Perfect Little Car-topper

[potomac]

I've decided to build the Bay River Skiff, but before tackling it, I thought I might try a smaller design just to get my feet wet. I think I'd like a car-topper, preferably one I could power with a very small outboard. I would use this boat in some flat water Virginia rivers, namely the Potomac and the Rappahannock, and also the Chesapeake Bay- near the shore on nice days. I'd like to fish and crab out of the boat and while sailing might be nice, it is not strictly necessary, (the BRS should serve just fine in that regard). I'll either be by myself or with my wife and young son- mostly by myself. If not for the crabbing I would consider one of the canoe designs, but crabbing has you leaning over the side quite a bit- either with heavy pots, pulling traps, or with a long dip net. I think a nice canoe is always a good boat to have, I'm just not sure it is best for this application. I love the Spindrifts, but I am not sure of the ideal size for solo loading/ unloading. I thought one of the nesting versions might be good as I could lift one half at a time and have even seen the picture of the nested Spindrift in the back of station wagon- (I have a Volvo). My concern is with the durability of the boat assembling/ disassembling it a hundred plus times. That seems like a lot of stress to put on the hull. Any ideas? If you think the Spindrift is the way to go- what size would you recommend? Thanks.

[Peter HK]

My concern is with the durability of the boat assembling/ disassembling it a hundred plus times. That seems like a lot of stress to put on the hull.

For a boat of this size I wouldn't have the slightest concern. My 30 ft Bolger folding schooner is held together after unfolding with 2 long bolts at the deck level and 2 cleats with shockcord tensioned kevlar lines at the chine. It has never flexed more than 1mm at the join and has been driven very hard many, many times since launch in 2003. When it's blowing a steady 25-30 knots with 5-6 guys on the rail with reefed main, full foresail (the sail on the foremast on a schooner) and furled jib with the bow driving through 2 metre waves to windward doing about 7 knots, it looks just like the scenes in Captains Courageous. It peaks out at a consistent 15-16 knots surfing down the waves. Those 4 connections have never caused the slightest problem and the stresses I've described are orders of magnitude more than crabbing in a Spindrift.

Cheers

Peter HK

[Hirilonde]

As far as the best size for your uses I am not sure I have much to offer. You talk about fitting it into the back of a station wagon, yet want something large enough to haul crab traps. This may be too much of a conflict to achieve both. You would have to carefully measure your car, check the nested dimensions of the different Spindrifts, measure traps and decide how many you expect to carry around at once. I can tell you that the Spindrift is extremely stable and would probably work well for the uses you are looking for.

You might want to make a removable gunwale protector of some sort for hauling over. Maybe something U shaped that fits over the gunwale and extends down over the topsides to prevent traps from scraping up the boat while hauling. Probably should decide what to build and build it first though

My concern is with the durability of the boat assembling/ disassembling it a hundred plus times. That seems like a lot of stress to put on the hull.

I use Garry's nesting hardware for connection and I have absolutely no concern about how it will hold up over the long haul.

http://messing-about.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4840-nesting-dinghy-connector-design/

http://www.pbase.com/onceagain/connector_design

Best of luck with both of your build ideas.

[Gordy Hill]

Get a trailer.

Trust me on this.

Only if there's absolutely no other option should you choose car topping over a trailer. It's so so much easier .....and you can leave stuff in the boat.

You'll spend half the time at the ramp, coming and going.

Just go ahead and build the BRS.

[potomac]

Thanks all for the replies.

Peter- Those are great pictures. The boat is beautiful. Is it your build?

Hirilonde- Thanks for the link. That connection looks good.

Gordy- I tend to agree, but I guess I was also wanting to get out on the water a little faster. I am from Gainesville, just two hours north of you, and someone can do quite well with a small, light boat with tiny outboard or even transom-mounted trolling motor in that neck of the woods. Central Florida has such a wealth of crystal clear, spring-fed rivers just perfect for slow, quiet exploration (canoes, I know, but a little extra stability can be nice with the little ones aboard). I doubt Virginia will offer the same, but there do seem to be plenty of small rivers and creeks well worth exploring (maybe just not to the same glass-bottom effect.

[Peter HK]

Peter- Those are great pictures. The boat is beautiful. Is it your build?

Built with my brother- 300 hrs total.

For a simple flat bottomed hull it does look surprisingly good on the water- largely due I think to the high length to beam ratio giving an overall impression of sleekness despite the simple design.

It's always good to sail, better in heavier breezes, but getting enough crew is sometimes a problem.

Cheers

Peter HK