Catamaran Build Plans Recommendations?

[beneteau-500]

I built a Gary Lidgard designed 50ft a few yrs ago and I have no complaints about the design and support from Garry I built in foam core kleggcell l from Gruit composites .

Yacht design & boat plans by Lidgard Yacht Design Monohull and Multihull

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

Haven't seen the OP and hasn't answered my question. How to transport from Colorado?

You build it in pieces in Colorado then assemble them together on a body of water that leads to open water.

You can build each hull, the bridge deck, roof, connectives, boards, rudders, do your fairing, some painting, even do some interior work before assembly.

Doesn’t need to be a de mountable design. Just needs a lot of planning.

[Lightwave99]

We built a Richard Woods Gypsy 28; extended it (aft hulls only) while on the hard in Mexico; and 6 years ago we cut it in half, put a "plug" in it and extended it again so it is now 37 feet. It is perfect for a couple, or a small family. Richard Woods designs are very simple and straightforward. Took us 2 1/2 years to build initially. The last big change, extending it 5 feet, changed it to allow us to get into the hulls inside, so it is all "one piece" so to speak and in our West Coast (home Vancouver, BC) weather, it is perfect. We happily sailed offshore for 2 years with the original design (except adding the 4 feet of "buoyancy" off the aft hulls mid-trip in Mexico, to eliminate or significantly reduce "hobby horsing"); and now we kind of wish we had done that before our 2-year offshore adventure, so that when one of us was on watch and the other sleeping we would not feel so separated--as we used to have to go outside to get into the "sleeping hull" or the "head hull". Anyway, you can look at our whole story on our website Time For a Catamaran Adventure – Isn't Time For Yours?. Unfortunately, in 1998 when we built Light Wave (Gypsy 28), we were so focused on buildling every single day (which you have to do if you reallay want to build your own boat) that we had no time (and no hands not encumbered with sticky epoxy-laden gloves!) to take many photos or videos! But we do have a very amusing video of our extension 6 years ago on our website, and our whole Adventure is posted.



Glad to hear you are serious about building your own boat. Buying a "kit" doesn't save much time anyway. Building the hulls was the easy part!



Contact Richard Woods--he has become a good friend of ours and we have shown him our various modifications over the years and sailed with him aboard in Mexico. Very knowledgeable fellow.
It is such an accomplishment. Then you can be sure everything is done right. Like overdrilling all the holes to affix your deck hardware and filling them with epoxy, to ensure no leaks around and through holes.

Happy building!
Carllie & Garett Hennigan

[Narfi]

Originally Posted by Lightwave99

We built a Richard Woods Gypsy 28

My wife and I found your stretching project video a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. You have something special with your boat as well as what you and your wife have together.

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I have seen several people post in this thread saying what they built but no pictures......... I want to see what people are proud of in their own work because when I am done, I want to be proud as well.

[simonhantler]

www.devilliersmarinedesign.co.nz

[Impreza]

Have a look at dixdesign.com

[kmargolis3]

this might be a bit big for you but the dudley Dix cat's are beautiful

https://dixdesign.com/43cat.htm

[wb.andrews]

Malcom Tennant. We finished the loop in a 55 custom cat. 22 beam. Cabin on one level, closed bridge. Range 1000 nm plus at 8kts. Range 400 miles at 14 kts. On 400 gal fuel. Twin 4 cyl Cummins. Reply if you want pics or specs.

[GRIT]

You wanted photos...

It was a pretty day today, so we took one for you.

Cheers.
Paul.

[Iains boatyard]

Waller design
Mike Waller Australian designer designs for self builder.
I built one of his CC40
Good details supplied with the plans

[Redreuben]

Re; strip planking the gunnel, Um, it's not that hard.
I live in WA, unfortunately there are a couple of shonky builders here, one is somewhat incompetent and the other is just plain shonky. But there are numerous good ones.

