Designs - Geepster

The Geepster© is a trailerable 18’ Camp Boat. The Geepster’s specifications are:

LOA 18’-0”
Beam 7’-9”
Draft 10”
Displacement 2300 LBS
Water 30 Gallons
Fuel 25 Gallons
Power 20 to 40 Horsepower Outboard

The Geepster© was designed and is being built for cruising the Alaskan Inside Passage, Vancouver and San Juan Islands, the Colorado River Lakes and eventually the Mississippi River.

The boats most unique feature is the pop-top cabin top over a queen sized berth. The queen sized berth measures 60” X 80” and will take a standard queen mattress, no need for a custom made mattress. This allows for the use of normal sized linens and blankets which is a big plus on any boat. The berth is located over the cockpit which provides shaded and protected cover; also the cockpit can easily be screened in. The cockpit will have 6’-2” headroom. The headroom in the main portion of the cabin is 6’-7”. If the builder does not need 6’2” headroom over the cockpit the cabin top can be lowered accordingly without any problems. Although the cabin is tall it does not look disproportionate for the boat. The pop-top would be lowered when trailering or powering in high winds. Having the large main berth over the cockpit leaves a large amount of room in the cabin, yet you have a covered comfortable stern cockpit with full headroom. The boat also has a nice sized forward cockpit which makes docking or anchoring more convenient. The boat has a large cabin for an18 footer with room for a full size head with shower and sink, a full galley and dinette. A Porta Potty or conventional marine head with holding tank can be used. A large galley to port can be finished with stove and oven or two burner cook top, room for a large sink is also provided. An ice box is accommodated under the cook top along with an additional insulated icebox for addition cold storage under the forward cockpit seat. On the starboard side of the cabin you find a dinette which converts to a pull out double berth. The forward dinette seat back converts to a helmsman seat for piloting the boat.

Although this boat is only 18’ in length it is designed for long comfortable cruises.

The boat will be build using convention plywood-epoxy stitch and glue construction, with a few new twists. The boat has a main center keel which will be the backbone of the construction and will lend strength and also help the boat track when under way. The chine keels allow the boat to sit flat on the ground and will make trailering a breeze. The keels will have a shoe of steel plate which will help protect the hull from rocky beach landings and floating objects. Extending off the main keel plate are steel skids to protect the outboard when backing in shallow water. The steel keel shoes are optional but in any area where rocky grounding or floating debris is present they would be good idea. The boat will be constructed in a normal size two car garage, the hull and the deck/cabin will be constructed side by side. When the hull and interior are almost complete the hull will be loaded on the trailer and moved outside where the deck will be set on and attached. The pop-top deck over the berth can have sides constructed of snap in plywood panels with conventional type screened ports, or panels constructed of fabric with sewn flaps and screens can be used. The boat can also be constructed with the raised area over the main berth as a stationary part of the cabin top, although I wouldn’t want to trailer it any great distances.

Another version of the design was done 16’ long with straight hull sides and flat bottom, it is called the Geep©. It has a smaller head and the dinette becomes a settee, but the boat retains the queen size berth over the cockpit. Although the 16’ version would be a nice sized boat the additional two foot of the 18’ Geepster© offers a lot more room.

For information please contact Les at pan@boatbuilding.com

Updates can be found at https://www.travelback.com/geepster/
Construction details will be posted on this site.