Windelo

[Fenestron]

Windelo has made what I beileve to be my dream cat. I read on one of the other posts here that there are about 9 sailing atm, maybe more by now. For some reason the website is clunky and still uses rendered images (nothing real).



I am very hopeful a liveaboard sailor posts some cruising experience videos on YT.



Unfortuantely, I cannot for the life of me find what the actual 50 or 54 owners version bathroom looks like in real life. Has anyone seen it or post images?
If it has the shower of the Balance 442/526, It would make it truly perfect.



The only odd reservation I have is for some reason in all the YT videos I've seen, there is a sink in shower room and clothes washer in the toilet room... who puts a sink in a shower room and not the toilet room?! At any rate, I'm sure I could have Windelo change it during the build.

[skipperpete]

Hi and welcome to the Forum Fenestron. I’d be less concerned about the sink and more about the huge forward facing windows. Right now I’m looking at a Leopard 44 off my stern and I’m damned sure I wouldn’t want to make a passage in rough weather with just a flimsy glass wall between my saloon and breaking seas. Even crossing Moreton bay in filthy weather would be iffy, unless that glass is ultra thick or there’s a hidden storm shutter that rolls out when the weather gets dirty....which I very much doubt.

[Fenestron]

Interesting. Can you elaborate on your concern a bit more? The enclosed forward helm is actually one of the main reasons I like this one. There is a removable "window" in the front above the stairs to get to the bow but aside from that it's glass windows all around. I may not be understanding your criticism properly.

[Matt Johnson]

The forward windows only lead into the forward wet cockpit. You then have a slider door dividing the cockpit from the dry interior of the boat. Not bullet proof, but should be less vulnerable than a lot of production cats.

[Fenestron]

Right & and based on the review of Hakuna Mata (1st 50' Windelo) he said you stay warm and dry even in very rough seas. I realize some water may spill into the forward cockpit, which is why there are drains in the floor just forward of the main door. The forward cockpit on this particular manufacturer seems very safe and protected from the elements/ocean.

[skipperpete]

I’m in Australia and we have some difficult weather and conditions to deal with, right now here in Brisbane we have a fresh breeze that makes Moreton bay a nasty place to be, short steep seas and few places to anchor and crossing this bay right now in a Leopard 44 with all that glass? I don’t think so! From the champagne sipping promo video of the Windelo its hard to tell how those flat forward facing glass area are arranged but this is not a vessel I’d trust crossing the gulf of Carpenteria, the great Australian bight or any river bar on the east coast of Australia. As a charter platform in the Med or in Asian waters , fine, I could totally see myself sitting on that foredeck patio sipping a cool beverage but in heavy weather, nope.

[Fenestron]

I've never sailed so excuse my ignorance but are you saying you don't like it because the windows are purely vertical and have no slant to them? If that is the case, I suppose what your getting at is what you perceived as an inherent visibility flaw. Is that right?

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Fenestron

I've never sailed so excuse my ignorance but are you saying you don't like it because the windows are purely vertical and have no slant to them? If that is the case, I suppose what your getting at is what you perceived as an inherent visibility flaw. Is that right?

No, it's not about visibility. I think what people are saying is that in heavy weather, if you happen to be facing the wind and waves, you will likely get very heavy water flying back into those windows and into the front facing cockpit. Could be unpleasant and dangerous. You will not always be able to run, you may be forced to go into the seas, and knowing how strong those flat surfaces are will be very important to your purchase decision.

[skipperpete]

Beautifully explained Wingssail, thank you!

[Fenestron]

Originally Posted by wingssail

No, it's not about visibility. I think what people are saying is that in heavy weather, if you happen to be facing the wind and waves, you will likely get very heavy water flying back into those windows and into the front facing cockpit. Could be unpleasant and dangerous. You will not always be able to run, you may be forced to go into the seas, and knowing how strong those flat surfaces are will be very important to your purchase decision.

Makes perfect sense, thank you for taking the time to clarify. Hopefully someone with one of these boats gets on here and talks about it or we see some YT videos addressing those concerns.

Still hope someone posts a damn picture of the actual owners head though...

