the plans at www.boatdesigns.com. (http://www.boatdesigns.com.) I am well on my way on this project now and have been posting construction photos over on www.imagestation.com (http://www.imagestation.com) Search under "cuddy sport 24" and you will see the pictures posted so far. This boat has a 13' cockpit, above the waterline for drainage, with walkaround cabin. Twin bunks and head down below. I will be modifying mine for more protection and a 3 season use. I am using bs1088 and 6466 meranti ply, mahogany for the frames, chines etc. and will be laminating Honduran Mahogany on the transom, side decks and other areas to be determined. This is fairly light weight construction as wood is lighter than "plastic". A dry hull weight of 1200 lbs, Engine.drive assembly- 700lbs. Based on the weight of the naterials for the cabin etc 300lbs, Misc such as battery, controls, steering, gas tank (empty) etc 400 lbs. This gives a dry weight of 2600lbs. As for the power requirements I will be using a 140hp Mercruiser I/O. This uses about 5.3 gals per hour at 3500rpm which is a comfortable cruising speed for this little work horse. About 15 months ago, on this forum, there was some spirited debate as to cruising speed and top end for this boat and the consensus, through the use of various formulae was that this should cruise all day long in the upper 20's and top out at around 35 knots. Plenty for me. The plans call for a 105 gals tank which would give you a range of about 20 hours @ 3500rpm or about 500 miles. If there was a need for more range you could build in two saddle tanks. Since I have bought 90% of all materials for this boat I will be spending less than $4,000.00 for all materials and supplies. A new engine and outdrive assembly can be purchased for around $5,000.00. I have one in another boat that I will use in this one. There is a Paul Gartside 24' fishing boat which is a more "robust" construction. I figured that it would be at least twice the construction and operating costs. I would be happy to share my experience with you. Good luck on your QUEST. Roger

[On Vacation]

Lit, I understand from your past posts, that you have only one arm in your previous request about caulking. I was not sure if you were asking new or used or if you would be able to build one yourself. This is why I recommended the used avenue. But Frameshops post is a nice boat. Thanks.

[Wild Dingo]

To right frameshops is a fine boat Mike!! done a great job and the album is a fine work in progress... excellent! :cool:

Wiley makes a good point about Lowell brothers fine people and fine boats... Ruth is a wonderful help as is Jamie send them an email and they will respond quick as a flick! They build their boats though so you would be buying built rather than building... although I understand that Royal Lowells plans may {or maybe not?} be available but by all means email Ruth or Jamie first.

Mike could have the right idea also... worth thinking about.

Anyway best of luck mate!

[Tom Lathrop]

My Bluejacket (Liz) does not fit your profile and some of the others mentioned don't either. One that comes close is Devlin's Blue Blazer:

Length on Deck 23'-10"

Length on Waterline 22'-4"

Beam 8'-0"

Displacement approx. 3600 lbs.

Draft (hull only) 1'-9" Draft (drive unit) 2'-2"

Engine 155-hp diesel sterndrive

Top Speed 26 knots Cruising speed 20 knots burning just over 3 gallons of fuel per hour.

Fuel Capacity 45 gallons

------------------------------

As you can see from these specs, making 200 miles range at 25 kts is going to eat some fuel, especially with a gasoline engine. Most of the boats built for this service today are outboard powered and are very skimpy on interior accomodations. Fishermen are supposed to be tough.

Personally, I like catamarans for this use and they are made of that "other" stuff. A WorldCat 26 with a pair of 150-200 OB's will get you out there and back quicker and in more comfort than any monohull. What am I saying??? ;) ;)

[ 02-08-2003, 01:01 PM: Message edited by: Tom Lathrop ]

[Old Salt]

Although smaller than your request and an outboard...the Tolman wide body is considered the boat to build by cold water west coast fishermen. It has been in development for years and has evolved. It was designed for he waters in Alaska. The sea trials are well proven and documented. A lot more than you can say about most designs. Do a search for Tolman Skiff and Fishyfish.

Another design is the Alfred W. from Tracy O'Brien. It is 22-26' depending on your needs.

Both these designs are well proven offshore northern (Pacific swell) boats. A lot of east coasters (even designers) dont understand what swells are. Dont get me wrong, you get nasty weather. But in the pacific we have more difficult condition in the absense of a storm.

Waiting for a bashing now! smile.gif

[Wiley Baggins]

Originally posted by Lit Hudgins:
<snip>Some thing that will cruise at 20 to 25 knots<snip>Tom,

You have a more attentive eye than I can lay claim to. I think that you can squeeze (just) 20 knots out of the SISU 22 hull, from what I have seen, but certainly not cruise at that speed...especially offshore.

