One of several benefits of the Harryproa design is that the windward hull can be customized without worrying about the structural loads of the rig and rudders. We have taken advantage of this with the C50 Air, which has an open layout which will appeal to those sailing in warmer waters, day sailing or sailing with a crowd onboard. With the option of easily rolled down plastic clears around the open cabin for wet, cool or mosquito conditions, the Air configuration provides the best of both worlds for sailors whose use does not include long term cruising in harsh conditions.
In many ways, the Air is an updated version of the first 15m/50′ Harryproa launched: Blind Date was built in 2010 to give vision impaired people in Holland the opportunity to enjoy fast sailing. It is still going strong today. The numerous improvements we have made in construction, rigs, layouts and steering since then have resulted in a vastly superior boat, as demonstrated by the C50 Air.
Plans General Pages
ACCOMMODATION
The windward hull has two queen size bunks in separate cabins, complete with their own toilet and shower. The saloon has two tables for 8 and a galley on the same level to allow the cook to see out and be part of the socializing. The lee hull has 2 single bunks in a single or separate cabins, one of which could be made into a shower/toilet or used for storage.
The fore and aft toy box is reduced in size to allow a larger cockpit area. It places the winches and jammers close to the helmsman, eliminates the need for an anchor winch, and places the anchor and chain storage near the centre of the boat and stiffens the bridgedeck.
RIG
While the ballestron rig is still an option, the schooner rig makes shunting easier and opens up the lee hull for accommodation or storage. The rig size makes the boat sailing effortlessly at wind speed, without extras, between 5 and 20 knots, tacking through 90 degrees and no limits on downwind sailing angles.
Most multihull sailors reduce sail at night rather than risk being caught in a squall and having to reduce sails which are flogging or pressed hard against the shrouds. The harryproa set up means the boat can be completely depowered by releasing the lightly loaded sheets (no vang loads) and the boat will drift with the sails docile and weathercocked. They can be left like this until the squall passes, be easily reefed or slightly sheeted on to provide steerage speed. The peace of mind from this is enormous.
Further peace of mind comes from the unstayed rigs. There is no need to climb them or remove them to check the fittings, nor any worry about which little piece might break and cause the lot to fall down. An unstayed carbon mast needs no maintenance apart from a coat of paint every 15 years or so.
The wishbone booms are lighter than the ballestron and eliminate the need for lazy jacks and all the hook ups they cause, and keep the booms clear of any unsuspecting heads. They also make covering the sails a much less onerous task. Drop the sail into the bag under the boom and pull on the zip. Reefing, raising and lowering the sails can be done on any point of sail, in any wind strength, without needing to touch the sail at any stage. The booms are self vanging with a single control line (choker) to adjust leech and foot tension, making the sheet loads significantly less than they are on a conventional rig.
Simple, integral, fail safe halyard locks are standard, reducing the load on the mast and the required halyard size. The halyards and sheets are lead to the winches next to the wheel so all sail handling is done from the security of the cockpit and within easy reach of the helmsman. Sail handling is easy on Visionarry, it is even easier on the Cruisers.
RUDDERS & STEERING
The rudders are 2 way sections, so they can be much closer to the hull and do not have to rotate through 360 degrees. They are liftable for balance, shallow water or storm survival and kick up in a collision. In terms of drag and spray, they are a significant improvement on Visionarry. They are also considerably stronger and easier to lift and lower.The steering wheel pedestal is on a simple axle so it can be used inside or outside the cabin simply by moving the wheel. Transmission is by easily installed and adjusted low stretch line. The single wheel turns both rudders at once to steer the boat, but a simple disconnect allows them to be turned together for getting off a jetty against the wind, crabbing to windward or locking off one and steering with the other.
PROPULSION
The T50 ender is 6 m/20′ long and is attached to a substantial hinge on the back of the beam. The stern is raised and lowered with a block and tackle so it doubles as a sled for the outboard and provides auxiliary power for the mothership. Getting in and out of the tender is a much less risky proposition than boarding via stern steps.
An advantage of a seaworthy tender and a wide, stable mothership is the opening up of non marina solutions for overnight visits. Anchoring offshore becomes feasible if you can comfortably motor ashore. Saves the cost of the marina, and guarantees a peaceful night.
When sailing, the tender sits flush with the deck.
Access to the lee hull is via the tender deck. When the tender is not in place, a slatted deck can be rolled out to cover the gap. The tender is an excellent project to learn about intelligent infusion before starting on the big boat.
Fore and aft rudders and a steerable outboard make manoeuvring with a single outboard a workable proposition, but for those boats which operate in tight spaces, a lightweight, liftable electric outboard could be mounted on a tube next to the helm, providing simple 360 degree thrust to push the boat in any direction.
CONSTRUCTION
The Cruisers are “intelligently infused” using foam and fibreglass. Intelligent infusion includes as much of the build as possible in the infusion. All the work is done using dry materials in a simple mould which does not require sanding or polishing. What does this mean? Conventional boat builders build the hull, then the deck in three stages (inner laminate, core and outer laminate) and join them together prior to the fit out which entails trimming and fitting every component, then filletting and tabbing it in place. Everything is then sanded, filled and faired prior to painting. Intelligent infusion aims to do as much of this as possible using dry, easily cut and handled materials (glass and foam) in easily made low cost moulds. Once everything is prepared, a vacuum bag is placed over it and resin sucked in (infusion). The entire job is wet out, with the perfect amount of resin, no voids and minimal waste. All in one 40 minute shot.
Some of the tasks that can be included in the infusion are: perfectly fitting doors, hatches and windows and all the edging and rebates that these require; landings and edge treatments for the bulkheads, shelves and furniture; male/female joins for the hull components; solids and/or variable laminates and core thicknesses where required. All surfaces can be ready for painting or gluing, with the option of including fancy (timber, woven carbon, melamine, etc) finishes.
Post infusion, the pieces are all glued together using the slots and joins. Apart from shaping and glassing the polystyrene bow pieces, there is no sanding, grinding or cutting of cured glass, no bogging or fairing and no wet laminating. The time and weight saved are important, the lack of dust, hard work and wastage make building a much more enjoyable job, and one that requires far less skill.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Leeward hull length: 15 m / 50′
Windward hull length: 10.25 m / 33’6″
Beam: 7.63 m / 25′
Empty weight: 2.0 tonnes / 4,480 lbs
Payload approx: 2.0 tonnes / 4,480 lbs
Sail area: 88 sq m / 946 sq ft
Draft: Rudders Up 300 m / 1’
Draft: Rudders Down 1.5 m / 5’
Righting Moment: 18 tonne metres
Berths: 2 x queen size, with separate shower and toilet in the windward hull. 2 x singles in the leeward hull.
Approximate Building Time: 2,250 hours.
Complete materials lists on new boats are notoriously difficult to calculate as each owner will have their own final specifications. Please check with Rob for the most current price.
*Note: additional payload (water/fuel tanks, small generator, batteries, stowage, personal gear, etc) over and above the 2 tonnes can be added to the lee hull at the expense of speed, but not seaworthiness.