July/August 1997

Multihulls Magazine

July/August 1997

On the Cover: Olivier de Kersauzon and his crew aboard the trimaran Sport-Elec, broke all the records of the around the world race, thus bringing the Jules VerneTrophy back to France. Their time was an amazing 71 days, 8 hours, 22 minutes, and 8 seconds

Contents:

News:
Yachtsail to move to the USA
Sails International Inc. is purchasing the assets of Neil Pryde Yachting and will be moving the business from China to the United States in October.

New Zealand's builders to build cats
Some of New Zealand's leading marine companies have joined together to build a new range of performance catamarans from 11m to 15m.

A new service for custom masts
Sparcraft C.C. is a new service that has been developed to meet customer demands for the specialized and custom manufacturing of aluminum and carbon fiber spars.

Boat Accessory Market will be in Annapolis
This event will have tens-of-thousands of marine products for sale at bargain prices.

Featured Products:
Clamcleats® Rope Cleats
Clamcleats are being used on the fastest Formula 18 in Europe. The simplicity and ease of these rope cleats are said to be a major contributor to the speed and ease of sailing this catamaran.

Portable Marine Air Conditioner
The KoolKart outputs 6500 BTUs of water-cooled air while only drawing a low 6.5 amps. It is constructed of a plastic polymer so it will not corrode in the boating environment.

Corinne's Culinary Corner: A Dash or a Dollop
by Corinne Kanter

PDQ Brings its 32 Up to MKII
The new model incorporates significant improvements in the galley, electrical supply, mast and rigging.

Bahamas Cruise Leads to Newport Win
by Tom LaMers
A beautiful adventure from Florida to Abaco. Here Tom shares his highlights and experiences of tandem sailing and the improved performance of his Seawind 24. After Tom and Evelyn arrive back home from their cruise, they decide to beef up the cat and enter a few races, only to find themselves outmatched, and finishing close to last. Determined as ever, they persevere to pull off a much needed win.

In Memory of Geoff Pack
by Patrick Boyd
Geoff Pack, the editor of England's Yachting Monthly and long-time multihull enthusiast, died May 28, at age 39.

Letters:
• Kettlewell Questions by Tom Surles, Reply by John Kettlewell
• The Cheap Seats by Robert Bourque
• Upright-Uptight, Kismet
• Venezuela Ventures by Walt Ingram
• All Tensed Up by Gavin LeSuerer

Cruising:
The Gathering
by Iain Young
The story of the catamaran Earthlight battling the 30-foot waves of the unforgiving sea. Just when hopelessness and fear set in, a beam from a nearby lighthouse pierced the night skies, giving a new course and rekindled spirits.

Adventures of a Seawind 24, Part II - Outfitting a Small Cat for a BIG Voyage
By Judy Jacobs and Mihaly Kun
Over the period of 2 1/2 months, Mihaly disassembled, waterproofed, and strengthened his small catamaran. The sails, electrical system, and electronics were all upgraded. He replaced the stove, trampoline, beds and engine, while adding a lot more other equipment. This outfitting process seemed next to impossible, Mihaly would soon find out.

If It's Not a Cat...It's a Dog
By Julian Putley
As the controversy between monohulls and catamarans battles on, here are some reasons why a catamaran should be the vessel of choice.

DGPS - Is It For You?
by Earl Hinz
Some may feel the standard GPS at the accuracy of +/- 100 meters is just fine, but the DGPS (Differential GPS) surpasses even the Precise Positioning System (used by the military), at +/- 10 meters. The US Coast Guard pronounced its accuracy better than 3-5 meters.

Electrics: Solar Power - Going to extremes
by Kevin Jeffrey
Large solar systems are becoming so popular on boats because they are by far the most benign power source on the planet, and simplicity is essential for successful cruising. The price per watt of the larger standard solar panels is roughly the same, regardless of size or rating.

Capsizing Oiseau Roc...and Getting Her Back on Her Feet
by Claas van der Linde
In the unlikely event of a capsize, here are some tips for righting your boat over the sterns or over the side.

Construction:
The Message is Getting Across - Foam sandwich and KSS
by Derek Kelsall
Derek has been using this method for over 20 years, and here he explains the technique, comparisons, and materials to use. His video is available through the Multihullshop.

Building a Flexible Sanding Board
by Tom Pawlak
Boaters who build or repair their own boats often have a hard time sanding curved surfaces, so the Gougeon Brothers would like to pass on some tips to make the job easier.

Is the World Shrinking?
by Christian Fevrier
A report on the record-breaking race around the world, and how the winning boat was transformed from Poulain into Sport-Elec.

New speed record in Class-D
by Christian Fevrier
After three months of unsuccessful attempts, Ensta bettered the standing world speed record by 0.46 knots.

Journalist, Photographer, Multihull Sailor extraordinaire!
Some of the biggest names in the boating industry voice their opinion about Christian Fevrier.

Laurent Bourgnon blows away the Cowes-Dinard record
by Christian Fevrier
Laurent Bourgnon and crew crossed the channel between the Royal Yacht Squadron and France's Saint Malo at a record-breaking speed of 20.32 knots.

Introducing: The Quadcat
by Keith MacKenzie
It's the new quadramaran, and just as you would suspect, it has four hulls. With the help of Bob Harris, Jerry Kostanski was able to turn his dreams into a reality. This report compares the catamaran, trimaran, and the Quadcat.

Relation Ship
by Dick Newick
Newick's ECHO design is going to make an unbelievable journey around the world. What makes this trip so shocking is that it will be unmanned. That's right, no one aboard! The vessel will be run by satellites and electronics.

The Worrell 1000
Coverage of the most challenging beach cat race in the world; 13 teams from around the world entered the race, and the United States' Randy Smyth and Jason Sneed prevailed with a time of 75h17m00s.

Toshiba Tries for Third Triumph - and Gets It
by Charles K. Chiodi.
Once again, Debbie Druan and crew pull off a win in the Marblehead to Halifax Race. This makes it three consecutive wins, which is a historic first.

Kiel Week '97
by Claus-Christian Plaass
22 boat classes were assembled for the 115-year-old race

A listing of the many multihull charter companies located throughout the United States, Caribbean Islands, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Canada, Italy, England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Australia, Central America, Jamaica, Polynesia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and more.

Chartering a Seawind 1000
by Noal Reid
A jaunt from Marathon, Florida to the Dry Tortugas.

One Hull Good, Two Hulls Better
by Jimmy Cornell
An avid monohull sailor decides to explore Polynesia in a boat better suited for the trip, a catamaran.

"The Moorings" Goes All-Out for Cats
by Neil Rusch
The Moorings 4500/Leopard 45 is a brand-new line of charter catamarans being manufactured on African soil.

Managing 12 volts
by Harold Barre
Get to know the components and considerations necessary to successfully maintain an operative electrical system.

Yachting Guide to the ABC Islands
by Gerard van Erp
Learn some useful aspects for visiting Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.

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