Boat and Tent all in ONE????

[sdenault]

Wondering if anyone has come upon or built a small vessel suitable for exploring rivers and small lakes, that also is outfitted with a roof, turning it into a camper as well.

One idea I've thought about would be to build two SOF type pontoons and then a light weight floor, upon which one could place a small 2-3 person tent and other gear for camping and fishing. A kind of weekender vessel.

Steven

[perldog007]

The trilobyte T-16 a box scow with a birdwatcher cabin. Has an 8x4 cockpit cabin, rows, sails, can take a small outboard.






For something more elegant and "boaty" maybe the Welsford Walkabout?



The walkabout is drawn with a tent and sleeping are for one good sized human.

Or... Duckworks offers free plans for this shanty boat, the Lisa B. Good.

[sdenault]

Hello Perldog007
Those are great ideas,

keep those ideas coming, much appreciated


What about something like this:

wonder if something like this could be done as a SOF project, with the roof rolling up during the day or travelling. Removable hooped pieces to make roof, covered with a fabrene tarp??? It doesn't need to be sea worth, just keep the rain and sun off when needed. Could find a way to make seats into a double or larger bed, roll of foam for mattress. Older guys like me need a bit of back relief when sleeping.


Steve

[Venchka]

Conestoga wagon type cover. Lightweight nylon for the canopy. PVC, fiberglass or aluminum hoops. Sockets around the perimeter for the hoops. Search this forum. There are examples.

[bobdny]

You may want to consider Don Kurylko's "Alaska" design. It is an 18 foot rowing/sailing craft that has a fold-down platform that is 3-1/2 to 4 feet X 7 feet for a sleeping platform (that's a huge sleeping platform for such a seaworthy boat). It was designed that way so you could put a tent up over it and have plenty of room. You can find the design here:
http://www.dhkurylko-yachtdesign.com/build.htm
If you check out the above link, also click on the "Photos: construction and Finished" link. You will find several with tents included. You will also find some information about one guy who rowed and sailed one from Washington State to Alaska and back over a 5 month period, sleeping on the boat just about every night!
I have an "Alaska" boat partially completed, but not to the stage of the sailing rig or the sleeping platform yet. In case you're interested in how the hull performs under oars and a 2HP motor, check out my thread here:
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthre...ferrerid=35133
I think the "Alaska" design has the benefit of not only being able to "gunk-hole" in small rivers and shallow places (draws only 6 inches), but it is a very seaworthy boat, based upon the tried and true whitehall hull design.

Regards,
Bob D

[Venchka]

Conestoga wagon type cover. Lightweight nylon for the canopy. PVC, fiberglass or aluminum hoops. Sockets around the perimeter for the hoops. Search this forum. There are examples.

Check this out. Page 2, post #75.

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthre...Miss-Any/page2

[bobdny]

More about the "Alaska" - here is one of the photos from the designer's website showing an "Alaska" set up for sleeping overnight:

[sdenault]

Hi Wayne
Yes, the wagon idea is kinda what I had envisioned, I do more searching of the forum, thanks
Steven

[sdenault]

Hi Bob
I'll check out the links. Lots of good design ideas, thanks
Steve

[James McMullen]

The tent thing is the easy part. Lots and lots of small boats can use something like that. Much more importantly, what else do you want in a boat? Rowing? Sailing? Or just motoring aimlessly? How small is a "small lake" to you? Where else might you want to take your boat? These are what you really need to research. Adding a tent is a trivial detail.

[Venchka]

	Loon with three pvc bows, covered with a home made nylon tent. Note the mizzen moved forward to the reefed position which clears the cockpit for living space. The floor boards, aft, lift up onto cleats to make a double berth. Comfortable
and private camping and all the gear, as well as your provisions stow neatly away in the lockers. There is even a space to put a porta-potti alongside the centerboard trunk - accessible with the berth made up! As a matter of fact, all of the locker space is still available when the boat is set up for sleeping - a luxury not found on many larger "yachts".

