My Folding Catamaran

I'm absolutely set on a catamaran. I need the space.

That folds a lot like mine, though.

 

I didn't get anything out of that page, "it's all French to me"! yeah, some pics of the folding would be good. Maybe someone should write to them about that?

 

This how I presume it works;

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You can translate any page by using http://babelfish.yahoo.com/

I didn't see anything that showed me how it worked either.

 

That is a rather clever folding design. I always thought it would be very useful to be able to extend or retract the hulls while on the water, it would make launching off a trailer, and docking much easier. That design might lend itself to that, but it too would be heavy.

I had actually worked out a scissor truss design for a catamaran that was actuated with a large center jack screw. It could be launched retracted, floated out into the harbor and than the hulls extended. The jack screw would be actuated with an electric motor or a hand crank (or both, one is a back-up). The scissor truss actually formed a cabin between the hulls when deployed, using a fabric cover to form the shelter that can be removed for fair weather sailing.

I built working models of it and was ready to build an 18' size demonstration model, but the client had to abandon the project due to a sudden change in his health.

 

The car scissor jack! Still got the model of that?

 

I'd like to see what you came up with as well.

My folding beams would be primarily carbon fiber w/ steel inserts where pins passed through them.

 

Below is picture a simple stick model I built to see if all the parts worked together the way they were supposed to. the forward and aft beam telescope, the cabin truss has locking pins that must be installed to form the truss, and you can see the scissor mechanism under the floor that will actually extend or retract the hulls. Somewhere have some pictures of it with the screw in it, both extend and retracted. It would go down the center line parallel to the hulls under the floor.

I had planned to build a larger one that was more attractive to work out the details, but this simple crude model showed it worked the way I intended. Next would have been an 18 foot man carrying boat, and the final off shore cruiser was to be 27 ft long.

The Truss supper structure is both strong and light, and lends itself to folding in on itself to take up little volume compared to a rigid cabin. On the full size boat the hulls are 4' wide each and about 6' tall and house sleeping berths, head and galley, 27 LOA.

I had also worked out some details of a Rube Goldburg kind of 4 bar link that would raise the mast at the same time the hulls are extended, so once the locking pins were all in place you would be ready to hoist sails.

 

Over 20 years ago David Alan-Williams built a folding 26ft catamaran. As you winched the hulls apart the mast went up. I saw him do it by himself at a boatshow. Hard work though

You may want to contact him about it

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

I can kind of see what you're talking about but better pictures would help a lot.

Thanks!

 

I looked around and found a couple marinas where he might be located and sent e-mails asking to have him contact me.

Thanks!

 

:?::?::?:

 

I am amazed.

What happened?

 

Any follow up on the production?

 

As I noted in an earlier post, my client who was paying for the development of the concept, was nearly killed in an unrelated car accident, along with his wife. He put the project on hold and was forced to retire with severe disabilities.

I am sure if someone wants to pick up this project I can get permission from him to release all ownership to me.

My idea was to build an 18 ft size day cat, which would allow us to work out any problems with the mechanized part of the desig, and than go on to build the full sized, ocean going cat that can be trailered home.

The original plan was to prepare certified and engineered plans to one of the rating organizations requirements, and than sell the plans to have the folding cat custom built. But I think the really big market for such a concept would be in a production boat, so for the cost of a medium size cabin cruiser you can have an ocean capable folding cat that can be trailered and stored in your driveway. I have some contacts in the local boat building industry since I have done some consulting with them.

Any one interested in funding the concept? I do not have the resources to do it on my own. for now the project is dead.