Catamarans New Zealand

[GMac]

Originally Posted by Long Reach

GMAC noted that the KIWI builder is in receivership and Perry Catamarans just closed their doors. What's all that about.

Just a case of trying to get to big to fast I suspect. I know they had huge interest and they tried to do too much to early in the companies growth phase, a common trap fallen into by many. They are still working and doing boats just while in 'liquidation' which is better for all concerned I'm told. The reciever does not have to make a profit so all boats are sold at cost of build and the reciever 'has to' deliver what the contract says with the new owner. When you think about it the only loser was the company owner (who I know lost big time trying to keep head above water when he could have just bailed out while screwing many) and could be a damn good time to sign up for a new boat.

Does/did Perry own them?

I was there last week and do believe he was or the majority owner at least. The problem seems to be cheap imports allowed in by the same government who has loaded the local companies with piles of bulls**t regulations (costs) the imports don't have to comply with. This is a major concern commented on by many Aussie and NZ boatbuilders (NZ government being just as short sighted as the Aussie) at the moment. I suspect it applies across many industries and countries as well.

Just wait until China actually figures out what quality control means and we'll see many more fall over, I very sadly suspect.

I'm going to build a 50ft Cat as my sail-away into the sunset and die on boat. I like centreboards as I've never found Cats without them that perform as well. Saying that I must say we don't seem to have many without boards down here so I only have limited experiance with them. Looking at all race cats they have boards and I'm over sitting in the middle of oceans watching waves.

I seriously believe all boats, 'just a cruiser' or not, must sail well to windward. A quick cat can out run bad weather with communication systems (weather forecasting) we have today. Getting caught by a storm can happen but when you set to sea you know this and it is a risk we all take. When that happen you just have to do the best with what you have got, be it centreboards or not. Having to sail slower than you need too just in case of a 1 in 100 day, probably a lot more, occurance just seems silly to me. I've done 30K odd nauty miles and have only had around 5-6 days of underwear colour changing weather in total i.e excess of 40+ knots. If you or the boat can't handle 40kts they shouldn't be out there.

Just spent 7 days sitting in the Tasman Sea triangle the place with no, none, nada, zip, zero weather only waves and lots of them. I now like big Perkins diesels and the ability to carry 1000lts of fuel . Wouldn't believe it but managed to motor 7 days on 6 days of fuel only to finally run out 15 mins from the Customs dock. Also now like local yacht club safety boats with 25hp outboards which can tow boats with no fuel

[fhrussell]

Originally Posted by GMac

I'm going to build a 50ft Cat as my sail-away into the sunset and die on boat.

Out of curiosity, what design will she be? Any working drawing photos?

[GMac]

Originally Posted by fhrussell

Out of curiosity, what design will she be? Any working drawing photos?

G'day,
At this stage probably a Lok Crowther 49. Older design but well proven and nearly OK load carrying. Subject to change in the next 2-3 years. Build starting in 3 years and will take 3 years and then I'm off. Master plan has me retired at 50 and gone. Master plan tracking nicely.

Have taken a serious look at Tim Clissold (spelling could be dodgy) designs as well. Not yet ruled out.

I want to be able to be completely self sufficant (food, water, fuel etc) for a minimum of 2 months hence I will be carrying a fair bit of gear. I'm not a marina person and want to go to those places power and so on has yet to reach like the outbacks of Kiribati, Solomons and places like that where there is nothing.

Will not have 20 cabins, 12 ensuites, inboard motors, enuff electrionics to get to the moon and all that excess stuff.

Will have 2 nice double cabins only each with a toilet, workshop, twin 36hp diesel outboards and lots of storage. Most importantly it will sail well and to windward.
Cheers
GMac

[fhrussell]

Sounds like my kind of cat...! I like those older Crowther designs, especially the Spindrifts. I like Clissold's stuff, too. You may want to check out Jim Antrim as well. Have you looked at Jeff Schionning designs?

Where will you build?
All the best........

[RandyAbernethy]

You might want to look at some of the Lavranos designs. He's in NZ and seems to be quite handy at producing keeled cat hulls that sail just fine to weather.

I have a couple of friends who sailed their boat to NZ and then sold it because they got such a great price (no of the burden the local builder have to put up with). I'm glad they did well with their sale but it is indeed too bad that great outfits like CNZ can't stay afloat.

