Glen-L.com

I currently own a 1994 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with the 4x4 overdrive...the manual says I can pull 5000 lbs with a class 3 hitch. It currently has no hitch. My dad says the main issue is to be able to pull it out of the water and I am thinking about 2500 lbs is my safest choice. I have been looking at plans on the Glen-l site. for the most part I would like to do overnights on the Allatoona at my leisure, pull her out and store her at my house. I can afford storage I just prefer not to. Would rather she be trailerable so I can keep my eye on her. I wonder what Glen-l houseboat or cruiser I could build and tow 10-15 minutes down the road and spend overnights on the water with. With a jeep cherokee am I living in a dreamworld? What would the maximum length be?

you might be able to pull the delta q depending on horse power and weight of jeep I would go with that one if you had the power and weight she is at the max of your tow cap. but I bought a one ton to pull my Jubilee I am building but she is much heaver than all of your chooses on the platform house boat you lose room and are top heavy just my option lenght wouldn't mater so much as weight the longer your load the easier it is to handle taker longer time to turn a longer trailer than a short one

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Don't be afraid to attempt anything. You might surprise your self in the attempt.
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Modified Jubilee-"Wild Flower" 40' house boat
14' Mr John-Wild Flower 2
32' Supper Huck- Wild flower 3

Rod H

Fortunately my house is about 10-15 minutes from the lake. I actually am surprised to hear you say the Delta Q. That was one of the longer choices. So, just to be clear your saying I could pull the Delta Q out of the water with a jeep cherokee 4x4 straight 6?

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To want and to try is the difference why some will walk and some will Run - Butch Walker
If your gonna be dumb you gotta be tough - Roger Allan Wade
The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part, I have saved my life. - Shakespeare

I had the opportunity to see a Gypsy under construction a few years ago. This would be my choice. I agree with you about the Delta Q. That 1350lb hull weight gets really heavy once you add your systems, engine, tanks, trailer weight, etc. I think that would uncomfortably push the limits of a Jeep Cherokee. I owned a 24 ft Seacamper years ago and whiile I know fiberglass boats weigh much more than wooden boats, we still needed a dually most of the time to pull it up a wet ramp.

The Gypsy would be a safe choice. The plans say it sleeps four adults, but they will need to like each other quite a bit. The design felt surprisingly big for a 20 footer.

Good luck,

KB

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I said length really don't mater weight does though and I also said that you would be at your max of what your truck could pull I also asked what was the weight of your truck and engine would would be pesimistic that it would be able to pull it out of the hole like i said I bought a 1 ton duely to pull my boat but it is a much larger boat for sure. before I settled on the Jubilee house boat I was going to build the Delta q and pull it with my s 10 blazer you have to take into account you have 4x4 drive

_________________
Don't be afraid to attempt anything. You might surprise your self in the attempt.
http://www.facebook.com/Home.Made.Boat.Building
Modified Jubilee-"Wild Flower" 40' house boat
14' Mr John-Wild Flower 2
32' Supper Huck- Wild flower 3

Rod H

94 Grand Cherokee Laredo 4X4 with 4.0 6 cylinder engine. However, at this time there is no hitch on the vehicle. Looking through the manual it says it can tow 5000 lbs with a class 3 hitch. I dont believe I will be putting a class 3 hitch on the Jeep though. so that puts me at about 2500 lbs I believe. Even though by trade I am an IT Project Manager, I understand the danger in pulling ALOT of weight and being careless with my speed. The vehicle and the trailer will flip or even jack knife if I go to fast or even worse, not slow down when I want it to. I liked the trailer-able pontoons (ie the Huck Finn) but there is no in between with the length, its either a 8' cabin with a 18' pontoon or a 12' cabin for a 22' pontoon. My line of thought is that adding a hitch and putting the least amount of stress on the jeep (slowing down and/or pulling it up a boat ramp) would involve staying below 2500 lbs (trailer and boat). Plus with the Gypsy there is more cabin space it seems. I also found another design called the HB20 on a site called bateau.com (http://www.bateau.com/studyplans/HB20_s ... =HB20#more). This model have a wider beam however at 9' vs. 8' for the Gypsy but the HB20 I think understand to be heavier at 1750 lbs whereas the Gypsy Hull weight is 1000 lbs. I dont see displacement for the HB20 but for the gypsy I see it listed at 3250 lbs. I believe displacement means the amount of weight the boat can carry. Not the total weight. Another thing I am thinking with weight is that with my "home" lake being 10-15 minutes away, this is great. However I may want to pack up and have the ability to drive 2-3 hours away and explore the Tennessee River. If I go too big and I dont purchase a bigger vehicle, this wouldnt be possible.


I JUST WANT TO SPEND MY MONEY WISELY AND HAVE A NICE TRAILERABLE HOUSEBOAT THAT WILL SERVE MY FAMILIES NEEDS AND LAST A GOOD LONG TIME. I sincerely appreciate the time spent answering my questions. I could buy a used POS but I think that by building a houseboat from scratch with an experienced handyman that I will appreciate that much more than pouring money into a 15-20 year used houseboat.