Tom Lathrop's Bay River Skiff Loon from B&B Yacht Design.

[P-man]

Seil, from Francois Vivier, has floorboards that relocate to form a sleeping platform.

[sdenault]

Hi Wayne
Yes that Caledonia Yawl does seem to suit my needs too.
As does the Bolger Crusing Canoe # 54 .

Ideally I'd like something I can row, paddle and make use of a small outboard when tired or just being lazy.
Steve

[sdenault]

Hi James
Good questions and worthy, as you say, of some contemplation.

I'd like to have a boat I can handle easily on my own, in the water and out.
Something roomy but light enough for me to paddle, row or use a small outboard on.
I would stick to inland waters, a small lake to me means no big open bodies of water without shelter near by (no more than a 1/2 mile of open water). I live in Ste Anne, Manitoba, Lake Winnipeg is near by but far to open and boring. We have many lakes, canoe routes and Lake of the Woods is only 1.5 hr away. Usually even big lakes like that allow you to hide behind islands in bad weather.
thanks for the thought provoking questions.
Steve

[Steve Paskey]

Hi Wayne
Yes that Caledonia Yawl does seem to suit my needs too.
As does the Bolger Crusing Canoe # 54 .

Ideally I'd like something I can row, paddle and make use of a small outboard when tired or just being lazy.
Steve

The Caledonia Yawl and Bolger Cruising Canoe are VERY different boats. If you think that both suit your needs, I'd encourage you to think much more carefully about what you want from a boat (as James suggested).

And, if you really want to row or paddle to any significant degree, neither one of those boats is well-suited to your needs.

The more specific you can be, the easier it is for people to give good advice. How much rowing or paddling do you want to do? For how long and how far? By yourself, or with others? How much will you carry in the boat?

[Venchka]

Hi Wayne
Yes that Caledonia Yawl does seem to suit my needs too.
As does the Bolger Crusing Canoe # 54 .

Ideally I'd like something I can row, paddle and make use of a small outboard when tired or just being lazy.
Steve

A paddle gets my Caledonia yawl, Elisabeth Grace, to/from the dock. I row for fun sometimes. Getting an outboard on ANY double ender is a P.I.T.A. It can be done. It does work. Transoms work better.

ps: Elisabeth Grace is not light. 900 pounds in sailing/rowing/motoring trim.

[eastern270]

http://www.skiffamerica20.com/

[jsjpd1]

ps: Elisabeth Grace is not light. 900 pounds in sailing/rowing/motoring trim.

Yes, but a CY is fun to camp on.





Jim

[Wavewacker]

I started out with basically the same idea. I wanted a boat and a camper that I could put in the back of my truck.

I thought about a small catamaran with a cabin that would unbolt from the hulls and slide in as a camper. Actually, I'm still on it so to speak. Look in the design section and for "20' catamaran" if I were better at this computer stuff, I'd post it here for you, guess I need a class.

Lokk for the Slider and the modification done to it. Ray, the designer, addressed a full cabin and it could bolt on and off. Kinda like a teardrop. You could put the cabin on a traileras well.

Another solution might be a small hard top on a simple bolger sharpie, I considered doing a row,sail and motor micro cruiser. These have very shallow draft, just inches.

You mention needing a good sleeping platform and I'd guess you might me alot like me, I have done my time in tents, if I have to pack it up a mountain, I'll take a tent, if my shelter is on a boat, trailer or on my truck, I'd rather have hard sides.

[DGentry]

Wondering if anyone has come upon or built a small vessel suitable for exploring rivers and small lakes, that also is outfitted with a roof, turning it into a camper as well.

Bolger's Birdwatcher, of course. Sail powered, oar auxilliary, full standing headroom, huge cabin, great views, easy to trailer . . . .


Or, one of Michalak's versions of the concept.

