While in Oahu, I got to visit Elua (formerly Trilogy 2) thanks to Woody Brown (son of that Woody Brown). A friend of his has it as a cruising boat now named Moana. It was my first composite COI boat. In those days the USCG didn’t care if the builders followed the plans. Probably 1987. A retired Australian metal worker told them that I was doing it wrong and they should do it the way Lock Crowther did it 15 years earlier. Prior to this design I attended a great composites conference where Ron Reichard showed his OSTAR catamaran Fury, and how strong it was. I used his principles. I mentioned that. The builder heard that Flury broke up at sea, and confused the two. He decided he didn’t want to build a boat that would break up. They followed the Australian.
A much more recent KHSD COI cat. Originally built in Bellingham, WA and shipped to Hawaii. Big Island also. 36′ x 24′. CM plywood/epoxy. https://www.paradisesailinghawaii.com/about-us-kurt-hughes-36/
Kamanu, my first day charter catamaran, has been operating for 35 or 36 years now. 36 x 24. CM developed plywood. I will be over to visit her in late November.
I just got this picture of the 3rd or 4th design that I ever did. Back in the hand drawing days. Cylinder molded plywood/epoxy. 1986 I think it was. It still looks really good to me. 37 feet.
Peter Mannerstråle sailing one of my 42 foot cats out of Sweden posted what I think is one of the coolest pictures that I have seen in a long time. All is right with the world.
That means I’ve owned my modified Hughes 63 built by Dencho in Long Beach for one-third of my life and half my adult life.
Man, time flies.
If I had the money and desire, I’d build almost the identical boat, but in carbon.
It’s about the maximum size cat you can singlehand or doublehand.
Yet we’ve also taken thousands and thousands people racing and sailing on her.
Speaking of 25, that’s the highest number of knots we’ve hit. Once under working sails, once under spinnaker.
One time south of Cedros we had her going 21 to 22 knots for an extended time, not straining at all. Waterline and the perfect point of sail were the magic ingredients, even when overloaded with crew, gear and Ha-Ha stuff.
I got this nice picture from the owners of Grit, one of my heavily modified 45′ cruising cat designs. Heading South for the winter. Notice that the mast is now up.
