FRESH RENDERED IMAGES FOR RAKU 48

We'll be posting the full set on the rakucatamarans.com web site soon.

now designing RAKU 66 CUSTOM

Raku Custom 66 Cruising Cat.  More details on application graingerdesigns@gmail.com

BEACH HOUSE LAYOUTS FOR CRUISING CATS AND TRIMARANS

LIVING SIMPLY AT SEA

The Beach House Concept

Beach House Concept is a term we're using to describe a fully open plan layout that  does away with the saloon bulkhead and totally encapsulates the saloon and cockpit spaces in one integrated living space.

 

See the full article on the Raku Catamarans web site. www.rakucatamarans.com/beachhouselayout

 

REAL WORLD PERFORMANCE DATA FOR TR36 EOLE


 

 We're familiar with seeing polar diagrams associated with promotional material for various designs, but these polars are rarely if ever supported by information such as the input data (especially boat weight if they're computer generated) and whether or not the data has actually been verified on the water.A far more credible way to calibrate a boat's potential performance is to go sail it through a range of true wind angles and wind speeds, and record the resulting performance data with GPS readouts. It's easy to do, it's accurate, and if polar diagrams are produced from actual sailing results on the water why not show the GPS plots? 

 

We present here some performance data that is recorded in the real world. The input data is the wind (the real stuff that ruffles your hair), and the boat under sail on the water- (the stuff that makes you wet when the spray is flying). 

The data that we print here is what was recorded by the GPS on the TR36 trimaran Eole sailing off the coast of the Netherlands on July 20th 2022. They show Eole sailing at close to twice the wind speed in very light air and indicate that Eole can consistently sail at twice the wind speed, in light air at least.

 

Apologies if you're seeing this post twice. We are moving a lot of content from this web site to the www.rakucatamarans.com web site and until we are able to move it all some material will be duplicated on both sites as well as social media posts.

RUNNING DOWN THE DREAM- LATEST VIDEO FROM NUSA

RUNNING DOWN THE DREAM (again) - SAILING NUSA

These people seem to be sea life attractors. I'm talking about Greg and Lisa Binet, cruising north again to the Barrier Reef aboard their Chincogan 52 Nusa. 

Seems like everywhere they go there are whales, dolphins, sharks, rays and a general abundance of exotic sea life. Just lucky? Or is it mostly a matter of being in the right place at the right time and having the patience and the skill to capture it on film?

Their latest video from their current cruise to the Great Barrier Reef.

www.youtube.com/channel/UCSNxZaQbsLMo0_i7xFF01Tg/videos

RAKU 32 NOW AVAILABLE IN KIT FORM OR CUSTOM BUILD

RAKU 32 is now available to be built from plans or ordered from one of our custom builders in various stages of completion. We'll be offering plans at a special price as an introductory offer. Details will be posted on the Raku Catamarans web site. www.rakucatamarans.com

ASSEMBLY BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW FOR RAKU BUILDERS

Assembly books are available now for Raku 36, Raku 40, Raku 44, and Raku 48. You can see sample pages from the Raku 40 Assembly Book on The rakucatamaran.com web site on this link:

www.rakucatamarans.com/raku-assembly-books

WE HAVE A NEW BLOG ON THE RAKU WEB SITE

I've created a blog. It's on the rakucatamarans.com web site. It's called Tony's Design Journal and I hope to be posting about multihull design issues and design work in general two or three times a week. The first post is on line now and you can see it here:

www.rakucatamarans.com/design-journal


PRICING CHECK LIST - FREE DOWNLOAD

As part of an update to the Pricing Your Project page on the Design LAB we're offering a free PDF download of our Pricing Check List to help you with the planning and pricing of your build project. You can also request a copy of the check list in spreadsheet format so you can customize it to suit your own build project.

 

See it on the LAB

 

 



SAILS, RIGS, DECK EQUIPMENT - ARTICLE UPDATED on the LAB

Two maestros of the details hard at work: Joel Berg (Allyacht Spars) and Ben Kelly (North Sails Brisbane)
Two maestros of the details hard at work: Joel Berg (Allyacht Spars) and Ben Kelly (North Sails Brisbane)

The DesignLAB is back online and the article on the importance of coordinating sails, rigs, and deck hardware systems has been updated.

You can see it here:


MORE EXCEPTIONAL VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM SAILING NUSA

These guys know how to get the most out of the cruising lifestyle. More exceptional marine life photography from the Sailing Nusa crew. Check out their latest vid on the sailing Nusa Youtube Channel. Oh yeah! Make sure your anchor gear is up to spec.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=psTChTPHV3c


BOSSANOVA READY FOR MORE DANCING

This is the kind of email I get that really makes my day. The date on the sail plan for Alfresco 43 Bossanova is August 1995 and she was launched in 1996, yeah last century! She was built in New Zealand by Nick Beadle and shipped to Antwerp where she has remained under the command of her original owner and his family

Bossanova  is now up for sale and I have received a couple of very gratifying emails from people who have inspected Bossanova with a view to purchase.

