DESIGN
The C60 is for people who enjoy sailing. A perfect ocean voyager, but simple enough for a quick sail after work. The best word to describe it is easy. Easy to build, sail and maintain. Building takes about two thirds the hours and materials of aconventionally built boat, with almost none of the mess, grinding, sanding, secondary laminating and fitting of fiddly components.
It has a large, simple rig that can be handled by one person without electric winches and totally depowered on any point of sail, with no foredeck work, flogging sheets or expensive deck gear. There is no need to reduce sail at night, worry about uncontrolled gybes or getting in irons and no struggling with jammed headsails at 2 am. Unlike tacking, shunting does not require boat speed. Therefore, in strong winds, only enough sail is required to propel the boat. The white knuckle element of strong wind sailing is removed.
LAYOUT
The layout is uncluttered with separate cabins and bathrooms, inside and outside steering, large airy saloon, huge outdoor lounging area, shallow draft, minimal gear and large kick up/liftable rudders mounted above the water line. The open, flat deck space is 9m/30′ x 8m/26′, with comfortable seating for at least 30 people, and 2 x 8 person tables. A removable awning keeps the entire area shaded if required.
The galley is on the same level as the saloon and shares some of the hull space with the two separate bathrooms. All the plumbing is in one place, saving weight, cost and build time. There is additional, easily accessed storage space in the two saloon table modules, or space for fridge/freezer. The seating is divided into two zones for a more flexible use of the space. If one of the tables is occupied for navigation purposes the other is still free. Tables in “dinner mode” seats 8 – 10 people very comfortably. The saloon has large sliding windows and double doors for ventilation and access to the bridgedeck. Below deck hatches provide cool air movement on rainy days, making aircon unnecessary. There are 2 double cabins in the windward hull, each with en suite bathrooms/toilets, hanging lockers and plenty of storage space.
LEEWARD HULL ACCOMODATIONS
The leeward hull has 2 single cabins with separate entries, easily accessible storage space at the ends and under the bunks and a shared bathroom.
The bathroom contains a sink, shower and toilet with overhead lockers.
HELM STATION
One of many unique features of the Cruiser is the helm. A single wheel on a strut that can be rotated to allow internal or external steering, both with near 360 degree views. The outside location is slightly raised for visibility over the cabin. The main sheets and halyards are lead to winches adjacent to the wheel and comfortable fold down seats allow steering without being cut off from the rest of the crew. The view of the sails and the ease of adjusting them is, quite simply, better than on any other boat.
The winches double as anchor winches. No need to yell at someone on the foredeck to get the anchor up. They are standing right next to the helmsman. And in an emergency, the anchor is dropped without leaving the wheel. The wall between the cockpit and the saloon cockpit wall can be roll up plastic or fixed panels with removable or opening sections to connect the inside and outside area. Sheltered seating outside is not required, although a bimini top can be added if required.
OUTSIDE LOUNGING
Outside there is plenty of space for lounging. The fore and aft seating is perfect for watching the scenery go by either in front in the breeze or aft, sheltered by the cabin top watching the wake. A table can be put up on deck to make a large dining area for a late night in the mooring, or at sea without being in the way of the sailing.
TOY BOX
The «toy box» between the beams serves as a huge storage space for surf or paddle board, diving gear, fenders, ropes, cushions, the outside dining table etc. It is also an alternative place for batteries and/or a generator. The sheets are led inside the box to the turning block at the beams to provide an uncluttered deck area with more available area to sit. The toy box also holds the hidden anchor and chain system. There is no need for a chain locker or a heavy windlass. The mooring line is led inside the toy box going from beam to beam before entering one of the two winches on the winch pod. As you pull in the line the chain is stored between the beams before it enters the winch, and the anchor is in place on the roller.
RIG
The unstayed rig is the only sensible rig for a cruiser. See FAQ’s The ballestron rig on the early harrys has been replaced by a schooner. The sheet loads and the costs are a little higher, but they provide more sail area, better control (no sagging headstays or flogging jibs), better balance, higher reaching speed, fewer things to go wrong and more usable space in the lee hull. They are extremely easy to trim. One line controls the mast bend, foot and leech tension. The required range of adjustment is far smaller than on a boat with a mainsheet track, so a simple 6:1 purchase and cam cleat is sufficient. Some innovative thinking means this control is also used for all three reefing lines, without having to lower the sail to rethread it.
The halyards have a simple, fail safe lock on the mast at each reef point. The halyard can be thinner, the mast bending does not alter the halyard tension and internal halyards become feasible, without chafe. Luff tension is provided with a simple block and tackle.
The booms are wishbone booms. These are above head height for safety reasons, are horizontal to minimise windage and have loops of string under them to catch the sail, which is much easier than flaking and lazy jacks. The sheets are lightly loaded as they are not supplying leech tension and lead to the winches at the helm station via blocks on the beams. This ensures that, even if the boat is caught aback, the sails will weathercock, allowing plenty of time and no stress while the boat is steered back on course.
TENDER
Tenders are usually too small and slow for anything other than ferrying part of the crew to the shore in calm seas. They are boarded sideways from the often pitching stern or over high topsides. An accident looking for a place to happen. The harry tender is 7.6m/25′ long with enough payload for a large outboard. It can be boarded via fold down steps or be partially lifted into it’s storage place on the bridge deck. In this position, it is stable and loading/unloading is safe and easy.
The stern can also be lowered, allowing the outboard to be used to propel the boat, saving the weight, cost, maintenance and complexity of a separate engine. An easily deployed electric thruster is located next to the helm, allowing for 360 degree thrust for close quarters maneuvering.
BUILD
The design of the Cruiser series has evolved from the flat panel design and building technique of the Bucket List prototype. The hulls are infused in flat panel moulds to reduce build time and weight, and increase the quality of the product. The bridge deck can be made in modules or as one separate part joined to the hull side when the interior is in place. When the windward hull halves are joined it is basically a closed unit with entries to the two separate cabins.
Everything is infused, ensuring a high quality laminate and saving hundreds of hours making and fitting doors doors and hatches and local strengthening for fittings. The furniture is built from flat panels, then bent and glued in place. Bulkheads, shelf and stringer location is included in the infusion, then glued in place without any need for fillets and tabbing, or the interminable sanding required to fair these in. Joins are male/female, ensuring strength and accuracy. There is no post infusion edge treatment or cutting and grinding of cured glass. The foam is cut to shape with a utility knife, the glass with scissors,then laid accurately in the mould. This is easy work, with plenty of time to check it is correct.
SPECIFICATIONS
Loa/length leeward hull: 18m/60′
Length windward hull: 12m/40′
Beam: 9m/30′
Weight: 4,000 kgs/8,800 lbs
Payload: 3,000 kgs/6,600 lbs
Sail Area: 130 sq m/1,075 sq’
Draft rudders up: 400mm/18″
Draft rudders down: 2m/6’8″
Righting Moment: 32 tonne metres
Berths: Master Cabins 2 x queen size, ensuite toilets/showers
2 x singles in the leeward hull; also the option of converting saloon table to double berth.
Approximate Building Time: The build time is impossible to estimate as no 2 builders are the same. Suffice to say, it will be near enough half the time it would take using conventional methods.
Below is a walk through animation of the initial C60 design.