This website went live in November 2011. See updatesfor progess on the build. Come on a tourof the hulls just after they were completed or a tour of the complete catamaran just after launching.

Ever since I was 15 I have wanted to build a yacht. Now that I am 60 it is now or never! The dream was kindled swinging on a mooring in the River Yar, Isle of Wight in my father's clinker-built motor-sailor called Doodle. Next to us was the famous Wanderer III owned by the legendary cruising couple, Eric & Susan Hiscock.

Back then I dreamed of a ferrocement monohull; imagine the result - heavy, slow and streaked with rust. Since then I have done some sailing and my ideas about a suitable craft have evolved. This website documents one man's obsession to build and sail a 10m ocean-going catamaran; it will document the what, why and how with a few cruising articles and poems thrown in for light relief. There is also a time-lapse "movie" of the build so far.

I have been inspired by the sailing and self-build websites of many people. Here, I strongly argue the benefits of catamarans and the self-build route for acquiring one. I hope this website will, in turn, inspire others who love "messing around in boats". I don't just mean catamarans; this website also contains details of the building of a tenderand of a widebeam narrow boat, called Cettia,to be used as a houseboat on the River Thames.

P.S. There are some wonderful ferrocement boats around, which have stood the test of time - check out Martin & Lorry's Severn Swan.

Updates

First update 1st January 2012:   hulls-to-knucklenow finished; do not miss the picture of cute, curious kittens watching the boat building; Owenhas joined the boat builders. The time-lapse moviehas also been updated.

Sixth update 3rd September 2013:   We are now two years into the project which has now consumed 4482 man-hours of effort. I had hoped to have finished the hulls by now, but there is still more to do! The hulls now sport rubbing strakes. The decks are finished, including home made hatches and dorade vents. The galley is now being constructed. The hulls have been sanded and painted which was a tremendous effort. Here is the new installment of the time-lapse movie.

Seventh update 22nd December 2013:   The hulls are now finished - take a tourof the insides! They have been moved from the boat shed. Drawer unit design proportions are based upon Hambridge Rectangles. A grey water tank has been added in the heads and a gas supply has been fitted to the water heater and hob. A new supporting document describes the plumbing of water and gas systemsadded to Swing Cat. A new (to us) technique to bend acrylichas been used to create bunkside "tables". A very smart teak-effect covering has been added in areas such as the galley and steps. Our experiences of using a composting loo have been written up here,but don't look if you are squeamish!

Eighth update 18th April 2014:   The bridgedeck coachroof has been built and all "bits" have been moved using a tractor and trailor by road to Sharpness Shipyard and Drydock. There are two new time-lapse movies: one showing the bridgedeck coachroof being constructed and one showing the moving of one of the hulls.

Ninth update 19th August 2014:   We are now three years into the build, having spent 6915 hours on it. I had hoped to be finished by now but it will be sometime next year before we can launch. Unfortunately, my first mate, Mac, fell of a step ladder and badly injured his back - we miss him and are making much slower progress without him.

The hulls are now joined and the coachroof is attached. Large anchor and gas lockers have been built. There is a new document on Akermann steering for catamarans, to help decide the optimum toe-in on the tillers for a given size of catamaran. Stanchions and lifelineshave been added and we now have a smart new trampoline net. It is the "silly season" so here is a bit of silliness: Swing Cat started crying, find out if it was a miracle.

Tenth update 21st December 2014:   The cockpit has been constructed, with 7 lockers! A way of adding deck fittings while avoiding the risk of ingress of water into the deck's plywood core has been written up here. Want to know how much resin you will need for a particular job? Consult the same document. The boat building team has been beefed up (in more ways than one) by Ben. Admire the wood burning stove If you like nautical terminology, find out all about a "gull striker" here. Finally, we have now fitted out and stepped a mast. There is a new time-lapse movie showing the mast going up.

Fourteenth update 30th December 2016:   The autopilot is installed. Deck hardware has been installed on the foredeck and coachroof. The gas installationhas been completed. All electronic systemshave now been interconnected and commisioned. As the project's end came in sight, the very time consuming tasks of headlining and decorating had to be tackled. Finally, after over 5 years and 10,450 hours of effort, Swing Cat is launched. Check out the launch movie and go on a tourof the finished catamaran.

Fifteenth update 21st April 2017:   Since launching we have had sea trials and the first serious cruise. The latter has been written up as an article and has been uploaded to the website. We encountered a near gale and memorable encouters with dolphins during this trip from Portishead to Plymouth.

Sixteenth update 30th December 2020:   It's now been three and a half years since my last update! Where has the time gone? I would like to bring the website up to date by listing the modifications I have made during that time. The boat is now essentially finished since I don't envisage making any other modifications. The most I might do is to add further cruising articles if I do anything worth recording. Since the last update I have not made as much use of the boat as I had hoped, despite now being fully retired. Partly, this is due to various house building projects I have been involved in and partly due to Covid-19. Still, I have had some sailing adventures. I managed to crunch a daggerboard on a rock white travelling at full speed. An October storm tore Swing Cat from its moorings and blew it onto another boat. Swing Cat survived both experiences with minimal damage. It has also given me a lot of enjoyment and not a little work as I will now describe.

First I designed and fitted a cockpit steering positionto enhance security and visibility for the helmsman. I found that having only one 9.9HP engine made the boat underpowered. The reasons for this and what I did about it are given here. Because the tender on the davits was not high enough, it was getting bashed by waves in a rough sea. Here is how I raised the tender. And, don't miss this atmospheric picture of the tender in use. One problem I have had, which may not even now be solved, is finding an effective anti-fouling. The saga so far is described here. The other enhancements made were: a fiddle rail on the fixed hob, an Echomax radar reflector permanently attached to the mast, an AIS transmitter, a cockpit speaker for the VHF radio, a loud hailer/horn connected to the VHF radio, a remote control for the autopilot and a YB Tracker for satellite tracking and communication. Finally, Swing Cat is completely seaworthy and ready to cross an ocean! For some fun, I have also updated the poemspart of the website with some great poems and striking images.

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