Weirdest boat you ever saw

[J. Blazy]

Its been a long time since I showed my ugly face 'round here, so I thought I'd post what I'd been up to.

You might remember "Calypsee" - the electric, glass-bottomed (Lexan underwater windows) mahogony runabout/launch I built a couple years ago and posted here (click on my website and go to "About Us" page for boat pics).

Well, the windows have been so much fun to see fish with, that I decided to build a serious, purpose built craft to see fish underwater.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid184/p886253323a547deb3ee8ed884bed7323/f2959fc8.jpg

Yes, I actually get inside this thing after its weighed down with over 400 lbs of ballast plus two people. Believe it or not, its rather comfy in the right slouching position. The power comes from a chain/sprocket connected trolling motor where the steering head is inside the craft.

Yes, I could just scuba dive or snorkel, but this is without cold water, you can talk to your buddy, you don't need a 2 grand underwater housing for your camera, image clarity is superior without having to spit on your lens, etc.

Awesome pictures in the super clear waters of northern michigan (Leelanau county) with lots of fishys to see, as well as wreck sites and interesting underwater features.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid184/pa0c3af75e411217b10cf507329452902/f290a9a1.jpg

What got me going on this idea, was that I could design the semi-submersible to transport in the oval opening in the middle of my main boat (below) and I actually had an extra trolling motor with a cut shaft for the remote chain-drive steering/power combo.

All I needed was to build it, and pay through the nose for the MR-10 Lexan.

Will post more pics after my trip back up to Michigan on Sept 17th.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid184/p64a1e2ac194c67c0e9e9a05537913a68/f2959e86.jpg

- John Blazy

[Hal Forsen]

Totally Cool!
:D
HF

[Mrleft8]

Very cool! But..... How.... Where.... It's a... Kinda like a..... Sort of a "pod" with a surfboard attached? Or am I looking at it cattywhumpus?

[Hughman]

I was just wondering where you went. This is a nice obsession! ;)

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

Can I have a ride in this one too? :D
Great to see you're back John. smile.gif

[JimD]

Yesterday my 11 foot Utility had 150 horsepower under it

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid184/p9c9dc077ab07cc43adbe1406262a8612/f28edf1c.jpg

[J. Blazy]

Thanks for the welcome back. Rides might be possible Kevin, as soon as I figure out how to cut the 1" thick steel plates in the back of my truck right now (thanks to CABBS, the local boatbuilding club network). The steel is 490 lbs ft³ and will take up much less interior space than the wet sand that I used in Michigan (110 lbs³ in eight big, wet sandbags)
Will be testing in Lake Erie next week, hopefully.

Did I mention that I want to go to FL in the winter with this to see Manatees and gators from the safe interior of this thing?

[StevenBauer]

I was just telling someone here yesterday about your Kort Nozzle modifications. Maybe you could pop over the Boats Misc. and straighten this guy out. http://www.woodenboat-ubb.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=004739

Cool, um, boat. :D

Steven

[Wes Kisting]

Hey J. Blazy... I've had the same idea about Lexan underwater windows, but you're the first builder I've run into who has actually tried them.

Could you give some details about their practicality/durability? I would like to put a small viewing window somewhere in the floor of a sailboat cabin, but I've resisted the urge because I don't want to compromise durability of the hull, risk sinking by running hard aground, or have to deal with maintenance issues (constantly replacing scratched panes, etc.). Are these legitimate concerns, or have you had zero trouble with leaks, scratches, cracks, etc.?

Also, what thickness Lexan are you using, and how do you recommend mounting?

Thanks... any info is appreciated. Not sure I'll have the nerve to ever try it myself, but I'd love to hear how it works.

[J. Blazy]

Well, Wes - you asked the 100,000 dollar question. Ever since I installed my first Lexan window (installed SEVEN to this day in three boats with no leaks), I have asked "why aren't other people doing this?"

I honestly can't understand why the idea hasn't taken off, although one WBF member from Louisiana (hopefully he and his craft are OK) has been keeping me up to date on his progress of his boat with Lexan windows inspired by Calypsee below:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/p8adf1162429756fa8016e38efe2a3a3a/f700a256.jpg

I have not ceased to be entertained by the constant imagery coming through these windows (I have two small oval windows (10" x 14") under the bow of Calypsee that you can't see in the pic, then installed the larger one in the cockpit a year later).

