Is it a river boat?

[Guest]

Does anyone know how to tell the difference between a boat designed for use on rivers/waterways and one for use on inshore waters?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by paul65 on Wed Jun 20 00:10:08 2001 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[hlb]

Boat designed for rivers can be flat bottomed and sort of any shape tp fit the perpose. Like a raft with perhaps a little keel
just to make it go straighter.
Where as a boat for the sea neads to cope with big waves so it's hull has to be deeper and more shaped to give the right boyancy, But depends on type of boat as to what shape it is.
Us lot have to have deep V hulls to make our boats right for the sea.

Haydn

 

[Guest]

Three main areas are hull shape, engine size and Other Stuff. Most Euro/USA production boats are seagoing these days. Lots of Dutch boats are river-going, have steel hulls in case you bash the edges, and low "air draught" for the bridges.

Cruiserboat-wise, hull shape for seaboats as hlb says are deeper for slicing through waves, and higher at the front not to let waves thru, but a sea hull is fine on the river, although a small riverboat would be only ok inshore. I'd expect a hull for a river/broad to be not as strong, as it never has to balance on top of a wave. A river boat isn't a planing hull, but again a planing hull would "work".

Engines for riverboats need only be small. If you use big turbocharged diesels on the river, they won't like it as the turbos would never operate at idly 4-10knot speeds. And a teensy riverboat engine wd have problems against a current or tide.

Other stuff includes the layout, so the rental Norfolk Broads boats have nice big windows which would leak or smash if a big wave hittem. Seaboats have smaller windows, unles they are massive 35foot plus.

Riverboats will alo have a maximum width of erm depends where you are probably 3metres. So they win extra space by being longer and thinner.

 

[Guest]

If it's got a tiddly little engine, fender ropes all green and mouldy 'cos they're never taken off, a proper crockery teapot and a flower arrangement on the table its a river boat.

If its got two big turbo charged diesels, loads of bills for expensive repairs, more electronic kit than Dixon's and an electric anchor, then it's a sea boat.

Anything in between you can use anywhere.