Kismet Multihull Dezines
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Design Philosophy
For the last 2 1/2 decades Kismet Dezines have concentrated on providing safe, comfortable, high performance live aboard ocean cruisers. We are happy to see them in harbours all over the globe, after safe, successful crossings of the world's oceans. It is not necessary to come out with a new design every year or two as some designers obviously feel is essential. Our designs of 25 years ago are still capable of making the same successful ocean crossings today as yesteryear. We have however learned a lot during the last 25 years. While nothing revolutionary has surfaced,(contrary to what some designers would have you believe) a better understanding of the existing data bank has made predicting performance and designing to achieve it, much more feasible. This has led to improvements in sails, rigging and a better understanding of materials. Also they have become more aerodynamic which enhances performance and makes them more aesthetically pleasing. Some aspects of aesthetics have been overdone in our opinion, for the sake of a racy look. Too many sloping surfaces undulating across the decks have been incorporated. This makes for unsure and slippery footing. When sitting in the cockpit we should be able to see all four corners of the boat. While in Australia I assisted on a delivery trip up the Queensland coast on a large bridge deck catamaran. It was necessary while helming the boat to either sit in a very high swivel seat or stand on a cockpit seat leaning over at a very precarious angle in order to see over the bridge deck. Neither position was very comfortable and gave me an awfully sore back. It is like having the windshield of your car blacked out and having to stick your head out the sunroof to see where you are going. The boats must be easily driven, have uncluttered level decks with few encumbrances. Furthermore you should be able to see over the cabin top while working from the cockpit sole (floor), have access to all cockpit controls, (sheets, halliards, lines etc.) in order to be able to single hand your boat safely if and when necessary. At Kismet Dezines each vessel is created to fulfill the design parameters laid down for the individual yacht. On a cruiser, a high average speed under a full cruising payload, is more important than blazing speed, which can only be found while sailing ultra-light in high winds on smooth water. We believe that good performance is the most significant safety factor available to the sailor. A fast passage maker means that you are always closer to medical attention, fresh water and food. A fast vessel must move through the water with a minimum of resistance ( to slip the punches of the ocean rather than stand head to head and slug it out). This efficiency makes for a comfortable ride. Having lived aboard as a family for over 8 1/2 years, we are appreciative of the fact that to live aboard full time, rather than just for the duration of a cruise, means a higher payload. Kismets are designed to sail efficiently with a reasonable payload. There is a price to pay for performance. We have to balance weight and windage against accommodation, and be satisfied with comfortable not lavish accommodation. You will never find a room-maran (a multihull that sleeps many more bodies than it can support i.e. feed) that keeps up with the faster part of the fleet. In fact upon close examination of the room-maran fleet you will find that at least 1/3 of them can't even keep up with the monohulls. Room-marans are only fast when in harbour telling tales. A multihull, must be capable of exhilarating us with the occasional burst of sheer speed. Recently we have developed several smaller coastal cruisers. Our goal was to provide a more affordable, lighter, and easier handling craft for those whose cruising goals do not include ocean crossings or living on board full time, but do include exciting and fulfilling coastal cruising and explorations of our national waterways and archipelagos. These cruisers include accommodation for comfortable cruises. We often meet Kismet sailors just in from a sail who are exhilarated and excited after having a fantastic sail. It is up to you to choose a boat that provides this kind of excitement. The choice is yours. |
Some Historical Facts
There are some sailors who think the multihull is a new type of sailing vessel. The fact is that the external keel ballasted monohull, being just over 100 years old is the new kid on the block, while the catamaran and double outrigger (trimaran) are several centuries old. Log books of the explorers of old i.e. Captain Cook comment on the incredible speed of the outrigger canoes and catamarans which sped around their ungainly square rigged craft. Long before Europeans were making ocean crossings under sail, the Polynesian people migrated to all points in the South Pacific using multihulls Today, the outrigger canoes and catamarans are still functioning as working craft through many parts of the south pacific. It is interesting to note that these multihulls were being constructed before the advent of iron tools, using stone tools and hot rocks for steam forming the hulls. Sadly the art of building the big sailing double canoes have long since passed in Polynesia, only the single and double outrigger survive as fishing, working craft and coastal cruisers. Today we are seeing a world-wide comeback of these unique craft, as ocean going catamarans and trimarans are especially popular in the charter trade. The reason for this resurgence of popularity is the incorporation of modern design features and modern technology in the area of materials and engineering techniques. Marrying the old and new and incorporating the best of each, has resulted in the evolution of outstanding ocean cruising and racing craft. The proof of this is the fact that nearly all ocean crossing records in the world are held by multihulls. |
"To me the pleasure of sailing is almost in direct proportion to the speed." - Herreshoff
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Why choose a Multihull over a Monohull?
