On Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:11:58 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:


This "tunnel boat" is real interesting

"In case you have never read about the boat, I?ll give you the specs:
It is twenty feet long and 76" wide. It is strip built out of tulip
poplar and is powered by a three cylinder Kubota Diesel tractor engine
rated at 20 hp. It will run 20 knots in six inches of water and gets
about 28.6 nautical miles per gallon of Diesel fuel running at its
most economical speed of 10.5 knots."
http://robbwhite.com/rescue.minor.html

Tolman started one, but look like he retired before he finished it.
http://www.fishyfish.com/renn_tolman/index.html

Seems a boat like this could be mass-produced in glass and find a
market with today's gas prices.
But maybe not.

Penn Yann had a very similar design only with a rounded chine rather
than a square chine. They worked well enough I guess, but it never
really caught on.

It's an interesting design, but I'm confused about the tunnel system.
Looking at the drawing, it would appear that the prop sits half way
out of the water.

Than can't be very efficient.