Idea
Alu Sport Catamaran - instead of fiberglass or carbon laminate
racy and low maintenance
The first ride - and I got infected by the catamaran virus. Sailing
across Lake Constance as a youngster on a veteran, one of the
first wooden Shearwaters of the 1950s. My dream at that time:
To build a cat on my own some day.
But first windsurfing
was my top project and boards were shaped ...
Then I built an experimental
fiberglass composite sport catamaran: A planing boat for stronger
winds and low waves.
But for tough speed
sailing without caring for the equipment, a better concept was
needed: a low maintenance high performance sport catamaran. No
osmosis, no UV embrittlement. Also increased safety using a material
less brittle than fiberglass or carbon fiber laminates. And preferably,
harmless to health while building the boat and sustainable when
recycled.
Heavy duty professional boats and yachts have been built of metal
for a long time. So - what else than making an innovative sport
catamaran of aluminium?
Immediately the first
shot proved the qualities of the concept impressively. Built
as a 17 ft planing boat, racing on smooth water or jumping in
the waves gave a tremendous feeling. Also touching the ground
with the fins or rudders doesn't matter.
|
Wintering simply is outdoors uncovered or beneath a tarp and
in spring just the cobweb have to be wiped away. |
Due to the convincing
concept and aluminium construction, the next step was to go for
a boatbuilder licence.
Further hydrodynamic
and aerodynamic optimization led to an 18 ft wave piercing semi-displacement
hull structure and a balanced 20 m² rig, in combination
showing excellent dynamics and stability. |