In truth, Oyster's point about asking for a bit much out of the platform may be the wisest words yet on the subject. I can't imagine "cruising" at 20-25 knots in offshore conditions in a small boat. What was the line in the movie; "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

[Wiley Baggins]

Originally posted by Old Salt:

Although smaller than your request and an outboard...the Tolman wide body is considered the boat to build by cold water west coast...

Waiting for a bashing now! smile.gif Old Salt,

If there's bashing, don't worry, I'll have your back. ;) I only held off on recommending the Tolman because of the outboard, as I imagine you could add two feet to her length without angering the gods of hydrodynamics.

[stan v]

Lit, here's where you need to go if looking for offshore power boats for fishing. Bunches to look at, and great ideas to kick around. Mostly conservative members, so basically great, helpful, fun loving Americans! Generally optimistic saltwater fishermen with beautiful wives who like to fish and talk about boats. Fiberglass boats. Lovely, white, gleaming, fiberglass boats.

www.thehulltruth.com (http://www.thehulltruth.com)

Did I mention these are fiberglass? :D

[Wiley Baggins]

stan,

You kill me. I hope you wiped your feet before you came up here. ;)

[ 02-08-2003, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: Wiley Baggins ]

[stan v]

Hey, did I leave a stain? ;)

[clancyb]

I was interested in the same kind of boat. The closest inboard boat that I found was Sam Devlin's Sea Chaser -23', smallish cabin, big cockpit, powerful.

If you go to outboards, look at Arch Davis's Jiffy V-22. And as far as Tolman skiffs go, it sounds like the Jumbo would be the way to go.

The SeaChaser's plans are good, but (I'm guessing) not as comprehensive as some of Devlin's other plans. You'd really need to know what you're doing. Buy his book too. Actually, buy his book for any of these boats.

Arch Davis's plans are great: clear, comprehensive, 50? page construction booklet, full size plans.

The Tolmans(plenty have been built) seem to have a great reputation for seaworthiness. Buy his book and the add'l booklets. No big plans or blueprints, but cheap. He apparently has an updated book coming out in the near future. The other (big) advantage of the Tolman is a fantastic bulletin board on yahoo - lots of info and plenty of helpfull buiders.

Not that you asked, but I'm torn between the V-22 and the Jumbo. Probably leaning toward the Jumbo, and hoping to start this spring/summer

[Old Salt]

The V22 is built like the Jack Tar...traditional...much different than the Tolman's. Both are great boats. Its a decision that should be based on construction techniques and looks of the finished boat. Admittedly the Tolman is a bit of a Dory looking boat. But it was designed for its performance rather than its aesthetics. Although the V22 should be seaworthy, I am not aware of its sea trials. The Tolman's are well proven.

[Alan D. Hyde]

A Chris-Craft Sea Skiff (made for years in Salisbury, Maryland) would fit the requirements you describe.

You'd want a hardtop model, 23 or 27 foot, probably 1961 or 62 would be a good year (more flare in the bow after 1960, I think).

They can be found on the net, in various states of repair, for reasonable prices. Just look her over carefully and know what you're buying before you jump...

Alan

[ 02-10-2003, 02:28 PM: Message edited by: Alan D. Hyde ]

[steveoh]

The Tolman Jumbo is 22' long with an 8' beam. It is designed to have a fourstroke outboard motor in the 100-115 hp range. Stitch and glue marine plywood, epoxy, fiberglass makes for a light rugged boat. With cuddy cabin and wheelhouse boat is estimated to come in under 1300lbs. This design has been around for quite a while and has evolved slowly but surely to it's present form. Renn Tolman has built over 70 Tolman Skiffs for commercial and recreational fishermen and boaters. He knows his stuff.

I'm building a Tolman Jumbo and am at the point where the hull has been rolled over and am working on the interior. I will use my Jumbo primarily for fishing, fishing, fishing. You can customize the boat in a number of ways that make you happy.

Yes, there's a fantastic Tolman email group at YahooGroups. Currently I think we have half a dozen or so Jumbo builders and a bunch more Tolman Widebody and Standard builders too. Friendly folks who like to help.

Please stop by:

http://www.fishyfish.com/tolmanskiff.html to learn more.

Please stop by:

http://www.fishyfish.com/mytolman.html to check out my project.

