The difference between a 34′ cat and a 40′ cat at sea is considerable. The 40′ boat is faster and more sea-kindly. The proviso is that the only thing that alters is the length, everything else remains unaltered. This means the rig is the same, the engine/s remain the same, the accommodation and displacement remain the same.

The increase in build cost and build time is negligible. The only ongoing cost increase are marina fees. If you look at the specifications ie. volume, accommodation, rig size, engines etc of my 44′ cat, you will see it is comparable to everyone else’s 36′ boat and it costs about the same to build.

I am starting a 39′ cat for an experienced couple who have a 40′ marina berth. This boat has about the volume, accommodation rig etc of a 32′ cat.

I don’t suggest my boats are cheaper to build, ‘I know they are’. I have had owner builders of mine go and work on other designers’ boats and every one of them have come back to me and said they wouldn’t build anyone else’s design simply because of the extra time involved in doing just basic stuff.

My boats tend to be cheaper because we simply ‘build’ less boat, eg. we have no floors in the hulls (you walk on the heavily reinforced and flat keel panel) - that saves about $1000 in materials and days and days in labour. We don’t build nose cones/stems off the boat then retro fit them to the boat, again hundreds of dollars and days in labour. I don’t see the sense in router-cut furniture packages that costs thousands and you wind up with thousands of dollars of materials in offcuts/wastage. There enough offcuts from the shell kit to do the fit-out from. There are just too many ways we save time and money to explain here.

With new 39C I have also made provision in the overall displacement for the use of some plywood in the fit-out and structure if the budget is very keen.

Regarding demountable boats: The trouble with demountable boats is precisely that, they’re demountable. If you have $50 to $100 k tied up in boat then the only way to justify it it is to use it. Spending hours assembling then disassembling a 30′ sailing cat 4/5 times a year is very hard work and there isn’t actually many people who would do it on a regular basis. Most Seawind 24’s, G.B.E.’S, International 23’s are rarely demounted. Having assembled Seawind 24 and a 32′ sailing cat of my own I know how much heavy work is involved. For smaller boats I think the trailerable tri is probably the way to go.

Hope this helps.
Regards
Bob

A little history from the owner, Bryan Beutel

Tribute earned her name as a result of the inspiration that my father “Gerry” and father-in-law “John” engrained in me from their own boating pursuits.

My father was born 100 km from the ocean but a move to farm on the shore line of glorious Moreton Bay in 1943 saw him develop a keen interest in fishing and boating. During my early years I was to experience a wide range of power boating and fishing experiences. Over a period of 40 years or so my father build several fishing boats and dinghies from scratch including a 23 foot Hartley which still sees service around Moreton Bay today. He built his boats because that was the only way he could afford to pursue his passion but I also suspect that the build was as fulfilling as the end result, something I was to discover myself latter in life.

It has only been as passing years have bought me some wisdom, that I can reflect on the influence of having a boat or dinghy being built in the farm shed, of nets hanging out to dry under the farm house, of endless feeds of fresh fish and crabs and the view of Moreton Bay from the Sand Hills to Coochie Mudlo from r house, that I realize how lucky I was and how much I took for granted.

Gerry has been dead for nearly 10 years now but his memory lives on in Tribute.

My father-in-law to be, came on the scene when I was smitten with his daughter at quite a young age. At just short of 15, I was introduced to the family and sailing in a big way. John was a sailor, amateur boat builder and projects man. When I first meet John he had already built 2 Hartley 16’s and rigged and restored a sabot for his kids and was fitting out an Aquarius 23. My first outing in a Sabot and I had found love (second only to his daughter of course, as we married some 5 years later). Subsequently over the years I was to help John in his projects which included his own designed 25’ plate aluminum trailer sailor, an 18’ performance cat of his design, built in thin marine grade sheet and featuring foam bulkheads and several thousand aircraft grade sealed pop rivets. Amongst this he found time to restore an old ply 30’bridgedeck cat of indeterminate heritage. And in his seventies he was to design and build a 10’ demountable trimaran.

John is has taken a keen interest in my projects and has had many outings on Tribute including 9 days away cruising with 6 of us on board.

As you can see I had little chance but to be a boat builder and sailor.