[sdenault]

I started out with basically the same idea. I wanted a boat and a camper that I could put in the back of my truck.

I thought about a small catamaran with a cabin that would unbolt from the hulls and slide in as a camper. Actually, I'm still on it so to speak. Look in the design section and for "20' catamaran" if I were better at this computer stuff, I'd post it here for you, guess I need a class.

Lokk for the Slider and the modification done to it. Ray, the designer, addressed a full cabin and it could bolt on and off. Kinda like a teardrop. You could put the cabin on a traileras well.

Another solution might be a small hard top on a simple bolger sharpie, I considered doing a row,sail and motor micro cruiser. These have very shallow draft, just inches.

You mention needing a good sleeping platform and I'd guess you might me alot like me, I have done my time in tents, if I have to pack it up a mountain, I'll take a tent, if my shelter is on a boat, trailer or on my truck, I'd rather have hard sides.

Hey Wavewacker
that is where my head was too. I too considered making two SOF pontoons, using maybe 10 or 12 oz polyester, so long as each one is under 40 lbs that would suit me. With a couple of pontoons done it would then be a matter of figuring out how to make a light weight platform to tie the pontoons together and give me the space I'd need for louging around, fishing and putting up a tent for over night trips. Up here sleeping out on the water means no BUGS, mesquitoes especially.

Have you seen any such SOF pontoon plans?

Steve

[sdenault]

Hi Steve
Thanks for the suggestions and yes I will need to give a lot more thought to what I want from my boat.
But for now I'm just dreaming and seeing all these possibilities helps to tweak the imagination.

Most of what seems to be have been down are related to sailing. Thats not too big inland even in our big lakes.
The overall purpose of my boat will be, exploration, traveling on water and fishing, with one to three people.

Steve

[Wavewacker]

I have seen several rigs made from nothing more than a cat made from two canoes tied together with tubing or lumber and a ply deck. One simply pitched a tent on the deck. While it may not win a craftsmanship award it was very functional. It can be sailed, paddled or motored. Two 16' canoes can be picked up cheaper than trying to build, a Rolex canoe is about 300 bucks. You could put it all together in one long day, with some freeboard skirts along the sides of your deck to keep stuff from rolling off. But a battery in one canoe and fuel in the other and a motor mount on your deck.

As to plans, I'd just look at some small cat construction threads and go from there.

[sdenault]

I have seen several rigs made from nothing more than a cat made from two canoes tied together with tubing or lumber and a ply deck. One simply pitched a tent on the deck. While it may not win a craftsmanship award it was very functional. It can be sailed, paddled or motored. Two 16' canoes can be picked up cheaper than trying to build, a Rolex canoe is about 300 bucks. You could put it all together in one long day, with some freeboard skirts along the sides of your deck to keep stuff from rolling off. But a battery in one canoe and fuel in the other and a motor mount on your deck.

As to plans, I'd just look at some small cat construction threads and go from there.

Hey Wavewacker
sounds like our concepts are on the same path. I'd like to make it pretty simple to start, use it and then find ways to improve on the facilities.
I'm hoping to build a 16" Freighter style canoe, sometimes called a Sport Boat, if things go as planned I hope it won't cost me more that $200. So two would make it $400, add portable deck in sections and voila!, one has a pontoon boat. If a guy made it work with three caones one could be pulled out for side trip use. Boy now were dreaming aye! Still fund to think about.

But it does point out that using SOF techniques allows you to think about projects you would never have been able to afford, nor spend all winter building. I doubt I put more than 30 hours into my C17 (Dave Gentry's) two person Kayak and it was my first SOF project. Other than doing a 20' flat bottom, ply, canoe last year I had not done any woodworking in about 25 or more years. SOF if treated a bit gentler is the way to go for me as it allows me to try many differnt kinds of small vessels. Since I'm never interested in large, heavy or big powered type water vessels this is the medium for me.

Thanks for brainstorming with me, much appreciated.
Steve