I got a picture of this plywood 37′ trimaran the other day. Database told me the plans went out in 1990 to Bora Bora.
It looks great.
Catamaran Ferries
This office has been a leader in creating efficient, user friendly passenger ferries.
Most of the catamaran ferries that I see are designed by large design offices, and in my opinion, designed badly. They are usually metal, are heavy, have poor efficiency, and a poor ride, compared to what they could have. There are significant reasons for that. Those catamaran ferries come from offices who have been designing single hull ferries decades. They do cats now like they always did the monos.
I come from a sailing catamaran background. Instead of just piling on the horsepower, efficiency is important. I carry these lessons to the passenger cats that I design. I expect the gold plate design offices will figure this out in 5 years or so. That technology here now. For more discussion ofdisplacement power multihulls see this article.
We offer a full line of USCG-certified multihulls and the experience in working with the Coast Guard to get owners operating in the least possible time.
KHSD Charter multihulls emphasize functional, efficient design combined with longevity and durability. Many of these designs can use rapid construction technologies for hulls and house cabins.
Sailing multihull preferences
If you could answer these questions and forward the answers to me to help start the design process.
- How long should be between charging batteries, once a day, twice a day, two days?
- Singlehanding needed?
- Shorttacking is fun
- The sole should be flat
- In light weather the boat should power if speed falls below 5 knots?
- Dining seats must be face to face?
- Galley should be out of traffic?
- Head area should be separate?
- All winches should be hand powered?
- Transom steps?
- Boat should be able to be beached?
- Kickup rudders?
- Shoal draft important?
- Unobstructed inside headroom is important
- Leangth of trips planned?
- Motor noise?
- Sea noise?
- Weight/cost tradeoffs
- Resale is important?
- Interior style? Old yacht-eurostyle-plastic boat style-mega yacht style
- Reefing gear type
- Frequency of anchoring intended
- Frequency of tacking and trimming intended
- Racing intended
- Helm should be covered from weather
- Good raingear is all that is needed
- Trimming quality verses helmstation comfort tradeoffs
- Most time under sail will be spent where?
- Most time at anchor will be spent where?
- Previous boats?
- Previous voyages?
- Previous races?
- How important is boatspeed?
- Boatspeed verses comfort tradeoffs
- Budget
- Examples of best multi you have seen
- Examples of worst multi that you have seen
- Number of persons expected on most or typical voyages, and relationship of those people
- Most work will be upwind or downwind
- Rotating mast or not
- Fractional rig or not
- Fuel choice, why?
- Engine choice, why?
- How good should paint job be?
- Are there any other questions that i should have asked, but forgot to?