Small Double-Ended Tug Designs?

[rtowner8820]

Good afternoon,

I'm seeking to build a small tug, something in the range of 18 - 24 feet, with a small cabin for the occasional overnight. I've poured over the designs of Devlin and Hankinson, but feel I'm not quite finding what I'm looking for. In particular, I'm looking for a double-ended hull...something similar to the old Ranger 18 tugs, like this one. If anyone can offer up designs that I may have missed, I greatly appreciate it!

Thanks,
Ryan

[cstevens]

Look at the designs from Tad Roberts. http://tadroberts.ca/

He has several boats exactly like that, in lengths from 18' up. Also Paul Gartside is worth a look as well.

[JimD]

Tad's North Coast

http://tadroberts.ca/services/small-boats/displacement/northcoastdoubleender18

[MoritzSchwarzer]

Paul Gartside has no double ended powerboats with a lid in that size. I don't think he could be convinced to draw a toy boat like that.

Tads North Coast is more of a miniature troller, but certainly looks close.
The mini tugs I have seen here were all planing boats, are you set on that or is displacement speed ok?

[cstevens]

For a planing double ender I'd suggest looking at the Bartender: https://bartenderboats.com/

[MoritzSchwarzer]

For a planing double ender I'd suggest looking at the Bartender: https://bartenderboats.com/

I thought of those, but the planning bartender hull looks nothing like a tug.

But then a real tug is the furthest from a planing hull you can possibly be anyway. Tugs are deeeeep, they're a floating platform to bring a lot of power in the water which meant big propellers back in the day and huge appendages like poded drives or Voith-Schneider drives now. They have bad to horrible fluid dynamics and typically drag half the bay behind them at full speed. Which is why the effect of a toy tug on a plane is so jarring.

To get back to the OP's request:
I think you're looking for something that's not out there for a simple reason:
Real tugs are not double ended. I have never seen one, and thinking about what tugs do, it is pretty clear why.
You want a wide clear working deck on a tug with low freeboard aft. Nothing to stand in the way of the big line attatched to the dumb heavy thing you're dragging around, especially no sternpost. A traditional double ended hull is symmetrical, with freeboard sweeping up aft to almost the height in the bow and very little deck space in the ends. And a sternpost reaching up over the bulwark. That is of no use as a tug at all.

Now, toy double ended work boats are out there a plenty, like the miniature troller mentioned. I bet you can find one with more deck space than the North Coast, or maybe persuade Tad Roberts to redesign the North Coast with a shorter house and an engine box in the cockpit. But it's going to look like a troller, not like a tug.

[JimD]

I thought of those, but the planning bartender hull looks nothing like a tug.

But then a real tug is the furthest from a planing hull you can possibly be anyway. Tugs are deeeeep, they're a floating platform to bring a lot of power in the water which meant big propellers back in the day and huge appendages like poded drives or Voith-Schneider drives now. They have bad to horrible fluid dynamics and typically drag half the bay behind them at full speed. Which is why the effect of a toy tug on a plane is so jarring.

To get back to the OP's request:
I think you're looking for something that's not out there for a simple reason:
Real tugs are not double ended. I have never seen one, and thinking about what tugs do, it is pretty clear why.
You want a wide clear working deck on a tug with low freeboard aft. Nothing to stand in the way of the big line attatched to the dumb heavy thing you're dragging around, especially no sternpost. A traditional double ended hull is symmetrical, with freeboard sweeping up aft to almost the height in the bow and very little deck space in the ends. And a sternpost reaching up over the bulwark. That is of no use as a tug at all.

Now, toy double ended work boats are out there a plenty, like the miniature troller mentioned. I bet you can find one with more deck space than the North Coast, or maybe persuade Tad Roberts to redesign the North Coast with a shorter house and an engine box in the cockpit. But it's going to look like a troller, not like a tug.

All true and I suspect the OP does not want a real tug. I think it was a reference to the popular Ranger company and their line up of non-tugs which, presumably for marketing reasons, they have chosen to call tugs. Clearly, they are work boat inspired recreational designs.

[Yeadon]

Marty Loken wrote an article about this class of boat last year in Small Craft Advisor. I think it's the July/August issue. It's worth a review.

In the meanwhile, a couple ideas jump to mind.

1) A smallish Gillnetter conversion, or something that mimics it.

2)Tad Robert's 19' Power Pogy, which is not a double-ender but still very cool. I'm not huge into power boats, but I'd consider building a Power Pogy someday. She'd be a great fall and winter family platform for the Salish Sea.

