New Salish 33' Liquid Metal Custom Build

carpeweekend

carpeweekend

Crew Member
Recently sold my business and decided to take the plunge and have my dream boat built. Looked at several different brands including Walker, Eaglecraft, Northwest, and Coastal Craft. All great boats and manfacturer's but decided to go with Liquid Metal in Sidney. Small company with a great reputation and most importantly for me, only 5 minutes away from where I live so I can track the progress of my build.

I wanted an aluminum as large as possible that I could also trailer to the west side of the Island with my one ton diesel truck. The boat is 36' x 10'6" beam so it can be trailered with a permit and signs on the back.

I will be using the boat primarily for fishing - salmon, bottom fishing, and tuna. Plus, wanted to have something that I could cruise with the wife to a dock and be comfortable in for a few days or run up the coast with a buddy for a week fishing and anchoring out. I have owned enough boats to know that everyone is a compromise and making it great for one use will limit it for another.

Hull is a Gregory Marshall design. Here is a link to the brochure with some of the specs for the boat - although many of these specs will ultimately be different as other than the hull, it is pretty much 100% customizable. http://www.liquidmetalmarine.com/pdfs/33SalishCC_Rev01.pdf

Looking for lots of insight and advice from forum members as I only have one shot to dial this boat in as perfectly (for my use anyways) as possible. Here is a photo of recently completed Hull #2. Mine will be #3.IMG_4194.jpg
 
1st question I have is power. Was planning to run 2 x 350hp Suzuki's. I have twin 200 Zukes on my present boat and love how quiet they are and easy to troll with.
I spoke to a boat owner who had a 34' Northwest with the same power (and weight) and he assured me that it was sufficient. Boat will be around 15,000 pounds when full of fuel. I want to be able to cruise at 25 -30 knots without taxing the engines and was hoping for a range of 275 - 300 nm. Hull #1 that LM built was powered with triple 300's and Hull #2 with twin 600's. Both owners wanted a go fast boat. I really don't want to jump up in power and add weight while losing range just for the ability to hit 50 knots.
If I jump up in size it would probably be to twin Yamaha 425's or Merc 450's? I'm also adding the Optimus 360 Joystick.

Thoughts, comments?
 
Awesome, congrats and clearly not an earn out deal on the business.

As for power, twin 350 Suzukis could do the job well. You should spend some time on hull truth as there are plenty of heavy boats with outboards. Those guys are usually after top speed numbers as they don't have to contend with all the junk in their waters like we do. So, you gotta be mindful of how you would run the boat. Perhaps 3 x 300 Suzuki DPs might be a good option?

Good luck, looks like a stunning boat.
 
carpeweekend said:
1st question I have is power. Was planning to run 2 x 350hp Suzuki's. I have twin 200 Zukes on my present boat and love how quiet they are and easy to troll with.
I spoke to a boat owner who had a 34' Northwest with the same power (and weight) and he assured me that it was sufficient. Boat will be around 15,000 pounds when full of fuel. I want to be able to cruise at 25 -30 knots without taxing the engines and was hoping for a range of 275 - 300 nm. Hull #1 that LM built was powered with triple 300's and Hull #2 with twin 600's. Both owners wanted a go fast boat. I really don't want to jump up in power and add weight while losing range just for the ability to hit 50 knots.
If I jump up in size it would probably be to twin Yamaha 425's or Merc 450's? I'm also adding the Optimus 360 Joystick.

Thoughts, comments?
Click to expand...
Buddies 34'x13' aluminum cat he just built had the twin 350s and it goes upwards of 50 knots, burning 250L per 100km. It's plenty fast for a 15000 lb rig. He cruises at 40 knots and burns the same even if he's doing 25 knots. Apparently the efficiency of the cat hull increases with more speed at lift.
 
