Plans to build the 28' San Miguel Displacement Cruiser
Introducing the San Miguel Displacement Cruiser. Easy to build plans are available.
About Displacement Cruisers
Displacement cruisers are typified by what boat builders generally refer to as trawlers. They aren't true trawlers of course, since that term refers to a method of dragging nets along the bottom to catch fish and shrimp. So real trawlers are actually commercial fishing vessels. I guess builders of displacement cruisers kind of liked the looks of commercial trawlers and patterned their boats after them, so the name stuck.
Displacement cruisers are economical, safe and seaworthy when designed right. They generally move along at slow to moderate speeds just sipping fuel, and are often used for passage making trips across wide expanses of sea. Like all of my boats, my displacement cruiser designs are simple to build and are made of standard milled construction grade lumber.
I was with a good friend planning a trip to the Channel Islands in his 31 foot twin gas engined boat, when we estimated how many times we'd have to stop and fill up his 130 gallon tanks. We got to calculating how much it was going to cost with today's fuel costs, and decided it was just as cheap to fly to Mazatlan, stay in a first class hotel and charter a local guide to take us fishing for a few days. The fishing would have been better, too! That weekend I went home and sketched up the San Miguel, a boat that two guys could take out for a few days or a week, have enough creature comforts to at least not feel like you were camping, and not break the bank with fuel costs.
I designed this boat to be able to go 8-10 knots and burn in the 1 to 2 gallons per hour range. It'll plug along fine with a small sailboat auxiliary of about 30 hp. With 100 gallons aboard, you should be able to to have a 400 mile range, which here in So Cal, should allow you to explore the Channel Islands for a week or so and get home on one tank with plenty to spare.
Free Study Plans for the San Miguel Displacement Cruiser
Our study plans are two of the actual construction drawings. They're not enough information for you to build the boat, but they do give you the overall boat size, shape and construction methods. This is a pdf file readable with the free Adobe Acrobat pdf file reader.
Please contact me by e-mail if you wish to build a San Miguel. I have the construction drawings partially complete and should be able to complete the remainder in a few weeks, if you elect to purchase this design.
