After three months of spare time work I finally have something worth photographing and posting with both hull frames now complete. This is my new Eco 6 Catamaran. As can be seen by the photo it is now recognisable as a sort of boat-like object, although not much to keep the water out yet! This is going to be a very light weight, and hopefully performance orientated bridge-deck sailing catamaran. There will be enough accommodation for coastal cruising, and a reasonable sized cockpit. This is a Bernd Kohler Eco 6 design.
When I began building I had high hopes of fitting a junk rig. I have enjoyed the junk rig of 'Footprints', and I like the idea of a performance sailing catamaran with a junk rig. However try as I might I have not been able to come up with a workable junk rig sail plan which satisfies all the various considerations on this design. I have also put up a pic of the gunter rig sail plan which shows the CE and CLR, both of which are well aft on this design. The bow on my boat differs from that in the pic, I have an inverse bow which has a 10 degree aftward rake.There is enough bury in the bridge deck area for a free standing mast, but the mast really needs to go in the position of the gunter rig sail plan, or 1.3 meters further forward. Anything in between will interfere with the bridge deck accommodation. There is also the need to keep weight out of the forward part of the boat because the hulls are very slender in the forward sections and therefore not able to carry a lot of weight forward.
So if any of our junk rig gurus is able to come up with a workable junk rig option I will happily build it. It has to be light weight and about 20 square meters in area. Otherwise it will be either the gunter rig, or the very square top bermudan mainsail and small jib, which isn't quite a pointy sail!
And I will keep on working in whatever spare time I get. Fairing the frame next weekend, and then putting on the plywood.