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carpeweekend said:
1st question I have is power. Was planning to run 2 x 350hp Suzuki's. I have twin 200 Zukes on my present boat and love how quiet they are and easy to troll with.
I spoke to a boat owner who had a 34' Northwest with the same power (and weight) and he assured me that it was sufficient. Boat will be around 15,000 pounds when full of fuel. I want to be able to cruise at 25 -30 knots without taxing the engines and was hoping for a range of 275 - 300 nm. Hull #1 that LM built was powered with triple 300's and Hull #2 with twin 600's. Both owners wanted a go fast boat. I really don't want to jump up in power and add weight while losing range just for the ability to hit 50 knots.
If I jump up in size it would probably be to twin Yamaha 425's or Merc 450's? I'm also adding the Optimus 360 Joystick.

Thoughts, comments?
Click to expand...

Pm @Derby or @wolf on the 350's. They both have them.
 
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Rain City said:
Buddies 34'x13' aluminum cat he just built had the twin 350s and it goes upwards of 50 knots, burning 250L per 100km. It's plenty fast for a 15000 lb rig. He cruises at 40 knots and burns the same even if he's doing 25 knots. Apparently the efficiency of the cat hull increases with more speed at lift.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was looking at something close to 1000L for fuel to get the range that I want. So, with a similar fuel burn, it would give me 400km range. I'm trying to preserve space under the deck as I want to put in floor insulated fish boxes for tuna too. Hopefully, they will be able to find enough room to accomplish both.
 
carpeweekend said:
Yeah, I was looking at something close to 1000L for fuel to get the range that I want. So, with a similar fuel burn, it would give me 400km range. I'm trying to preserve space under the deck as I want to put in floor insulated fish boxes for tuna too. Hopefully, they will be able to find enough room to accomplish both.
Click to expand...
Who is designing the custom stuff? They had a marine architect design the whole boat and things were well thought through. Cost them about 30k. The problem was everything the builder added was just an idea or quick conversation. Those elements left a little to be desired for a 450k project. They also did their own interior which turned out to be a TON of work. Is your builder taking it right to the last stich?
 
Could they do rake windows to match the lines of the Hull? That would be a one off thing I’ve never seen on a boat and it might look super cool if someone could do a sketch of it. There’s probably a table top back there that would prevent it.

as for power more is better. Yamaha 425’s are pretty effing sweet
 
Thats a sharp looking boat!! Love Kristi's work! I have a BW conquest 305 with 300 verados, I sometimes wish they were bigger like the 400 maybe so I could pull the rpm down at cruise, not just for top end. I'd love to add a kicker as I rack up the hours on the mains for trolling. At 900 litres your fuel cap is a bit light..
 
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Looks like an amazing hull and if I would you I’d book a tuna trip with a couple of the big Aluminum boats. I know one guy who has a big JaxsonCraft, his second one so I think he has it dialled in. I haven’t gotten out with him but could connect you. One suggestion would be to extend the bow rails the full length of the cabin, so add a couple feet to just past the rear cabin windows. I was scrambling up to the bow a bunch today to put the halibut bow line down and running a front rod. If I had your size boat I’d have more confidence and would be on the bow in worse weather and my kids are starting to head up there and my bow rails aren’t anywhere near long enough to keep us safe.
 
I'd get rid of the bow rail altogether. All it does is flip you over if you're going down anyways lol.
 
Rain City said:
Who is designing the custom stuff? They had a marine architect design the whole boat and things were well thought through. Cost them about 30k. The problem was everything the builder added was just an idea or quick conversation. Those elements left a little to be desired for a 450k project. They also did their own interior which turned out to be a TON of work. Is your builder taking it right to the last stich?
Click to expand...
Yes, the builder is designing everything (with my input) and the marine architect is involved throughout. Pronautic who specialize in marine interiors is doing the interior.
 
carpeweekend said:
Yes, the builder is designing everything (with my input) and the marine architect is involved throughout. Pronautic who specialize in marine interiors is doing the interior.
Click to expand...
Fantastic.