[ozolli]

There are quite some results when you search Windelo on YouTube.

[Fenestron]

unfortunately those are all either by Windelo or boat tours. very little to nothing from actual owners.

[cat123]

Yeah Windelo seems to be great. Waiting for 47.

The fwd facing windows; looking the YT videos I ve seen that they are made out of fabric, which you put them on with a zipper. Or am I missing something?

The thing I like the most at Windelo is the hybrid drive. Elec engines with powerful genset as a backup. It extends your range to 1100 NM with included tanks.
The second one is the helm position.

I don't like the bathing platform and "davits" concept.
The throttle position should be moved on top of the shelf.

But as you said, we need to wait for the owners tour, reviews.

For me, the Outremer is still the way to go. Waiting for the updated 45. I hope they make it soon.


You can see the fwd window in this video. (mark 6.40)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DYyAr0rIUw&t=48s

[skipperpete]

Thanks for the link to the video cat123, it’s certainly an interesting design.

[Fenestron]

I'll go ahead and kick in a few Windelo videos as well to help clear some things up. This one is of the 50. It's a great tour video because Sam Jefferson(editor at Sailing Today) points out some good tidbits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFDeKYt0SP4

Note, I beileve in 2023 they have updated the boat a little but aside from the longer cockpit sail view skylights, I'm not sure what else has changed. Second note, Windelo's configurator specifies upto 4800W/3900W solar capacities for the 54 and 50, respectively. That may be exandable as they seem to be willing to work with clients.

Windelo's 54 looks identical to the 50. There isn't much difference between them from what I've seen so far. On the 54 The berths have a bit more room and a longer wrap around glass window in the aft berths. Windelo's website lists a 47 in the works however, their website's career openings also list a position for a navel architect. If these are related we may not see a 47 for quite sometime. Speaking of seeing one, Anapolis boat show is coming up mid October, we might see one of the Windelo's there, fingers crossed. Hopefully someone from CF is going and can take some video for us!

This next video is a tour by NautiStyles. Check out 38:43 were they go over the forward helm more indepth to include the front rollup/slideback windows. I know these days most lines on a cat run to the helm but this isn't always the case for daggerboard winches. Also on other boats the helm is protected but not necessarily the winches as in the example of the newer balance cats with the VersaHelm. The winches are mounted at the top helm postition and while you can drop the versa helm for inclement weather, you need to open the top slide to access the winches. Most cats dont have anchor winches at the helm as is the case here, which I would think could be handy.

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

As was noted in a newly formed thread regarding a discussion on forward helms (https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ts-279921.html), this particular helm is a bit different because it seems the concept is, when the rollup "window" is down, the cockpit should be fully enclosed, warm and dry. I'll note, from the other videos, they've mentioned the height of the bridge and the benefit of staying above and reducing seaspray. The first Windelo 50 Hakuna Matata sailed "in all weather conditions and at all latitudes" for its maiden voyage. Here is a link to the full article where the owner talks about the experience and address the forward helm. https://www.windelo-catamaran.com/en...atlantic-tour/
He says "When it was closed, we were perfectly protected from the spray and wind in the forward cockpit". The article is well worth the read IMO. If this is all true, it would mean the forward cockpit executes it's goals a bit differently than others.

I'll note for me personally, I love the options for the galley. I prefer the further aft U shapped version as there is no need to squeeze around anyone going up and down the stairs and you can brace yourself between the cabinets without fear of being knocked down into the hull (however remote a chance that may be). Secondly, I know it's stupid but I love how high the beds sit specifically with regard to how the view lines up with the windows. Most boats, you have to be sitting up to enjoy the view from the bed, not on this boat. AFAIK, this is the only boat that a person can lay in bed and see out the windows as most beds are far positioned lower.

If anyone finds more owners experiences/articles (or a damn real picture of an owners head, lol) please post it! As I mentioned above, most of the posted videos available for this brand are produced by Windelo on YouTube. I'll link there channel incase people want to check them out. https://www.youtube.com/@windelocatamaran6969/videos. I very much look forward to further articles and owner testimonials.