March 17th update

L

Les Lampman

New member
Greetings,

Thought I'd pop in and give anyone interested an update on the Marinaut scene.

We've got one boat building in the shop right now. I've been posting infrequent photos on Facebook since we've been loafing along (lots of other things happening as well). It's looking really nice though and it will be exciting to see it when it's completed.

I'm leaving on March 28th (that's the plan anyway) on a road trip that will take me to Connecticut with the Marinaut Betty Ann in tow. The plan is to drop down to SLC and then take I-80 across to around IL then drop down to I-70 so that I can make a stop in PA. I also have the alternate routes of I-90 or I-94. If someone along any of these routes really has an interest in the Marinaut 215 I can try and accommodate a stop.

After dropping off the M215 in CT I'll be traveling to Halifax to pick up a new (sold) Rosborough RF-246 then returning to WA.

Also...the drawings for the M245 are just about completed so I'll soon be adding that to our Marinaut web page and making the boat available. Some folks might have seen the drawings I posted on the Marinaut Facebook page. Those drawings showed a pair of engines on the transom but I've decided that (at least in the beginning) that the M245 will be offered with a smaller motorwell for single engines. I very much want to have a transom door (entry) in the aft starboard corner just above the swim step/ladder and I can't do that with a wide motorwell. I'm betting the walk-though transom will be more important to most buyers than accommodating twin engines will be.

Another issue with the twin engine set up is there's really only one choice of engine size and that's a pair of 90's. The engine manufacturers don't make 75s with 25" shaft and 115s (the next size up) are too heavy and too much power.

Another potential issue is cost. A single 150 (which is the target horsepower) is about $14,000 fully installed (controls, gauges, batteries, etc). A pair of 90's is about $20,000. That's a lot of difference even if you add a kicker to the 150.

Weight is also a consideration. A single 150 is about 500 pounds, a kicker about 100 for a total of 600 pounds. A pair of 90s is about 800 pounds.

And finally, the last issue is space. Not just at the transom but the space it takes to accommodate twins at the helm with the need for two controllers and additional space on the dash panel for more gauges.

The primary thing for me is I want the easy access at the transom from the swim step so using a dinghy isn't fraught with peril for those of us that are not as athletic as we once were. And I can't do that with a twin engine motorwell; the other issues just serve to reinforce my decision.

That's all for now...thanks!
 
I think he'll be towing with the new truck I saw there last weekend. F-250 if I recall. I know he said he was hoping to get a camper on it.
 
c-ness":e6fsly91 said:
Thanks for the update Les! That sounds like quite a trip. Will you be towing with your motor home?
Click to expand...

No sir. I now have a 2000 Ford F350 Crew Cab Dually 4x4 V10 to tow with. I found it about a month ago with 56,000 miles on the odometer and it's pretty much in new condition.

6991090003


bDMaux


bqSe4J


I tried (and failed) to include photos. :( Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong on the images? If you highlight them and go to the URL they show up fine.

Les
 
Les,

The M245 looks like it is going to be a great addition to the Marinaut line. Looking forward to more updates. Good luck on your trip back east and have a safe return home.

Bill Roche
 
Les, you have to find a link that will actually link to the image as opposed to the web page on which it is displayed. I was able to find a link to the image embedded within the link that you get when you click on "Grab the HTML/BBCode" in flicker. It's not straight forward as I had to edit out just what is needed. Anyway, here's a couple of images of your fine truck.

6991090003_f7b7b5e99b.jpg


6844963132_c059ae6b28.jpg
 
Thanks for the help on the photos. I feel really dumb since I usually don't have issues with this type of computer stuff but I haven't tried hosting photos on sites other than my own before (sounds like a good excuse!).

I might as well just call the truck a boat...it's 22' long! :)
 
Les,

I think your idea for a transom door is right on the money. My wife has a difficult time getting on and off our boat. She has seen some boats that have a tramsom door so she can just step onto the platform from the dock and walk right into the cockpit. A transom door will be a requirement for our next boat.
 
dave":2o2aeaef said:
Les,

I think your idea for a transom door is right on the money. My wife has a difficult time getting on and off our boat. She has seen some boats that have a tramsom door so she can just step onto the platform from the dock and walk right into the cockpit. A transom door will be a requirement for our next boat.
Click to expand...

Hi Dave, and thanks for the comment. It gives me an opportunity to explain the setup a bit more.

