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WesHeald · 11-10-2014, 14:43

Hello everyone. My brother has multiple sclerosis, and is confined to a wheelchair. We are both avid sailors. He has been sailing a Martin 16 in Toronto, but we want to look into a catamaran which could be made wheelchair accessible. We would need a catamaran with a fairly large salon, and where the outside deck, cockpit and saloon are all at the same level. We are not concerned about making the hulls accessible, unless we design and build something for disabled access.

I have seen photos of a CSK 53' cruising catamaran, that appears to have deck, cockpit and saloon on the same level, i.e. no ramps required to get around on the boat. Has anyone seen this boat? Are there other boats that I should look at that meet our requirements?

smj · 11-10-2014, 17:51

http://www.proboat.com/multimarine.html

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HopCar · 11-10-2014, 18:31

You might want to talk to Shake-A-Leg in Miami. They have a sailing program for disabled folks. It wouldn't surprise me if someone there had experience in wheelchair cruising.

Scottster · 12-10-2014, 09:35

Glad to hear you are making the effort to include your brother on the boat.
I have modified my Lagoon 400S2 to include my father.
Fortunately he has some mobility.
This post is not one to aid in the search for the boat but one to encourage the search because the work you put into getting your brother out on the water will be the best thing for you both.
We sail together every week and are creating memories that are invaluable.
We have a wheelchair ramp that with assistance he can negotiate entry onto the boat then after a rest he slowly gets up the steps.
While inside the hand holds are numerous and he gets around albeit with some difficulty. We have to attend every move. His handrails come in very handy for everyone onboard in a nasty seaway, I added a few in my cabin due to how well his worked.
His smile when we get my boat sailing in a breeze is priceless.
Cheers Scott

nimblemotors · 12-10-2014, 11:53

I'm building to accomodate a wheelchair, almost all boats don't.
I assume you don't want to spend a fortune.
Though not designed for wheelchairs, Johns Hitch's XIT is a single-level catamaran that can be sailed from the one level.
Was still for sale in OZ at $250k last I checked.

Macblaze · 12-10-2014, 12:22

You could get a Hobie 16 with a trapseat

My brother races his...
COSA - Central Okanagan Sailing Association

I'm not crazy enough to get on one of those contraptions with him so I am always looking to find a bigger boat we can go sailing on together. I will be interested if you find any really good ideas..

nimblemotors · 12-10-2014, 12:41

But if you do want to spend a fortune, there is the Stability 60 SWATH
that will accomodate wheelchairs.

Stability Yachts - Home

andreas.mehlin · 12-10-2014, 13:57

Swedish "Handicat"

Krakken · 09-11-2018, 03:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by WesHeald

Hello everyone. My brother has multiple sclerosis, and is confined to a wheelchair. We are both avid sailors. He has been sailing a Martin 16 in Toronto, but we want to look into a catamaran which could be made wheelchair accessible. We would need a catamaran with a fairly large salon, and where the outside deck, cockpit and saloon are all at the same level. We are not concerned about making the hulls accessible, unless we design and build something for disabled access.

I have seen photos of a CSK 53' cruising catamaran, that appears to have deck, cockpit and saloon on the same level, i.e. no ramps required to get around on the boat. Has anyone seen this boat? Are there other boats that I should look at that meet our requirements?

I have MS as well and I have researched catamaran suitable for wheelchairs. I have owned a 30ft power cat in the past and found it extremely stressful that I could not access the bow area! Even this small cat was reasonable stable/comfortable.

So this is the only make/model that cuts it for me - Fountaine Pajot Eleuthera 60. With the addition of a swim platform a small davit crane and a 2 x hydraulic ramps. The tender will be a pioner multi. This cat will be totally usable for powered or manual wheelchairs (I am good with hydraulic's in my past life) Only 30 of these where made but if you understand wheelchairs, space is key. My thought process identified access and egress in all locations both in harbour and at anchor.

While not on one level, these cats are large and handle extra weight well. Otherwise if price is not a concern a Nautech 542 is nice.

Krakken · 09-11-2018, 03:19

Hi,

I have MS as well, what did you end up with?

**noelex 77** · 09-11-2018, 03:22

This is an old thread, but it is a tough problem to research.

This article describes a Bestevear that was constructed for an owner in a wheelchair.
It is monohull, so not what you are looking for Krakken, but it might give you some ideas.

https://waltertje.nl/wp-content/uplo...ld-artikel.pdf

Good luck in your search.

Sailmonkey · 09-11-2018, 05:12

Here’s a catamaran designed for wheelchair accessible sailing

http://impossibledream.us/

yvest · 09-11-2018, 08:54

Below boat has been designed/modified by his original owner to be wheelchair accessible :
https://www.youboat.com/fr/d/voilier...-custom/125797

ejlindahl · 10-11-2018, 15:00

Seems about 8 -10 years ago on yacht world I saw a ~45 - 50' Outremer for sale that had a head and sleeping cabin in the main saloon.
This was for the the sellers brother who was in a wheel chair. I think some Outremers came with unfinished interiors for owners to do that themselves. So I'm sure it was a one off and may have been changed configurations with new ownership.