Steeringposition? On a multi....

[freetime]

Originally Posted by David M

The first thing that comes to mind is how cold and and lonely it would be getting blasted with spray while steering from the foredeck while everyone else is aft staying out of the weather.

Perhaps put a wheel on each bow?...snorkel gear is cheap enough.

Or...

[David M]

LOL That's cute. Reminds me of the Jetson's. Looks like its not much different than sitting under a hair dryer and is probably just as hot in the tropics. Must watch standing be more torment than necessary?

[freetime]

Chris White:







What do you say about this steeringpostions?

I don´t need a very big saloon, and i think this catamaran sail very well?

What´s good and bad with this steeringposition and the boat as well...?

What´s the price on a boat like this?

[Whimsical]

Pretty wet if outside and too isolated inside unless motoring. I think that is why most boats have the cockpit aft, have a nice bulkhead to hide behind. Also doesn't lend itself to good sun protection ouside. I think it would only be practical in a largish boat.

Please excuse my observation but you don't seem to have made what I would consider to be the most basic of decisions towards finding a solution to selecting a boat.
Budget - determines new or used.
Size - where are you going to keep it and how many people in the crew.
Speed versus amenity - I think this is the most important. If you want both be prepared for the top end in both the previous questions. We would all like the lot but end up settling for less and the tradeoffs are one only you can answer. If you like the hull space in a 40 foot 8:1 boat but want speed of a 12:1 hulls then you would need to go to 60 feet to get the same space.
Your anticipated payload will also have a big influence on the decision.

In my case I would not spend the money required on a new more performance oriented boat and didn't like second hand ex charter large volume cats, both from performance and age perspectives. I made the decision to build myself, fixing the cost problem, and to accept the limitations imposed by the narrower hulls. I would not go to even narrower hulls as the payload got too small for me as I had set the length at 40 feet for various reasons.

Only after I had done this was I able to start to make distinctions between various designs and features to ultimately settle on one. Might be time to sit down with a piece of paper and start to detail the must haves, the realy like and the nice to have but could do without.

Mike

[sctpc]

Originally Posted by Whimsical

I made the decision to build myself, fixing the cost problem, and to accept the limitations imposed by the narrower hulls.
Mike

Mike I have built houses and I tell you wen you build for your self add a good 30% as 'I might just get this as well it`s only a bit more expencive'

I bet you dont comein on budget but I also bet you will feel like you just had another kid. Good winds

[Agility]

Originally Posted by freetime

Chris White

What do you say about this steeringpostions?

I don´t need a very big saloon, and i think this catamaran sail very well?

What´s good and bad with this steeringposition and the boat as well...?

What´s the price on a boat like this?

There is no experience I've had that comes close to sailing a Chris White from the forward cockpit. It's simply awesome. If you are beating into heavy seas and it's wet outside you can easily duck inside, see the sails and maintain a 360 degree view. One big added benefit is that your are very well protected from the sun at the inside helm. As a cruiser the sun exposure definitely adds up. For me the forward cockpit and excellent visibility from the inside helm was one of the deciding factors in picking a new boat. A lot of folks have opinions about Chris White Designs and Gunboats that have never spent any time on them....

I liked the Catana for very different reasons but I hated the steering position. On the 50' Catana you can't see oncoming traffic from the helm so you can't stay seated.

As for the price, a new Chris White is similar in price to a Catana.

[ldrhawke]

Originally Posted by freetime

Chris White:







What do you say about this steeringpostions?

I don´t need a very big saloon, and i think this catamaran sail very well?

What´s good and bad with this steeringposition and the boat as well...?

What´s the price on a boat like this?

Being warm and dry sailing on a cool wet night with a fine mist of spray coming over the bows, or getting caught in a squall, you would never ask the question.

Atlantic's are well know for how well they sail in all conditions. They are fast safe short handed or single handed ocean going cruising cats based on owners comments. Atlantic's are all built with epoxy for maximum strength.

I think the latest Chris White designs are the Atlantic 48 and Atlantic 57. To build an Atlantic today is approx. $900,000 and $1.3 mil sail away respectively. Chris can give you an exact price, which will probably be tied actual costs when constructed. From what I've seen, used Atlantic's appear to be selling for about what they cost when built.

Atlantic 57

Chris White Atlantics

[freetime]

Whimsical:
Many of my questions on the catamaran is of interest to just catamarans. It is not just questions about the boats, I want to buy. Chris White's catamarans!, I like them but the smaller are too small indoor and lacks the cockpit at the stern. And built in epoxy sounds nice. But it´s over my budget right now.

BlueRhapCity:
In what step are you in the atlantic 57, who is the builder?

Idrhawke:
Hmm...i think i save Chris White the phonecall a couple of mounths...It is little to expensive... But the boat is very nice.

[Agility]

Originally Posted by freetime

Whimsical:
BlueRhapCity:
In what step are you in the atlantic 57, who is the builder?

Alwoplast hull number 5. Ordered materials, start construction in a couple months.

[freetime]

Originally Posted by BlueRhapCity

Alwoplast hull number 5. Ordered materials, start construction in a couple months.

Thats a lovely boat, i think it´s my nr.1

Do you have the possibility to following the buildingprocess and show us some pics, atleast one person here will be happy. Or do you have a blog/homepage.

[Ramsey_Steve]

I sailed for a week recently on a Seawind 1160 in the Whitsundays, enjoyed it's twin bulkhead mounted helms a lot. it's greatest weakness was visibility to the opposite bow, which could be achieved by either standing up on the ledge/step beside the wheel and peering over the coach roof, or by looking straight through the saloon windows (worked better for me). Main and jib visibility was excellent, and the twin helm stations allowed you to steer from a wide variety of positions - ranging from sitting up on the side deck to windward or to leeward in fine conditions, to standing on the in-board side of the wheel and being able to hand steer from the shelter of the saloon, when conditions got wild.

Friction is the downside of twin helms, and the Seawind suffered from a strange on-center binding on the the port helm (where the autopilot actuator was mounted -coincidence?), and excess friction on the starboard helm. Other reviews of this boat have mentioned similar issues.

Steve