Downeast Boat Forum banner
HPL
Cancel
Create thread New Forums
  • Post in our Community Feedback thread for help with the updated forum software! If you are having trouble logging in, please Contact Us

General Marine 26' Outboard - New Model Development

Jump to Latest
36K views 152 replies 47 participants last post by  fat2nawilly  
#1 · (Edited)
It's been a while since we posted, but we've been hard at work developing an outboard version of the 26' General Marine. I know some of you have heard about it or seen it, so we wanted to update everyone on the project.

This is something we have talked about for a while, but we did not want to just block the keel off on our inboard 26' model and then call it an "outboard version". Stacey wanted to do it right and develop a whole new bottom design specifically for outboards, make all new tooling, etc.

We started by 3D scanning the existing 26' inboard hull, which gave us the data we needed to start redesigning everything below the waterline. From that, we started making a one-off test hull that we could bring out and sea trial on the water. There were several iterations done of this hull design and many rounds of testing done to get it just right... A very long process. I'm starting with a few photos, which deceivingly consolidate this long process into what might look like a quick and easy thing.. It was anything but that for Stacey.

From the waterline up, the hull will still be the same 26' we all know and love. From the waterline down, it is a completely different hull design.

The design philosophy on this was that we wanted it to behave a bit like a hybrid by having the appearance of a traditional DE hull, but we wanted it to remain more comfortable at higher speeds while retaining its lateral stability.

Stacey can dive into the hydrodynamic nuances of the design with those who see him and are interested in it, but for now I thought I'd post some pictures of early on in the process..

I'm not sure if I need to point this out (but I will just incase) much of the construction you see in this first photo set was for test purposes only. We don't acutally use 2x4's and make shift steering stations! ;)

And yes, this is "seakarma" posting on behalf of GM.. So any PMs asking for pricing, lead time, etc - I'll just refer you to calling the shop and speaking with the man himself on that.

View attachment IMG_5180 2.JPG

View attachment IMG_5177.PNG

View attachment IMG_3133.JPG

View attachment IMG_3145.JPG

View attachment IMG_5172.JPG

View attachment IMG_5116.jpg
 
#4 ·
Some pictures from one of the testing sessions for the new hull.. I'll have to upload some of the video to youtube at some point.

After a few iterations of the design, the final plug for a mold started taking shape.

Again, it almost feels like a disservice to Stacey and the shop's crew to tell this story with just a handful of pictures, when in reality it was a massive amount of labor and enough sanding to make anyone go crazy (as many of you know). But there was a long period of time when the pictures would just be repetitive.

Once the final hull plug was complete, it was 3D scanned again so we have a 3D CAD file of the final hull design. That gave us the foundation to design all the future components for the hull in CAD with great precision. This was definitely an evolution from how we had previously done it and is allowing us to up the game a lot.

View attachment IMG_5109.jpg

View attachment IMG_5118.jpg

View attachment IMG_1437.jpg

View attachment IMG_5179.JPG

View attachment 67639549070__D83347FE-EE21-45D7-A929-A7C2CA4A09ED.JPG
 
#19 ·
GeneralMarineUpdates said:
Some pictures from one of the testing sessions for the new hull.. I'll have to upload some of the video to youtube at some point.

After a few iterations of the design, the final plug for a mold started taking shape.

Again, it almost feels like a disservice to Stacey and the shop's crew to tell this story with just a handful of pictures, when in reality it was a massive amount of labor and enough sanding to make anyone go crazy (as many of you know). But there was a long period of time when the pictures would just be repetitive.

Once the final hull plug was complete, it was 3D scanned again so we have a 3D CAD file of the final hull design. That gave us the foundation to design all the future components for the hull in CAD with great precision. This was definitely an evolution from how we had previously done it and is allowing us to up the game a lot.

View attachment 176862

View attachment 176863

View attachment 176868

View attachment 176870

View attachment 176871
Click to expand...
Super Nice, what is the beam?
 
#11 ·
Bill said:
I can't imagine the time and money that's gone into this one..Now that the mold is done are you guys taking orders for them yet ? Would love to see a 26 Sea Karma thread
Click to expand...
Yes! Stacey is taking orders and the second 26' outboard center pilothouse is currently being built.

You'll be seeing another SeaKarma build thread coming up! ;)
 
#7 ·
The 'bracket' is now part of the hull, fully molded all as one piece. So that configuration is the only way they'll come.
 
#10 ·
#17 ·
#25 ·
Next up was the design of the center pilothouse for hull #1. This first CPH was done with a temporary female mold made entirely of sheet goods, so the design constraints were such that it had to be a shape that would be friendly to that process (i.e. limited curves, accent lines, etc).

As many of you remember, when I did my boat (SeaKarma, a GM22) it was all done by hand and just a rudimentary back-of-envelope sketch.. I've had a lot of time to look at that boat and think about what I'd change if I ever got another pass at a CPH design, so we tried to get as much of that as we could into this..