Screw it, I'll ask. Feel like sharing the appoximate budget?
 
Command bridge! LOL

If you are going to be doing some cruising then I would plan to have a davit on the roof for a 9'6 dinghy.
I would also either add solar panels or wire in for it. 2 x 170 watt panels and 4 AGM golf cart batteries will supply most of what you need for power.. Use Victron battery monitors and solar charges to monitor your batteries and power use on your phone.
Not sure if it is feasable but a side door is pretty nice for getting on and off the dock.
I would agree with bringing the bow rails farther back. At least half the distance back to the cockpit.
Rocna anchor - 15Kg and 100 feet of chain at least.
Put a freezer in some where. Even a small one makes a big difference while cruising.
Ultra leather for the uphosltery. Wears really good and easy to clean
 
Don't be afraid to add a 3rd tank or a little more volume to your tanks. You don't have to keep them full, but you may regret tank size and suffer range anxiety from time to time. Boat may also run happier with one tank gated off most of the time (weight distribution assuming they are one in front of the other). Alcocks 34 had some serious tankage.

Also, more power doesn't necessarily mean more fuel. A 3500rpm cruise is sure nice on your mains and offers you the grunt when your pushing that 15k in less than perfect conditions.

Is yours 36+ pod or inclusive? Or is it more of a euro transom?
 
Sir Reel said:
Command bridge! LOL

If you are going to be doing some cruising then I would plan to have a davit on the roof for a 9'6 dinghy.
I would also either add solar panels or wire in for it. 2 x 170 watt panels and 4 AGM golf cart batteries will supply most of what you need for power.. Use Victron battery monitors and solar charges to monitor your batteries and power use on your phone.
Not sure if it is feasable but a side door is pretty nice for getting on and off the dock.
I would agree with bringing the bow rails farther back. At least half the distance back to the cockpit.
Rocna anchor - 15Kg and 100 feet of chain at least.
Put a freezer in some where. Even a small one makes a big difference while cruising.
Ultra leather for the uphosltery. Wears really good and easy to clean
Click to expand...
I think if I was going full custom, like dream boat custom. I would want some kind of transformer feature. Like these...
Screenshot_20220515-203424_Chrome.jpgScreenshot_20220515-203438_Chrome.jpg
 
I have been looking forward to your build.

I saw that the interior cabin floor was plywood in the spec sheet

Interior decking is plywood with Raptor soft, traction decking

Are you going with the plywood or have 100% Aluminum decking and Flooring. We have aluminum flooring/decking all the way through the boat. I didn't want to have to replace the plywood at some point.

One thing I wish we had done is build in a second fuel tank that we could have used for longer trips north. We have a 125 US tank and having a second 50 in front of the main tank plumbed to run directly to the motors would have been nice.

Regarding the windows Robert built templates for our windows and had them made them oversized and taller . The window angles matched the boats. The windows were our only delay. Sea Glaze had the templates in July and we got the windows in January.

We are happy with the Lone Star Anchor system. I am going to add some more chain because I have the room to do that. We have 30 feet and I am going to double that.

We had the roof rack sized to fit two prawn and two crab traps . I wish I had spent more time thinking about how the inflatable will be stored on the roof and I would have figured out a place to mount and store a small 2 HP kicker in the cockpit. We don't have the room to do that on this boat.

The new Furuno displays were too deep for our dash's capacity. They are much deeper front to back and with the shortages we didn't have the time and luxury to fit everything in as I had hoped. I wish we had done a mock up.

We really, really like the higher cockpit gunnels . PM me if you are coming over to YVR and we can go out to the boat and you can see how they fit
 
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After looking at the build sheet.
more power you won't regret
More fuel capacity. You can always put extra ice on deck but why bother if you can't get there. 900 liters is light at a 100? lph burn.
Ditch the joystick and put in a bowthruster.
I'm in north saanich if you want to try mine.
 
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