St. Francis 50: "Wayfinder"

[Hugh Howey]

Originally Posted by Heath68

Hi,
Not trying to start a new thread as I'm liking this one but I was curious to know if you were having island beds ilo against each side. I notice from the SF website they only show beds to both walls.. do they do options on this or are the hulls too narrow? My preference is to be able to get out of the side but I've heard some prefer them to the walls so they don't fall out at sea...


Heath

Hey Heath,

I don't know how you could pull off an island bed in a performance cruising cat like this. I've been thinking about it for a day before I respond, and the width of the hulls just doesn't facilitate that space on either side.

Have you spent time on a boat with beds like this? I've never found any issue with getting in and out. And while cats don't heel like monos, I'm just a fan in general of sleeping with walls on either side to put my back against. Even if I didn't like it, I can't imagine giving up the performance to have an island bed.

[Hugh Howey]

Originally Posted by Kajali

I've poured over so many cats but I always tend to gravitate back to the SF50. Hopefully I'll have one as my future home. I live in Durban SA, so I'm stoked to see you'll have Wayfinder on show in Cape Town. I'll come down there to see it and look forward to meeting you.

Incidently, if you're short of crew to get it to Cape Town, I'll put my hand up

Sweet. Love to meet you there. You should get in touch with the yard and see if we have room for the run from St. Francis Bay to Cape Town. I think there's already quite a few who want to go, so I'm not sure the chances are great, but it would be a wonderful sea trial if you're considering a SF50. Taking the last hull into the Miami Show is what removed all doubt from my mind.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Hugh Howey

Hey Heath,

I don't know how you could pull off an island bed in a performance cruising cat like this. I've been thinking about it for a day before I respond, and the width of the hulls just doesn't facilitate that space on either side.

Have you spent time on a boat with beds like this? I've never found any issue with getting in and out. And while cats don't heel like monos, I'm just a fan in general of sleeping with walls on either side to put my back against. Even if I didn't like it, I can't imagine giving up the performance to have an island bed.

Check out how the Freeflow 46 does it. would have to change the deck mold,
though.

[Heath68]

Well i had seen the Leopard 46 and even some 44s managing it and hadn't heard it had made them suddenly slow so had thought the "natural" shape of a 50 would allow it too. Some 50ft competitors photos make the beds look almost lonely in the cabin... i just wondered if it was an option.

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[Brian Pokosh]

Originally Posted by Hugh Howey

Yesterday I drove a pile of items to be sent to South Africa either to be installed on the boat or to supply the boat for the delivery back to the States. Interesting learning experience. I've never shipped items in a container before. We stacked 15 boxes of goods on a pallet and shrinkwrapped them. I'll be amazed to see these items actually end up in South Africa. The entire process seemed like barely coordinated chaos to me.

In two weeks, I fly over to St. Francis Bay to see the build in progress. Will take lots of pictures and update the thread. I imagine it's going to feel surreal to step into the bare hull of my future home. That'll probably be when the reality starts sinking in. And the wait will get even more difficult.

Can you share a bit about what you sent over? The logistics of outfitting a boat being built so far away are of interest to me. Thanks!

[SVNeko]

Originally Posted by Heath68

Well i had seen the Leopard 46 and even some 44s managing it and hadn't heard it had made them suddenly slow so had thought the "natural" shape of a 50 would allow it too. Some 50ft competitors photos make the beds look almost lonely in the cabin... i just wondered if it was an option.

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

You have to understand the dynamics of catamaran design. Narrow hulls are fast. Wide hulls are slow. This is due to wetted surface area and drag. Its tough to fit a wide bed and space around it in a narrow hull. Cats that have them have wider hulls and therefore tend to be slower.

[BigBeakie]

SVN,

That is generally true, especially on Charter focused designs, but it ain't necessarily so.

See the FreeFlow 46 for an exception.

Photo Gallery


It is a decidedly good sailing boat with hull length lwl to beam bwl of 12:1, yet has a full queen island bed owners cabin, stacks of storage, and carries decent cruising payload.

A good example of a boat designed for a purpose ie liveaboard bluewater cruising where good design trumps the general rule that usually applies to "charter" designs.

