Wooden caramaran wisdom

Hi all

I was looking to home build a catamaran. However, after reading through forum, build threads and estimation of cost both in terms of money, time, effort and the time spent sanding and not sailing, I came to my senses and is looking to buy one.

I came across a 40 foot CSK [Fiberglass and ply] on wooden frame catamaran. It is wooden frame, plywood on frame and the outside is fiberglass. Inside of the wood is open.

I am ok with plywood, wood work and even fiberglass work. It will be my first boat, well, other than dinghies and small beach cats. I also [nearly] finished building a moth in plywood and fiberglass - just to put perspective on my skill or lack of it.

However, I have a few questions for people with knowledge.

1. Is it wise to buy a wood/ply/fiberglass boat from 60yrs ago even if all the repairs or done?

2. Is there a lot more maintenance to these boats - I am expecting there will be more but how much more is more - I am ok with needing regular monitoring and watching for mold/wetness/termites etc but is it unmanageably so?

3. What are the CSK cats like to sail, I plan to sail around east coast US and caribbean for the most part and may be a little further north mainly. It will be 2-4 people on the boat at most

4. Do they hobby horse a lot?

5. Any pointers on what to look for when going to see a boat like this especially for a noob like me?


If all goes well, I am still going to get an inspection as well but thought I will check with seasoned salts first.

Thanks
Wish me luck or feel sorry for me

 

I would suggest to find a surveyor with knowledge of wooden boats. Make sure the surveyor has the experience to survey a wooden boat. Most are used to fiberglass and sometimes aluminum or steel only.

 

True. Thanks for that

 

Thule. Please understand there can be some very good plywood cats and there are some that have hidden problems that will mean a significant rebuild of EG a main cross beam bulkhead. Gonzo suggestion of a good marine surveyor who will do a really good job should be taken. Any indication of an issue should be taken seriously and either avoid the cat or a serious price reduction should be gotten. Do not under estimate the upgrade cost of deck gear, sails, engines, ropes, anchors, safety gear etc. A $50,000 cheap boat may need a $100,000 upgrade of gear to be a safe seaworthy boat.

As to the sailing cat part, it depends on the boat. The early Choy cats were designed for open water and long waves with much reaching and running under sail. These boats can sail upwind but the early Choy cats pitch and hobby horse. If the cat has daggerboards it will go upwind better. These early Choy cats were meant to be light but over 60 years I will not be surprised to find a lot of modern junk find its way on board which will overload the cat. The problem with an overloaded cat is the thin hulls generally have high wetted surface to the sail area. In short these cats may be slow in light airs, hobby horse in a seaway and need to go on a diet before they start to sail the way you like.

If you have found a good, lightweight, well maintained 1960's Choy it will be a good boat but get it checked out by someone who understands wooden catamarans. Have fun

 

Thanks for taking time oldmulti. I am going to make the trip tomorrow.
I am apprehensive about exactly the issues you mentioned. Don't want a boat that is a hole in the water - I guess most are but not to the level I end up giving up sailing!!
Indeed, if any significant issues come up I will probably run.

I can put the link to the boat on the yatchworld in here if that is allowed. If that is not acceptable practice, I can PM you the link.

Thanks again for taking time.

 

Thule. 1962 CSK Ketch Rigged Catamaran. If this is the cat then someone has tried to maintain it. Good. But the cat has been "transformed" into a modern cruiser. Rudy Choy would have walked aboard and thrown overboard things like the washing machine, microwave, large battery bank etc as they added extra weight which would have hurt the performance. The other red flag is the statement that the sails are in fair condition with the spinnaker in unknown condition. If you just want a moderate cruiser then OK. If you want a cruiser that can sail then an upgrade of sails, getting rid of few of the "extras", a good paint job and clean up is probably required. Factor this into the purchase price. And yes, you can put links to other pages in these threads as long as they are not pure advertising for a product. You are trying to help people understand what you are thinking about. Good luck.

 

Old Multi
Yes that is the one.
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1962-csk-ketch-rigged-catamaran-8888305/

I am expecting to put elbow grease and the cost of upgrade to sails and sheets at this price.
At this point, it will be a wife and hubby team sailing around east coast and the Caribbean.

Is this at this size and design a doable boat for two people in reasonable physical condition?

Also, hoping to travel to Europe at some point in the next few years. I make the assumption that if this design can survive Pacific, it can handle Atlantic.

Thanks for the advise.

 

Make sure you can get insurance. That may be trouble.

 

Got it. Will go and see tomorrow and then call the insurances for quotes. I am under the impression that we can't even put it in a marina if the boat is not insured.
Thanks

 

Thule. The size of cat for 2 people depends a lot on the equipment it has. Almost any 35 foot multihull can be handled by 2 people. But once you get above 40 foot in a multi cat or tri the power of the rigs start to get to a point that they become hard work in tacking, handling the sails in strong winds, reefing etc that you need to be very healthy. You can control bigger cats if you have big winches, really good roller furling gear, good free flowing slides on masts etc. But once you get to 50 foot power winches help a lot. Yes, a Ketch rig will help reduce the loads and sailing in light winds generally is not a problem but in a real seaway in big winds is where the problems really begin. I spent 10 minutes fighting to shift a small jib from the foredeck to a sail locker in a rising wind and sea on a 42 ft cat. Even for healthy people this can be very hard and in mid Atlantic you will have no choice unless you put out a sea anchor and take all sails down. You will not understand until you do it, how much simpler and easier it is to sail a 35 footer than it is to sail an older style 50 footer in heavy weather. I am not against the buying a 50 footer, just understand that they are a different level of effort to sail them in a real seaway. hope this helps.

 

From the photos it seems like it would be worth looking at it. There are some dangling wires, which is typical of random additions through the years. Wiring is relatively cheap and if you put the labor not a deal breaker Also, due to its age the wires and connections most likely have corrosion. The best thing to do is to replace it all.

 

Hi gonzo

Went to see today. It wasn't going to work for us, considering the narrow space in the hulls but, the owners look like they spent an absolute ton on rigging, equipment and repair.

Hope they sell her well and someone gets to enjoy

 

Oldmulti

Until I stood on her deck and looked at the size of the steel rigging and as a proxy measure guessed the forces involved on a big sea, I didn't appreciate your comment. Now i do some.

I think we need to think more carefully about the amount of challenge we accept for the first big boat

Thanks

 

Good luck with finding a cruising boat, way better to walk if you are unsure like you just did, some people can't separate the emotional aspect from what is in front of their noses and will purchase, no matter how many experts tell them to run.

 

Indeed. It was tempting to think we could do this or that change but in the end commonsense told me it is more than I can chew.
My brain does work on occasions