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Marissa (eco 18) went to Europe !! photos of build


Lotus

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Graham , rely appreciate you feedback !

 

The upholstery is almost done ( not the perfect upholsterer :( but it will do , at least for now ! )

 

AND STILL WAITING FOR THE REGISTRATION  DOCUMENTS . This is taking more time than the built itself  !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hope that this week all be settled and will take her for a test drive .

 

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Lotus, your boat is awesome.  I'm getting all misty eyed.  What you did and the short time it took for you to do it is amazing.  How long was it from the time you cut the first piece of wood until now? 

 

For my boat (will be "Happy Days"), I was thinking two years.  Now I'm thinking 10 months until I can go boating but a few more to actually 'finish'.  I'll bet you beat that by several months (although it's not a race) and in the middle of construction, you built a trailer. 

 

When is the maiden voyage?  Please post pics!!

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Oarlocks??? No way!

I built a dinghy 25 years ago using hard maple for the deck, quarter knees, and seats. It is as solid as a rock. I must admit that it is a freshwater boat which is trailered. Actually, the fir plywood will be her demise long before the maple os an issue.

Oarlocks??? No way!

I built a dinghy 25 years ago using hard maple for the deck, quarter knees, and seats. It is as solid as a rock. I must admit that it is a freshwater boat which is trailered. Actually, the fir plywood will be her demise long before the maple os an issue.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi every one , long time to post ! Thanks every one for the nice comments !!

 

Yesterday Marissa ( PIRANHA ) had her first ride . It performed super great, a very stable  and dry ride with speeds of up to 27 kn.  I'm very satisfied with all the modifications done especially that the console  mounted about 1.5 ft forward that gave plenty of space and a set of seats at the stern that are very useful especial with the type of fishing that we practise  .

 

The outboard's propeller (13 inch pitch ) is too small because the engine is going 6500 revs and hitting the rev limiter . Next time will test the 14 inch . Hope that this will increase a couple of knots too B)

 

My goal was to hit the 30 knots , but my build is a bit heavy with 2 batterys , auxiliary motor and the extra modifications including a custom made cooler under the seat all contributed in extra weight !

 

I would like to thank every one for the help and suggestions that made this boat unique especial Designer Graham .

 

Great thanks !! 

 

 

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Lotus,

 

What a great job you've done on PIRANHA.  I was a little skeptical about raising the gunwales but it really looks great.  You kept the beautiful sheer line but added safety.  Where you boat, you HAVE to be ready for anything and it looks like you are.  I love the blue water.  You don't see that in the U.S. unless you're about 30 miles offshore and I miss it... especially since I mostly boat in lakes now.

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Thanks Lotus for including us on your build and launch. Very impressive! I bet you will get 2 more knots with the prop change, I had a similar experience on a 90 Yamaha 4 stroke on my 22 ft. similar hull type home build that was going over rev. at w.o.t.  Gained 2 mph changing from 13 to 14 pitch, 32 to 34 mph. I will be curious to see how you do but really don't see the need for any more speed than you have.

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Thanks every one for your nice comments !!

 

Its been my pleasure to share this experience with all of you !

 

Tturtleboy , Yes I know that there's no need to go that speed infact I think that best speed to enjoy a ride is 12 to 18 kn,  but youknow its nice that one can say     " I built an 18ft boat that do 30 kn with just 60hp "   ;)  ;)

 

Will update you with the new propeller but unfortunately I have to weight for 1 to 2 weeks because the importer is out of stock :angry:  .

 

When I settle the propeller issue will start thinking how to manufacture a canopy. Any ideas are more than welcome !!  

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Mike, since I was building a line of fiberglass boats called the Coastal Skiff, and later, Lost Bay, I had to be careful to stay within the "rules". My fuel tank was mounted above the sole, under the console, so there was no other way to put the fuel fill anywhere else than on the console. There was a "big battle" going on between the manufacturers, the Coast guard, and ABYC. There were so many boats being built with center consoles that the manufacturers were allowed a waiver from the rule until a solution could be found. My main concern was that if anyone overfilled their tank, and fuel caught on fire, I could be sued. I went out of the business not long afterward without ever coming up with a viable solution.

 

Home builders, while supposedly following the guidelines, are rarely cited for infractions. Most notably, many home built boats don't meet flotation standards. Just be careful when filling your tank to not overfill. If you have a separate vent, see if you can route it under the sole to where it vents outside the hull. My vent was a part of the fuel fill vent, so it was also on the console. My bad!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi every one !  Yesterday Piranha made the second sea trial and it was super great . This time she had a 15" prop and smart tabs fitted. She performed completely different and its great fun to ride. 

 

Maximum speed was 30.1 knots (34.6 miles) with maximum engine revs reaching 6100revs. Now shes got a perfect matched propeller.

 

The smart tabes worked realy well, getting her to plane in seconds and keeping her on plane with revs down to 2500. Best crusing speed is at about 4000 revs and doing 15 to 19 knots, depending on wind and current. 

 

A 2.5 hp out board only pushed her to 3.3 knots  but think its OK as an auxiliary engine !

 

I think the boat is now perfectly balanced making no difference where to sit in cruising and higher speeds . 

 

She is a really joyride

 

 

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Thanks Designer Graham. I really appreciate such words, especially from the designer himself !  THANKS  AGAIN GRAHAM  :) especially for your great and super efficient designs.

 

Hope that some day I will built another boat from your drawing board ( somthing in my mind is telling me that the  Ocracoke 24 is more challenging to built  ;)  ) but for this time I will enjoy my Piranha ( Marissa ) 

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