Having a person step from the dock to the swim platform then into the boat through the transom opening may or may not work. I say that because I think in a lot of circumstances the swim step will be too far below the dock to make it a really comfortable step down (and without a lot to hold onto though that can certainly be rectified).

I can't do a lot about that since the height (level) of the cockpit deck, which determines the height of the sides, is close to water level, so the M245 is not a high or slab sided boat.

That said the transom step-through is really about getting to and from the swim step comfortably for ingress or egress from a dinghy, or after swimming, or if clearing or changing the prop, etc.

But I do have some other ideas to aid folks in getting from the sidedeck to the cockpit sole. The step from the dock to the sidedeck is usually very comfortable for most folks. It's the distance from the sidedeck to the cockpit sole that gives the most trouble.

We've moslty solved that issue in the M215 by having two steps from the sidedeck to the cockpit sole for those folks that can manage steps and we'll do the same in the M245.

For those that can't negotiate the steps I've designed a small "lift" (kind of like a mini-elevator). It's a vertical tube attached to the aft bulkhead (next to the sidedeck) with a small flip down platform. From the sidedeck you step onto the flip down platform and hold onto the two handles (placed a bit over waist high) then press and hold a switch to go down to the cockpit level; step off, flip the platform up, and you're done. Getting out of the boat is just the opposite; flip the platform down, step on, push and hold the switch to go up (the platform stops if you let go of the switch) and you're at the sidedeck level. As long as a person can comfortably stand and has the strength to use the handholds on the cabin back and the handles on the lift they'll be able to get in and out of the boat.

I'm also working on a design that will allow folks that can't stand on a platform or can't hold on to the grips to be able to have access to the boat. I'd like to be able to accommodate a wheelchair. This is a lot more difficult both from a design standpoint and a moral standpoint. It's one thing to ask folks that have enough mobility and strength to step onto a simple lift and control it as they still have control of the situation. It's entirely a different thing to lift someone in a wheelchair who is really at the mercy of the design and has to trust it completely. The fact the boat moves independently of the dock the wheelchair is sitting on (or going to) doesn't help either.

Les
 
Les,

That's a monster truck, as big as my current boat ( a bowrider). Love the idea of sticking with a single engine and having the transom door. You are moving in the direction of a perfect boat for us Midwesterners (big lakes, rivers, the Great Lakes) and maybe day/long weekend cruisers who boat in mainly good weather and short trips. Keep it light and simple. Maybe your next model could be the M245SC, a M245 with the cabin of a M215 to provide a big cockpit with some optional built in seating.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Doug
 
Les,

At the present time I mainly trailer my C-Dory to and from the lakes we frequent here in Colorado. We are at a boat ramp almost every weekend all summer. Our standard procedure is to have my wife get into the boat before I back the trailer into the water and she starts the boat and circles around until I get back from parking the truck and trailer. Her normal way of entering the boat is to climb up a short step ladder onto the swim step while we are in the parking lot or on the ramp and then crawl forward into the cockpit. Easy for some folks but difficult for her with knee and balance problems. She is not able to climb over the side of the boat, so this seems to work best. We reverse this procedure when we leave the lakes.

I can see where a transom opening could be very beneficial in our situation, when entering and exiting on dry land and when using a dinghy while on the water.

Looking forward to some of your drawings showing the transom entry and how it is going to work and look. I am in the group that does not have a problem with a single main engine and would opt for a kicker when the time comes when we can spend more time boating in waters other then on the lakes near home.

Bill Roche
 
Les,
Wish you the best on your trip. Travel safe.

As to the transom door, you are on to something there, although as some folk around here think, I'm a pretty dedicated "TWINS" proponent for several duplicate :o reasons.

The boarding , (dock to cockpit) and reverse, is an issue that C-Dory has left very much out of hand, and though it is do-able, it is progressively harder for those who are getting more senior as we go, and is an issue I have been mulling since first getting our Cruiser. I have looked at many options, but none have really been practical and efficient. Your 2 step process sounds like it might be the trick and work as a modification that would be worth it. Looking forward to seeing it up close one of these days.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

SSC_CPR_and_Patient_280.thumb.jpg
 
Water Bill":1ixgzp3a said:
Les,

At the present time I mainly trailer my C-Dory to and from the lakes we frequent here in Colorado. We are at a boat ramp almost every weekend all summer. Our standard procedure is to have my wife get into the boat before I back the trailer into the water and she starts the boat and circles around until I get back from parking the truck and trailer. Her normal way of entering the boat is to climb up a short step ladder onto the swim step while we are in the parking lot or on the ramp and then crawl forward into the cockpit. Easy for some folks but difficult for her with knee and balance problems. She is not able to climb over the side of the boat, so this seems to work best. We reverse this procedure when we leave the lakes.