According to an email from Xavier Duveau

"Bossanova is as in 1996: same electronics, same sails, same motors, same fittings!

She is in really good condition outside and inside: no marks or cracks or any type of stratification failure. The paint is shiny. In my point of view: a nice construction and smart marine design (In and Out)"

"The owner Herman Van Bouchout told me he achieved 25 knots in some conditions, sometimes averaged 16 knots on passages, and faced a 10 beaufort storm in north sea with 5m waves comfortably"

The final photo is one I shot at Bossanova's sea trials on Auckland Harbor back when digital cameras were the stuff of science fiction novels.

 

According to an email from Xavier Duveau

"Bossanova is as in 1996: same electronics, same sails, same motors, same fittings!

She is in really good condition outside and inside: no marks or cracks or any type of stratification failure. The paint is shiny. In my point of view: a nice construction and smart marine design (In and Out)"

"The owner Herman Van Bouchout told me he achieved 25 knots in some conditions, sometimes averaged 16 knots on passages, and faced a 10 beaufort storm in north sea with 5m waves comfortably"

The final photo is one I shot at Bossanova's sea trials on Auckland Harbor back when digital cameras were the stuff of science fiction novels.

See more photos of Bossanova in the photo galleries

www.graingerdesigns.net/video-and-photo-galleries/back-pages/


FRESH PHOTOS FROM THE RAKU 44 FACTORY

We've loaded seven new photos to the Raku Build Gallery on the Raku Catamarans Web Site. www.rakucatamarans.com/buildgallery

ELECTRIC OPTION FOR THE RAKU CATS

Thinking of going hybrid electric in one of the cats in the Raku Range?

Oceanvolt have prepared detailed specifications with speed/power consumption curves and hydrogeneration predictions for all five cats in the Raku Range. You can download the pdf's from the Specifications page on the Raku Catamaran web site, www.rakucatamarans.com and contact Oceanvolt for current pricing.


NEW TR36 BROCHURE FROM WAARSCHIP

Waarschip Boat yard has released a new pdf brochure on the TR36 trimaran featuring interior and exterior photographs of the recently launched Eole.
Eole was built in PVC foam/epoxy and carbon and was launched sail ready just under 3 tonnes.

Waarschip are comfortable working in foam composite and wood, monohull and multihull, but epoxy resins systems are exclusively employed in the laminates regardless of core materials.

For more information and pricing on the TR36 contact Roelof Niezen on info@waarschip.info or check the Waarschip web site www.waarschip.info

 


NEW RAKU WEB SITE IS ONLINE

Lots more work to do but you can find detailed spec's and layouts for all of the Raku Cats except the 32 which is a production boat. The site has pricing for kits and Project Packages and you can purchase Study Plans from the on line shop. Most of the Raku information on this web site will be moved to the new site over time. We appreciate if you report any problems with the site and welcome suggestions for more content.

See it here www.rakucatamarans.com

NEW PHOTOS IN THE RAKU 44 BUILD GALLERY

Latest Pic's from the factory floor Raku44# 1 Building in Brazil. See the full build gallery here.

MEASURING MULTIHULL PERFORMANCE

I've written about multihull performance and polar diagrams before, specifically in this article; but it's clear from the emails I get on a regular basis that there is a good deal of misconception about the performance data we often see published, and in Polar Diagrams in particular.

How useful are these diagrams in making a realistic assessment of a boat's potential performance in a range of conditions?

There are two things a polar diagram can represent;

1. Boat Speed measured by GPS over a range of sailing angles and wind speeds

2. Predictions made from a set of parameters taken from design information which can be either measured or theoretical..

Read the article here.


RAKU 32 PROGRESS AT YACHT SERVICE


Work on the Raku 32 Production Catamaran is gathering pace at Yacht Service in Poland. Hulls and cabin top are out of the moulds and assembled. Work on the interior and deck equipement is in progress.

BUILD GALLERY FOR RAKU 44 #1 IN THE PHOTO GALLERY PAGES NOW

 Raku 44 Hull #1 is under construction at Magma Yachts in Brazil and we are going to be following the build process in videos and stills in the photo gallery.

Many thanks to Gabriel Penido for providing the images.

See the Gallery here


MAKING THE BEST OF WIND DRIVEN ENERGY

The wind is blowing here, but there’s no way to get its green energy there.

While sailing craft directly convert wind pressure into forward motion, the logistics of getting wind generated energy into the gadgets that use it is an onerous task.

There's an article by Gregory Barber in the current issue of Wired lamenting the cost and complexity of getting wind generated power from sea based wind farms into the grid.

 

We can (or at least we should) marvel at the technology that enables us to travel at sea under an endless and totally free source of power.

All the more incredible to compare the simplicity and efficiency of wind driven voyaging compared to the enormous demands on infrastructure that enable the firing up of a shore based light bulb or the charge that propels electric vehicles.


