Cabin Cruiser

Overview

A cabin cruiser is a small powerboat with enough enclosed accommodation to sleep aboard, sized to sit on a trailer and launch from a ramp. It packs a berth, a galley and a head into a planing hull driven by a single diesel through a stern outdrive, so a family can day-cruise and overnight without the cost or draft of a larger yacht.

The boat is essentially three GRP mouldings: the hull, the deck and cockpit, and the cabin top, bonded together over a structural grid and gathered into the Hull, Deck & Cabin assembly. A single Marine Diesel Engine sits amidships and drives the Stern Outdrive hung on the transom. Steering & Helm turns the drive leg hydraulically, and the Cabin holds the living space below the helm. Fuel and water live in Tank System, the Electrical System system manages batteries and shore power, a Bilge Pump keeps the hull dry, Navigation Electronics electronics provide position and depth, and Ground Tackle sets the anchor.

How it works

The diesel drives the outdrive, a leg that pivots on the transom and carries two sets of bevel gears: an upper set turning the drive down through the transom and a lower set turning it back to horizontal at the propeller. Because the whole leg steers and tilts, the same unit provides thrust, steering and trim, and it lifts clear of the water for trailering. Hydraulic rams from the helm pump swing the leg to steer and tilt it for trim.

At rest the boat lives off its batteries, charged under way by an engine-driven alternator and at the dock through a shore-power inlet and charger. An automatic bilge pump runs whenever a float switch senses water, and the chartplotter combines satellite position with a depth sounder so the helm can navigate shallow inshore water. The galley and head make the cabin habitable for an overnight stay, with waste held in a tank until it can be pumped out ashore.