Specs for MC 38 Multihull Catamaran
LOA 38′-0″ LWL 37′-6″
Beam 21′-0″ Min. Draft 2′-9″
Max. Draft 6′-6″ Beam to Length ratio 12 to 1
Lightship Weight 8,100 lbs DWL Displacement 12,400 lbs
Mast Height above DWL 58′-0″ Headroom (max) 6′-6″
Main Sail 568 sf Self-tacking Jib 227 sf
Screacher 523 sf Code Zero 703 sf
Bridgedeck Clearance 31″ at DWL Water Tankage 80 gal
Motoring speed 6 knots Sailing max. speed 20 knots
Waste Management Vacuum Pump Motor Twin Yamaha 15HP
Construction Vinylester Resin infused thermoformed Core-Cell
MC 38 Multihull Catamaran Overview
General Design Theory of our Catamaran is a lightweight, high performance, and simple to sail and maintain. Open bridgedeck offers better visibility, is better looking, and has a great air flow. High Fineness ratio due to the length to beam ratio which is close to 12:1 when kept light. Flared hulls with protective “shoulder” offer a drier ride and huge interior volume. Retractable daggerboards and outboard motors makes the MC 38 Catamaran beachable. MC 38 Catamaran has higher pointing angles and less drag off the wind. Gunkholers cruising due to 2′-9” draft. MC 38 Catamaran has a very simple layout and lightweight Core-Cell cored resin infused interior cabinetry. MC 38 Catamaran offers high speeds under sail averaging 200+ miles per day. Auxiliary power Twin Yamaha 15HP outboard motors, hydraulic trim and tilt, bronze 3 bladed high efficient prop, high torque and thrust, easy deck accessibility under port and starboard bench seats. Added safety from having redundant twin motors.
Multihull Catamaran General Design Parameters
MC 38 Multihull Catamaran is design to be single-handed. Fun to sail and out-perform all current cruising catamarans on the market. Comfortable, safe, easy to sail and affordable.
Build the lightest structural components possible by thermoforming Core-Cell PH core and resin infusing 100% vinyl ester resin in female molds. Finished Catamaran is 2 hull and deck units, capped bridgedeck platform, rig and roof and you are ready to go sailing in an ocean capable, high performance cat. We are offering a very simply equipped package to keep the price as affordable as possible. We offer a host of options you can add yourself in time or we can install at the shop during the initial build. Our goal is to get you out on the water sailing as economically as possible, before you start adding “stuff” you might be able to live more comfortably without. Every piece of equipment you add requires maintenance and time taken away from sailing.
Hull Shapes are designed to maximize the interior volume, minimize the waterline beam and keep spray down and off the deck and windscreen. The nicely radiused chine and “shoulders” we designed provides almost 6 feet at the maximum beam of each hull, yet the waterline maximum beam is only 38” when she is fully loaded to 12,400 lbs. Our chine is over 12 inches above the DWL and will provide very little resistance or interference for our racer owners and huge additional buoyancy for our loaded-up live aboard cruisers in large seas.
Our approach to the rig design is also going to offer our owners a number of choices to fit their skill level and cruising area. Our standard rig will be a Selden fixed fractional rig with furling self-tacking jib and fully batten main. Options available will include pole mounted free furling screacher, flat top mainsail, and a number of upgrades to our standard Wrap Drive radial cut Dacron for owner looking for the highest performance.
MC 38 Catamaran is our solution for economical, lightweight and inexpensive auxiliary power which is easy to access, eliminate drag while sailing. Our design includes twin Yamaha 15HP outboards that are under the bridgedeck and this allows to full retractability. This retractability reduces drag while sailing the MC 38 Multihull Catamaran.
Advantages of Thermoforming the Structural Core in Our MC 38 Multihull Catamaran
Thermoforming is a process of heating the Core-Cell coring to a point where the mechanical rigidity in the foam is temporarily broken down to a level which makes it flexible, allowing it to be shaped and “formed”. This temporary flexibility is reversed by the cooling of the foam where full mechanical properties are restored. This method of construction reduces the weight of the structure by removing any excess resin in the typical PVC core with saw-cuts and also allows a tighter and more accurate fit of the core. This leads to weight savings in core bonding and kerf filling during the build process.
There are many reasons why thermoforming is a good idea in composite sandwich components. Thermoforming core eliminates the need to have any core cuts or grooves to increase shaping capability, and as a direct result a thermoformed core will not have the additional weight of the resin or adhesive required to fill these grooves. By eliminating resin in the saw cuts, the MC 38 has superior cosmetics and no “print” through. Thermoforming allows a tighter fit tolerance to the skins (more time can be taken to ensure the fit is correct). This allows the core to fit with much less filling compound and adhesive – both of which can add significant weight to a component when fitting poorly shaped core. Thermoformed core will demonstrate the exact mechanical properties indicated by the data sheet and product information. The addition of cuts and grooves to the core materials can have large impacts on the mechanical properties which should be accounted for during the design process when specifying core materials in sandwich construction. The end result is we achieve stronger and lighter composite assemblies that are better engineered for a superior finish product.
The major disadvantage of thermoforming is the time requirement. The process of thermoforming core is one that requires considerable care and time, making it difficult to integrate into a production build scenario unless additional tooling and operations are available.
Gulf Shore Catamaran (GSCats) has made this investment in additional tooling and all our thermoforming is performed inside female production molds. Our MC 38 Multihull Catamaran is stronger, lighter, and a blast to sail.