This
is our latest development of the group canoe; a boat which would be fun either to
sail or to paddle.
A
large buoyant and ballasted outrigger makes the boat
uncapsizable in normal use. The centreboard is in the outrigger
to keep it from cluttering up the main hull. It is angled
sideways at 45o to provide a downward force when it
is to windward and an upward force when it is on the leeward
side thus augmenting the weight or buoyancy of the
outrigger.
For economy the sailing rig consists of three
complete Pico rigs.
(The centre already had a fleet of Picos)
It is designed to balance under 1, 2 or 3
sails.
This boat is fast and impressive to look at.
You get a lot of people on the water economically and safely and
its not boring if the wind dies because she paddles well.
We have
many years of experience of looking after boats in outdoor
centres and this is reflected in the detail design where a lot
of attention has been paid to minimizing future
maintenance.
For example sealed bottom
boards are fitted which are above the waterline when the boat is
empty. Rain or washing water is drained by a self bailer. The
space below the boards is connected to the end compartments
which have high spray resistant vents. This enables the boat
to be kept
on a mooring without the need for pumping and to be hosed
out easily.
This particular boat was designed to take 14
people but we could easily design and build smaller or larger as
required.
Orca provides an interesting alternative to the conventional
sailing and rowing boats favoured by many centres.