( These plans are not exact - as we have modified them considerably.. however, they give a good idea of where we are headed...  sort of...  life can be difficult..  roll with it...  I'm doing the best I can )

I have been a bit overwhelmed when considering how to tell the story of this boat from the beginning of the build, to successful launch... ( there is a metric ass-ton of pics... all raw... huge... and requiring some processing... it takes time... and I am more or less constantly shot and not wanting to do anything but sleep... eat a bit of food, and be ready for the next work week... . but... its pointless to take the pics and do nothing with them, so... ).

I think the most coherent way to tell this story is by breaking things up a bit into component assemblies, and telling each of them one at a time... up to the present... then I can sort of do mini posts and bring each up to date as we progress.

This is the way we work, in any case.... we all work on one component... break off and several small 'boat crews' work on different projects, and we flex and flow as the work requires.

So... a catamaran is essentially a pair of hulls, which are parallel to one another, and bridged by several beams called 'akas' ( one is an aka ), over which is laid decking, and on the deck ( or sunken through it to some degree ) are the superstructures, which consist of little shelters or cabins... when constructing them, we generally call them 'pods'.

There are three pods... if you are standing at the very aft section of the deck looking forward.. the 'nav pod' (navigation pod; which is the wheel house, bridge, navigation room, communications room, and chart room all in one ... the 'driver's seat' if you will... ) is on the right.... on your left is the 'galley pod' this is basically the pantry and food preparation room. between them is the aft mast (the pods serve double duty as mast braces... its a requirement).

Behind you, off of the deck would be the aft 'trampoline' - netting stretched very tightly to form a sort of surface, like a trampoline...

If you climbed over the galley and nav pods, you would be standing on open deck. To the extreme left and right of the deck, at its edge, running fore and aft would be two long boxes... these are the engine boxes... they store fuel and other equipment, plus the 'sleds' which lower the engines into the water via a winch and pulley system.

In front of you, sort of built around the fore mast is the sundeck seating area/mast brace pod. This is the same size as the other two pods, but, rather than taking up deck space, we centered it, and the mast passes up the center of the pod, which consists of two storage locker shelves... think of book cases, or open cabinets... and sort of sunken into the deck will be two sunbathing areas. We have not decided how we will finish the design, so it is a work in progress.

In front of the fore mast and sunbathing area / mast brace pod, the bowsprit will extend out over the water. Its upper surface will have a slatted gangway, for walking out to the tip... and about two-thirds of the way out, two curved and tapered wooden 'horns' or 'whiskers' will be attached to the outer edges of the bowsprit, at their wide ends, and the narrow ends will stick up, and be raked forward.. where they will rest on a third, narrower strut which is at the foremost tip of the bowsprit. My understanding at this point in time is that this will be used to weigh and lower the anchor.

Each hull will have several compartments or cabins. Each will have a long 18 foot Salon ( think of this as the 'drawing room' or 'living room' of the ship... a meeting place ), as well as several smaller compartments, sleeping berths, head (toilet), boatswain's locker (bos'un - in charge of the deck crew.. the boatswain's locker will hold stuff needed by the crew that man's the deck watch, etc.)

So, to recap, I have separated things into the following components;

1. Starboard Hull.
2. Port Hull.
3. Navigation Pod.
4. Galley Pod.
5. Sunbathing / Mast Brace Pod.
6. Bridge Deck & Akas.
7. Bowsprit.
8. Masts & Rigging.
9. Compounds, tools & methods ( this is a sort of catchall for other stuff)

There may be more, or fewer categories as time passes, and I am forced to adjust. I know we will be doing brightwork, electrical installation, and other necessary tasks as we move forward, but I am not sure how these will fit in.

I will start with the starboard hull, since I did not start taking photos at the outset, being the new apprentice, and focusing upon learning all of the necessary tasks and skills. Since I did take pics as we laid keel and began to straighten out and set the bulkheads and run stringers and strakes ( and the sheer ), I will start there... since that is really the beginning of the story.... then I will go on to the port hull... and the other stuff.

Hopefully it will makes sense and not bore you to tears.. I can be socially inept, ( I have Asperger's Syndrome... its a wrinkle... ) and often fail to pick up hints and clues that I am sharing too much detail, or that what is incredibly interesting to me ( pretty much EVERY thing that bloody well exists or may exist is interesting to me... in great detail.. ) is absolutely tedious and appallingly boring to most other folks. This continues to astound me, but, there it is. If I am being tedious, you sort of have to tell me flat out.... although I am actually very skilled at picking up tiny clues and hints that are directed at others.... I am woefully incompetent at noticing the hints and signals that are directed at me.

This is as much a chronicle for my own purposes.... to look back on, etc., as it is a story that I want to tell to my friends. I think this project is one of the most interesting and coolest things I have ever been involved with, I am in love with this boat, and its welfare, and the welfare of its future crew and passengers are constantly on my mind. I want her to be absolutely flawless and perfect ( she will not be... my wishes notwithstanding.. but, that does not diminish them in the slightest, and I continue to exert every last bit of energy to that end... ), and the minutest detail of her design and construction are of immense interest to me.

I am fairly confident that few other human beings under the sky, with the exception of the Skipper, and my fellow Boat-Wrights share this degree of interest... but, I have difficulty finding the middle ground, so.. please excuse me if I wander off the rails into the weeds now and again. I can't help it, and I probably wont notice in any case.

I hope that separating things out sort of helps you to envision what she will look like as we continue our work.

Thanks for taking an interest... this is really important to me... and one of the more fulfilling work/craft experiences that I have had in my lifetime...

Bear