[Palarran]

The designs I've seen that have island queen beds in the width of the hull do it by making the foot of the bed twin size. I haven't seen one where you could walk more then 2.5' into the side, and most seem to favor one side.

That Freeflow design has the bed raised up into the bridge deck from what I can tell. Any boat can do that. I think it's a good option but there's a trade off somewhere else. Personally, I've always liked the SF with the hull wide berths in the back and crawl in's in the front. It makes the forward head's work also.

[Hugh Howey]

That Freeflow design is nice. Gorgeous looking boat, and looks like it would be swift under sail as well (just going by the plans).

I guess it's just me that I'd rather have a wall there while sleeping. I spend 15 seconds getting in and out of bed, and then 7 or so hours in there once I'm in. I was probably swaddled as a child, because I love feeling wrapped up and cozy. But good to see there are options for people who prefer the openness.

[SVNeko]

Originally Posted by BigBeakie

SVN,
See the FreeFlow 46 for an exception.

Photo Gallery

An interesting and unusual arrangement but I like it. Looking at it from the aft view, it seems the chamfer panels are run all the way aft to accomodate the bed. In the layout photos you can see just how far the bed intrudes into the bridgedeck. Sort of like forward bridgedeck cabins but aft. I wonder how it will affect slamming. On a related note, I really like the integrated all-weather ventilation and rainwater catcher. Smart ideas.

[Wakey]

Hugh, can't tell you how much I've enjoyed your posts and videos, so thank you.

Is there a group or forum I could learn (drool) more about SF cats?

I've read a few blogs by people cruising on them but they are back on land now.


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[Hugh Howey]

Originally Posted by Wakey

Hugh, can't tell you how much I've enjoyed your posts and videos, so thank you.

Is there a group or forum I could learn (drool) more about SF cats?

I've read a few blogs by people cruising on them but they are back on land now.

I don't know of any, but I know of one upcoming!

[Hugh Howey]

The nerves I felt while shopping for a cat pale in comparison to what I feel waiting for it to launch. Even though the big decision is over, you have all these dreams and plans, plus little nagging thoughts about whether you made the right choice.

Then you get an email like the following. This comes from the owner of the hull previous to mine. I spent a week on the boat with him in the Bahamas, and I got to see the dumbfounded stagger of a man who realizes he just bought a catamaran to live on, that his dreams are coming true. I got a contact high from being around him. And then I get this:

Hugh, I thought I would share this with you as well.

Moved aboard Guinevere full time on May 13th. We had an incredible sail up from George Town to Annapolis Maryland. Hit 17.4 with Spinaker on a run. We had to hold up for roughly 36 hours for Ana to move off the coast, so we just had roughly 1/2 of the head sail out doing 2.5 to 5.5 knots. The longer I'm on the boat the more I realize just how her design and performance is absolutely spectacular. I'm fishing some wires through to a forward locker and I continue to discover how brilliantly and precise the construction is. I'm continuously amazed by the degree of thought and concentration that has gone into every inch of her. She's not cluttered with surface coverings but clean with focus on design and maximum functionality. I am not embellishing this one bit. Her performance and functionality continues to blow my mind. Having to pinch myself often and sometimes overwhelmingly overjoyed with gratitude that this will be our home for many years to come.

A huge thanks to Duncan and George for making this a reality for Tracy and I. I also want to thank Gillian, Greg and the St Francis Resort staff for their warm and comfortable hospitality in making the moving aboard and time in George Town most pleasant, comfortable and of course most tasty. Thanks Charlene for helping with your pleasant aid in all our correspondence. Wishing everyone all the best and you're always invited to visit us aboard Guinevere.

Sincerely

I'm on pins and needles. Back in the States for a couple months, so I can't drive to the yard every day, and it's painful to be away. More updates as I get them. Somebody pinch me...

[monte]

Hugh, have you considered having a hull colour others than white. Considering the hulls are painted not gel coat, I think this would be a really nice option. Some of the bronze, silver, gold colours look really nice on cats and stand out a bit from the crowd.

[Heath68]

I don't think you made the wrong choice for a moment Hugh. I think the tweaks you've made with Duncan are making this very hard to beat when it comes to 50ft cats. Sincere congratulations


Heath