Suggest a multihulll...

I am chief instructor of an outdoor centre on Loch Tay in Scotland. We currently use a 'traditional' Drascombe Gig, for journey's on the Loch and for exploring. Its a good boat, but slow, easily overpressed and generally not the most exciting thing...

We want a boat that meets the 'mobile classroom and minibus' criteria, while being more exciting to sail, and able to travel the 17 miles of the Loch somewhat more rapidly than the Drascombe does.

So I am considering a micro multihull (catamaran I think), it needs to be:

Beachable - on gravel/stony beaches. So it needs to be tough and shallow draft. Ideally with skegs or centreboards to prevent damage from beaching, with a kick up rudder.
Safe - unlikely to capsize, good buoyancy if it capsizes or swamps, can take an outboard.
Able to carry upto 10 children and two adults, or 8-10 adults.
No accommodation needed.
Demountable/unboltable/folding on a gravel beach for towing back up to our main centre in the winter.

Think a Hobie 18, scaled up to 25'ish....

Currently the boats I am looking at are a Strider or a Stilleto.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Matt

 

i like the idea of a full length plank keel on a boat that's going to be put onto rocky beaches.

since you don't need accomodation, it seems to me building a couple of long narrow dory hulls would give adequate performance, cheaply.
in fact, for lake use you might build a very narrow hull with plumb topsides, and put all seating on the deck and central stage. a 'square' catamaran, as phil bolger might call it.

about 7.5-8m, hull beam about .3m, beam oa at 4m, 220 sqm sail are, should do it. such a boat would be very easy to build, sail quite well, cheap as chips.

not suited to ocean use, as it would not rise on a big breaking wave, but that won't matter on a lake.

 

How about this one, Matt?...

The Neo 21 sliding-beam cruising beach cat

21' LOA
11' BOA sailing
8.3' BOA trailering
16" Bridgedeck clearance
1800 lbs. Displacement
650 lbs. All-up
Sail Area 216-250 sq. ft. (Hobie16 - Hobie 20 rig)
Rig, sailing hardware, rudders/tiller from beach cat

If you send me an email at: Chris@Wedgesail.com I'll send you a copy of an article I am just about to publish on my website, along with a neat pile of high resolution renderings showing the boat from different positions, as well as folded for transport.

 

More advertising...ugh!!

Matt,
If you want, you can PM me your details, i'll pass you onto my best mate. He's been design yachts of all types for past 20 years, I'm sure he can advise best for you. He's on South Coast of England too....just a thought.

 

Well, that's one man's response, Hoc.

I don't share the opinion.

I see it as a thoughtful, on-target response to a thoughtful and unusually well phrased set of interests by the thread initiator.

I would love to see you design a boat to fit the gentleman's needs and bring it before the Forum members. What do you say, Hoc? Do you have something interesting to offer? You seem to have plenty of time to bang around on the threads here. 900+ posts since October indicates a guy with a lot of time on his hands.

So, here's your chance to demonstrate that you know of what you speak. The weekend's coming up and a guy with your experience and announced skill set should be able to bang-out a full treatment that meets the stated brief requirements, along with half a dozen quality renderings to illustrate the boat being presented.

Are you up for that?

So, it's mid-week now. We can look for your contribution come Sunday? Oh, and do be so kind as to sign the submittal with your real name, will you? I think that Matt, as well as all the readers here, deserve that kind of courtesy, don't you?

 

Chris - I just wonder how long your posting will remain on the link. Since every time someone questions your MO raison d'etre, you remove your posts and any evidence of your existence...very very odd behaviour.

See, this is where, again, your desire to "look at my designs and lovely renderings" (what does a rendering do, oh sorry it is a pretty picture and not much else - gives the impression of a well designed boat.) but just simply overshadows what the poster wants.

The poster is seeking suggestions, not sales pitches!

You seem to be devoting a lot of time examining the number of postings i do...very bizarre cyberstalking!!!

"...So, here's your chance to demonstrate that you know of what you speak..."

and please explain to me, what is I am speaking of here....i can only refer you to the post #4 above...again, you demonstrate extremely poor comprehension.

 

Hi Matt,

I think you are on the right lines with the GRP Strider. There's usually a good number of them around in brokerage with the choice of performance levels to suit your needs.

Although you don't need accommodation as such, I think it would be possible to have a 'heads' in one of the hulls with a holding tank which might enhance you clients' experience.

Richard is around on this forum if you have any specific questions about the Strider. Incidentally, how does the AALA regard your sailing trips on Loch Tay? Would they have any problem with a cat?

Catamarans were certainly one option I looked at for a similar use at OB. But as they were for extended, independent trips on the sea, the requirements to meet the Code of Practice for Small Commercial Sailing Ships was too onerous. Interestingly, OB in the States is still able to voyage in open boats and have had Roger Martin design their replacement for the old whale boats and OB Hong Kong, had Nigel Irens design theirs. So the theme of this seems to be, that if you want a boat to teach traditional seamanship and sailing, go to a high tech race boat or multihull designer who really understand how boats work and doesn't just draw pastiches of a bye-gone day! To that end, you won't go far wrong with a Wood's Strider.

 

You may want to look here

http://www.calvert-trust.org.uk

I quote from the website

"The Lake District Calvert Trust has a large fleet of sailing craft that ranges from high-speed single-handed boats (some specially designed for people with a disability), access dinghies, larger boats that are ideal for group work, to a catamaran!
Many of our sailing activities take place on Bassenthwaite Lake, where the centre has a fully accessible boathouse, jetty, and teaching facilities. All lake activities are supported by two-way radios and our well-equipped safety boat. The 24-foot Strider Catamaran (donated by Richard Stilgoe) is moored on Windermere Lake (30 minutes away). The Cat is popular with groups who have been previously, and with visitors who have spinal injuries or visual impairment. It is also available as an option on the Specialist sailing Courses."

The Strider Richard Stilgoe donated is in fact the one he bought from us shortly after we had won the 1987 Micromultihull European Championships. Which just goes to prove how verstile a micromultihull (even a Strider!) is

The problem with the Strider Club is that the keels make beaching harder compared to a daggerboard boat. But the hull bottom is better protected.

Could you use a forward access ramp?

Hope this helps

Please email me direct if you have any more questions

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

Incidentally, how does the AALA regard your sailing trips on Loch Tay? Would they have any problem with a cat?

Not yet made the enquiry. Previous experience with the Drascombe is that they are happy to accept either yacht master, or dingy SI with 'introduction to type' with another principal/SI/yachtmaster. We also have a RIB on standby in case of a real problem, or on the water if its a real hoolie blowing. Plus we do swamp tests and recovery tests now and again. I suspect a cat would need some proper thought about risk assessments on a capsize and MOB.


Chris - I like the idea of rudders/rigs etc from a beach cat for replacement parts, proven robustness etc.
Bill - bang on with the seating on deck and tramp/plumb topsides/just empty hulls idea.
Maybe we need to buy an old Hobie 18 or 21 for the rig/rudders etc and get someone to just design and build some gert big volume/longer/higher hulls to accommodate the load of so many people...
Richard - you have a PM from your own forum about the Strider. It does seem the closest to what we need at present in an easily available form. I suspect a front access ramp would be faffier than investing in a load of fishing waders.....but it is a good idea.