MICRONAUTICAL BOAT DESIGN

Wavewalk’s S4 is known mostly for being a stable, high performance, ultra lightweight (only 100 lbs!) motorboat, I.E. microskiff, but it’s also an accomplished human-powered craft, and surprisingly, a very versatile one:

The S4 is a 38″ wide true catamaran (twin-hull), and as such it is most stable and as well as an excellent tracker. Both these capabilities make it easy and convenient for paddling, and the fact that it features a 15″ high saddle seat adds leverage and power to every paddle stroke. The S4 cockpit’s downward sloping sides allow for paddles to move smoothly along them, and convey to the paddlers the feeling of the cockpit being narrower than it actually is.

The S4 works perfectly as a canoe, both in the solo and tandem modes. In fact, it works better for canoeing than traditional canoes do. For example, the S4 can go in choppy water of up to 2 ft, while most canoes won’t do in such conditions. Its catamaran hulls provide extreme stability as well as excellent tracking, and the 17″ high hulls provide adequate free board and relative dryness even in the ocean.

The S4 excels as a kayak as well, and people who prefer paddling in the kayaking style, namely with dual-blade (kayak) paddles, benefit from all the above listed advantages, plus the fact that unlike kayaks, the S4 is totally back-pain free, since its users ride an ergonomic saddle seat, instead of being artificially restricted by the uncomfortable L position.

When it comes to stand-up paddling (SUP), the S4 outperforms every SUP paddle board in terms of stability, thanks to the fact that its users can rely on a true, full catamaran twin-hull, with their feet positioned lower than the waterline, instead of on top of a board, several inches above waterline, as they are with SUP boards.
One, two, and even three S4 users can paddle it standing using both SUP paddles and long dual-blade (“kayak”) paddles, as seen in this video:

On top of this, the S4 is easier to pole in comparison with other microskiffs and flats boats. This is due not just to the fact that it’s the most lightweight miscroskiff out there, but also thanks to the fact that the user stands with their feet lower than waterline, which adds leverage and power to every push, and helps keeping the boat going in a straight line (tracking), as catamarans typically do.

In sum, whether you have a canoe, kayak, or SUP paddle on board, the S4 will work very well for you, and the same is true if you have a push-pole.

This setup works perfectly, but to get it to this stage isn’t easy.

At 100 lbs, the S4 Microskiff is the world’s most lightweight high-performance microskiff, and its official power rating is up to 6 HP. So why try to overpower it? The answer to this is related neither to hydrodynamics nor to engineering, but to human psychology: Some of us like speed. We enjoy traveling fast, and the faster the better.
And while the S4 running a 6 HP is pretty fast, it’s faster with a 9.8 HP motor, providing you succeed in getting it ready for running such a bigger, heavier, and much more powerful motor.
Such project would include beefing up the boat’s transom, as well as blocking and plugging every way that spray and water can shoot up from the propeller shaft area and into the back of the cockpit, which isn’t a trivial project.
This post’s featured image (see above) shows parts of the structures added at the back of the transom, between the hull tips, and around the motor’s shaft itself.
Read more: S4 Microskiff Powered By A 9.8 HP Tohatsu Outboard Motor

Bear in mind that any boat that’s powered with a motor, or motors that exceed its official power rating is considered overpowered, and in some states overpowering a boat is illegal. Needless to say that anyone who wishes to overpower their boat should first check the legal status of such a project in their state.

Also, not all outboard motors in the 10 HP class are suitable for use with the S4. The two things you need to check are the weight of the motor, and the size of its propeller shaft. After this examination, two motors make it to the finish line: the 9.8 HP Tohatsu, and the 9.8 HP Mercury, each weighing 85 lbs. Remember that the S4 works only with 20″ Long (L) shaft motors.

Typically, small craft powered by 10 HP motors are limited to speeds of up to a little over 20 mph, at best, and this can be achieved only on perfectly flat water, and with a lightweight driver. In the case of the ultralight S4, the driver is the heaviest part of the trio comprising boat, motor and driver, and due to hydrodynamics that favor lightweight vessels, the driver’s weight has a most noticeable effect on the boat’s speed, for better and for worse.
Outfitting the motor with a propeller of the biggest diameter and pitch will certainly help, but considering the motor’s max RPM and propeller’s slippage, the chances of going faster than 20 mph are very slim, and for heavy drivers they are practically zero.

