The long-awaited “smaller” Aluminium Cat!!
As mentioned when first posted this is a concept design that is our answer to a definite need for a baseline aluminium cruising catamaran. Building a custom boat in today’s market can be a costly exercise. Aluminium boats have hundreds, if not thousands of CNC cut parts which takes considerable skill to form and fabricate into a quality yacht that is fair and fit for purpose.
With this design we are aiming to reduce the time needed to fabricate the hull and deck structure. Specifically a multi-chine hull form has been chosen to eliminate the process of wheeling compound curved surfaces. Lightweight alloy hulls necessarily require intricate internal framing that adds structural weight, takes time to fit and fabricate and detracts from the available internal volume. We have some tricks up our sleeve that aim to alleviate these constraints whilst maintaining highest structural standards.
Staying true to our philosophies for cruising Cats, of course the forward cockpit is still front and centre! However there is now the added feature that this sail-handling and steering area is enclosed with acrylic sliding front windows that are intended to keep driving rain and spray out. This forward cockpit is not intended to be 100% watertight and will therefore be “separated” from the deckhouse accommodation. The helm station is on the starboard side of the forward cockpit.
There are other compelling features to this design as shown on the general arrangement plan. Firstly we have packed in a relatively large accommodation volume into a sub-45’ sailing cat. The deck saloon shows a walk-through galley and double sliding doors accessing the aft deck lounging area. The aft deck “island” seat has plenty of storage and there will be an option to add storage counters against the aft house bulkhead outboard of the sliding doors.
There is also a full walk-round “dive” platform behind the island seat. The tender is our own DVD designed D-PAL yacht tender, in this case the 3300mm version. The tender is housed in a uniquely developed set of C-davits.
There is no less than 4800W of solar capacity shown in a dedicated recess on the house top. This recess can also be used for rainwater collection.
Something’s gotta give so we have dispensed with the typical skeg and straight shaft drive installation that is feasible on the larger boats. A robust alloy mini-skeg will protect the saildrive.
As with all of our other Cat designs we have hull subdivision (watertight bulkheads) separating the forepeaks and engine spaces from the accommodation space.
A lot has been said on social media about the “risks” of building boats in SE Asia. We do NOT share that opinion and will be actively pursuing marketing this design for exclusive manufacture in Vietnam with our partners. This is currently an exciting “work in progress”.
Please contact us for further information on this design.
Design #261 – PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS
| LOA | 14.5 m (47’ 7.6”) |
| Length Hull | 13.35 m (43” 9.4”) |
| LWL | 13.34 m (43’ 9.2”) |
| Beam OA | 7.54 m (24’ 8.8″) |
| Beam (Hull Centres) | 5.5 m (18’ 0.5”) |
| Draft (Canoebody) | 0.59 m (1’ 11.2”) |
| Draft (Fixed Keels) | 1.15 m (3’ 9.3”) |
| Upwind Sail Area | 111.8 sqm (1203.4 sq ft) |
| Displacement@DWL | 12400 kg (27 337 lbs) |
| Bridgedeck Clearance | 0.65 m (2’ 1.6”) |
| Air Draft | 19.3 m (64’ excl. Aerials) |
| Material | Aluminium 5083 H321/H116 |
| Power | 2x Yanmar 3JH40 with SD 60 Saildrive |
| Hull Speed under power | ~ 9.2 knots |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 660 Litres (174.3 US Gallons) |
| Water Tank Capacity | 600 Litres (158.5 US Gallons) |
| Holding Capacity | 160 Litres (42.3 US Gallons) |
| Solar Capacity | Up to 4800 W |
| CE-Category | A (Ocean) |