I know there will be some comments about a west coast windshield, so I'll say that I think we all felt that a traditional windshield rake on this would be more appealing to a wider audience when compared to the 'West Coast' alternative, so we stuck with tradition there.

If or when the time comes to make a permanent mold & design for a CPH, I'd guess that there will be some sort of iteration that takes place to fine-tune this design.

View attachment IMG_1550.PNG

View attachment IMG_1551.PNG

View attachment IMG_1543.PNG

View attachment IMG_1537.PNG

View attachment IMG_1541.PNG

View attachment IMG_1527.jpg

View attachment IMG_1536.PNG
 
#31 ·
GeneralMarineUpdates said:
Next up was the design of the center pilothouse for hull #1. This first CPH was done with a temporary female mold made entirely of sheet goods, so the design constraints were such that it had to be a shape that would be friendly to that process (i.e. limited curves, accent lines, etc).

As many of you remember, when I did my boat (SeaKarma, a GM22) it was all done by hand and just a rudimentary back-of-envelope sketch.. I've had a lot of time to look at that boat and think about what I'd change if I ever got another pass at a CPH design, so we tried to get as much of that as we could into this..

I know there will be some comments about a west coast windshield, so I'll say that I think we all felt that a traditional windshield rake on this would be more appealing to a wider audience when compared to the 'West Coast' alternative, so we stuck with tradition there.

If or when the time comes to make a permanent mold & design for a CPH, I'd guess that there will be some sort of iteration that takes place to fine-tune this design.

View attachment 176948

View attachment 176950

View attachment 176951

View attachment 176952

View attachment 176953

View attachment 176954

View attachment 176956
Click to expand...
You nailed that design, proportions look prefect, placement, window rake, roof etc. . I would run with it and make a mold of it just the way it is. Is the goal to pop most of these out as pilot house boats ? Are you guys planning a new traditional top for the boat or using the "old" 26 top? I think you could have a backlog of orders for these just as pilot house boats .. obviously there is a big market for them now for fishing boats and could see you guys building them as tow boats etc..
 
B
#39 ·
Stunning work and congrats! Doghouses that let you drive out of the weather and center cabins like this are perfect. In post #11 the mold ends before the bracket starts. Art they two different molds or am I missing something?
 
#41 ·
Keeping this rolling with pictures..

The mold design for the center pilothouse was next. Again, the idea here was a temporary female mold to get a few parts from. Once the CAD & CAM work was complete for every panel and ribbing part, I CNC cut it all and sent it up to the shop where the crew put it together. A bit like a large jigsaw puzzle, but with some patience, it all went together like the model, maintaining draft angles and dimensions.

View attachment IMG_0049.jpg

View attachment IMG_0048.jpg

View attachment IMG_0046.jpg

View attachment IMG_8206.jpg

View attachment 69809538719__C229DDD0-BD06-4D9D-8D7A-88593D7A973C.JPG

View attachment 69836317053__526EF97F-64F8-4782-AB90-EDD4B1E7A037.JPG
 
#48 ·
I’ve never been on a 26’ General Marine but from everything I’ve read & heard about them (inboard with a keel) they are a great boat and awesome in rough weather.
This new design with outboard (s) looks nice & it’s great to go 45 mph but are you going out on it in rough conditions that would be no problem for the inboard with the keel ???
Looks to be a Downeast displacement hull above the water line, a planing hull below !
 
#56 ·
GeneralMarineUpdates said:
Next up was the design of the center pilothouse for hull #1. This first CPH was done with a temporary female mold made entirely of sheet goods, so the design constraints were such that it had to be a shape that would be friendly to that process (i.e. limited curves, accent lines, etc).

As many of you remember, when I did my boat (SeaKarma, a GM22) it was all done by hand and just a rudimentary back-of-envelope sketch.. I've had a lot of time to look at that boat and think about what I'd change if I ever got another pass at a CPH design, so we tried to get as much of that as we could into this..

I know there will be some comments about a west coast windshield, so I'll say that I think we all felt that a traditional windshield rake on this would be more appealing to a wider audience when compared to the 'West Coast' alternative, so we stuck with tradition there.

If or when the time comes to make a permanent mold & design for a CPH, I'd guess that there will be some sort of iteration that takes place to fine-tune this design.

View attachment 176948

View attachment 176950

View attachment 176951

View attachment 176952

View attachment 176953

View attachment 176954

View attachment 176956
Click to expand...
looks great, important to have all that camber on the hard top, must be 6" at least.
 
Downeast Boat Forum
posts
632K
members
17K
Since
2011
A network of Downeast Boat Enthusiasts, Commercial Fishermen,& Boat Builders from the Northeast. Registration is Free
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Downeast Boat General Discussion Downeast Projects and Boat Building Downeast Engine Room Found Boats For Sale Downeast Boats Classifieds