The Bi-plane rigged catamaran, or "bi-cat", opens exciting new opportunities in the world of catamaran sailing. Jeff Schionning of Schionning Designs in Australia designed the Radical Bay 8000 and 1060. His out of the box thinking has produced a boat that will bring a new level of enjoyment to your sailing experience.
The Radical Bay rides on narrow asymmetrical hulls that slice easily through the water. The cabin space is accentuated by a highly flared chamfer panel that allows the galley top and table to be placed up out of the walkway and makes room for wider bunks forward. The hulls are connected by three aluminum beams that allow them to be separated for transportation. The center section is all tramp except for a hard deck section down the center from the middle to aft beam. A full hard deck is an option.
The Radical Bay is build completely with foam coring and epoxy fiberglass, using vacuum bagging extensively to increase the bond and reduce weight which make for a light and strong boat. There are multiple water tight compartments both fore and aft making the boat very safe.
The bi-plane rig consists of two carbon fiber, unstayed masts with fixed booms. One of the greatest advantages of the bi-plane rig is safety. With two masts, the center of effort is lowered significantly making the boat virtually impossible to capsize. There is only one winch and it is used primarily to raise the sails. Once the sails are up the boom carries the load, all to do is adjusting the angle. There are no designed head sails, though some experimentation could prove some interesting options. Dagger boards improve windward performance and kick-up rudders allow for access to shallow water.
Foto: Radical Catamarans Company
| Technical details | |
| Producer: | RADICAL CATAMARANS COMPANY (USA) |
| LOA: | 26'40 ft |
| LOA: | 8,00 m |
| Beam: | 5,76 m |
| Draught: | 0,30 m |
| Displacement: | 1.100 kg |
| Fuel tank: | 20 l |
| Water tank: | 50 l |
| Berths: | 3 |
| Sail area: | 41 m2 |
| Engine: | 9 HP |
| Top speed: | 20 kn |
| Cruising speed: | 12 kn |
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