Chesapeake Bay Aluminum Work Boat

A Maryland builder sent Oak Hill Marine Design a preliminary drawing of a 40' Chesapeake Bay-style work boat he'd designed. He needed the hull and superstructure lofted, structure designed and lofted, plates and frames prepared for CNC cutting, and construction drawings prepared.

Oak Hill Marine Design computer-lofted the vessel from the preliminary drawing, revising it to suit the builder. We adjusted the vessel's bottom surfaces to best match the traditional cross-planked work boat shape while minimizing the compound curvature in the plating. We added internal framing to the lofted model, including longitudinal stiffeners, web frames, bulkheads, and decks, then lofted the superstructure.

When the builder was satisfied with the shape of the hull we created full-size plates and frames for the vessel from the 3D model. We also created a set of construction drawings. The parts were sent to an aluminum supply firm to be CNC cut, and the construction drawings were sent to the builder.

Oak Hill Marine Design also provided the builder with preliminary hydrostatics data based on the vessel's final hull shape and his estimated design waterline.

Background photograph by Alison Hudson