Pros and Cons of a big motor –

• Cons – Potential legal issues in some states, technical issues including non-trivial ones related to safety, a bigger motor is much heavier than the recommended 6 HP motor, and for many people this could be a problem in terms of carrying it.
• Pros – Driving an S4 microskiff powered by a bigger motor is more fun, at least for someone who likes speed and is capable of safely driving such craft.

 

This article discusses factors that should be taken into account in the design and reinforcement of a boat’s transom, and by boat we mean any motorized small vessel, including microskiffs, motorized kayaks, and canoes.

The Outboard Motor Effect on a Boat’s Transom

An outboard motor is attached to the top part of the transom (or vertical mounting plate) by means of two screws. The lower part of the motor’s mounting bracket is pressed against the back side on the transom.
The motor’s propeller rotates at the bottom of a long shaft that can act on the transom as a lever, namely apply torsional forces on it (Torque), both vertically and horizontally, depending on the relative position of the hull and the direction in which the propeller is pushing –

• Horizontally, when making a sharp turn or bumping against a wave hitting the hull on its side, and
• Vertically, when a climbing up a big wave or coming down on the other side.

The following examples may clarify this –

1. A boat that makes a sharp turn

When a boat makes a sharp right turn, the propeller rotates the transom clockwise, while the water resisting the right motion of the hull applies a torsional force on the transom in the opposite direction, namely counter-clockwise.

2. A boat’s bow “dropping” on the back side of a big wave, or wake

In this case there is a sudden change, and there is no water to resist the hull’s forward motion and push its bow upward, so the bow drops abruptly. The result is a sharp change in the hull’s angle, with the bow now pointing downward and the stern being higher than the bow. In such case, the dropping bow pulls the transom’s top forward, generating considerable stress.

In both these cases, the torsional forces and the resisting forces create stress in the boat’s transom. The stronger the motor, the faster the boat goes, and the bigger and more sudden the change, the more stress.
If the transom and motor mount are not properly designed and built, this could lead to a structural failure in either, and to serious trouble.

Danger to the transom during transportation

The boat’s transom is exposed to powerful torsional forces even when it is not in use, particularly during transportation, be it on a trailer or a pickup truck bed.
In these conditions, the heavy motor hangs outside the boat from its transom, and it can be exposed to severe shocks when the transporting vehicle goes over bumps in the road, even at low speed. The heavier the motor and the higher the transporting vehicle’s speed, the stronger the impact on the transom, and consequently, the potential damage to the boat.
For this reason, using a motor guard is very much recommended.

Overpowering a boat

A boat is considered Overpowered when it is powered by a motor, or motors that can generate more power than the HP for which the manufacturer rates this boat. In some states, overpowering a boat is illegal, since it is perceived as hazardous, not just in terms of potential structural failure of the transom, or motor mount, but also a failure of the driver to drive the boat safely in speeds that exceed the maximum speed attainable with a motor whose HP falls within the HP limit for which the boat is rated.

Any boat owner considering overpowering their boat should be aware of the legal and technical aspects of such action. Another factor to consider is the attitude of companies that insure boats, which may not be favorable.

Physical factors

The physical factors that require attention are the motor’s additional weight, and the additional power that it can generate beyond the weight and power (HP) of a motor for which the boat is rated. The bigger these differences, the bigger the risk, and the more comprehensive the required modifications in the transom and stern.
In many cases, simply making the transom thicker is not enough, and more structural work may be required to firmly attach the transom to other areas in the stern, such as its sides, its bottom, and other rigid structures that may support it. Spreading the loads that the transom is required to sustain may be as important as reinforcing it, and in some cases even more so.
In case of a small twin-hull boat such as the S4 micoskiff or W720 kayak-skiff, these areas in the stern may include the rear hull tips, and the rear end of the saddle seat structure.

Note that Wavewalk recently updated the article Motor Power Rating For Canoes, Kayaks, and Small Boats, about rating for maximum motor power, and overpowering boats. However that article does not elaborate on structural issues discussed here.