I can see where a transom opening could be very beneficial in our situation, when entering and exiting on dry land and when using a dinghy while on the water.

Looking forward to some of your drawings showing the transom entry and how it is going to work and look. I am in the group that does not have a problem with a single main engine and would opt for a kicker when the time comes when we can spend more time boating in waters other then on the lakes near home.

Bill Roche
Click to expand...

Hi Bill,

It would be my hope that a separate ladder wouldn't be necessary at all. You should be able to deploy the swim step ladder and have it reach to within a foot of the ground so that you can just use that to reach the swim platform then step through the transom into the cockpit.

That sort of ladder is already in use on the Rosborough RF-246 so you can enter the boat from the ground. It sits a lot taller than the M245 should.

Les
 
hardee":2a0qs2k7 said:
Les,
Wish you the best on your trip. Travel safe.

As to the transom door, you are on to something there, although as some folk around here think, I'm a pretty dedicated "TWINS" proponent for several duplicate :o reasons.

The boarding , (dock to cockpit) and reverse, is an issue that C-Dory has left very much out of hand, and though it is do-able, it is progressively harder for those who are getting more senior as we go, and is an issue I have been mulling since first getting our Cruiser. I have looked at many options, but none have really been practical and efficient. Your 2 step process sounds like it might be the trick and work as a modification that would be worth it. Looking forward to seeing it up close one of these days.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

SSC_CPR_and_Patient_280.thumb.jpg
Click to expand...


Hi Harvey,

I certainly know that some folks prefer a twin engine setup but unfortunately I just can't get it all in one boat (at 8' 6" wide). I pretty much had to choose one or the other (transom step-though or twins).

In a perfect world I'd be able to offer the boat both ways and maybe it will come to that but it would require a new hull mold and new deck mold to make that happen...and that's expensive. There would have to be a pretty high deamand for the twin-engined boat to make it financially feasible.

I have one other thought rumbling around in the recesses of my mind and I'll see how that pans out after a bit of thought and pencil pushing.

Les
 
Jake":2pt1fw33 said:
Les,

That's a monster truck, as big as my current boat ( a bowrider). Love the idea of sticking with a single engine and having the transom door. You are moving in the direction of a perfect boat for us Midwesterners (big lakes, rivers, the Great Lakes) and maybe day/long weekend cruisers who boat in mainly good weather and short trips. Keep it light and simple. Maybe your next model could be the M245SC, a M245 with the cabin of a M215 to provide a big cockpit with some optional built in seating.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Doug
Click to expand...

Hi Doug,

It's certainly possible. We build our boats with very few parts (9 total in the M215 and three of them are small). The upside is ease of assembly for us, and rigidity and no leaks for the owner. The down side (to some extent) is that in order to do a new model (with a short house) we'd have to make a new deck/house mold and a new deck/sole/floor mold. Not impossible by any means, just a bit expensive so the demand has to be there.

Great ideas though and we're cataloging them!

Les
 
Les Lampman":308iuf5m said:
For those that can't negotiate the steps I've designed a small "lift" (kind of like a mini-elevator). It's a vertical tube attached to the aft bulkhead (next to the sidedeck) with a small flip down platform. From the sidedeck you step onto the flip down platform and hold onto the two handles (placed a bit over waist high) then press and hold a switch to go down to the cockpit level; step off, flip the platform up, and you're done. Getting out of the boat is just the opposite; flip the platform down, step on, push and hold the switch to go up (the platform stops if you let go of the switch) and you're at the sidedeck level. As long as a person can comfortably stand and has the strength to use the handholds on the cabin back and the handles on the lift they'll be able to get in and out of the boat.


Les
Click to expand...

One of the reasons we are so happy about our CC is the long step inside the cockpit. We don't have to hunt for foot placement. Your lift sound like a wonderful solution. I will look forward to seeing the design.
 
Back
Top