12.5 mph

[Ball Racing]

Well I finally got my A4 running, and well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
It's not in a sail boat, but my 19ft. Chesapeake Bay style Deadrise Skiff I built. I am trying to keep it old school from around here back in the commercial haydays from way back.
I have a 12x8 prop that is holding the engine back to 2,200 rpms at full throttle, ( it reaching this at half throttle, just won't turn more rpms when you shove it down)
I need to work with some props..
It went 12.5 mph the other day, and that IS putting it up on plane, but thats it...
Anyway still working problems, and bugs out..

[sastanley]

Daniel...that is truly fantastic!

We need to find you the correct prop!

I am not sure of any A4's doing 12.5 mph...all of our old girls are envious already!

[Mark S]

I wonder what RPM you'd get with an Indigo prop where you get 2200 RPM with a 12x8. I couldn't get more than 1500 RPM with our old 13x8 and I get 400 more with the Indigo. You must have some sweet lines on that skiff!

Mark

[Ball Racing]

I need to look toward "performance" props now, and not towards the sailboat type that are for displacement type slippage.
I have a OLD Aqua Master (federal?) 3 blade on there now.

[hanleyclifford]

First of all I'd like to say that is a magnificent little boat - reminds me of a work boat we had at Edgartown Marine. We had the A4 too but with 2:1 reduction. Actually, 2200 rpm for 12.5 mph is not too shabby. Your hull is not really a planing one and I don't think you will get much more with direct drive. Try a cupped 3 blader with maybe 1 more inch of pitch.

[TomG]

Daniel,

Great job! The A-4 looks magnificent in that gleaming white paint! You got anymore close-ups of the A-4?

[Administrator]

Wow! Outstanding!

Bill

[Dave Neptune]

Daniel, first you ned to decide what RPM's you want to run at. As you have a light boat that is capable of far more speed that our sailboats will ever achieve under power. Also I'd like to know what vacuum you are pulling at 2000 & 2200 RPM's. My first suggestion would be to reduce the diameter and that will give you a few more RPM's and reduce the drag on the prop for a bit more power to devote to thrust. I would love to see you be able to try the Indigo, with it's narrow blades (friction reduction) and 10" diameter (additional friction reduction) and it's 7 1/4" pitch it should give you I'm guessing about 5~600 RPM's maybe even more. The Indigo should be an excelent "performance" prop on such a lite boat. I have a direct drive with the Indigo and I'm pushing 35' at 15,500 pounds and can get 2400 RPM's. If you do the math you will find that 7" is more than enough pitch to achieve your boats speeds. Maybe someone on the site near you would let you try one. If not I would look for a 2 blade 10" X 5~6" pitch and have the prop pitched up which will increase "cup" and give you a narrower focus on the thrust. DO NOT pitch a prop back as on your speedy application the prop will have considerable washout, which is a waste of power on lite boats.

The big problem is finding a prop with LESS pitch, there just not out there in anything but a sailor style. I do believe your best bet is the Indigo. Why don't you call Tom at Indigo, he is most helpful.

Dave Neptune

[ILikeRust]

I love it!

I always have loved the lines of the traditional Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboat. And in fact, I came pretty close to buying one before I got my sailboat. And I still would love to have one. More recently, I have been pondering the possibility of doing pretty much what you already have done - building a scaled-down version (like maybe 22 feet), powered by an Atomic 4.

I would like a small cabin on mine, though, because I would use it more as a camp cruiser than as a fishing or work platform.

I also like that you've really kept it quite traditional, with the simple wooden lever for steering. I see the gear shifter - where's the throttle?

I'd love to see more pics of the boat under construction. Have you posted anything about it over at the Wooden Boat Forum? I know the folks over there would absolutely love to see it.

That is just so damn cool.

[ILikeRust]

By the way, the ol' A4 looks fantastic in that white paint. And we sailboaters are highly envious of your complete and total engine access.

[Ball Racing]

Here are a few pics.
I took a pic of every single stage, but I would overwelm the server if I put them all here

[Ball Racing]

more......

[ILikeRust]

Do you have a Photobucket or Flickr account? Put them all there and post a link!

And I'm serious - you really should post your pics and story over at the Wooden Boat forum.

That is truly sweet.

Did you use traditional caulking methods between the bottom cross-planking and sides?

Have you built one of those before? Did you follow a plan? Just wondering how you knew the methods.

That is one fine-looking vessel. And I love the fact that you dropped an Atomic 4 in there.

[ILikeRust]

Remind me again where you're located?