Just last month, before the new one was finished, four of us were watching fish and rocks go under the window (of Calypsee) in Michigan, and all the sudden we saw a turn of the century ship anchor go under us, lodged in the rocks - the kind with the huge "spades" at the tips that aren't made anymore since the old days. Wonderful surprises like that are always popping up.

The standard method I use to install the windows are fairly straight forward:
</font> 1.Use MR-10 Lexan (Scratch resistant hardcoat on both surfaces - real nice). I used 3/16" Lexan in Calypsee, but 1/4" or greater might be safer. I used 3/8" on the big side windows in the new semi-submersible
</font> 2. Cut window in rounds or ovals, not square - eliminates stress points
</font> 3. cut opening then add three to five times the hull thickness of backer cleat, glassed in with additional structural ribs if necessary
</font> 4. cut aluminum backing plate and two rubber gaskets (.090" or so) same size as lexan OD, about an inch wide
</font> 5. drill pilot holes (spaced 1-1/4" ish) through all layers at same time, or at least through the aluminum and Lexan, while clamped or temporarily screwed into the recess
</font> 6. disassemble and ream out the Lexan holes larger than threads to allow expansion / contraction, and drill the aluminum to screw thread size
</font> 7. Use Stainless square drive screws, and run a small bead of polyurethane sealant (I use PL Polyurethane roof sealant - real elastic like silicone, but tougher, and paintable) between all interfaces
</font> 8. Power drive the screws in a little at a time for each screw so they all seat at the same time, then torque by hand to just get slight "press-out" of the rubber and sealant
</font> 9. apply masking tape in a good line about 3/16" away from all joint edges and caulk the joints (inside the alum plate and outside) with the PL, then run your finger to form the smooth fillet, then pull the masking tape
</font>Of course, this picture is plenty helpful:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid184/p51fd445ad8da6d7bca1d4b987f8ce5df/f28448fe.jpg
So for advise, I'd suggest not installing it directly below at lowest point in hull but rather just below the waterline in side of hull for the obvious reasons of less chance of ground contact, but also less water pressure is near waterline, and the best viewing is better "out" at 45° ish angle than "down" looking only at sea floor.

And no, I haven't had leaks, nor puncture risks (super tough Lexan is) and only once did I get scratches when I beached the boat on rocks and the wind ran the boat sideways grinding rocks into the window, but they are quite unnoticeable.

John BLazy

[J. Blazy]

Here's a couple more pics through the windows
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/p7792e0b1fc6f01382821ed1edb5f88b8/f6ece28e.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/pb905323206e8036de4ddcc787fdd3ea0/f6fe5c6c.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/pe1ccd58380b00e6e79be38b1c2c4ab0e/f6aba0e7.jpg

[joejapan]

.
Now that, Blazy, is just cool as hell !

Not only do you have a really beautiful, unique boat, but it's kinda' like a "glass bottomed" boat.

As a kid I always wished I had a glass kayak; Your idea is way better.

[win_wood]

If you are looking to have a 1" steel plate cut to a particular shape our company can do this for you using our new waterjet machine. We can cut any shape that you need. My boss is currently building 2 sailboats in the back of our shop and with a little schmoozing and a peek at your project he would probably give you a good deal. We can also cut other materials such as lexan to any shape that you require very accurately and quickly. We are right here in Painesville. Send me an email if we can be of help.
P.S. Very cool projects!!

[Wes Kisting]

Thanks for the details Blazy. One more question...

Have you noticed any performance loss (i.e., greater drag on the hull) or had any seepage or water penetration when the boat "pounds" in steep waves? (or maybe you haven't had the boat in rough water?)

One of my concerns is that really rough conditions would exert a lot of pressure on the windows if the waves are steep enough to allow the hull to rise and slap. Maybe not. It certainly sounds like you reinforce your windows very well, so maybe it wouldn't be a problem.... and I could always keep the window small to avoid the issue. Hmmm.... any size recommendations for how big the window needs to be in order to be enjoyable? Or is any window size cool for viewing?

Thanks again!

