Has anyone actually built a Bruce Roberts power boat?

Has anyone actually built a Bruce Roberts power boat of any size? I was googling on aluminium boat plans and this "bruce roberts.com" pops up on every search lists, no one else. I've looked in the guy's website and I can see the designs are old as 1980's to 1990's, including the large power yachts. I'm also wondering if any of you guys modified or upgraded the plans from him to make it more modern. I've been hearing the pros and cons on Bruce Roberts plans and i'd like your actual takes on this subject.

 

You could possibly try these US/Canada suppliers for either a CAD file, or a Flat Pack precut material supplied kit. Active businesses.
Metal Boat Kits, Specmar, Cope, Aluminum Boat Kits Direct.

What type of boat are you interested in?

 

I wanted to start small to gain confidence in building out of aluminium, so I was looking into a 4 or 5 person boat for fishing at the lake, something with a modified deep v-hull that is w shaped like a mono trihull. Then, I could go bigger, but I'm still deciding on the hull types (mono, cats, and tri) and boat size, somewhere around the 45' to 65' length, yacht cruiser style. However, I haven't found any information of passanger capacity of that size, because no matter where I look, it doesn't show how many people can be in the 45' to 65' long vessels without overloading. I was looking into about 20 (I think) people capacity for family reunion, deep sea fishing, and relaxing times. Possibly taking it down the east coast of the intracoastal waterways to the gulf of mexico FL side. The websites you mentioned are very similar together because it seems that the alaska/coast guard cutter boats are what is shown there. I liked the styles from Arksen, Sun Reef, Adastra, and Blue Coast. LEEN styles looked like a bloated beached whales, no offense. I'm also looking into Stephan Pollard's 1st and 2nd Edition books in Aluminium Boatbuilding.

 

All that is covered in the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). An undocumented/uninspected passenger vessel under 100 tons is limited to 6 "passengers for hire" max and requires a documented operator if operating in federal waters (CFR 46 Chapter 1, Subchapter C). So if you want more than that, you are in to Subchapter T and have USCG involvement from the keel up so the build inspections and documentation can be done easily. (see 46 CFR Chapter 1, Subchapter S, part 170).

 

Look beyond the dated BR plans. Modern plans have come a long way with better understanding of materials and efficient construction methods.
Computer faired CNC cut panels are a huge advantage as well.
I suspect you could build a better, more efficient hull in half the time with modern methods.

 

Are there other modern design books to go with the aluminium boatbuilding books? What other modern plans that have been made in the web?

 

A couple of other books
Aluminum Boat Building Ernest sims
Metal Boats Roberts-Goodson
While not design books per se, the books discuss certain elements of aluminum construction, and hence can "influence" a design to suit the material

IF YOU ARE SERIOUS and are actually going to build, I would recommend that you purchase the Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft 2021-2022. Available from ABYC, $500US
This is a many hundred page (maybe 350 or more) manual that deals with requirements for almost all the components and systems of a boat. This book has the potential to save you thousands if not more dollars by ensuring that if followed
that you will 1) build a safe boat for you and your passengers, 2) having a boat that meets the standards will enable a Marine Surveyor to produce a satisfactory surveyor for insurance coverage 3) give you peace of mind that you did the systems correctly. As the link below from Fram Oil Filter says "pay me now or pay me later"



This will not help directly with the design of the hull or quality of the welding.

As far as the design is concerned,
I am not sure how long it takes to be a certified Naval Architect but would suspect 3 or 4 years and then maybe a few more years of internship. Grabbing a book off the shelf will not let you "design" a boat.
Posters often sketch a "boat profile" and submit the sketch to the forum under the auspices that they have designed something.
For this reason, the best avenue, and cheapest is to purchase a proven set of plans. That way you get the benefit of having had access to a Naval Architect (assuming that the plan provider has had the plan go through the design process)
Note also that many plan providers will issue you a HIN, Hull Identification Number, for one build. This will save countless hours trying to get your boat registered in some states. You should check with yours. It may also help in getting
insurance coverage.

 

Thank you for the full explaination on Boat Building/Design subject, Barry. I'm also planning to get the elements of Boat Strength by Dave Gerr, just to be sure. I probably take it that no one actually answered the question about the Bruce Roberts boats anyone built, because that subject probably is not worth answering. One of my concerns about the power boats to design and build are the fuel it uses. I know by fact it's either gasoline or diesel, so what happens when there's no fuel for it? There has been research about hydrogen from saltwater, electric tesla style motors, even a subject on the fictional book of Jules Verne's 20,000 leagues under the sea (Captain Nemo's Nautilus) using Sodium-ion on using the hull as batteries. There always seems to be pros/cons on them and the actual safety and impact on the environment. Guess that's going to be on a new subject on this forum, anyway.