I see that a particular catamaran cabin dodge has become very popular.
Square assed catamaran cabins are disguised behind a swoop more and more lately. Like the fins on a 59 Chevy, a well placed swoosh makes the cabin not only look bigger, but not look frumpy, not boxy. People, it is boxy behind the make-up. And small.
I have done it before. On a 60’ dinner catamaran in the early 90s. I felt guilty for years, and virtually every dinner cruise cat now does it. What if I caused it?
I admit that the swoosh looks good, but it is a fraud. And actually a hazard. Imagine you are slugging to windward at night in a blow. And you have to go up to the mast and fix a kink. At least once you will trip over that port and starboard style peninsula. You will.
I know it’s popular, but so was a 59 Chevy. A brilliant stylist like Michael Schacht could come up with a half dozen non-swoosh options in very little time. I’m agitating for honesty in design; not hiding behind swooshes.
Just posted on Anarchy under the title “Unsafe at any speed”
“On Monday 19th February at 20:20 AST, Fujin capsized close to Saba Island while competing in the Carribean 600”
Bad choice of title, but the accompanying photo suggests that with waves on the beam Fujin liked to bury her bows. Whatever happened to the old fashioned idea that multihull hulls should have tapered aft sections and immerse bow up when pressed instead of planing on flat, broad aft surfaces?
One can only hope that the grotesque shack that served as the deck house gets ripped off during salvage!
That was suppose to be pun.
Safe trumps looks. No pjn intended.
A wind scoop by any other name is still a dog waiting to happen. The boats in the charter trade sort of don’t count because they want cool looking deck space. The count because people buy them.
I refer a rounded front entry that may look boxy at some angles but it’s a useful tool to open up the inside of the boat without adding much drag.