9m Folding Catamaran

9m Folding Catamaran

Sailing photos by Craig Saint.

9m (29′ 6”) Folding Catamaran

This is my latest design which should be built for under $30 000 as a weekender or a mini coastal cruiser.

Sailing Features:

This cat’s turning ability is outstanding, due to the combination of the centre board and bows and sterns of hulls clear of the water. Tacking is positive with no need to backwind the headsail.

Sea trials to date show a sea kindly motion with heeling of less than 2 degrees. At 10 knots of speed the mast leeward stays remain tight due to no structure flexing. In future sea trials the light air drifter attached to the prodder will be tested along with strong wind sailing under reefed mainsail.

Safety Features Which Make This One Of The Safest Sailing Catmarans In The World:

The bows of the hulls have a 300mm soft foam crash absorber with a water tight bulkhead behind.
The hulls forward under water profile has been designed to ride over underwater submerged obstacles. ie metal shipping containers, tree trunks etc.
Kick up centreboard is completely clear of the water when raised in the centre pod. Transom mounted rudders are also kick up eliminating damage to the most important component of the boat.
There are no through hull fittings, meaning no possible ingress of water.
There are three watertight compartments in each hull.
A conservative rig and sail plan minimises possible capsize in sudden strong wind gusts.
Due to foam and plywood construction, this guarantees this cat is unsinkable.
If boat is moored or berthed at marina it is possible to trailer the boat on land to secure in the even of a Cyclone.
300mm (1ft) draft allows access to more sheltered water.

Building components and materials were chosen with the owner builder in mind. Hulls are PVC structural foam and the centre cabin is ply and epoxy. The design is based around home construction (very little space required) as well as providing safe trailer storage rather than expensive moorings or marina berths which are becoming out of reach to average owners and sailors.
I have started to build mine and am really excited about the prospects of coastal cruising again.

I will make available the complete folding beams for people wishing to buy them.

The study plans show a conservative rig as this boat is designed as a mini cruiser not a racing boat (however a racing version may be offered to those interested).

Due to my wife’s input regarding interior layout, please note that the navigation table has been replaced with a porta-loo (toilet) and stand up shower (when overhead hatch is raised). Under the galley top is a 60 litre water tank built in. A large ice box which can also be used as a seat between the bunks. Now that this design is nearing completion many small changes have developed and these will be incorporated into the plans.

Not shown on the study plan is the 1m prodder where a furled light air drifter is attached. This really increases the horsepower for light air sailing giving a total sail area of 54m2. Also a cruising mainsail is shown on the study plan but a racing/cruising fully battened mainsail will increase the overall horsepower which will give sparkling sailing performance.

Note – The hulls and mast are easily raised and lowered using the electric trailer winch. The structural aluminium beams have a 34 tonne shear load rating. This cat is over engineered to provide utmost safety in every aspect of the design.

Please note that all my designs are copyright, also my folding mechanism has a provisional patent.