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Wakeless boat

9K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  cva34 
#1 ·
Looking for ideas on a boat type or model.

What I need is something that will go 15mph or more, but make very minimal wake. It needs to hold 2 people comfortably, but up to 10 in an emergency situation. Emergency requirement would be just that, emergency. I don't ever expect to need that capacity.

Any thoughts? There are companies that specialize in wakeless launches, but I was hoping for something more accessible.

Thanks in advance
 
#16 ·
Chugger-

In fact, that is the exact use. I've looked at theirs, and others. I don't think the rowing club is willing (or able) to pay for a launch at this time.

So, my thinking was that I could find something I could use personally for fun, but use as a coaching launch as well.
I have seen those being used on Town Lake in Austin - it might be worth inquiring to the Austin Rowing Club or UT Crew to see if they ever sell used ones (probably not) . I paddle k1 kayaks which are very tippy. I can tell you that the jon boats that the teams use from up north when they come down throw up a very big wake - mainly because they use a
tiller and sit in the back at low speed.
 
#17 ·
Chugger-

I know some of the guys that run those on a daily basis. Problem is that Austin is well funded. We aren't down here. They don't sell their stuff often, but you can bet I would be in line waiting!

I have pondered the hobie cat idea, but do wonder about stability/safety and such. In the same breath, how is it much different than a purpose built wakeless or a sailboat being blown along at 25 knots with a couple of people on the trampoline
 
#18 ·
A jon type boat, whether aluminum or fiberglass (Carolina Skiff), might work as long as you get the boat trimmed out correctly to run flat at low speed. That would mean getting a tiller arm extension so operator could sit in the middle and perhaps adding weight (gas tank, battery,etc ) forward. An old scooter boat might work as well - like the Majek 15' .
 
#19 ·
I was going to suggest a displacement catamaran. You mentioned depth of 18, was that 18 inches or 18 feet? A true catamaran would probably draft 3-4'.

Longer is better.
For a displacement monohull, your boat would need to be near 80' long for a true displacement speed of 15mph (13 knots). With a catamaran, you could probably get away with a 40' boat with a no-wake speed of around 15mph. The hulls should be pretty narrow, though.

Maybe you could rig a couple sculling hulls together and see what happens with a 5hp motor...
 
#20 ·
I was going to suggest a displacement catamaran. You mentioned depth of 18, was that 18 inches or 18 feet? A true catamaran would probably draft 3-4'.

Longer is better.
For a displacement monohull, your boat would need to be near 80' long for a true displacement speed of 15mph (13 knots). With a catamaran, you could probably get away with a 40' boat with a no-wake speed of around 15mph. The hulls should be pretty narrow, though.

Maybe you could rig a couple sculling hulls together and see what happens with a 5hp motor...
The shallowest is about 18", but that's rare. Ordinarily, 3-6 feet.

Wakeless I guess is a bit of a misnomer- Even the purpose built wakeless launches aren't truly wakeless at 12 mph. But, the wake is quite minimal. A 40' long boat is a bit ridiculous and you'd never be able to turn, or get close.

A 15-20' hobie cat or similar doesn't pull 3-4' of draft. I'm sure it would be different loaded, but I'm still guessing under 1' in most cases. I know the purpose built wakeless (like stillwater) don't draft much over a foot.
 
#21 ·
A little more food for thought...

http://www.brighthubengineering.com/naval-architecture/81960-minimizing-wake-by-hull-design/

I mentioned the draft because true catamarans really do draft quite a bit, in order to get away with very narrow hulls to reduce wake and still maintain buoyancy. The catamaran was invented in the South Pacific, and the marine engineers there laugh when they see most "Americanized" catamarans as the hulls are too shallow to really take advantage of the cat's capabilities.

Yes, length can be ridiculous depending on where you need the craft and what you are using it for. You can probably get away with a little wake and a much shorter cat or speedboat. Everything is a compromise. I was just pointing out that if you truly want no wake at that speed, there is a price to pay.
 
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