[Dave Wright]

2)Tad Robert's 19' Power Pogy, which is not a double-ender but still very cool. I'm not huge into power boats, but I'd consider building a Power Pogy someday. She'd be a great fall and winter family platform for the Salish Sea.

That's a nice looking boat and an excellent idea if you're starting from scratch. Getting out of the rain on cold north west days is fun, and on a gray day you have the whole place to yourself with a small power boat.

So, if displacement speeds are what you want build that boat from scratch. But don't buy a"Ranger Tug," the asking prices are too high for what you get, either used or new. Consider that you can get an old used 20 to 22 foot swing keel sailboat in heavy fiberglass for next to nothing - $500 to a $1000 tops, an old San Juan, MacGregor Venture, and all sorts of others. You get a displacement hull, a swing keel/centerboard to give you either shallow draft or board down stability. You get almost the same sort of hull as that Ranger, but with more bouyancy in the tail end, and outboard power of your choice, 5 to 10 HP. The conversion can be a great creative outlet with the basic hull all done for you. A low horsepower outboard has tremendous price advantage over an inboard. It's easier to maintain and can be swapped out in an instant if necessary. Here's an example of such a conversion (22 foot hull), I've seen other conversions too:




Something else to consider, if you go with power, be very sure that you really want only displacement speeds. A long trip of a few days might change your mind. It's fun to just poke along at 5 MPH, looking at wildlife and scenery, taking pictures etc., but every once in a while it's really nice to be able to do 15 to 20 MPH. You can build a decent power boat with a low deadrise planing hull that will do all you want at 5 MPH with reasonable fuel consumption, but still be able to get up on a plane. A 25 to 40 horse outboard can give you that ability.

[cstevens]

That sailboat conversion is interesting. Also worth looking at a lifeboat conversion, if fiberglass is acceptable. There have been a few for sale in the PNW recently for that same $1000-ish range. Here's one that's for sale in Vancouver right now - a converted 24' Davidson. This one is done and a bit more expensive, but shows what's possible (and with the CAD to USD exchange right now it's still what I would consider reasonable). Maybe not the most elegant pilothouse but still not a bad looking boat.



http://www.thunderbirdmarine.com/boat-info.php?ID=4255

But yes, slow indeed. Get used to looking at the scenery but on the other hand miserly fuel consumption is a nice thing too.

[JimD]

Those sailboat and lifeboat conversions can be quite inexpensive so long as you keep in mind what those hulls were originally designed to do and the inevitable drawbacks and limitations of using them for cruising.

[Dave Wright]

Those sailboat and lifeboat conversions can be quite inexpensive so long as you keep in mind what those hulls were originally designed to do and the inevitable drawbacks and limitations of using them for cruising.

Actually Jim, when you consider how it is sitting in the cockpit of a small cruising sailboat in the rain, in the Northwest, then the right conversion may have no drawbacks or limitations for cruising:

Check this out:

http://www.thingsofyesteryear-2u.com/

(REVISION: GOD FORSAKEN SOFTWARE: Click on Trawler Study Guide 4/23/2015 in the left column of the site)

[JimD]

I meant only the motion and efficiency of the hull shape. Yes, sitting in an sailboat cockpit in anything but summer weather is not anything I ever want to do again. Too old for that stuff. A cozy, cheery wheelhouse with a heater and big windows is the only way I would want to be out on the water on other than perfect summer days.

[rtowner8820]

Doing a search I found a few catboat conversions and see what you guys mean. I think a primary focus here is to extend my time on the water more easily to Fall and Spring. I live in Michigan...in the summers I have my Guppy 13 sailboat, which is just a ton of fun to sail and do projects on. As you might imagine though, a 13 foot boat doesn't have much of a cabin, and it doesn't make for comfortable nights if it's a little colder. My thinking is that some type of small tug will have space for overnight weekends with my wife, while also still have some "salt" so to speak. I really appreciate boats that have that functional, workboat look.

[cstevens]

I think Tad Roberts' Timbercoast 22 would fit your requirements perfectly. That's what I would build if I wasn't restoring an actual workboat:



This one is aluminum but plans are available for plywood construction:

https://bartenderboats.com/product/22-timbercoast/

[JimD]

Lots more choices if you'll forgo the double ends. From Selway Fisher

[JimD]

Sam Devlin

[Breakaway]

Since we've left double-ender in our wake, I propose a look at Pete Culler's 24 foot launch. A beauty to my eye. Here's a photostream https://www.flickr.com/photos/nwswb/...n/photostream/





EDIT: Actually, a fantail launch is close to being double-ended, at least under the water....

Kevin