_________________
To want and to try is the difference why some will walk and some will Run - Butch Walker
If your gonna be dumb you gotta be tough - Roger Allan Wade
The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part, I have saved my life. - Shakespeare

I've had the Super Huck Finn plans for some time now and I really like the design. I also have the plans for the 16' cabin. It looks like it would be a very sweet project and not difficult to build at all. That would be my vote.

However, as a voting choice, you didn't include the SUPER Huck. The real difference in the 2 designs is the size of the pontoons. The Super Huck has a larger pontoon. It's not all that much larger but the difference in load capacity is tremendous. Take a look at it. I think that if you decide to go with a pontoon design, you may find yourself wishing you'd opted for the larger 'toons. Better to overbuild than to underbuild.

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Isn't it amazing!! The person that never has the fortitude to pursue his own dreams, will be the first to try and discourage you from pursuing yours.

One other thought to consider is your local or state laws regarding legal width before needing special permits for towing.

Should be available from your state department of motor vehicles, but generally, 8' and less needs no permit anywhere, 8-1/2' starts to get restricted some places, and over 9 or 10' will require special permitting.

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Noah was a first-time boatbuilder

I seen plans for the hb20 and glad I went with glen-l plans instead any of the glen-l are better than it but that is my opinion do what you want your added weight for equipment is going to be about the same no matter what boat you go with.

_________________
Don't be afraid to attempt anything. You might surprise your self in the attempt.
http://www.facebook.com/Home.Made.Boat.Building
Modified Jubilee-"Wild Flower" 40' house boat
14' Mr John-Wild Flower 2
32' Supper Huck- Wild flower 3

Rod H

Well, based on the dimensions of my garage I will have to go with the 16' Huck Finn. Or, Something no longer than 17'. 18' is the max length from end to end. If I tried to go wall to wall I would have 19'ish however there is a pole in the center. This is no bueno is regards to getting this creation out of the garage.

With a 16' huck finn, glen-l states that the 8' cabin can be used on any version from 20' on up. This presents a challenge as I only have room for the 16' Huck. Any suggestions?

I found another plan online called the Lisa B Good, its a trailerable "shanty"..lol..However It is 16' long and has a 9' cabin...yep, a foot longer than the huck finn cabin. She has 4' of room in the back and 3' of room in the front....

So my question is ....is a 16' Huck Finn do-able cabin wise with a 8' cabin & 4' of space in the back and 4' of space in the front?

I am ambitious enough to try but I am sensible enough to not try in the name of safety.

_________________
To want and to try is the difference why some will walk and some will Run - Butch Walker
If your gonna be dumb you gotta be tough - Roger Allan Wade
The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part, I have saved my life. - Shakespeare

If I'm reading this correctly...weight is the issue. Let me pose a question for you though...you are wanting to stay around 16' but keep the 8' cabin. The spec's say you need to use the 20' toons or longer. If you shrink to 16' toons you are saving about 35 lbs of weight and loosing 400 lbs of capacity...I wouldn't do it! Remember the weight estimate of the cabin is for the structure only...not water, waste, motor, gas, ice chest of beverages, you, your guests, and so on.

So, here's my question...since the toons are detachable why not build to the 20' length? You could build these at a diagonal in your garage and store outside until the cabin is ready. Or, even build the cabin first.

Again, you'd only be adding about 35 lbs of toon weight plus around 33 lbs of trailer weight. Just a thought.

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Bill

I told my wife we needed a three-car garage for my projects...she told me to ask her for permission next time before I buy a house.
http://www.unitybuild.net

At this point weight is no longer an issue. I will just simply have to procure something with enough towing capacity. My issue now is building space. I can do 16' but I would like to go with an 8' cabin on the 16' huck finn. That is my question. And I hear your suggestion! Building the toon separate is a great idea...However if I go with the 20', I will literally have 2' of toon hanging out of my garage. I wish I could go diagonal however there is a pole directly in the middle of my garage.

_________________
To want and to try is the difference why some will walk and some will Run - Butch Walker
If your gonna be dumb you gotta be tough - Roger Allan Wade
The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part, I have saved my life. - Shakespeare

Well, then I would suggest a call to Glen-L to see if this is possible...the plans call for 20' toons so I wouldn't recommend changing to a shorter length until you have the go-ahead from a naval architect.

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Bill

I told my wife we needed a three-car garage for my projects...she told me to ask her for permission next time before I buy a house.
http://www.unitybuild.net

Youve got my gears turning...IF the toons are detachable ( I was completely unaware of that btw) are they lite enough for two people to perhaps carry around the house and stick in the basement? TONS of space in the basement....

and how do they detach? clips? bolts?....So I could literally stow it in the garage on jacks every winter and detach the toons?

_________________
To want and to try is the difference why some will walk and some will Run - Butch Walker
If your gonna be dumb you gotta be tough - Roger Allan Wade
The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part, I have saved my life. - Shakespeare

Better yet, store them down the hallway in your house...my wife loves it when I do stuff like that...just call it artwork. Keep them in the living room and put some throw cushions on them...call it a "high design" couch.

_________________
Bill

I told my wife we needed a three-car garage for my projects...she told me to ask her for permission next time before I buy a house.
http://www.unitybuild.net