Nautical Design

[Ex-Ascot]

The Squiffy Pussy III Project

As some of you know we own a pontoon house boat on our lagoon. It was designed and built by the previous owner of our estate. He is an engineer not a boat designer. It was designed to be built at minimum cost using old oil drums. We have recently spent a considerable sum of money replacing all the drums with new galvanized ones and replacing all the decking and seating.

The next project is to streamline both bow and stern. The plan was to put a canoe type clamp on extension to the bow similar to the one fitted to the green wreck of a thing up river (see below) but not open at the bottom. For the stern an angled plate to deflect the water off the extended second barrel. This idea is from a friend who can weld not anyone of any nautical experience.

Undried Plum has suggested the following, supported by Ian:

Wouldn't it be better to fit the fairings to the after end instead of the bow? That's where the drag is greatest.

For the bow, I'd fit semi-fairings, just under the waterline, in a similar manner to a bulbous bow which massively reduces generation of bow wave by pushing a pressure wave ahead of the bow.

It must be kept in mind that this is sitting in croc infested water and can't be brought ashore in the current location on the jetty. We have limited resources. We have available a fully equipped workshop with welding gear. We have oil drums to cut up and use plus various bits of metal.

UP, Ian, anyone, appealing for ideas. How do we manufacture and fit the suggested. What design would those and the stern fairings be and how would they fit?

Various photos below.

A 14 km sunset booze cruise on the lagoon for the ultimate design

[Boac]

but not open at the bottom

Beware your load-sheet c of g calculations if it fills with water (or hippos).

[Undried Plum]

The Squiffy Pussy III Project
It was designed and built by the previous owner of our estate. He is an engineer not a boat designer.

Who'da thunk it?

[TheGreenGoblin]

Looks like something out of a Werner Herzog film. All that is missing is a gramophone playing Caruso!

[G-CPTN]

I think an engineer would have positioned the staircase at one end rather than out-riggered on the side.

[Pontius Navigator]

Looking at the pictures you have 4 oil drums facing aft and presumably 4 facing forrad.

If you fitted canoe type fairings at the front they would have to cover a pair of drums either side. Also your design is a cat rather than mono hull. If you fitted a bulb nose on each side it would tend to push water down the middle. Catamarans don't use bulbous bows but knife form.

I am not sure you need stern fairings. Many ships and boats have plane transom plates. A pointed bow form would be better for cutting through vegetation too.

BTW, where are the paddles?

[Ex-Ascot]

Squiffy Pussy III may look basic but she is the most popular vessel on the lagoon. The few other boats we have are brought from Maun on trailers. They then wizz up and down all crammed into a little tin boat stuck in their seats supping beer. We have tables and chairs on both decks, sun loungers a double bed in the cabin bar stools at the bar. Folk can wander about, go to bed! get a drink, lean on the side or fish as we move along. It is a floating moving (slowly) Safari Club.

Below is the drum configuration. Scale not correct much wider than indicated. SPIII is mark 3. !&2 were half the size very basic, no cabin and didn't have extra barrels at the stern thus the Weight and Balance was way out with no pax on board. Permanently to the aft is; the cabin and contents. bar, main and standby engines, steering consul, spare fuel and two crew.

PN:

Also your design is a cat rather than mono hull. If you fitted a bulb nose on each side it would tend to push water down the middle. Catamarans don't use bulbous bows but knife form.

Thank you PN. Didn't consider that. Rather dull of us as we qualified for our RYA Day Skipper tickets on Cats. Will have to design that in.

[larsssnowpharter]

Smoke boats are not my expertise but a quick Google of pontoon boats seems to indicate that the canoe knife cutter front end is popular.

In other posts you mentioned a 50hp engine. If it hasn't been used for a couple of years, it would be a good idea to have it serviced. I mentioned before the water impeller pump and replacing the rubber blades. This is normally an annual thing on an outboard. Just saying.

[Ex-Ascot]

Smoke boats are not my expertise but a quick Google of pontoon boats seems to indicate that the canoe knife cutter front end is popular.

