Cruising focused GA 30

[Howie]

Howdy All-

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I have been exploring the idea of getting a boat to allow us to take some progressively longer trips from our home near Portland OR with the goal of being able to explore the west coast and possibly trailer to the east coast (and plenty of places in between). Exploring Alaska is on our list for sure but would need a ton of time at the helm before I would even consider something like that. Have been to Baja many times by road and would love to do it by boat one day.

I have been researching boats on and off for a few years...We have a couple of kids in college that are getting closer to being off the payroll. My wife and I are getting more serious about our next phase of things so I have been digging in more about what we would want.

While we certainly have had some great trips catching salmon on the Columbia, I am not much of a fisherman. I am sure we would be doing a lot more of that if we had a boat but our focus is getting something tilted towards camping in relative comfort. We will definitely want to be hauling in some crab and shrimp though!

Have considered lots of things out there...trawlers, C-dory, Rosborough, Ranger "tugs". Nothing really clicked and the cost on some of these is way more than we want to give.

I started looking at plans out there for diy. Devlins, Bluejackets, Down East, etc.

Then I ran across Tolmans...hmm...what's this Great Alaskan? I found the old duckworksmagazine.com articles and found this site a few months ago.

And down the rabbit hole I go. Pretty sure I have read almost every post here. Have definitely read every build thread, some more than once.

Beyond impressed with the work Brian has done on the design and the builds here. I really appreciate the time people have put into documenting what they have done. It is so helpful for someone trying to wrap their head around all the various aspects of a project like this.

I am thinking of a 28' GA with a swim deck. I would probably move the PH back a foot or so per Brian's suggestion. I am still deciding cabin vs. cockpit size and exactly what we are going to need vs. want. I am aware of the need to keep things as light as possible and dealing with the teeter-totter. We are not looking for luxury but a durable utilitarian camper that is comfortable. The compromises will be many, as they always are.

I am a ways off from making any sawdust on this but I am thinking a lot about the design and what we would want. Some great inspiration looking at what others have done. More to come as I firm things up in my head and get something posted to review.

thanks!
Howie

[Brian.Dixon]

Hi Howie ... thanks for all the kind words!  When you say 28-feet "with swim deck", are you thinking of a 28-foot boat that has a swim deck that's just a deck, motor on a bracket? Or are you thinking of the 'extended hull' type swim deck in which the waterline is actually 28 feet PLUS the width of the swim deck, e.g. the waterline of a 30-foot boat but has a false transom at 28 feet and a 2-foot swim deck? Hope that's clear.  In any case, your plans sound great and certainly the GA can fill your needs and desires.  Ask lots of questions and we'll answer them (and likely give a lot of other hints along the way).

Brian

[Howie]

Hi Brian-

I should have been more clear. Looking at 30-foot waterline boat. For sure wanting to do a "euro" transom, with a door as others have here. for me, it seems like the ease of boarding and extra length is worth the extra work.

[Brian.Dixon]

Hi Brian-

I should have been more clear. Looking at 30-foot waterline boat. For sure wanting to do a "euro" transom, with a door as others have here. for me, it seems like the ease of boarding and extra length is worth the extra work.

You're on the right track in paying attention to layout and where weights go.  See my response to your other thread on the swim platform topic.  When do you plan to build?  I may have my updated CG spreadsheets and boat modeling updates done by then and it'd be easier to help you make decisions on layout.

[Howie]

Regrettably, I am probably a couple of years out from building. I have quite a punch list to finish on our home I built here and some work to make my shop useable for boat building. I am digesting your reply on the platform thread. Thanks for that.

[Brian.Dixon]

Regrettably, I am probably a couple of years out from building. I have quite a punch list to finish on our home I built here and some work to make my shop useable for boat building. I am digesting your reply on the platform thread. Thanks for that.

Maybe a Gen II GA would convince you to put off all those other items and start working on a boat!  Here's what I'm thinking, noting that a 25-26 ft boat doesn't have as much room and has not been 'targeted' to be someone's live-aboard boat and is good as-is:

1. If building a 25 to 26 ft Great Alaskan, then build the Gen-I Standard GA

2. If building a 27 to 28 ft Great Alaskan, then build the (upcoming) Gen-II Standard GA  (optimized for a more distributed load)

3. If building a 29 to 30 (maybe 31) ft Great Alaskan for live-aboard accommodations, then build the (upcoming) Kodiak Explorer GA (Gen-II Kodiak) (optimized for a more distributed load)

4. If building a 29 to 30 (maybe 31) ft Great Alaskan for commercial fishing or for charter, e.g. 6-pack Captain's License, then build the Kodiak Commercial GA (Gen-I Kodiak)

Names are subject to change and I'm totally open to input!  There will be optimized 3D CAD models and CG spreadsheets for all of the above... And in the mean time, I've got about $3.2k to drop on software renewals (BricsCAD, Rhino 3D, and Orca 3D).  I intend to design the CG spreadsheets for general use by the public if that's even possible.  My original spreadsheets were adapted from US Navy ship design spreadsheets and need to be simplified to make them more flexible and easier to use.

