Mike
13-10-2008, 09:13 PM
If you want to build a great little boat in the 13 foot class, you couldn't do much better than John's little 'Houdini'. A very successful design.
Here's a photo or three of her. Just click on a thumbnail to see a larger image:
14 15 16
17 18 19
Here's what JW says about her:
... [C]onsiderations were that I wanted to be able to tent her and sleep two on board, she could not be too big for my wife or 12 year old daughter Sarina to sail single handed but she still had to accommodate two adults, a twelve and a three in enough comfort to prevent friction between the junior members of the crew, and still be seaworthy enough to cope with my coastal cruising ambitions.
As a cruiser she needed plenty of storage space, she needed to be dry and comfortable and also had to be suited to my three year old sons' need to scramble around.
So Houdini ended up just over thirteen feet long but a buxom 5ft 1Oin wide. She has a single standing lugsail on bamboo spars (the budget was a major consideration!) and a self draining floor which runs from the mast step back to the stem sheets providing a seven foot (2.1 metre) long sleeping space on each side of the centrecase, a big locker under the foredeck and more storage under the sternsheets (the raised seats aft).
With her wide side decks, ample freeboard and high coamings she is a dry boat. Her sharp underwater sections make her stable and much faster than many would expect, while the amount of room is just amazing! One could happily accommodate six or seven adults for an afternoon sail, or four big kids plus a mountain of camping gear for a week away. This is a boat that not only thinks it's a twenty footer but manages to convince most other people that she’s much bigger than she really is as well.
Houdini has a high power to weight ratio which makes her fast and nimble, exciting to sail, while the wide beam and high freeboard keep her safe if some skippers' enthusiasm overtakes caution.
We like her too, John. :approval: To read the full write up on Houdini at John's own website, Click Here (http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/houdini/index.htm).
Here's a photo or three of her. Just click on a thumbnail to see a larger image:
14 15 16
17 18 19
Here's what JW says about her:
... [C]onsiderations were that I wanted to be able to tent her and sleep two on board, she could not be too big for my wife or 12 year old daughter Sarina to sail single handed but she still had to accommodate two adults, a twelve and a three in enough comfort to prevent friction between the junior members of the crew, and still be seaworthy enough to cope with my coastal cruising ambitions.
As a cruiser she needed plenty of storage space, she needed to be dry and comfortable and also had to be suited to my three year old sons' need to scramble around.
So Houdini ended up just over thirteen feet long but a buxom 5ft 1Oin wide. She has a single standing lugsail on bamboo spars (the budget was a major consideration!) and a self draining floor which runs from the mast step back to the stem sheets providing a seven foot (2.1 metre) long sleeping space on each side of the centrecase, a big locker under the foredeck and more storage under the sternsheets (the raised seats aft).
With her wide side decks, ample freeboard and high coamings she is a dry boat. Her sharp underwater sections make her stable and much faster than many would expect, while the amount of room is just amazing! One could happily accommodate six or seven adults for an afternoon sail, or four big kids plus a mountain of camping gear for a week away. This is a boat that not only thinks it's a twenty footer but manages to convince most other people that she’s much bigger than she really is as well.
Houdini has a high power to weight ratio which makes her fast and nimble, exciting to sail, while the wide beam and high freeboard keep her safe if some skippers' enthusiasm overtakes caution.
We like her too, John. :approval: To read the full write up on Houdini at John's own website, Click Here (http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/houdini/index.htm).