As I've been reading various things about Roamers, I've noticed that the hull has a rather unique shape, with zero deadrise at the transom. How does the boat ride with that pancake bottom? Everything I know about boats (admittedly, not as much as I'd like to know) tells me that a flat bottom like that should rattle your fillings loose in rough water. Any comments from those that know firsthand?
Rough ride??? As a Former 38 Commander which is a very stout and sturdy glass boat with a more substantial keel line, I was a tad apprehensive about this very issue when we bought our 41 Regal. All things being equal the 41 Roamer is a wetter ride on the aft deck section, water over the bow is about equal in scenario, but the big difference is that the Roamer doesn't have the shake and twisting to near the degree of its FRP bretheren. That doesnt mean it wont because when you run into a head sea of 5-7' at anything above 13-14mph you will shudder the bridge, and all on board! The ride in a 2-3' chop at 25-27mph is smooth. If you are asking about conditions above 8' of sea I don't try to run very fast in those conditions! Generally the waves here on Lake Superior are spaced fairly close during any significant winds and it is best to pay close attention to each and every wave because it seems like about every 10th one is 2-3' bigger than the others. Hence we don't just plow ahead! Since our boat has a 15' beam I can't speak to others in the 12-13' range but would expect them to be even a better ride, with perhaps a little more roll than ours? Anyone else care to correct me on that? Mark
We're down on Lake St. Clair, which is a washing machine most weekends. Shallow depth (averages around 13', but there are LOTS of places where its more like 6'-10') + lots of boat traffic makes for a lot of confused water. I've got a jones on a 1960 35' that is for sale around here and I'm just curious as to how they ride. We've got two young children, so a steady ride is more important to me than speed, though I don't want a trawler. Now if I could only sell my boat...
Last August I bought my 1960 35' express. I did a test drive on Lake Superior in 3 to 4 ' chop, very smooth ride. We now boat on the St. Croix River that has a lot of traffic and no spilled wine so far. The boat will be great for kids.
We've owned many boats, but went looking for a Roamer after going for a ride on one and being wowed by it. We've owned our 37 Roamer for three summers now. We never went too far the first couple of years, and always made it home in time to avoid really bad weather, 3-4's were all we really experienced, and the boat was actually very smooth in that kind of chop. Being located at the bottom of a long bay that goes north and south, we were always heading directly into or away from the waves. Last summer however, we mad a big trip over to MI from WI and experienced a lot of weather from a lot of angles. The boat was uncomfortable in 4-5's when the water was abeam or on a following quarter - we discovered the boat certainly could bang, but not as badly as other boats I have been on, where your fillings could come loose. We typically cruise anywhere from 18-23mph. When the seas are hitting from those directions, the only thing to do is slow down. We also made the descision to move the boat a short distance on a small craft advisory day - seriously some 8-10s out there. (We had been winded in for two days already) We chugged along powerfully at 10-13 mph, the boat handled superbly, surfing down the big ones, going as fast as 27mph by the time we hit the bottom of the waves. Never felt unsafe or out of control. It was actually an exhilarating experience. After that, I will not worry about being caught in bad weather. My advice? Go for a ride in one on a fairly windy day, you will be convinced that for most conditions, the hull designs of the roamers are very comfortable, and for the really ugly ones, they are safe. Having three kids onboard 11 and under in age, safety is top of my list. Wide deck trails on the things are what I love 2nd most.
Deadrise Vs. MytHaiZ IN the beginning (1949-64), most Roamers had "flat" / no deadrise hulls (angle of the "V" measured at the transom). Much like modern Post Yachts, this made for a faster (less wetted area) hull, with a pronounced tendency to pound in seas above 2 (real) feet. Heavy-weight steel helped reduce this problem, as many Roamers simply "plowed-thru" waves like a submarine - making for a wet, stable ride. Modern-day Roamers (1965-79) enjoyed up to 12 degrees of deadrise, thanx, no doubt, to the influence of Richard Bertram's outrageous "Moppie" victory in the 1963 Miami Offshore Race (she had 24 degrees). More deadrise = more wetted area (MWA). MWA requires more horsepower to drive the same boat at the same speed. Bottomline: You want a wave-cutting hull form? Pay up - at the motor shop and gas dock. Big EZ, eh? (That way, nobody will be spillin' my drink, before we get to Nassau that iz).
