Richard Woods design suggestion

[SP]

I think my ideal minimum coastal cruising cat design would be a cross of the strider/shadow/Janus.

Size of the shadow/strider, simple hull construction of the Janus without the cold molding, dagger boards like strider for shoal and sailing performance but with the deep mast beam and solid cockpit of the shadow which would also enable your optional hard cuddy. Add in a couple options for sail rigs, performance vs cruising and I think it would be a great design.

Any possibility of it coming to fruition?

I have the perfect building space waiting for it only 11.5' wide, but 30' long.

[Woods Designs]

Thank you for the suggestion!

Right now I have the following trailable sailing catamarans in the 20-25ft size range. Acorn, Saylon, Janus, Wizard (round bilge and hard chine), Shadow, Strider (various versions) Gwahir (round bilge and hard chine), Merlin, Wizzer and Sango. Plus the Skoota 20 and 24 powercats. (I think thats it). I also have the larger grp Savannah and Elf, plus Salish and Skua, while in todays emails was one from someone has commissioned a home build "big Sango"

I think what you are after is a 24 Acorn? Is that right? That would be relatively easy to draw. But maybe not until next year as I have a lot of work to finish this year. Maybe you can email me or Jacques direct to discuss it further

Richard Woods

[SP]

I never thought about Acorn, since it was so much smaller and didn't have a hard cockpit etc....but it really is a great design. The multi chine hull is still easy to build and does look better IMO.

A larger 24' version which would get you two singles per hull, like with shadow/strider, deeper mast beam to go along with a deeper hard cockpit and able to take the removable cuddy would be great. I am sure using either aft or side opening hatches could be done.

Combining the shadow/strider would get everything also but I really don't want to do any cold molding.

I understand you are busy. I'll bump up this thread or send an email to you next year to see what you think then. Right now I am building a teardrop trailer so don't mind waiting to see what happens, but if it did exist I would buy plans today.

Once the teardrop is done, which actually is a pretty straight forward project, I am moving forward with the boat.

[SP]

The more I think about my needs, the more I am thinking the Wizard is probably the boat I should build.

I think what decided it is once you start adding a cuddy and being able to trailer the boat, not having to physically move the cuddy (as well as the cockpit) from truck to boat etc....makes a lot of sense. Plus you get the larger cuddy which is a big plus if your main plan is to use the boat as a trailer sailer for coastal cruising as I am.

I think the only negative is the hulls now aren't as airy, access is a little tighter, not as much light etc...... but probably is a good compromise if you want trailerability and a larger cuddy.

Hopefully the trailer system is pretty straight forward and is not too difficult to use.

And who wouldn't want a Wizard after watching this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOvLOIP2QB8

I noticed in this video that a full head with tank was installed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0KU_O5c0xY

Would this type of head system be OK to install when the hulls are always being folded inwards for towing?

Richard, with the folding beams, does this weaken the beam strength and prevent sailing short offshore passages like across the gulf stream to the Bahamas or limit the type of conditions the boat can be sailed in?

[Woods Designs]

I would use a porta potti or composting toilet (which are great BTW) rather than a marine head/holding tank. In fact, after our 3 years experience with our C-Head I would never fit a marine head again

No problems sailing to the Bahamas or beyond. The Wizard design has been around nearly 25 years with no beam problems. We took ours from Plymouth to France a couple of times, that's 130 miles across the English Channel - a much rougher/tougher sail than the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Surprisingly, for an Englishman, I have actually sailed ore often to the Bahamas than to France

As you may have seen on my Plan Updates section of my website, I have drawn removable cabin tops for the Wizard and Sango to increase hull headroom. But I have slept in the Wizard hull with no problem

Richard Woods

[SP]

As you may have seen on my Plan Updates section of my website, I have drawn removable cabin tops for the Wizard and Sango to increase hull headroom. But I have slept in the Wizard hull with no problem

Richard Woods

I have seen the plan update, but I don't understand a couple things.

How do you access the inside of the hull with the removable cabin tops installed? Are you using the same hatch, which seems to be located behind the removable cabins or is there a hatch in the cabin top itself?

If you have the removable cabins do you now have a large hole in the hulls when towing?

I have no doubt there is a good way to design in a removable hatch with good access which works well for towing, but from the plan update I just can't figure it out.

What do you think is the best way to incorporate the removable cabin tops into the design?

[Woods Designs]

You have to make a bigger hole in the hull deck. The cabin extensions fit across the cockpit for transport and a separate flat hatch fits over the holes, which are just used for transport

I haven't used those extensions on a Wizard myself, but have done on a larger one off design, which I first trailed Savannah to Annapolis and then the next year sailed there (my first ICW trip, all singlehanded)

Hope that helps

Richard Woods

[SP]

Thank you Richard.

Makes sense now.

No doubt it all comes together and is easier to understand when you are actually building.

It is impressive how you took all the usual design constraints of a small cat with cuddy that needs to be towed without dismantling and addressed each one with a very viable solution (cuddy hatch & pop bottom, removable cabins, beam folding mechanism, trailer design, being able to get the boat on the trailer from level, mast slot to help when putting up the mast etc....).

Adds to the build, but worth it if you want all the upsides.

[Woods Designs]

I have now prepared a basic study plan for my new Eagle 24 open deck trailable catamaran. I have sent a copy to Jacques so he can post it on this site.

It is a sheet ply boat with much bigger hulls than on my other open deck trailable designs (5ft headroom and bunks over 2ft 6ft wide). Flat bottomed hulls and a telescopic trailer should make assemble quick and easy, even singlehanded

No doubt Jacques and I will discuss it in a few days when we meet up at the Port Aransas WBF. Our Skoota powercat is already enroute, we fly down on Wednesday.

We will probably also discuss my next project, Rascal, a 14ft self righting cruising/racing dinghy for 2-4 people

Richard Woods

[SP]

Thank you for the heads up. Can't wait to see it.