[J. Blazy]

WOW the famous Steve Winwood on the WBF! Anyway - thanks a ton for the offer, but I just dropped off the steel plates yesterday to be torch-cut. I'm currently on the hunt for the remaining 200 lbs of ballast - I'll stop at a local scrap metal place to piece together some metal to conform to the interior rather than deal with cutting large pieces. I'll send you an e-mail anyway. My local boatbuilding club www.cabbs.org (http://www.cabbs.org) is meeting next in Fairport Harbor next weekend Sept 10th, if you want to see the crafts in action - not really clear water tho - ironic that I pioneer windowed watercraft in the murky water capital of the world.

Hey Wes, I saw your website and stumbled on your honeymoon project - That is so cool!!!! Great love story and memorable way to kick off your marriage!

Looking at your pocket cruiser, I see your concerns. With that huge skeg/keel you could put a window near it and the skeg would protect it.

Let me give you a hint on the strength of the lexan - In my first boat I used a pc of lexan that was only 1/8" thick by 18" DIA. In order to get in the small boat you had to step right on the lexan. I had four people in it once and with foot pressure and still never a stress crack. Stress cracks CAN happen, as the throat plate in my router table is proof, but that is due to countersunk screws directly contacting the lexan, although the crack did not extend much. The real safety trick is to make sure no screws EVER touch the lexan, so holes need to be bored oversize, and elongated so that the plastic can move but never touch the screw shafts. If you ever analyze cracks in plastic - its often near over-tightened fasteners. Lexan is insanely tough when fabbed correctly.

If you went with 3/8" Lexan (MR-10 don't forget) you really won't have any fears. Its literally stronger (break resistance, resiliance) than 3/4" plywood. Yes I've had at least a year of wave pounding with no problems - not even seepage. Of course, I only do 4 knots max. Planing hulls would likely work fine with a well installed window.

If I had your boat (flat bottomed), I would use this configuration (I used an old diagram and added the bent lexan detail).

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid184/p6704e38ecf728fba190d7df676acaad9/f282a4c9.jpg

Bending the Lexan with a little arc is actually very good for the structural integrity of the window - handles much greater pressure with bowing in. You'd obviously have to engineer the cuttout well, but this is also a very strong part of the boat that really won't require much reinforcement.
The great advantage is that you could view "out" as well as down. If you are concerned about drag through the water with the slight cavity, simply make a "corner" of plywood (save your cuttout) to snap back into place over the window to reduce drag, and protect the window when not using it. When you are in clear water and want to see through it, simply remove the cover (hinges? Or maybe just a turn buckle on a screw like used on window screens) .

I would use 1/4" Lexan, and make a window about one foot by two feet long or larger. Any clear waters in Iowa?

[Alan D. Hyde]

In the late 1970's or perhaps the early 1980's, my father and I helped protect some valuable stained-glass windows in a church in an older part of town.

IIRC, we used 5/16 Lexan.

As a test, before using it, I took some shots at a scrap piece of it from 50 feet away. At that range, it would stop a .22 long.

Alan

[Wes Kisting]

Thanks for the detailed reply, Blazy.

No clear waters here in Iowa, but I am thinking of building a larger (22' LOA) sailboat for sailing in the Apostle Islands and Isle Royale areas on Lake Superior. I've kayaked those places often, but I'm afraid Superior gets too rough to sail safely in our little 14' Pocket Cruiser.... maybe on a calm day, but I have great respect for the unpredictable temper and COLD of that lake, so I'd prefer to build a larger boat.

The larger boat I'm going to build is the B&B Princess 22 by Graham Byrnes. I'd build it right now, but I don't have the time, space, or money at the moment. I'm building a model at the moment... you can see my tongue-in-cheek article at www.roguepaddler.com/princess (http://www.roguepaddler.com/princess) (should make you chuckle)

Anyway, if I built the Princess, I might consider installing an underwater window... it would be terrific in the clear waters of Lake Superior, where you can often see more than 20 feet deep with ease. I originally conceived of this idea WHILE paddling my sea kayak around Isle Royale on Superior... I swore I would come back someday with a Lexan-bottomed kayak... though putting it on a sailboat makes more sense.