SteveOh

[Wiley Baggins]

I had thought to mention the Arch Davis' JIFFY V-22, but wrongly thought of it as a low-speed cruiser (it is also an outboard). However, the following quote is taken from Arch Davis' website (http://www.by-the-sea.com/archdavisdesign/davis_jiffyv22.html).
He [David Taylor of Crownsville, MD.] reports that he gets 35 mph with a 100 HP four stroke Yamaha outboard, burning about 8 gallons of fuel in a day's running.steveoh and Old Salt, as much as I respect the Tolman skiff's reputation, I would not discount the Jiffy V-22. I don't think that their underwater profiles differ that dramatically, and Arch Davis has a good, and long, reputation, as I understand it.

Alan, I am not familiar with the Chris-Craft line. Is the boat that you are suggesting similar (shape-wise) to the Grady-White, SLACK TIDE featured in WB 117?

[Alan D. Hyde]

Here's a 35 footer, Wiley. The hull conformation of a 23 or 27 would be similar, with less superstructure and accomodation, of course.

http://trapcurtis.tripod.com//sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/goose_original.jpg

There's lots more info at www.mariner.org (http://www.mariner.org) Go to the "Chris-Craft Collection."

Here's a 23 footer:

http://newimages.yachtworld.com/1/0/0/4/9/1004921_1.jpg

And here's a 27 foot soft-top:

http://ourworld.cs.com/DixielandACBS/shamrockcowart.jpg

Here's another link: http://www.chris-craft.org/

Alan

[ 02-11-2003, 11:33 AM: Message edited by: Alan D. Hyde ]

[SteveFaehnle]

to see an Arch Davis "Jack Tar" used for offshore fishing, go to www:missrebecca.com.
steve faehnle

[Wiley Baggins]

Alan,

Thanks for the photos and links. Some very nice shots/interesting info.

Steve,

Very nice site. That JACK TAR is a really nice design, and the builder really did a wonderful job on both the boat and the documenting of the process. Thanks.

[SteveFaehnle]

I'm 4 1/2 years into building a jack tar myself. steve faehnle

[michaelc]

Have you looked at small boat forum skiff designs (http://www.smallboatforum.com/PDFfiles/SkiffDesigns.pdf)
About 10 pages of skiffs, some are smaller than you want, but worth the look.

[clancyb]

Old Salt -
The Tolman Jumbo has 5 longituduinal stringers, just like the Jiffy V-22, The Tolmans standard and widebody have 2. The Tolamn and Davis construction plans are even fairly close. There just seemed to be a heck of a lot of similarities than diferences to me, hence my indecision.I'd recommend taking a look at both if you're interested in building either.

I like that Jack Tar too, but it just is one size too big for me.

clancy

[warthog5]

If you want to build a Glen-L Double Eagle. I have a set of frames ready to put on a jig. They are built as per plans, including fastner locations. I live in Pensacola, Fl. You pick up. $100.00 contact me at warthog521@cox.net

[DavidTanya2]

Lit,

We built a Tolman widebody ans stretched it to just under 23'. I have a lot of info for you. Email me at DavidTanya@att.net. A Jumbo would be even better and a couple guys have made them even longer.

dave

[L.W. Baxter]

Didn't see where anybody mentioned the 24' or 26' Calkins' Bartender. "Fast Offshore Fishing Boat." That's George's subtitle on the plans.

[Paul H]

Another suggestion of the Tolman Jumbo. With 80 gallons of gas, it'll give you 200 mile range and 1/3 tank reserve. The o/b also provides a good sized uncluttered fishing deck, or rather room for some 150 qt coolers.

I'm working on a stretched widebody.

[Banjo]

Hahaha.... I love this forum.
All you helpfull people are still posting ideas and advice even though Lit's last post was on 2/8/03 and it's now 12/12/03 and there has been no sign of him since I would say he has either found a boat and busy fishing or has fallen into the WWW.Big.Black.Hole.com (http://WWW.Big.Black.Hole.com) :D

[jwaldin]

Interesting how this thread has moved from the lads initial inquiry.
So you want about a twenty five footer that will move over the bottom at about 25 knots with a 200 mile range so you can go fishing? Must be pretty good 'fishing' out here.

[bukuboy]

Lit, What you really want is something like www.bateau.com (http://www.bateau.com) Carolina Sportfish 23 or 25. Forget the inboard and go with the 4 stroke outboard Yamahas or Hondas. Have a look and you'll eventually come to your senses and agree. Regards, ----Bill

[James River Rat]

I know it is a wooden boat forum.

But this is my ideal:

http://www.rosboroughboats.com/

RF 246

[DavesFlatsBoat]

Jacques has another offering - the P21 - P21 Link (http://www.boatplans-online.com/proddetail.php?prod=P21) It's smaller but might fit the garage better for building.
http://www.boatplans-online.com/images/boatpics/P21_pr_350.JPG