Back in 2004, I was looking for a boat to take us to our cabin on Galiano Island, one of the Southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia. We can only get to the cabin by boat, so I needed something that would safely and reliably transport my family of four, our dog, and enough provisions for a week through what are sometimes pretty rough conditions. I was drawn to the Bartender design for its reputation as a capable rough-water hull, for its beautiful lines, and for the fact that it would fit in my garage, which is also my boat shop. The guard that rises toward the stemhead is an extension of the planing wing.
Don Froese
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Fantastic boats. I had a 26-footer in the early ’70s and it was clearly better than anything around at the time, and I don’t think anything has changed.
Do you think one could fit a fifth seat in a 19-footer? I think my father has one that length on a trailer with no motor in Washington State, not far from Bellingham actually (which is kind of neat, having just read here that Bill Childs lives there). Dad’s not using the boat, but I have 3 kids so I’d need 5 seats.
I live in northern Michigan and have been looking for a boat to build that could handle the waters of Lake Michigan and Grand Travers Bay. A trailerable boat would allow me to haul it to many of the areas we now live in. I have built two small kit-style boats and I’m sure I could handle building you 19′ Bar Tender. One question is if two people could sleep aboard the 19′ version. By sleeping aboard I am talking about a couple of air mattresses and lying on the floor on either side of the engine well. To accomplish this, I would need some kind of canvas enclosure that would keep out the weather and mosquitoes. I like the looks of the 19′ version and the relative, straightforward plans. Also, what would be the average, approximate cost to build the boat? I will look forward to your response.
Thanks,
Larry Heitman
Hi Larry,
It is possible to sleep two people on the floor of the 19′ Bartender, but it does depend on how you build out the cockpit area and it will be tight—kind of like two people sleeping in a two-man backpacking tent. If camping in the boat is important, I would make the helm seats removable. They can be stored overnight in the motor-well area. This will open up an area about 6.5′ long, 46″ wide in the helm area and 54″ wide just forward of the motor well.
My 19′ is not setup optimally for camping, but I have done it, sleeping alone. I was able to pitch a small, two-man, self-supporting, backpack tent to sleep in. I had to lay diagonally and there was only enough room for one person. But with the arrangement I described above, I think two can sleep cozily.
The 19′ build cost for materials and basic electronic will be around $9000 not including the outboard or trailer.
Best Regards,
George Costakis
Hi!
You show a 4-stroke Honda in your pictures of a Bartender. Does this outboard work well with the 19′ Bartender and what HP rating does the engine have?
Thanks,
Mark
Hi Mark,
The 19′ Bartender design specifies an outboard range of 25 to 50 hp, while the 40 hp is recommended. There is also an outboard weight limit of 214 lbs.
-cylinder engine. The 25 and 30 hp are based the same engine while the 40 and 50 hp use the same higher displacement base engine. Manufacturers like Yamaha and Mercury combine their engines differently. The 30 and 40-hp outboards use the same 3-cylinder engine, and the 50-hp jumps up to a 4-cylinder engine. This makes the Yamaha and Mercury 50s too heavy for the 19′ limit and it makes the 30-hp outboards heavier than Honda’s. Now, if you are just wanting the recommended 40-hp outboard, then all 3 manufacturers provide a 3-cylinder engine of similar weights.
A couple other advantages of the Honda is typically the plastic shrouding around the powerhead and lower unit is less bulky allowing to it to fix better into the motor well. Also, the Honda has two splash plates above the anti-ventilation plate and exhausts at the propeller.
On my 19′, I have a Mercury 40-hp, 4-stroke outboard, as does Don Froese who wrote the article. I am very happy with mine and it provides plenty of power. If I every re-power my 19′, I will probably consider a Honda 30 hp since top speed is not my primary objective.
Thanks for your question,
George Costakis
Mark,
To answer your last question… The Honda in the photo is either a 40 or 50hp.
George
Thanks, George. Did you need to flare the inboard well for the 40 hp Mercury used in your 19′ Bartender?
Regards,
Mark