Over the years I have sailed competitively in Sabots, Flying Elevens, Fourteen foot skiffs, various catamaran classes, wind surfers, trailer sailors and Tribute. My most notable successes have been a National Handicap win in Arrow Cats, a Nationals win in a borrowed Windrush 14 and a win in the Dock Side race in Tribute.

My first personal building experiences involved refits and retrofits of various sailing dinghies and off the beach catamarans. Followed by a stint in windsurfing where I built several slalom boards. The next step to a complete boat build came when my own kids got heavily involved in sailing Arafura Cadets. As there were few good boats around. I built one, then two and eventually stopped at seven, along the way a learned the techniques needed to build strong, light, fast boats. My children were to see success in my boats as the girls won three national titles between them and numerous school regattas. My boats continue to sail competitively some 10 years down the track.

A Dudley Dix Dinghy next for a tender and then the step to Tribute. After all Orams are simple stitch and glue construction just much bigger.

Why an Oram?

Needs;

1. It had to sail well, and that meant to windward as well as off the breeze.
2. It had to have a simple, strong light build and practical layout.
3. It had to be time and cost effective to build.
4. It had to house our kids and friends occasionally.

My wife and I had spent some time looking at all the usual designs at boat shows and through contact with designers. We also had friends building a Schionning cosmos 11.6.( took over 7 years to build). We had seen various Simpson’s, Easy’s, Schionnings, Graingers, Crowthers and at one stage I was well down the track of considering a Farrier F9AX.

We then meet Bob.

We arrived at Bob’s previous abode in Maryborough to see his Mango design taking shape. We were both instantly impressed with the simple usable layout , flat decks huge bunks and rear verandah to die for. I was also impressed with Bob’s extensive knowledge and simple philosophy, ”long is good”. This was a sailor’s boat, light, long, good foils and minimal weight in the ends. It had the ability to go to 15” draught and motor in 2’ of water. We had to have one.

The rest is history.

Tributes Build

The raw facts are:
Two years 10 months to launch, About 2 years of this part time.
A lot of help and advice freely given from Bob.
Bob is helpful in discussing changes and all of his boats are a collaboration of his and the various owners and builders ideas and feed back.
Tribute’s hull and decks are Duflex, the cabin roof top is foam sandwich and most of the bulkhead and beams are 400 gram glass over ply. The whole build is in west system resins and powders.
The rig is slightly over size in both size and section and I believe it to be bullet proof.
All reefing, genoa controls and furling is done from the cockpit walkways and with auto pilot the boat is easily sailed single handedly.

Boat Facts:
Note! all speeds are gps not lying log.

1. The one dagger board works. 11 knots to windward at 27º apparent, and 30 knots true, in flat water up the Brisbane River pulling away from Mumm 36’s with 10 bums on the rail. We had one reef in and full genoa. And yes we flew a hull, in a 34 knot true gust, sorry Bob. As you can see the rig is small and robust but works really well and gives you good reserves of righting moment.
2. Tribute sails at or close to wind speed up to 9 Knots.
3. It is a joy to be able to do 8 knots in 8 knots of breeze between 60 true and 130 true (screecher or asymmetric).
4. Tribute reaches in Moreton Bay chop at 11 to 13 knots in 20 true on main and Jib.
5. I have surfed past 17 knots.
6. My mother-in-law, a keen smooth to slight sailor has now been aboard several times in 30 knot breezes and 2 metres of chop sailing leisurely downwind at 8 to 14 knots and not batted a eyelid. She loves it.
7. For cruising we reef early, this leaves large reserves of righting moment and the boat doesn’t slow much.
8. The 25 hp four stroke pushes us at 8 knots fully laden at 6 litres per hour and has a top speed of 8.8 knots.
9. Drying out for days on end up a creek on Fraser Is in total solitude, fantastic.
10. The back verandah and deck areas have no peers from other designs. They are just so good for getting on and off the boat and for sundowners with several neighbours. No other design has a built-in dock.

Why are we selling ?

To build a bigger Oram of course, a modified 44c.
We didn’t even consider another designer, Bob’s boats work so well.
Remember I’m a project man and for me the build and launch are as much of the enjoyment as sailing and cruising.
Besides bigger is better.

In response to Ian Thomson’s letter on multi/mono bias:

I think Ian has missed the point of the article. My understanding is that the article was a comparison of current 40′ [ish] catamaran design and build philosophies. I think the argument re catamaran acceptance as cruising boats has quite simply been done and won.

