24 -26 foot catamaran designs (plans)

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09-16-2008, 07:10 PM

#21

phragle

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sure mig is quick and dirty, but tig is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. though it depends on the quality of the material, i.e. cheap mild steel sucks..a nice stainless welds sweet. after messing with the mild steel the first time I tiged stainless was childsplay, welding alum though..on something thats going to get stress.. youd better be REALLY good. a little too hot or cold and its gonna come apart faster than a bayliner. working with glass would be a lot easier than welding alum, and you wont be constantly chasing cracks down the middle of the welds. the heat from welding would significantly change the properties of the alum and I doubt your going to be able to reheat treat the entire hull when your finished.

09-16-2008, 07:21 PM

#22

nocigarette

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Naughty Kitty

As a Mech Eng I have always thought a small 26-28 foot cat would be a fun project to design and build as well. I have never concidered the use of aluminum, however as a machine tool designer the majority of our work is in aluminum. Waterjet bulkheads coupled with multiple roll formed stringers could be the basis of an extremely accurate and efficient substructure.

Although I have a 31' cat, I would be interested in getting involved in a single engine project. I have over 20 years in front of CAD applications and am currently using SolidWorks for modeling with Cosmos for FEA. If this projects develops some legs, count me in for support. -Jeff

I appreciate the offer...I am still trying to find some plans that i can compare to the measurements i have taken from other cats...I can't believe no one has a source for plans for a 24-26 foot catamaran.....Water jet i think would be the only way to go, as far as the welding i have full confidence in big ted, he has been welding high pressure stainless and aluminum for x-ray testing for over 20yrs.....
The thing with this project that drives me is i can get the material and get it cut and welded for next to nothing....The downside is i have to make sure all the research is feasible...