Pocket Cruiser Catamaran

Hello from New Zealand. I am looking to start a new boat project, I've built a few stitch and glue boats, started off with a PDR a few years ago, a few stitch and glue kayaks, and last summer just for kicks a 4' version of the PDR. This time around I'm looking at something more practical, and have been itching to build a catamaran for years, its what I learned to sail on, and grew up around. I've been looking around lots at plans for pocket cruisers, something we could do some coastal crusing on, with a small cabin for weekend trips, and something to explore the island on. I am leaning more towards a catamaran for that reason as well, there are thousands of hidden beaches to land on and nothing beats a cat for that. I've looked around, and havent had any luck finding plans for a pocket cruiser cat, only clones of racing cats.

http://www.svensons.com/boat/?p=SailBoats/CatsPaw

That's the closest I've been able to find, and I was thinking something along the lines of that, I like the solid construction, with no trampoline, but I know nothing of boat construction and I don't know how much I can tweak without ruining the boat.

Ideally, I would like a 14' cat, with a deck from bow to stern, with a small cabin section on the bow, mini keels, (or no keels, but that's likely far beyond my skillset at this point) and if possible some storage in the hulls.

Essentially, a CLC pocket ship esque design, dropped on a multi hull platform, is this possible, or a pipe dream?

Thanks so much!

Nick

 

Good luck, I wouldn't touch that with a 10' pole.

Way too short. Make sure you have center boards, dagger boards, or at least leeboards. Unless you just want to go down wind.

You would be better off with a monohull, and I don't like them.

 

Slider (cat): http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/09/designs/slider/index.htm


OOPS>>>sorry about the size but it is what it is on the site.

 

There's a guy on here that posts,has ply plans for sail or power... has numbers in his name. I'd never build one but admire the design and simplicity.

34200 or something in his name.

Anyone?

edit: found him:
http://www.ikarus342000.com/CATpage.htm

http://www.ikarus342000.com/ECOpage.htm

 

Thanks for the replies guys, the slider looks promising, I will look a little bit more into that one. My compromise would probably be bailing to a modified PD goose, since I've built a few PDR's and I'm familliar with the boat.

Something like this:

http://www.storerboatplans.com/Pdr/pdgoose.html

meets this:

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/korhonen/ocean_explorer/index.htm

 

I think you are trying to squeeze way too much boat into your designe length. A 14' cat just isn't going to have enough load capacity to have much of anything in the cabin department. Even if you can find one, the weight and windage is going to kill any performance gain over just building a monohull.

My advice is either find a mono you like, or accept a larger boat.

 

What about

http://wharram.com/site/node/107

 

If you want a small cabin you may want to go a little bigger, a Jarcat or one of K designs small cats.

Steve.

 

ineed2fly
Hello from New ZEaland !! where are you now ??

 

The Hitia 14' er looks like the most likely candidate, but I am not stuck on a cat, I would just prefer one. If a monohull is better/easier then I am happy to go that route. Thinking that a scow would be my best bet. What would you think about tapering a goose hull design (12' version of the PDR) to a little bit more efficient hull shape? Taper the bow down to 3' wide ish, as well as the stern, with a little bit more of an angle to the lower transom? Again, I know nothing about boat design, and no idea how much small tweaks will effect the overall design. One of my kayaks got a Viking funeral, I'd rather not have the same thing happen on a much larger project. And I am in waihi beach new Zealand, I moved here from the states about 3 months ago.

 

There is a design for the goose out there called the ooze goose, which is that with a cabin, that looks ideal.

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/korhonen/oozegoose/index.htm

 

Duckworks had an article about a Canadian who built a 16' bi-rig (one in each hull) catamaran. He put it on top of his station wagon, rode down to Mexico and made a trip across the stream to Cuba.

 

Miss Cindy.

 

"some coastal crusing on, with a small cabin for weekend trips, and something to explore the island on"
For a cabin, and load carrying capacity - that Ooze Goose is the good gear I think. If you need to, a small outboard will overcome adverse or no winds.

Monohulls carry a lot more, and at least you can get in out of the sun/rain/cold/dark if you like without having to muck around with tent wrestling.

However, cats are easier to wrestle to the water, and two kayaks can be broken into separate craft. I am currently working towards something like this.

 

Awesome! I've always wanted to build a sailing cat that breaks apart into 2 kayaks. But in any case it looks like the oozegoose would be my best bet. Thanks!