Ian’s comment on the article not being a true reflection on the industry is really a bit inaccurate. As an importer [why do we import bloody boats for crying out loud] of monohull sailing boats, I appreciate Ian is trying to protect his interests, as undoubtedly I am.

Count the number of production monohull builders in Australia. Now count the number of multihull builders. The likes of Express fibreglass [G.B.E.], Seawind, Chincogan, Perry and Lightwave have been around for upwards of 20 years. No mean feat in this industry.

I agree wholeheartedly with Ian’s comment on berthing, after poo it’s probably the most discussed subject at anchorage and I don’t think anyone should delude themselves there is going to be a quick fix. It should be remembered that multis can and do take the bottom as a matter of course. I have a number of boats that dry out twice a day on their permanent moorings.

As berths become more and more scarce [so commensurately more expensive] designers will have to come up with larger boats that can be taken home or quickly and easily broken down to manageable widths for land-based compounds.

Again I agree that 2 engines are twice the cost and maintenance and you don’t even get twice the speed. But Ian, I have ever only had one engine [outboard] on any of my own boats [23′, 33′ and 43′ and hopefully a 50′ pod cat early next year]. I simply learnt the handling characteristics of my boat. In fact about half the multis I know have one outboard. They prang them at about the same rate as a badly handled mono, ‘not often’. If the expense of two diesels is too much for the budget then fit one slightly larger diesel in one hull then fit a 3kw bow thruster in the bow of the same hull. You will actually have better handling than a twin engine boat.

Your observation re catamarans going over [or nearly] when racing is accurate and reinforces the common knowledge that if racing under kite, ‘be on the ball’. You didn’t go over so your crew were obviously ‘on the ball’. Oh yep and it was one of mine that went over. It’s now upright with new owners and cruising north - just motoring at this stage till they can afford a new rig.

I can’t comment on foreign multihulls arriving here with structural problems, although I doubt it’s as prevalent as you suggest. But I would be very interested in the details if you could send me contact details of the owners.

I have one 6 year old boat with permanent live-aboards that has 30,000 miles up now. Another boat in New Zealand that probably has about 15,000 up now. No problems so far [Praise the Lord].

When an Australian designed catamaran is engineered properly, built correctly and sailed within its limitations they don’t fail, full stop.

Included in all my plans is a boat handling Polar diagram.

I couldn’t think of anything worse than having a huge piece of lead under my boat that will:

• Prohibit me from mucking around in two feet of water [try and get into Coongul creek or Whatumba with your lump-a-lead]
• Catch on nets, ropes etc
• Slow me down
• Commit me to expensive slipways etc for the most basic of repairs
• Doesn’t give me stability at all
• And then when everything goes pear shape and I just wanna go home, it will take me, my family and my boat to the nearest land ’straight down’

Give me the security of boat speed, shallow draft, and light weight.

Multihull anchoring 101:
If the anchorage is untenable move to the beach, or to the creek, or to shallow water were the deeper boats can’t go, then watch the monos roll their gunwhales under [although I have very nearly been tossed out of my bunk on the 36′ Grainger tri ‘Voodoo’ when anchored at middle Percy].

I was in Noumea in late 2000 and saw a 9 metre Jarcat there that had done the trip in a week. J and I sailed over there in 3 days with Bob and Annie on AMA 2, a 6 ton x 60′ cat. We started motoring at 7kts, cracked 25kts while eating steak and drinking a rude yet wildly offending little red [put 2 reefs in then]. 12 to 18 kts was comfortable.

Jamie ? sailed his 23′ Wharram around the world in the 90s. Manages a charter business in the Caribbean last I heard. He’s probably sick of big multis too - has to clean all that space.

Ian, ring me and I’ll show you how to build a beautiful 48′ ocean-going bridgedeck cat for well under $300,000 [with all offshore safety gear]. In fact I’ll show you how to build an amazing 50′ pod cat with 3 queen size berths, hot and cold water, toilet system that uses a household loo and will sail at considerably better than 1 to 1.3 wind speed without leaving the cockpit [single handed] for a bit over $200,000 if you have the dedication and about year to spare.

