[solarwindsailor]

has anyone made a homemade catamaran and crossed an ocean yet? Maybe waterworld kind of thing?

Can anyone provide links or names I can search if this has been done?

 

[Faster]

Look for Wharram catamarans.. I'd expect a fairly high number of them have done this since their introduction back in the '60s (maybe '50s?)

 

[Andrew65]

Search James Warram catamaran.

 

[krisscross]

has anyone made a homemade catamaran and crossed an ocean yet? Maybe waterworld kind of thing?

The Waterworld trimarans (there were 2 made) were anything but home made. They were actually rather advanced design made by the Lagoon yard (a subsidiary of Jeanneau Technologies). One of them was later used in serious racing.

Crossing oceans on multihull boats is done quite frequently these days but it is still a very serious task requiring a very solid design and even better execution.

 

[TQA]

Lets see as well as numerous Wharrams, including the 21 ft Tiki, we have Easy Catamarans, Wallers, and at least one Dudley Dix that I know of.

One that has not is the self designed Flying Hawaiian.

One that I remember because we coastal hopped with her From Bayona to the Canaries then saw her again in Martinique was a tiny Frenchwoman who built something like a big Hobie cat out of 1/4 ply on her dads front lawn. No accommodation pod just a mesh trampoline. A shelf in one hull that she slept on. Nothing to cook on she lived on muesli, dates, crispbread and Nutella. It was lashed together like a Wharram and I always remember her animated description of having to redo the lashings mid Atlantic.

 

[smackdaddy]

Hundreds have slapped together cats and taken off.

I don't think anyone's come back though.

 

[pdqaltair]

Hundreds have slapped together cats and taken off.

I don't think anyone's come back though.

Just curious why you typed that. But not very crious.

 

[smackdaddy]

Just curious why you typed that. But not very crious.

It's a joke. Kind of...

I also followed the misadventures of Sean (Sully) Sullivan on his big cat. Kind of horrifying.

There was another dude in Australia who was building his own...for many years. I don't know if he's finished yet.

The whole building a boat in order to sail? I just don't get it.

 

[travellerw]

There have been quite a few.. Here is one (went to Hawaii and back)
Building Your Own Catamaran

There was also one for sale on CF that was sailed from England to Canada.

 

[smj]

Wharrams, Woods design, Shuttleworth, Oram, Simpson, Schionning, Crowther and I'm sure I'm missing many other designers who have had their designs home built and crossing oceans with no problems. Not a big undertaking nowadays.

 

[pdqaltair]

It's a joke. Kind of...

I also followed the misadventures of Sean (Sully) Sullivan on his big cat. Kind of horrifying.

There was another dude in Australia who was building his own...for many years. I don't know if he's finished yet.

The whole building a boat in order to sail? I just don't get it.

Well, yeah, I kind of hoped it was.

When I first got interested in sailing I saw this home-built powerboat made of steel, with considerably less design and build skill than that example. I wish I had a picture. Looked like a pirate ship built from a cardboard box by a group of 8 year olds on a rainy day. Fortunatly, I think he never got the engine installed.

I wonder if the greater problem is lack of construction skill or construction skill; if a person has sailing skill I would hope that would scare them away from poor boats.

 

[Multihullgirl]

Look up Rory MacDougall and his boat "Cooking Fat," (aka "Cookie") a 21' Wharram-design TIKI, in which he not only crossed oceans, but circumnavigated. I think it's the smallest cat to circumnav on record IIRC. In any case, MacDougall did the Jester Challenge afterward (2010), which is an Atlantic crossing, singlehand, between Plymouth UK to Newport RI

 

[Scallywag2]

It was a year ago that I visited Sully's cat. What a nice job. Yes, it has been a large under taking. It takes time. From what I understand, he does not plan to cross an ocean.

 

[smackdaddy]

It was a year ago that I visited Sully's cat. What a nice job. Yes, it has been a large under taking. It takes time. From what I understand, he does not plan to cross an ocean.

Well that's cool. So he's still working on it? Last I heard he'd pretty much given up and was going to sell.

Good on him for sticking with it.

 

[capttb]

Yet or still ?

 

[Stumble]

Well, yeah, I kind of hoped it was.

When I first got interested in sailing I saw this home-built powerboat made of steel, with considerably less design and build skill than that example. I wish I had a picture. Looked like a pirate ship built from a cardboard box by a group of 8 year olds on a rainy day. Fortunatly, I think he never got the engine installed.

I wonder if the greater problem is lack of construction skill or construction skill; if a person has sailing skill I would hope that would scare them away from poor boats.

The real issue is people who think that building it themselves is a huge cost savings, and drastically under appreciate the amount of hours that go into building a boat. It's really sad, but the percentage of people who start a large build who actually finish is probably less than 2%. Many designers for home builders won't even draw up plans for anything over 40' simply because of the complexities and time required to finish a build.

Having built a few boats in the past I only shake my head in wonder at the people who attempt to build anything over 30'. Sure it can be done, but it's a lot cheaper and easier to buy something now.

 

[solarwindsailor]

hehe "tiny French Woman"

Lets see as well as numerous Wharrams, including the 21 ft Tiki, we have Easy Catamarans, Wallers, and at least one Dudley Dix that I know of.

One that has not is the self designed Flying Hawaiian.

One that I remember because we coastal hopped with her From Bayona to the Canaries then saw her again in Martinique was a tiny Frenchwoman who built something like a big Hobie cat out of 1/4 ply on her dads front lawn. No accommodation pod just a mesh trampoline. A shelf in one hull that she slept on. Nothing to cook on she lived on muesli, dates, crispbread and Nutella. It was lashed together like a Wharram and I always remember her animated description of having to redo the lashings mid Atlantic.

 

[solarwindsailor]

The easiest way to build a large catamaran is to buy a mobile home class type A or even perhaps class B and then attach two gigantic hollow ski looking tubes to it. Wham! You have a catamaran lol

I am just being silly.

The real issue is people who think that building it themselves is a huge cost savings, and drastically under appreciate the amount of hours that go into building a boat. It's really sad, but the percentage of people who start a large build who actually finish is probably less than 2%. Many designers for home builders won't even draw up plans for anything over 40' simply because of the complexities and time required to finish a build.

Having built a few boats in the past I only shake my head in wonder at the people who attempt to build anything over 30'. Sure it can be done, but it's a lot cheaper and easier to buy something now.

 

[Capt Len]

Do home made tri's count? Home designed and built plywood (and diagonal ply) multihulls have done Hawaii and New Zealand from here. Others don't make it out of the backyard but that's true of glass and ferro projects too. Easy to tsk,tsk when you're the proud owner of a 30 ft production glass hull with a wet balsa deck ,dodgy chainplates and few skills.