Often a good starting point for specifying your boat can come from this Modified Vee Hulled Boats section. Short of buying a previously owned boat of ours from our Brokerage section, the most economical and quickest way to own one of our boats is to select one from one of the four sections which follow, viz. center console boats, pilot house boats, L/C, or IV’s. With the exception of a few L/C, some of which are flat bottomed, and IV’s, the hulls are all modified vees similar to the body plan drawing above. Though built to order, we think of these as existing standard designs for which we have CNC plasma cut numbers.

Construction of Standard Hulls

Scantlings used in all our work and pleasure boats are guided by Lloyds Standards for Small Craft and by USCG NAVIC 11-80. Scantlings for work boats and pleasure boats of similar size and speed are the same. All our hulls are transversely and longitudinally framed with transverse frame spacing a meter, more or less. On small boats, frames are often floors, i.e. bulkheads. We quite often use longitudinal bulkheads or floors on smaller boats. Larger frames are open with a grooved flat bar internal flange for additional stiffening (helpful during construction).

Keelsons and chine bars are 0.375 inch plate plasma cut to shape. Bottom plate on most of our boats is 0.25 inch 5086 H116. We use 0.190 inch on some of the smaller boats, and have used 0.3125 inch on a few large fast boats. Topside and deck plating is usually 0.190 inch except on larger research vessels, 11m (36 ft.) where it is likely to be 0.25 inch. Longitudinal stringers are usually cut from 5086 - 0.19 inch or 0.25 inch. The depth of the stringers is in the 2.5 to 3.5 inch range depending on frame spacing. Frames and longitudinal stringers are plasma cut to shape and made of the same alloy as the hull. In some cases T bar of 6061 T6 alloy is used for longitudinals rather than plasma cut plate.
Parts of the boat not under severe stress are often made of 5052 H32, the strength of which is acceptably less than 5086 H32. Fuel tank, consoles, benches are examples.

Most welding is MIG (Metal Inert Gas) using 5356 filler alloy and Argon shielding gas. Where more appropriate TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding is used.