As I said, the mono/multi thing has been done; I don’t care to discuss it anymore. I have some wonderful friends with monos and they ——- actually that’s a fib they’re all trying to get multis now, but they’re still my wonderful friends. Most of my clients are my friends and most of them had monos before [some very good ones]. One repeat client sold his first 48′ [Bob Oram design] and bought a good strong comfortable 40′ mono. He rang me about 6 months later saying he had made a mistake, has since sold the mono and is about launch his second Bob Oram design cat.

Ian, obviously I’m biased, ‘I luv em’ there is just no better buzz than cruising along in a genuine 6 knots of breeze doing 8 knots of boatspeed in my ‘cruising’ boat. If this sounds like I’m being a bit of a smart arse then I apologise without reservation and I’m genuine when I say ring me and I’ll chat to you until the cows come home. But you are not going to change my mind, whereas one day you will!

One thing to remember:
A cruising boat has to satisfy a truckload of differing criteria - a good multi does it. If it didn’t do it, there wouldn’t be any.

Bob Oram

Bob has been designing multihulls for more than 20 years. He offers a range of stock plans, and welcomes custom projects.

Listen to ABC Interview with Bob Oram - recorded 7 May 2002

I really like the look of this boat, in fact so much that there is going to be a range of them.

If you take everything off it for racing it will be very quick. Yet it has enough displacement to cruise with 4 people for a week or so to get away from civilization!

Built from a pre-cut Duflex kit using simple female mould frames (also supplied pre-cut) we don’t bother with jigs like every one else. It probably doesn’t get easier than this.

Specifications

Layout

L e n g t h … is good!

And so is minimalism.

More here:
The multi vs mono debate
Catamarans in the 30′-38′ range

The boat has a genuine queen size berth in the port hull with compact toilet and shower forward. The galley is downstairs in the starboard hull with another big berth aft and a child’s single berth forward.

The bridge deck has dinette seating for 4 and like all in this range is very airy and light.

Excellent ventilation has been a criteria from the beginning. With a door and opening windows in the front and the back of the cabin this design is particularly suited for tropical living.

Construction is again my tried and proven Duflex pre-cut kit set with some strip planking in the cabin roof.

Specifications

Layout

Version shown: Aft only cockpit

The process requires the joining of successive sheets which have been CNC routed into a series of numbered standard panels. The routed cuts are paused at appropriate points leaving tabs to maintain the integrity of panels. A design scarf along the long edges of the sheets facilitates joining into monolith sections. It is from these monolithic sections that the tabs are cut and the individual full-size panels gain identity. The Duflex sheets consist of a core of end-grain balsa sandwiched between outer layers of reinforcing glass. Being pre-fabricated in a factory assembly line, consistent quality is maintained, which is difficult to achieve otherwise.

This approach allows one builder to achieve a self-built ocean-going performance boat (ie. light and strong) at minimal cost with less than two years full-time effort.

My building system offers the following advantages to both amateur and professional builders:

1. Hulls are built using CNC routed plywood female frames and therefore don’t require labour and material intensive strongback and braces. The relationship between frames is initially formed by leveling the frame bases and using the keel panel to brace in the other two axis.
   
2. Female frames take advantage of gravity - the hull panels are captured within the frames, with minimal force required to create perfect joins between the panels (no teams of assistants required, nor large numbers of clamps and ratchet straps etc).
   
3. The joins between the panels are ’stitched’ together with tabs of 3mm ply and MDF, the latter being flexible enough to lay across the chine.
   
4. Female frames allow the internal joining of all the longitudinal panels with a single continuous length of glass tape, negating the numerous overlapped joins required with male frames.
   
5. The bulkheads are installed whilst the hull is upright, and taped both fore and aft. It is much easier working inside the hull in this position, rather than crawling underneath and applying glass tape and resin above your head inside in an upturned hull.
   
6. Female frames only require leveling with a simple laser level, thus reducing opportunities for error.
7. All major panels are pre-routed in the kit, negating lofting.
8. The bridgedeck is built in two sections as just another hull panel (the female frames extend to provide alignment). This allows hulls to be joined with only the hull cradles levelled at four points. This negates the fitting of a large, awkward bridgedeck panel accurately in a space between two hulls metres apart.
   
9. The bow sections are built as part of the hull, rather than as separate components to be joined later.
10. In the smaller and midsize boats, the keel panel is also the sole or hull floor, therefore reducing building complexity and allowing easier inspection.