TR36 AWAITING THE BREEZE

Technologies poised in anticipation of the wind. Turbines to generate electric power juxtaposed against a machine for pure sailing pleasure. TR36 trimaran Eole freshly launched at Waarschip in the Netherlands. Weight on launch? 2900kg. Cabon rig by Pauger

Contact Roelof Niezen at Waarschip for pricing on TR36, TR40, and the Raku series. info@waarschip.infoinfo@waarschip.info

BARE ESSENTIALS FOR SALE

Tim Pepperell has informed us that "with great sadness" he's listed Bare Essentials for sale and is moving on to a catamaran for a change of pace.

Bare Essentials has been a high profile performer on the Australian racing circuit over the years and we hope she can find a new owner who can carry her legacy into the future. Tim's email sums up his sentiment about BE in the last line "Best boat I have ever sailed".

You can find the official listing here: yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sailing-trimaran/grainger-essential-8/267998

RAKU 44 HULL #1 AT MAGMA YACHTS

The first hull shoe for the RakU44#1 is ready to roll over at the Pendino Workshop in Brazil. We're building some new pages on the web site to provide building information for topics like strip planking and the kit assembly process. Some of the pages are password protected - available only to builders. Some others are free to access. You can find the articles on this link.

TR36 INTO THE LIGHT OF DAY


TR36 Emerges into the light at the Waarschip factory in the Netherlands. Looking forward to seeing a rig and sails on this one.


ANOTHER GREAT VID FROM GREG AND LISA ON NUSA

Greg and Lisa Binet seem to be a magnetic force that attracts all kinds of wildlife. Lucky for us they're masterful at capturing their encounters on well crafted videos that feature everything from whales and playful dolphins to sharks and crocodiles.

The array of brightly coloured fish and corals in their videos lends some optimism that environmental damage to the reefs is not pervasive and the devastated areas can eventually recover to full health.

Greg and Lisa live aboard their Chincogan 52 Nusa for six months of the year and are currently in Northern Queensland waters.

Check out their videos on their YouTube channel

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrslKYpTDEw

 


RAKU 44 PROGRESS AT MAGMA YACHTS

First shots of the strip planking process for Raku 44 Hull number one. The strips were cut from full length panels which were infused full length in VE resin with Divinycell cores. Using broader strips reduces the number of glue joins but finer strips create a fairer surfaces that requires less sanding and less filler.

 

Note that the king plank (the full length plank just above the opening) has been carefully aligned along the bilge curve, and then the planking line has been reset below the bilge curve. This is so that none of the planks will have to cross the bilge curve at an angle that would induce twisting in the planks.

 

We'll be following the build as it progresses and we've started a build gallery which you can see here:

 


RAKU 48C 4 CABIN VERSION NOW DESIGNING

Raku 48 gets a makeover to create two additional sleeping cabins on the wing deck forward of the mast bulkhead. 

The additional sleeping cabins were created by raising the mast deck to provide more headroom over the berths, and moving the leading edge of the wing deck forward 500mm. 

To distinguish the new design the original version of the Raku 48 will get the designation 48S (Sports Version) and the new model will be Raku 48C for cruiser.

The C can also stand in for Charter as the new version offers up to 4 double cabins (this particular boat has three double cabins plus a machinery room) as well as two stacked kids berths forward to port. Certification is available for this and other Raku designs if required.

In spite of the modifications the roomier Raku will still offer exceptional performance with the sleek hulls and generous overhangs forward and aft.

It is to be built in the USA using a Duflex kit. More details coming to the web site soon.

 

Contact us for more details graingerdeisgns@gmail.com


BOAT BUILDERS WORK REALLY FAST IN BRAZIL

Manufacturing of the PVC foam cored panels for Raku 44#1 is underway in Brazil. See a time lapse video of the setting up for the infusion process on this link: https://youtu.be/qxJOdBw30eQ

 

 


AN INVASION OF GRAINGER CATS IN NORTHERN BARRIER REEF WATERS?

Thanks to Greg Binet from Chincogan 52 Nusa for sending through this shot of three Grainger Cats Running down the dream to Michaelmass Reef off Cairns in Northern Queensland. In fact Greg tells us there were four Grainger designs including Chincogan 52 Tess which departed shortly before this shot was taken.

The other two boats are Two Up and Fortuna. Greg and Lisa have been documenting their travels with some brilliant drone and underwater footage which you can see on their Sailing Nusa YouTube Channel. This one has some amazing footage of whales cavorting around the boat.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d_TM6zbu8c

 


RAKU 44 HULL NUMBER ONE TO BUILD IN BRAZIL

After a lengthy delay due to the disruptions in shipping services from Europe the composite materials for this Raku 44 have finally arrived in Brazil and are waiting customs clearance.

The shop floor will soon be graced with the presence of a CNC machine to manufacture the panels.

The project is under the command of Gabriel Penido. Gabriel reports there has been a lot of interest in the project and he is open to looking at the possibility of building more Rakus. 

Gabriel vdz Penido                                 

tel. +55 21 98056-3737 (whatsapp)

gabrielvdzpenido@gmail.com


TR36 IN THE PAINT SHOP

TR36 Getting the gloss at the Waarschip factory in the Netherlands.

 


TR36 UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT WAARSCHIP