In other posts you mentioned a 50hp engine. If it hasn't been used for a couple of years, it would be a good idea to have it serviced. I mentioned before the water impeller pump and replacing the rubber blades. This is normally an annual thing on an outboard. Just saying.

Thank you Lars, I did take this on board when you first mentioned it but I had actually forgotten. We can't get it serviced without considerable expense. It is too big/heavy to be removed on the jetty to take into town and a marine engineer from town would cost a fortune plus the 80 kms travel/time costs. I will see if I can find a manual on line to see how easy it is to do the impeller myself. Parts will be no problem here. The biggest problem is tools, they always drop in the water. I was once using a socket spanner carefully tied to my wrist with fishing line. The bloody socket went overboard.

[ian16th]

My 1st reaction is that I wouldn't start from here!

Re dropping tools; didn't the guys working on Sunderland's tie tools to their belts in some manner?

[Boac]

ian - I have never seen anyone tie a socket to their belt!

[G-CPTN]

Re dropping tools; didn't the guys working on Sunderland's tie tools to their belts in some manner?

What do they do when space-walking and working?

[Boac]

Well, they certainly don't drop in the water...............

[ian16th]

ian - I have never seen anyone tie a socket to their belt!

Neither have I.

My comment was simply because I remember hearing about the guys working on Sunderland's.
My service time overlapped with Sunderland's, but I never worked on them.

[ian16th]

I've just had a thought!

Magnetic gloves!!!!

Where's the patent application form?

[larsssnowpharter]

ExA. For the water pump impeller servicing. You should be able to detach the lower part of the housing which includes the propellor and water pump. Should be about 6 fastenings. The pump is then easy to get at. If you do go that route get the servicing kit with all the gaskets and stuff. There appear to be good tutorials on line.

[G-CPTN]

I've just had a thought!
Magnetic gloves!!!!
Where's the patent application form?

Does magnetism work in Space? (I realise that Bots isn't outer space, but the question occurred to me)

Magnets work perfectly in the vacuum – and in the absence of a gravitational field. They don't depend on any "environment" or "medium". And the electromagnetic force is independent of gravity, too.

Though magnetic compasses are more complex.

As you leave the Earth and move into space the magnetic field will get weaker. Even though the field is weaker, the compass can still align with it meaning that a compass on the International Space Station would still be a reliable guide to the North Pole.
If you choose to go further away, things would get a little more interesting. If you move far enough away from Earth you will reach a point where the Sun’s magnetic field will be stronger than the Earth’s. At this point, your compass would swap allegiance, and would begin pointing towards the Suns magnetic north pole.
Of course, if you were to send a compass right out into intergalactic space, the space between galaxies. Then you compass would probably not work at all. A stronger compass will detect fainter magnetic fields, but get far away enough from a magnetic source and your compass would not point anywhere.

Does a magnetic compass on Earth change direction approaching the South Pole?

A magnetic compass at the North Pole would point 'down' (or 'south').
As you get closer to the magnetic South Pole, the field lines will curve to dive straight into the magnetic South Pole, running perpendicular to Earth's surface.
"Instead of trying to point horizontally, what your compass needle's actually trying to do is point straight down into the Earth."
If you were to visit the South Pole bearing a compass with a free-floating needle that could move in three dimensions, the "south" end of that compass needle would point straight down once you reach the magnetic South Pole.
That compass would behave similarly at the magnetic North Pole; the north end of the needle would be trying to point straight down into the ground.
It's only on the equator that a typical compass will provide the most accurate reading about which direction is north and which direction is south, Jordan said. That's because at the equator, all of the planet's magnetic field lines are horizontal and parallel to Earth's surface.

[tango15]

What a fascinating discussion!

[ian16th]

I've just had a thought!

Magnetic gloves!!!!

Where's the patent application form?

Further, not very deep, thoughts.

Electro-magnetic gloves, that can be switched on and off as required. This means that you will be able to put tools down.

As a starting point, wear a rubber glove on one hand and wind copper wire in coils around each digit. when complete, place a second glove over and seal with rubber solution.

Next do other hand.

Now with these new electro-magnetic gloves, are we going to have to re-write Flemming's Left and Right Hand Rules?

[Boac]

What happens if you clap your hands?