I got another great picture of my 65′ Alii Nui. The queen of the fleet in Maui.
Alii Nui Pic
Mosquito Fleet Catamarans
New 65 foot Mosquito Fleet ferry proposal. Imagine a Holo Holo for cold weather, with classic lines. 135 passengers. 500 hp per side giving 27 knots.
Compare to the recent Kitsap Transit metal cats of 149 pax, needing nearly 5000 hp to go 37 knots. And costing $7.5 million each. They could have probably had 4 or 5 of these for that price, and avoided the soulless utilitarian look too.
They could also be electric, but see how they have about a fifth of the carbon footprint already.
#multihulls
New 26′ Trimaran Build
This demountable 26′ trimaran is being built here in the PNW. CM cylinder molded developed plywood/epoxy.
Toss the outboard and add a rowing rack aft to make it a R2AK competitor. I will publish interior next week. BOA 22.5′ or 6.86m.
Gato
It must have been more than 20 years ago that I met Gerry Downton. He was a famous around the world ocean racer and I was an obscure designer. He bought plans, built the 42 and sailed it.
He notes, “Did a 5 year apprenticeship as a boatbuilder.
Left Australia at 21 to go sailing for a year, but didn’t return for 36 years. Too many yacht races to do and race boats to move, fix, modify or build to think about stopping a great lifestyle. Ended up sailing about 225,000 miles during that time. Including some long distance races and 1 marathon race. Loved it all.
Built “Exit” a Newick 36’ tri and “Gato” a Hughes 42’ for myself and am toying with the plans for a Power cat as my next build. When will this madness stop?!”
https://1drv.ms/v/s!AjxnO8ngiT7inwXc8MX8DKFewPaN
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Visit to Lake Chelan Ferry Build
My first time standing in the cabin. 50 feet, and 32 passengers. Building near Seattle.
#catamarans #passengerferry #lakechelan #multihulldesigns
Bio Composite Materials
in my Automotive Design/Production magazine I read about a new composite being by the University of Portsmouth in UK. They are using a date palm fiber biomass for things like bumpers and liners. The products are reported to have better tensile strength and better low velocity impact strength.
Date palm fiber polycaprolactone PCL bio-composite is completely biodegradable and recyclable…”
Mechanical properties. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1020216906846
I get a bending strength of about 50,000 psi which is impressive.
Technology From the Spaceship
While it is obvious all the boat tech things that have gone into the lunar lander dwelling, several ideas from that spaceship have helped my multihull design.
The first is a new view of lighting and interiors. My designs have always leaned toward vehicle and less to habitat. The interiors were flat white and throw in a few lights.
The spaceship has allowed me to take advantage of the new design freedom allowed by all the new LED offerings.
Another is the use of Foamular insulation foam for non structural core. Things like shelves or seats can use a ply/core/ply sandwich with much less cost and much easier edge finishing than the usual Tricel materials.
I read in my auto magazines that electric cars have their batteries punished by resistance electric heaters. Expect auto sized ductless heat pumps in a couple of years. I have been seeing the results firsthand at the spaceship. Energy costs are about a third of resistance heat.
19′ Beachcat in China
In development now. The beachable resort version first. 19′ x 8′. It will be vinylester/glass, not rotomolded.
Salty’s Hound On Pipe 3
This arrangement is proven as it has sailed for years. I have been told that it can rotate 90 degrees each way from centerline.
John Fanta would prefer Colligo Cheeky Tangs for the shrouds.
52′ Tri Hound
I was shown this 52 Mcconaghy trimaran with an interesting hound arrangement. Composite rigging guru John Fanta advises against any hidden composite rigging arrangements.
It also had an oddly large masthead plate and an oddly small and badly chewed up exit for something there in the picture foreground.