Brian

[Howie]

Oh, I wouldn't need much convincing to start building now but then I would end up divorced. Hmm...maybe I wouldn't need as big of a boat then? If I was able to get it done before the papers were signed I could just move into the boat...decisions, decisions.

This all sounds great. I would love to do a Kodiak, but I need to trailer the boat and the permits and added width seems like a hassle. Another foot of beam sure would be nice on the water. Not sure about the pain towing though. We are hoping to "boaterhome", using the boat as a camper while traveling on the road. Driving all around the country (hopefully) seems to favor a standard GA.

Do you think you would officially support a 30' GA Standard for the update? It seems like 30' ones out there are working well and that size seems about the max of a truly trailerable cruiser.

I think using the "Explorer" name on both the GA and Kodiak updates sounds great.

Have you considered doing some sort of fundraiser to help cover the cost of the software updates? I have learned a ton from your posts (and from many others) on this board. I would be happy to chip in if it helps keep you moving forward with your creation. I bet there are others that would do the same. Maybe just a "preorder" of the updates addendum would be the easiest thing?

[Brian.Dixon]

I really can't recommend a 30 GA Standard ... that would be a bit of a stretch (haha).  Actually, due to the relative movements of the CG and CB (center of buoyancy), stretching a GA Standard that far would make it difficult to balance properly.  Better to wait until the boat is re-optimized around 28 feet long and then it could be stretched to 30 feet more easily.  Really, I would even say that building one of these at the design length or plus 1 foot or minus 2 feet, would be best, e.g a Gen II GA Standard, optimized for 28 feet, would have a suggested range in length running from 26 feet to 29 feet long.

[Howie]

Thanks Brian-

I will work with 28 Feet and focus on the cabin layout for now. Maybe try to squeeze another foot or so if it makes sense once I really know the weights and balance of what I am looking to do.  Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[Brian.Dixon]

Thanks Brian-

I will work with 28 Feet and focus on the cabin layout for now. Maybe try to squeeze another foot or so if it makes sense once I really know the weights and balance of what I am looking to do.  Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

When the Gen II Standard comes out, the easiest way to stretch to 29' would be to move the house aft about a foot, or go with a longer house and keep your heavier weights near the aft house bulkhead or just behind.  The boat can be balanced at 29'.  You may find that other methods for moving a little weight aft may be preferable to you.  For example, as mentioned in the current manuals, truncating the forward belly tank so it doesn't reach as far forward works, and if you need/want the extended range that more fuel offers, then add box tanks or saddle tanks at or just behind the aft house bulkhead to make up for the shortening of the forward belly tank.  You can buy tanks that fit the GA premade ...where there's a will, there's a way.  But I will still stand by 28 feet as being a real sweet spot in terms of balance, center of buoyancy, and length/width aspect ratio.

[Grady300]

First let me say choosing any Great Alaskan is a Major Good Choice!! After reading your introduction post. The GA sounds like it will fit your needs perfectly, for so many reasons. Building is a huge undertaking, the end result is so worth it in more ways than you can imagine.
Just remember that during the build. Every time I go out in my 31 GA Kodiak, I remember thinking I knew it would be worth it in the end. I was so correct!! The pride that comes along with it is priceless and amazing when your out enjoying what you created exactly how it fits your needs.
I can personally attest to it's sea worthiness. The second night of my 1500+km, 8 day/night trip from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta I was not sure we were going to make it, we were at least 100+ miles from shore. Every wave was throwing a lot of water over the top onto the cockpit deck, in part because we were over weight by a lot. I sure was happy I put 2x6 scuppers in, they did there job well. I believe if we were in any other boat in its class we would have not made it.
 Thanks Brian!!!!!

[Brian.Dixon]

First let me say choosing any Great Alaskan is a Major Good Choice!! After reading your introduction post. The GA sounds like it will fit your needs perfectly, for so many reasons. Building is a huge undertaking, the end result is so worth it in more ways than you can imagine.
Just remember that during the build. Every time I go out in my 31 GA Kodiak, I remember thinking I knew it would be worth it in the end. I was so correct!! The pride that comes along with it is priceless and amazing when your out enjoying what you created exactly how it fits your needs.
I can personally attest to it's sea worthiness. The second night of my 1500+km, 8 day/night trip from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta I was not sure we were going to make it, we were at least 100+ miles from shore. Every wave was throwing a lot of water over the top onto the cockpit deck, in part because we were over weight by a lot. I sure was happy I put 2x6 scuppers in, they did there job well. I believe if we were in any other boat in its class we would have not made it.
 Thanks Brian!!!!!

Thanks for the kind words, Chuck!  Be nice to see you sometime ... Hey, do bikini babes cruising around in your boat down in Mexico count as "so worth it in more ways than you can imagine"? 

Brian

[Brian.Dixon]

Trust Chuck ... He knows what he's doin'!  (Don't give him too hard of a time ... he normally throws back the little ones, but hey, it was a slow day!)