I am very addicted north sea surfer and sailor (Netherlands) and this winter I built a catamaran based on the old Prindle-15 measures. But ofcourse with a number of improvements, like more volume , wider beam (2.5 m) ,open net trampoline, flat standing place on the sides when in the trapeze, etc.
I built the two hulls like surfboards: handshaped foam with a strong laminate of glass, kevlar and carbon. Hull weight each 27 kg. And ofcourse unsinkable.
Even the beams and the rudders and casing I made myself from wood and laminate. Beams were a problem with regard to stiffness. But I ended with a frontbeam of 2.50 m with no dolphin striker!! And it holds on a choppy bumpy sea.
Is there anyone else who has tride something like this also?
We need pictures, or it didn't happen....
The only picture I have, is in my cell phone and I cannot get the connection to work with my computer. So, I have to wait for my son in law to take a picture with his digital camera.
I know it all seems a bit strange but I never had feeling with camara stuff etc.
Sorry, you have to wait a little bit longer for the proof.In the mean time I can answer your technical questions
I'm waiting for Wouter to shout it's likely to be yet another homebuild F16, a clear indication that the class is growing <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />
Junkie, you described the platform, but what did you use as mast and sails? What sailplan are you using? uni? Sloop? Spinnaker/gennaker?
And how can you make two identical hulls by handshaping foam? Did you use templates?
which parts are prindle15, rig, rudders etc?
Okay, to answer your questions:
I now have a picture of the catamaran in my computer, but still have to find out how to display it here.
The main goal behind my redesign and building effort was strength and weight. So I replaced all the old and fatique parts of my 25 year old P15. New hulls,new beams which by the way are connected in a fixed laminated way, new self-built rudders, new self-built rudder-castings, etc. The only thing which I re-used from my old P15 is the sail and the mast and the shrouds and the ropes.
Further on I like to stress that my sailing on the north sea has more to do with control in heavy circumstances. Rather than focus on speed; strangely enough I often go to fast. I use rope behind me to slow down!
As a windsurfer who surfs in stormy weather at sea I'm used to very high speeds returning to the beach nearly escaping the high waves behind me. So hence my choice for the P15 design which has a lot of rocker and scoop in his bottomline.
To show something of this, please see the photo of my home beach with:
www.flickr.com/
It's not for showing off (I'm the surfer on the photo) but to give you an idea of what is all behind this redesign.
To make the hulls identical, which they are not, because assymmetric, they are mirror-like; was not easy. The hule I shape out of a large square block of foam (PS-25) starting with squareoutlines cut with electric hotwire via wooden cuttingtemplates. then the handwork starts.
To be honest, while sailing I detect a difference in behaviour from the left and the right hull. So, they are not precisly identical, I think. This effect is enlarged by the effect that the hulls (of all Prindles) are bend out to the outside along the length-ax, as are the rudders.
I added the asked photo in my new album/gallery from this forum. So with a little search you can find it. My user name for that album is ronald reeder
here it is
http:/
looks better than the original!
It looks very nice--enjoy! Now we'll be looking for the action photos of you surfing it.
Okay, thank you all for the interest. My goal was to find out if there were other serious home-builders with seaproof cats. May there aren't or atleast rare.
My home-building all has to do with my way of catsailing; I could not buy what I'm looking for: light, stiff and strong, single-handed, and easy to beach and fit for high seas.
Maybe we meet again in future with videos or photo's.
Boat looks slick
Just a thought - It's probably not best practice to put a brand name on something that you built yourself, the brand may get a bit arsey!
I put the name on it to honour the design(er) of the original P15. As you might know the Prindle mark doesn't exist anymore for many years (its now Nacra). So I wasn't afraid for protests.
love to see some pics of you busting through the break on it
hope this summer to make a spectacular jump with the cat against incoming waves and hope that the photographer is there also the same time.
With regard to the remark of TEAMVMG: on second thought you are maybe more right than I wish. Ofcourse I have no commercial thoughts what so ever and my intentions are defendable pure. Ironycally it's of modesty that I mentioned the origin.
But I will remove the mark Prindle and make up another.
You should ask for some suggestions for the new name. I'm sure this group can come up with more than a few good ones.
just put use the same font to put a lower case
i
in front of the Prindle
iPrindle
when people ask, you can say it's a 1 off improved means and i stands for me as in my
Thank you for all your suggestions, but I think I will return to an old name which I have all ready used several times for home-build vehicles. For instance ten years ago I built the fastest caravan of Europe also from foam and epoxy laminate (I have driven 160 km/h with it).
So, that's
Raider
which is a gimmick on my own sirname which is
Reeder
. In dutch they are pronounced exactly the same.
RAIDER-15
why not paint it yellow and call it a pringle
then you could be the pringle raider