@Phillipcataproa, you claim Kohlers designs are "very seaworthy". Care to elaborate ? I find them interesting but have seen little evidence of significant passages or rough weather encounters, the 8m boat interests me so I'd be interested in a bit of evidence ?

[SkippyBKR]

For 40’ you have to look at Gary Ligard “Fusion 40”. Over 80 boats have been built and counting. A very good looking boat and great room inside. Certainly not the slowest 40’ going either. Comes in kit form, vinyl-ester foam core with a solid glass hull below the waterline.
Lots of different configurations possible but like all these project boats - much more to it if you want to do it right. I have to agree though - a kit boat goes not really save much time or effort over a scratch build, just gives you something to look at earlier to make you think you a closer to launching.
You need to be committed to the journey. Unless you have lots of experience get professional help or it will cost you more or worse - you will go broke, mad or both.
I can highly recommend Jamie Morris from ACM, Goldcoast if you need such expertise!
He built our Stormtrooper (with me occasionally pestering him).

[martinworswick]

38 and 48ft sailing options plus a few power options,

plans only available.

https://www.spiriteddesigns.com.au/spirited_480

finished example of the 480-

[GRIT]

I'm going to disagree with the posters who say that kits don't save time, for an amateur, or first time builder. Or for anyone really. I think those who say that, must never have built from scratch.

With a kit there's much you don't have to do, regards setup, and shelter. You don't have to build forms (or source the material, ship, and shape your forms), buy 10,000 screws, or store several thousand kilos of glass and epoxy. You don't have to invent ways to build things, as a kit already has it mostly figured out. You'll use less sandpaper, and other consumables, especially if you're building a resin infused boat.

I'd bet we spent more than 10% of our time sourcing materials during the build.

You can often assemble a kit in 6 months; you're not going to have a hull and deck from scratch in 6 months. Once you've assembled your kit, you still have to fair it, but you're already miles ahead of a scratch build.

Too many folks plan only the "building" time, or the "fairing" time, and they use professional estimates on how much time that'll take, while ignoring the fact that the professionals have lots of experience, and you have none.

There's "learning" time, and "planning" time, and organizing your dusty, itchy, messy job around your normal life time. It's a lot more itchy to build a hull and trim it so it fits to the other half hull you built, than there is in assembling two hulls someone else itched over. Home built hulls don't come out with perfect edges, even production builders make lots of dust trimming parts. There's also storing big parts out of the way, for months, while building "other" big parts, from scratch. On top of that, someone has to clean all that extra building dust from the shop, every day, for the next day's work. That's you too!

You don't have to spend time sourcing good vacuum pumps, regulators, timers, thermometers, sound sticks, vacuum bags, peel ply, release materials, flow material, butyl tape, and learn how to use them. Nor do you have to stress over any of the actual infusing of 10-15 metre long parts, where several thousands of dollars are at risk, if you happen to lose your electricity at a crucial point in the infusion (Yes, it happened). Ok, that wasn't time related, but stress is important too.

Post curing... that was fun too, and necessary; but not for a kit boat.

There's much less planning, and learning involved in having a hull and deck delivered to you in full, or in kit. And it's much more inspiring to see fast progress on your build. You'll have less than half the dust and cleanup over the course of the build.

I definitely think you'll save quite a lot of time, and stress, with a kit. For some, certainly for me, possibly years.

When folks ask me about building a boat, and my recommendations, I always suggest a kit. I'd probably never do it from scratch again, I'd go for a kit right off the bat. An Oram, or Schionning, or other Australian design.

We built from scratch for financial reasons, and got a lot more boat than we could have bought otherwise. But as to speed of build, I suggest a kit boat, hands down.

If you want to be the guy who builds from scratch, I'd not try to dissuade you from doing so. There's a lot of satisfaction, knowing you did every inch yourself. But this post was about SPEED of build, and time saved.

Cheers.
Paul.

[GRIT]

To the OP, we built a Kurt Hughes design. We're happy with the design, and his after sales support.

Cheers.
Paul.