My MicroCruiser Design-Build

 

Why a microcruiser? What is a microcruiser? Why design my own and make it only 14 feet 3 inches long? How is the build going here in Oaxaca?

OK...... 

WHY:  a MC because they are tough, can make ocean passages, have a internal protected steering station out of the overpowering tropical sun, can dry out with a tide in super shallow water, has small components like light anchors which for a old guy is critical, can be trucked or container shipped to really cool cruising grounds (Adriatic sea, Sea of Cortez, Belize reefs, Bahamas, etc.). And can cruise, supplies wise, months if need be.

WHAT: usually 12 to 18 feet long, 4-6 feet of width, super shallow draft, tough materials and thus very seaworthy, can sleep 2 but are really solo one man boats ideal for trips buddy boating with other microcruisers or long solo explorations, simple systems, carefree for the most part and low stress sailing.

Neighbor frenz and I assembling the pieces recently......

So I designed my own to just fit under the 4.5 meter length law of the mexican government..... no permits required. But a full 4 foot sheet of ply wide and barge like in the same family as the "triloboat" barge sailers but with some offshore mods. Fast to build, simple, roomy, tough. Probably with no engine and just sail-oars.

This is the basic layout: 9 feet of cabin, a rear hold or motorwell if a outboard is decided upon, a forward volumous watertight hold, then a flotation filled roll up style bow with built in open anchor well. Drawing maybe 10" loaded up. Rig will be a small chinese lugsail in the Reddish geometry. Kick-up rudder and leeboard.

"Instant boat" assembly day of the major components saw my neighbors 3 precious boys helping out. They "unschool" so this was a learning session too. Since the sides are of hefty 1/2" ply and the bulkheads too their help was, needless to say, monitored and controlled. They had a blast. No way will they be around for the heavy, double 1/2" ply bottom assembly.

Super pix and video of microcruisers can be found at the Microcruising website:

MICROCRUISING.COM

Our Homebuilt 37' Plywood Boat Home in 2003

 

Kling-on battlecruiser!!!! 12 meters of youthful funtime building and living aboard by T and I in 2002-2004. My first big build and self design and man did I make some mistakes. Floated on its designed waterline though so I didn't too too badly anyway. It was still pretty cool though and lots of fun to live aboard in the coastal waters of northwest Florida.

The finish was "workboat" style and more like a small wilderness cabin. I made all the windows and deck gear. It even had a cargo hoist to bring things aboard from a dock.... like Ts springer spaniel. The sides were single 3/4" formply and the bottom a robust double layer to 1" thick.

The vessel suffered multiple redesigns..... what I see now after 10 more wood boat builds is often a fatal mistake. The final incarnation was motor cruiser. It was a "sharpie" design overall..... long, slim, trim, flat bottomed, and super shoal draft able to dry out with the tides.

It was named after the Zappa song "Wild Love":

It was 7 feet bottom beam and 10 top built with a joined 5 sheet panel of 3/4" ply and bent around a center frame "instant boat" style with a crew of amigos one fine day when all the pieces went together. The top went through a redesign and the above pic was the final one. It even had a huge forward hatch that raised up and made a fine wind scoop at anchor.

It had a shitpot of interior room and was pleasant to live in...... very airy and that's a good thing in the often stultifying heat of a gulf coast summer.

The raised double bed in the very rear was cool and spacious with a grand view out off the stern. That is a "wylie" style window by my head. The plexiglass can either be dogged shut, left slanted out in a rain, or taken out completely and a small bug screen inserted. At Apalachicola alligators would swim by off the stern often.

The first topsides were too heavy but man were they trippy!!! It had water catch built in also to capture rainwater. The stern was the galley and dining area, then center cockpit with hold below, then a super spacious fwd master stateroom with double bed and huge hatch to open up above the bed. Kling-On Battlecruiser one friend called it and quite right.

We spent some good times anchored out in wild coves and such. T was down with liveaboard life back then and good on her for that spirit. Eventually we lived at a funky little liveaboard dock in sleepy fishing town Apalachicola and the boat was sold there finally. It was time to move on boat wise and the next one was a Pearson Vanguard 32 that we re-rigged with chinese lugsails I sewed up..... that is another post.