plate boat design

[PB]

to be honest if someone came to me a said they wanted to make it lighter so they can make it longer id tell them to go buy a BC or an NZ import or something like that.

PB With your comment above what is wrong with the Barcrushers/NZ imports? Are these boats falling apart due to not being built properly? Not having a dig, but I don't get the rabbit punch comment given unless there is something that they are not up to with regards to build quality. Are there bigger boats in the range not up to the job?

Not having a dig at the build quality at all, just saying you can get a much larger boat that weighs a lot less, me personally and the majority of people that come and see us want the extra weight as 99% of them are coming out of older glass boats. I could easily cut a lot of weight out but I really think it can be a bad thing and believe these style of hull could benefit from a few extra KG's down low.
PS I love Dickeys Boats out of NZ a true work of art.

[myusernam]

Hi Luke g, can I ask what brand is yr 22deg v? Fisher are one of the few that I know of

[Lovey80]

Also I believe longevity is slightly on the side of glass when it comes to punching offshore in harsh conditions on a constant basis. While a lot of ally boats are wonderfully built(my mate has a hammerhead boat and its superb I must say) ally does corrode and if does crack can be tricky to fix. Compared to glass boat that can be fixed a little easier IMO.

I think if you wanted best of both worlds and ally cat is where its at. Unpainted of course..


But it depends how hard you are pushing your boat and for how long

If I wanted a boat for longevity and reparability I would buy ally every time. Sure if you need a weld near a fuel tank it's tricky but I'd much rather have a hole in a plate boat than a glass boat any day of the week. If you are going to paint it you'd never know the repair was done in ally.

[Luke G]

Hi Luke g, can I ask what brand is yr 22deg v? Fisher are one of the few that I know of

Moda custom boats.

[GBC]

If I wanted a boat for longevity and reparability I would buy ally every time. Sure if you need a weld near a fuel tank it's tricky but I'd much rather have a hole in a plate boat than a glass boat any day of the week. If you are going to paint it you'd never know the repair was done in ally.

$300 repair bill to fix a 20ft cruisecraft which was dropped off its trailer on the old Pimpama bridge at 100 kph - I'm going to have to disagree with you. Glass is super strong and cheap to repair. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, just different in a lot of ways. Where's the thread about the cootacraft big ram that went up the rocks flat chat at the Whitsundays. They skull dragged it off and towed it home - both legs were ripped off the outboards as I recall?

[Camhawk88]

I'd have to disagree with this as water has no idea if a hull is made from glass or ally, .

Just staying with the glass v ali debate, one of the things that is usually ignored is the flexing characteristics of the 2 materials. While the water may not know the difference, I can assure you my back does. While the standard of ali boats is certainly closing the gap by being able to closely replicate the shapes (eg deadrise) of glass and the weight, it will never be able to make that last step which is the flex in glass which provides cushioning to the landing.
My boat is a long glass boat and I can sit on the gunnels underway and can feel plenty of flex even in moderate chop. Basically this is like suspension in a car and no matter how advanced ali welding and building techniques get, they will never replicate this factor.

Thats not to say there arent better riding ali boats than glass- there are some stinkers in glass and some great plate boats. But if you have identical hull shape and weight in both materials I reckon you would find a noticeable difference in ride.

[Noelm]

Not exactly sure about flexing you can feel being a good thing!

[Luke G]

I was going to say If you can feel flexing there may be something wrong with your stringers and bulkheads!

[Flex]

If I wanted a boat for longevity and reparability I would buy ally every time. Sure if you need a weld near a fuel tank it's tricky but I'd much rather have a hole in a plate boat than a glass boat any day of the week. If you are going to paint it you'd never know the repair was done in ally.

Repairing a hole in glass is much easier than plate IMO. Your average joe can repair an entire glass boat quite easily and inexpensively. Ally requires Mig/Tig + little bit of experience. Also ally does work harden over time. glass simply doesn't have this characteristic.
Also ally does corrode over time. No matter how well you look after it, it will corrode some. Once your 6mm plate has a couple of pin holes its impossible to add thickness to it. Where as glass you can slap down as many layers as you like over the top
You don't see 25-30y old plate boats getting refurbed as much as you do glass boats.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a rabid glass boat owner by any means, plate definitely has its place and boating isn't all about ride quality.If it was just ride we'd all buy submarines..

Theres a lot of other factors that plate has advantages over glass.
I'm considering building a plate cat myself, I know it wont ride aswell as a glass one but it has other advantages I'm looking for.

[Camhawk88]

Not exactly sure about flexing you can feel being a good thing!

Trust me it is.
This particular hull is military spec and is designed and tested to regularly do 70knots in 3m seas. The flex is a design feature.

[PB]

Trust me it is.
This particular hull is military spec and is designed and tested to regularly do 70knots in 3m seas. The flex is a design feature.

What boat do you have? if you dont mind me asking

[Camhawk88]

Armacraft PB.
If you aren't familiar with them, there are a few vids on-line but they are the armoured boats, not of the glass boats.

[fishing111]

Not having a dig at the build quality at all, just saying you can get a much larger boat that weighs a lot less, me personally and the majority of people that come and see us want the extra weight as 99% of them are coming out of older glass boats. I could easily cut a lot of weight out but I really think it can be a bad thing and believe these style of hull could benefit from a few extra KG's down low.
PS I love Dickeys Boats out of NZ a true work of art.

I see NZ/ Surtees are offering a 10 year warranty. What does Pelagic offer being heavier built?

http://www.boatsales.com.au/editoria...warranty-56493

[Noelm]

I reckon almost any boat used by rec fishermen could offer a 10 year warranty, most boats would only have a couple of hundred hours in 10 years.

[fishing111]

May be true Noel with some but surely not all. Surtees obviously have faith in there product to warrant for a decade.