[GMac]

I'll check out Antrim's. Lavranos do nice but something just seems not quite right with them, don't know what but something. I'm still flexible design wise, so many choices and so confused grey matter

NZ has had, untill only 10-15 years ago, a strange sort of dislike for multis. They were just the percieved domain of long haired freaky people from the outer islands of the Hauraki Gulf but since then there has been a big swing to them, especially powered ones.

I'll get someone to knock up the hulls to save some time and finish myself from there.

[fhrussell]

GMac, Any decision on hull materials? ..foam/grp, cold-moulded w/ wood?

I am on a 10 year plan..possibly 15... with the same intentions. Although, I may go for something slightly smaller, in the 44-48 foot range. So, I'm very interested in your endeavours here.

[GMac]

If I did the build I'd thinking something like a Duracore core (end grain balsa with a thin skin of a timber either side) which I've used in the past with great results. Used to use cedar but never again. Glass inside with a big pile of kevlar and glass outside.

The idea of the kevlar being that if all hell is about to break lose I'll use the anchor winch to haul the puppy as far up a beach as I can, use every rope to tie to every tree then wonder around till I can hop over a fence into a Club Med and drink away until the weather comes right. Seen the results of many hurricanes and those coconut trees survive very well. I'm only thinking as far north as the Pac Islands so far. There is many places to do before I wonder off elsewhere. The idea of the Med is interesting but it is getting a bit busy for me really. The US would be nice but by the time I get close to that I suspect I could not carry all the tracking gear and other bollix they will require besides the fact it looks as if you won't be able to use a anchor anywhere anyway . I'm not a marina sort of bloke. I'd like to try and head south to the Antartic but thats very much a 'non-cruising but just want too' sort of a plan, we will see about that later.

Hull and deck the same construction, strip planked timber core basically. I like timber and think it is a lot easier to fix when in the back of beyond if required. Some foams are good but timber just seems to give me the feeling I have more 'substance' to the lay-up. The duracore did stack up very well against most foams when talking impact resistance.

Size wise we may end up in the same range as you but I don't want more than 50ft. In a few places down this way you start running into the odd silly thing when you're over that. There is only going to be 2 of us anyway assuming she will still put up with my 'cunning plans' and the odd visit from mates hence only 2 cabins. The idea of a 50fter was to be able to have good sailing performance while carrying a big pile of gear, the old size V's carrying ablity trick.

Basically timber and glass built over a male mold (temp frames). Easy to do, well known properties now, can do most myself and can fix myself just about anywhere with minimal gear. Build solid but not overkill as I want to retain as much performance as I can.

Just spent 10 days in a very comforable 60ft steel mono cruiser while bringing it from Aussie but had to use motor too much as windward performance in light weather is not that flash. After doing 30K odd sea miles, I very much subscribe to the theory that all yachts be they racers or cruisers must sail to windward well, not doing so limits all sorts of things which I don't want. Also not being able to sail 99% of the time means I have to carry more fuel and rely more on the motors. Having had the odd motor issue at sea (usually in a coastal spot i.e near hard lumps) I would prefer to have them only as a back-up if the weather has completely gone away
and sail otherwise.

So glass and timber is the plan and I suspect some very fast talking would be needed to change my mind

[Talbot]

There are a lot of people building multihulls, and swapping information on http://www.themultihull.com/forum/

[fhrussell]

I agree, wood is still my overall choice for many reasons...some you've touched on... Namely; cost, durability, availability, and ease of construction and repair. And done properly, there should be very few issues over the long haul. I've spoken to Marples and Jim Brown at length regarding CC construction and can really appreciate that method, along with building many cold-moulded boats over the years. Also, having a built a number of one-off foam/GRP boats, I just cant justify the time it takes to fair a cat of that size. It's fine when someone else is paying for that time, but I'd rather be sailing and doing other things and besides, a properly contructed wood/Epoxy boat will be around as long as I need it to be. As for re-sale value, I intend to leave that to my daughter...
The other option though, is that I have a mold for a 46' cat hull that is a very nice perfoming hull and I may use that. I could easily pop out a hull in 2 weeks with that and no fairing!!! I may throw a dart down the center to give myself a little more displacement and volume aft for a couple of small deisels. And again, the cost would be nominal, compared to one-off.
Still dreaming about where to take her!!