[Ball Racing]

I am in Mathews 10 minutes or so away from Queens Creek Marina
No, I don't have a photo bucket account.
I built a 18 ft. flat bottom a year before this one.
But these were my first.
I have built several models since I was a child, of the 40ft workboats.
Some were Radio controlled.
My extended family(great grandfathers, uncles) have built boats and worked on the water for a long while.
I had no plans, just "rack of eye" as they call it around here.
I wanted the "big" boat look scaled down.
I would too, love to have a 40 footer, those ones you see at deltaville boat yard on the far end in the gravel parking lot (not the enclosed area when you first drive up), are eye candy to me out the water.
Many different builders, and lines, but they are all classics, and I pick the lines that look the best in "My" mind and build-dream accordingly.
The history of the building and use of these crafts are dying so fast.
it was awhole lifestyle, and local economy, and it's sad to see it fade away.
The fact that they were 'working class" boats and people kinda gave them a bad name in some places.
But if you look at lines, and proportions, and the fact that the early ones were mostly hand tool built, local saw mills, small budgets,
it makes you appreciate the art of what they did.
If you like seeing deadrises pictures go to deadrise4sale.com and go to the photo gallery.

[ILikeRust]

Ha! I guess you know I have a slip at Queens Creek Marina and my boat currently is on the hard in the Deltaville Boatyard.

I'll be heading out to Deltaville and Mathews this Saturday, if all goes according to plan. Any chance I can swing by and see her in person? I would truly love that. Or, if nothing else, just meet up and say "hey."

I'll be heading down past Horn Harbor to look at a house around noon. Maybe on the way back up in the early afternoon, if you'll be around.

I would love to live on Gwynn's Island. It's such a neat place.

And yeah, I know all about the Deadrise4sale site - I drool over those photos all the time - and the ones you're talking about up at the far end of the boatyard...

A full-sized 36 or 40-footer would be way more than I can deal with right now, but I would love a scaled-down one, along the lines of what you've built.

[sastanley]

BR, GREAT pics & nice work!

[Ball Racing]

Originally Posted by ILikeRust

I'll be heading out to Deltaville and Mathews this Saturday, if all goes according to plan. Any chance I can swing by and see her in person? I would truly love that. Or, if nothing else, just meet up and say "hey."

I'll be heading down past Horn Harbor to look at a house around noon. Maybe on the way back up in the early afternoon, if you'll be around.

Well,,, hopefully this saturday will be my "first" voyage further than 200 yards from the dock, with a "partner"-spotter boat in case of problems.
This will hopefully include a few cast with the ole rod and reel for some of those rockfish at the mouth of winter harbor.
And the time frame with the Tide I need to get in and out of there, will be mid morning through mid- afternoon..
So I can't say when I will have it back at the dock.
Winter harbor is the creek before horn harbor headed south of gwynn's island.

[ILikeRust]

Originally Posted by Ball Racing

Well,,, hopefully this saturday will be my "first" voyage further than 200 yards from the dock, with a "partner"-spotter boat in case of problems.

So how did it go?

I was out there yesterday, looking at a house on Sand Bank Road. It was very windy out there!

[Ball Racing]

Well,,,,
Do to the wind, and my "spotter" being busy, I went solo about triple the distance I had gone before (maybe a little less than mile from the dock)
I never left the creek.
I had the wind at my starboard side leaving,
When I turned and came back, I was head into it, little white caps in the creek, and gust, it was fun, I just slowed down keep it about 6 knots and plowed ahead with little spray coming up and blowing over every couple of little waves.
The boat just stayed dead planted, and you didn't know you were in wind or little waves. It was so cool,,,,
Our fiberglass boats bounce, and move around like a cork.
But this was creek water, not the bay.
Today the tide is bad low, I might get a chance for a little trip again around noon..........

[Gordo]

Awesome job man! I'm a builder too...though my A4 is in a production boat. You can see my Jim Michalak Laguna below.

I wish I was closer to see that bad boy in person. Thanks for sharing!

[Ball Racing]

After some tuning, (adding thermostat, new carb)
new top speed, 13.1 MPH
Going to try a indigo prop I have, see what happens.

[Bold Rascal]

Great Job Daniel!
With speed like that you could probably compete in a few boat docking contest's, Crisfield 2012?
Nice build...

[Ball Racing]

I am not really that fast = 13 knots, just statue MPH 13.1, my gps is one I use in my truck too, so I just keep it on statue MPH, and don't switch it out to nautical miles when I put it in the boat.
So I am only going 11 knots.
BUT I am faster than I was

[ILikeRust]

Once you get the Indigo prop on there, maybe you'll be able to pull a skier.