Hi, I am going to build a catamaran this year, big enough to carry a couple of bachelors around the pacific, so it has to be built fast. I'm thinking something like around forty feet would be good. I studied catamarans quite a lot but that was quite a few years ago.
The reason I want aluminum is because I have built a couple of powerboats using 'heavy' aluminum (1/4") and it is such a fast material to build with, and it is also very tough and puncture proof and shatter proof.
It would need to be a hard chine hull in tortured aluminum. if I recall correctly, the Wharram boats don't have a hard chine, do they?
It doesn't need to be fancy, simple and plain and maybe a bit crude here and there is fine with me, it just needs to get done quickly, so I envision smaller cabins. I really want the long slender huls in order to go fast, not for big living space.
I also saw somewhere here that the Tiki designs are faster than the Pahi designs and I wonder why that is?
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What do you mean by (no structure inside) Do you mean no extra structure in an aluminum hull other than the bulkheads and furniture that are also structural members but no use of stringers or extra crossmembers ?
I just priced out 6061 structural aluminum sheets here in BC Canada 1 sheet 1/4 in x 5 ftx12 ft x 25 sheets costs 15,041Can dollars. I was surprized at the low cost . the cost is very simular to marine plywood . just think no rot no sanding no Glasswork no epoxie no painting is required and welding with the new welding machines is so easey even I can do it .