7. Conceptual Design of a Mini Houseboat for Local Inland Water Use

A houseboat trip is one of the local tourism attractions which rapidly grows in Malaysia. Inland water is the most common operation area for houseboat trips such as in Kenyir, Pedu and Banding Lake. The operators offer various outdoor and adventurous activities such as leisure fishing, sightseeing and new experience of overnight stay. However, the existing operation mainly focuses on a big group of tourists to rent a houseboat, ranging from 20 to 30 people. This project was focused into investigating the feasibility of a mini houseboat for a smaller group of 6–8 number tourists for a more flexible houseboat experience. This alternative approach certainly will offer more affordable cost and better privacy. The conceptual design of mini houseboat was developed based on the appropriate mission requirement by using a three-dimensional software, the Maxsurf Modeller for the hull development. The hull form design and selection was the main agenda for the conceptual design. Variations of parameters are considered during hull forms development and were evaluated for the most suitable selection. Hydrostatics analysis by using Maxsurf Stability Advanced is the main input for the evaluation of the hull form. The output gave a reasonable justification on the hullform and dimensions selection. Initial lists of weights and distributions were proposed to appropriately suit with the total displacement needs. A well visualized mini houseboat conceptual design, general arrangement and three-dimensional rendered design are the final outcome of this study.