BJ Porter

About: BJ Porter

Name
BJ
Website:
http://sailevenstar.com
Profile
Owner of Hallberg Rassy 53; world explorer.

Posts by BJ Porter:

Catamaran Structure – Bridge Decks and Cross Beams
Apr 30, 2021

Catamaran Structure – Bridge Decks and Cross Beams

Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Ted Clements of Antares Catamarans and Shane Grover of Seawind Catamarans for patiently answering our questions. There are a lot of reasons why catamarans are more expensive than monohulls. It’s not just the two hulls. There are many more complicated calculations and structures needed to build the complex shapes. Building a bridge deck and the structures around a pair of hulls is a lot more difficult to design and build than a single hull, and we’ll explore a little about why.…
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Catamaran Construction – Hulls, Laminates, and Composites
Oct 15, 2020

Catamaran Construction – Hulls, Laminates, and Composites

It’s a given that catamarans are more sensitive to weight and loading than monohulls. Catamaran builders strive to build the lightest boats they can without sacrificing strength and stiffness, and have adapted new building techniques and materials to meet this target. Cutting weight allows more passengers and gear without sacrificing performance. And the marketing materials reflect it–they load every review and website with polysyllabic technical jargon describing the design and production choices each builder made to deliver the best boat they can.…
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Knysna 440 Review: Upgraded St Francis 44
Sep 16, 2020

Knysna 440 Review: Upgraded St Francis 44

In 2002 Knysna Yacht Company (pronounced “Knees-nuh”) set out to become a boutique builder for high quality, semi-custom catamarans. Building on the legacy of the South African catamaran industry, the company purchased the tooling for the Angelo Lavranos designed St. Francis 44 hulls. Then Knysna changed the cabin and interior layout and the weight balance to launch their own take on the cruising catamaran. The Knysna engineers found that the St. Francis 44, a successful cruising design, still had room for improvement in areas of interior volume, cabin height and weight distribution.…
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Leopard 44 Catamaran Review
Jul 28, 2020

Leopard 44 Catamaran Review

History / Background South African boat builders Robertson and Caine have built over 2,000 catamarans over the last three decades. The Leopard 44 results from another successful collaboration with American catamaran designers Morrelli & Melvin. The goal was a solid, affordable mid-sized catamaran capable of blue water sailing and good for the charter market. Multiple awards and the boat’s enduring popularity show how well they hit the target. The Leopard 44 starts with a hull construction of vacuum-bagged balsa cored e-glass with vinylester resin.…
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