Lock Crowther Kraken 25 Trimaran.

I don't understand the reasoning behind the short floats. Was the Kraken 25 drawn well after the Buc 24? It seems like as the boat loads up as in the photo, you are sailing a shorter boat and even at high length/beam ratios longer is faster? I'm not knocking the design my any means, just curious as to the thinking behind have the floats so much shorter than the main hull.

 

Lock was mostly trying to keep wetted surface down as the boat carried a twin trapeze and the floats were geared to be barely immersed stabilizers on a very fine main hull the fineness ratio on the main hull would be something like 20 to 1. In heavier air conditions the Buccaneer 24 may be faster but the c class rules had a class wind limit of 25 kts.

 

Thanks, it makes perfect sense in a C Class context!

 

The Kraken 25 was designed in the early 1960's --well before the Buccaneer 24.

 

plans

Since finding this website I don't understand why there is such a lack of interest in these boats. I'm almost finished with my current project. My plan was to do the 67 Fairlane but I've been wanting my own sailboat for several years I may just sell the 67 to start on of the 24 or 28.

 

I was digging thru my filing cabinet doing a new years clean out and found a leftover set of Kraken 25 plans. It's the very last set so when it's gone there are no more. Clearing at $30.00 includes postage anywhere. PM or E-mail me. cool:

 

Kraken 25 Plans

Oldsailor. I would like to purchase your last set of plans. I am a newbie on this forum, how can I get the money to you?

 

Sorry Upchurch. They are gone.

 

Hi Upchurch, if you email me your address, I'll post you my copy. If after that, you don't
build it, you'll never be forgiven, and may even rot in hell. Waterat.

 

Kraken 25 Plans

Waterat,

Thats generous of you, but if I am going to risk burning, I need to know one thing. Can I see a picture of your build? Please reply to upchurchmr@yahoo.com, being a newbie I can't figure out how to get your email rather than the thread.

Marc

 

Marc.
If you make three more posts and wait 24 hrs, you can then converse with Waterat by Private Message.

 

Oldsailor

I have the plans Waterat offered. There was no building directions, so I thought I'd ask a bunch of questions. What glue was used on the cold molded skin? Now I suppose I would use epoxy. Is there any glass on the boat or was it just painted? Do you know what they weighed when first built? Why was there so much rocker? Were these sailed in the open ocean and needed the raised bow? Looking at the larger and later Krakens the keel profile had the max depth more than mid way back from the bow, and the keel shape from bow to mid section was more tapered from the bow, almost straight. Do you think the difference was due to the 25 being designed first? Would Crowther have used the later keel shape on the 25 if he had of redesigned it?

Thanks,

Marc

 

Marc.
All the info is on the plans sheets, you are expected to know how to do cold moulding. There is plenty of 'how to' info on the forums. Any good waterproof glue is good, but marine epoxy is best.
You can coat the hulls in light glass in epoxy if you want, or just sand smooth and coat with three thin coats of epoxy, followed by two coats of a good polyurethane paint. Epoxy is not ultra-violet proof and so has to be coated with paint to protect it from sunlight.
I can't help you with the weight, but if you just build it as designed it will be OK. These boats were not sailed in the open ocean. The rocker is to ensure easy tacking, much more important in a very light day sailer. Lock never redesigned it -so I guess he was happy with it. Alas we shall never know.

 

Oldsailor
Lock seemed to have dropped out of daysailors very early, who knows why he did not update the Kraken. I have old study plans which refer to later B and C class boats he did but I have never seen them.
I do know how to use epoxy, I was just wanting to know how it was done in the "old days". Adding glass can be a noticeable weight increase. Day sailors typically perform when they are lightest, which was the reason for the original weight.
Being stuck in the US I don't know much of the history for the Kraken 25, did it ever win any races? I do know the history of the C-class championships and it does not show up there. Actually I never heard of any of Locks boats making it into the individual country racing leading to the ICC races.
I guess the question was - were the Kraken 25s competitative or just a big day sailor?

Marc

 

In the Lock Crowther Biography thread I posted a blog entry from one of Lock's friends Howard Stephens it talks about the early experimental Krakens.

The C class cats were faster when the wind and waves picked up but in light conditions the tri's were significantly more powered up and had less wetted surface area and better performance. Trimarans were banned from C class early on (or never truly allowed to compete in the first place according to some interpretations of the rules, matter of opinion there) but showed positive signs of being a faster platform when built in a lightweight form.

I have Lock's original Kraken 25 and would have to question the weight of some of the appendages and structure the daggerboard and rudder are seriously heavy built out of hardwood and weigh over 10 kgs each additionally alot of the framework is in hardwood in the main hull and is unnecessarily heavy but I suppose Lock was working with the technology and glues of the time trying to work out how much strength was required, modern epoxy cold moulded technique will lead to a stronger hull shell with less internal structure. I'm going to substitute hardwood for western red cedar and a cold moulded hull skin of paulownia in my main hull rebuild.

Lock was focussed on working towards designing larger boats from the beginning he had a savvy head for business and I'm sure he had gathered that the large trimaran and catamaran market was a stronger and more profitable proposition than churning out daysailors.