Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hi everyone,
One major set-back in the whole process of doing a boat up yourself...The capacity plate on the rig itself. When boats are manufactured by a company, they have the boat tested for submersion and HP rating. All boats that go through the NMEA (not sure if I got all the letters correct) certification, they must float level when swamped, and follow hp ratings based on the coast guard specifications. Most manufacturers are a bit conservative on their hp ratings so they stay safe from that one bone-headed guy who thinks he can handle a maxed out rig.
So...where am I going with this as you consider building your boat? Consider that the more you add to the boat, the more weight capacity you use up, the more the boat will weigh, and the less efficient the boat will become. For example...take a typical bare-bones 16 foot boat: It probably will have a HP rating no more than 40hp unless it has wider gunnels. so...now put your floor in (got to be heavy enough so it is stable). Then, add the glue and the carpet, rod locker, a front deck, battery storage, a bow platform for the trolling motor, etc. Very quickly you will have a rig that is going to plow with the motor maxed out...especially if you have a partner or two.
I have done this as well...I put in floors and a front deck and platform on a 14 foot alumacraft V14. I had a 25hp motor on that thing and it did O.K... I was able to change trim settings on the motor and that helped, but it does limit the capabilities of the boat in terms of what you can carry.
Steve |