[Wes Kisting]

Ooops... that link should have been:

www.roguepaddler.com/princess.htm (http://www.roguepaddler.com/princess.htm)

[Todd Bradshaw]

Or...the next time you're in Bayfield and have a few extra bucks, you could just buy the Schooner Lucern. It already has a big window in the bottom and is a really cool boat.
http://www.apostleisland.com/10.htm

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

"- ironic that I pioneer windowed watercraft in the murky water capital of the world."

:D

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

How'd the test go? :D
The Walleye fishermen are gathering in Vermilion and the water's getting cold. ;)

[AngWood]

I'm that Louisiana guy, and I'm fine. The boat is nearly finished, though I'm waiting until I have it on a trailer before I put in the viewing windows.

[J. Blazy]

Greetings again from the pioneer of windowed watercraft in the muddy water capital of the world.
My trials in Michigan were awesome!!! The new ballast of steel plates instead of sand made much more room to sit comfortably for hours watching fish.
The best part of the photo experience was shooting video. I wish there was a way to post .mpg files here - the videos are way cool.

A school of minnows decided to circle the craft on the first day, then we took it out into Lake Michigan in full sunlight and watched whitefish thirty feet away hovering above the bottom.
Then we saw some huge salmon. Best pictures are of the rock jettys though:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid189/p3ac18423e337d2c73ab5aa5d06c91393/f201a869.jpg
Next, we went to traverse bay while my wife went shopping, and I scouted the undersea world till she met up with me and went for a ride.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid189/p4c565e38922138417e81ca9d6cb0928c/f201a851.jpg

Great fun, but a lot of work to load the ballast into this thing and launch it. I need to modify the trailer to carry both boats and keep the ballast in it all the time.

[J. Blazy]

Here are a few more pics. Much better shooting with a fisheye lens to get the whole interior in frame.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid189/pded818e04960bed392eb7d98a684a75b/f201a839.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid189/p5cfd4f330172afaff4221ecc9a04184f/f201a816.jpg

[Alan D. Hyde]

Great photos, John.

An innovative design, too.

Thanks for posting.

Alan

[Y Bar Ranch]

I wonder if you couldn't take the method that cockpit canopies are made (vacuum formed with heat) and make a whole boat?

Or if you could somehow get your hands on an old fighter plane cockpit. These are sturdy structures, designed to hold up under bird strikes and major pressure differentials.

Really cool idea...

[Leon m]

Aint that somethin . :cool:

[Wes Kisting]

John, your pictures are terrific. Do you have a website where you could post the video clips? I'd love to see them.

[Adamant]

Great job of doing what many have only been able to dream of. Build them and sell them, you'll do well.

[J. Blazy]

Thanks for the kind remarks everyone. Neat idea of airplane canopies. If I had one laying around you know I'd try it. Someone asked about a completely Lexan boat, and I've considered it, but too risky of breaking a weld by bumping a rock. Lexan does crack if hit hard enough, so narrowing it down to windows only is all I'll do now.
They do make clear kayaks though.

Sorry Wes, I tried to upload video, and after multiple crashes, I don't have the patience to try uploading anymore (imagestation).

Just imagine yourself in a reverse aquarium with fish silently darting around and rainbow refractions of sunlight dancing on the rocks . . .

[skuthorp]

I like the idea of a clear kayak or canoe. Sort of like being a part of the water. I wonder if they're available here. Balance is connected to sight in most people, I wonder if your stability would be effected. We have water-filled limestone caves and sink hole systems in South Aust. and I've experienced vertigo swimming out over a big drop because it's so clear. ;) smile.gif

[ 10-12-2005, 12:14 AM: Message edited by: skuthorp ]

[J. Blazy]

Originally posted by skuthorp:
I like the idea of a clear kayak or canoe.
Here's a link to clear kayaks - web page (http://www.watersportsproducts.com/store2/glassbottomboats.htm)

"Balance is connected to sight in most people" smile.gif What's interesting in my boats is that while looking through the windows, you don't get seasick at all. If you focus on the floor of the boat and not the seafloor, you know what happens, but its interesting that looking at the seafloor going by functions like looking at a fixed point on the horizon to feel better.

We, and many friends have stared for hours through the windows - even hanging upside down looking through Calypsee's windows and not been even slightly phased.