[quote=antelli]Hi Everyone!
Thank you for your thoughtful replays. I never thought about deeper keels, P18, vs round hull Narca, for rough beach landings. A P18 would be the be the better choice. There is though a Narca 5.2 in great condition near me for $750, maintained by a nice 30 year experienced beach cat sailor, that I was going to buy.
All your concerns about not overdoing the load capacity are well taken. The Hudson has a load capacity of 350lbs, which includes the boat itself. So if the rowing shell was used as a center hull, I ought to be okay for weight for 2 people, some gear and a light deck.
6021 tubing can be obtained in diameters and thicknesses and comes in 20' lengths [img]http://www.speedymetals.com/c-8342-aluminum.aspx/img] so I ought to be able to match the same outside diameter of Narca's 2.2 tubing whatever they might be (does anyone know?).
I had planned on attaching a captive Narca mast base on the center midsection of one of these tubes, allowing the Hudson to slide out underneath the tube. You are right a 14-16 ' span is wide and even aluminum tubing is heavy. Reducing the width to 11-12' might be a better idea, improving the sailing abilities, while still keeping it "a little bit more stable in windy conditions"; definitely this boat would be sailed with the conservative side of of seamanship.
The Tremolino hull /boat design is a terrific design; I just wanted to have a turnkey approach to the center hull and avoid building a center hull. The suggestion of just using an unmodified beach cat, towing the Hudson/attaching it is well taken. I once had thought of using a Tornado center hull in a trimaran design but I have not found any in the northwest; I live in ne. Oregon.
Finally, I came across this U-tube video of a girl sailing 900 mile trip in a Narca; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwbOUIM9gv8 I assume the aluminum outside open baskets she used were custom fabricated; have you ever seen something like this?
I well keep thinking about it all. That is what the construction process is all about, especially if it works out to your satisfaction the first time around. Meanwhile I well be rowing the Hudson on a 4 day trip along the lower Columbia River. Appreciate again everyone's comments. Any additional thoughts are always welcome.
Safe Travels,
Steve[/quote]
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