Personally, we do not believe that you should choose one over the other because of some preconceived idea that one is safer than the other. Both Multihulls and Monohulls have evolved into vessels that have been proven safe on any ocean. Of course nothing in this world is absolutely safe. Cruising in your boat, whatever the configuration, is not 100% safe, any more than driving your automobile to the wharf is safe. Driving an automobile is probably the single most dangerous activity we engage in, in our society. But familiarity breeds contempt and we don't even acknowledge the danger anymore. It is very important to assess the type of sailing you intend to do (duration, equipment, stores etc.) in order to be able to make a choice of what size vessel required. Most experienced cruisers will recommend that you choose the smallest vessel which will serve your needs. The performance and seaworthiness of an overloaded sailboat, whether monohull or multihull, deteriorates greatly, particularly in the case of a multihull which is inherently more weight conscious. While it is not true that multihulls are:
Let's choose a multihull simply for the reason that they are exciting practical sailing yachts incorporating comfort, speed and safety. In one of his last interviews before his death, Herreshoff said that if he had his life to live over again he would have spent much more time working with multihulls. What better recommendation could we ask for. Stability A Multihull sails with a minimal amount of heel. This makes handling of sails, cooking and domestic duties easier. Even sitting on the head becomes a small pleasure rather than an acrobatic feat. Shallow draft and beachability A shallow draft has the distinct advantage of be able to cruise more of the shallow estuaries. Beach the boat for painting and repairs. This will save the owner hundreds of dollars. Motion In general, motion on a multihull is far kinder than a monohull.
Capsize Everybody mentions capsize when multihulls are the topic of conversation. Contrary to public opinion, multihull capsizes are not common in cruising multis. Most capsizes have taken place because the boat has been sailed over when racing - not because of a roll over by enormous seas. The small percentage which have capsized by wave action, in some cases with no sail set, have left the unsinkable multihull floating upside down. Now compare this with a monohull. Much has been made of the fact that a monohull is self-righting and thus will survive a roll over if her hatches are battened down. If not, she will fill with water and sink. Bear in mind that most modern monohulls have up to 50% ballast, which means they are half sunk before they leave the dock. More dangerous than capsize for a monohull is the danger of being holed. A recent yachting magazine had an article on monohulls that had been holed. In most cases, when the boat could not be saved, they sank in less than 5 minutes, not giving the survivors time to gather up emergency rations and necessary documents or get themselves organized. Multihulls on the other hand have sailed hundreds of miles with one or more hulls holed or even trimarans with one hull lost completely. Building Methods & Materials
We have adapted our designs to a new building system which will speed up the assembly time to an incredible degree. The hull sides are built flat on a table full length, then wrapped around a minimal number of bulkheads and the hull bottoms are joined to the hull sides. Kismet multihulls can be fabricated using most of the modern building materials and methods currently employed in the building of a modern multihull. |
KISMET DESIGN FEATURES
Hulls Kismet designs are available in round bilge, multiple chine and flat bottom dory style hulls for the smaller designs. The dory shaped flat bottomed hulls are surprisingly effective in the smaller designs as there is so little boat in the water.
Wing decks (trimarans) Wing decks are cut back further than most designs for two reasons,
Light storage only in outrigger hulls. Bridgedecks (catamarans) Bridgedecks are kept as low as possible. It is absolutely vital that a person seated in the cockpit, have unobstructed vision over the cabin top. This also decreases windage. Bridge decks are also held back as much as possible to eliminate the danger of damage to the leading edge and to keep the bows light. Decks should be clear, without the usual obstacle course. Decks must be designed for people not mountain goats. Our pride in performance should come from the sailing, not from having managed to get on top of the bridge deck without outside assistance. A single level deck insures that both feet are on deck, rather than one foot on deck and the other on a cabin top or some other sloping surface. Unobstructed work areas make for safety and efficiency. Every attempt is made to insure that decks ahead of the mast are unobstructed for easier sail handling. Accommodation After living on board personally and receiving feed-back for over two decades from many other sailors living on board, we have established a high standard of accommodation design, which is practical at the dock and at sea. This is very important, as we have seen many accommodation plans that are lovely at the dock, but completely untenable at sea and vice versa. Rig For most of our designs we use a conventional masthead rig and sails. Some of our more performance oriented cruisers have been designed to incorporate fully battened and semi fully battened (full battens in the upper section of the sails only) sails, 3/4 rig rotating and fixed masts. The advantages of this rig configuration are, less windage, less compression load from mast. Safety Kismet multihulls have a safety record second to none and better than most. This is based on ocean going miles, not hear say! Cost Slightly cheaper to build than a monohull, as it is lighter. The cost of any boat is closely related to the weight of materials. Also an important factor is the type of finish and the amount of equipment used. Keep in mind that the labour to build a boat of a superior design is the same as building mediocre designs, provided they are the same size. The cash outlay will be very similar. |
You too can build a Kismet Multihull...
if you have the determination and initiative to dedicate your time to the project. Experience has shown us that the above attributes are more important than actual boat building experience.
98% of our builders were completely inexperienced at the start of their projects. We also found no correlation between previous sailing experience and successful ocean crossings after completion of their projects. Most successful builders went on to learn to sail, cruise locally, accumulate experience, and then go on to more extensive cruising.
In other words the successful sailors do things one step at a time. So can you!
Remember, the first step is the most difficult, the others come easier.
The best of luck in whatever steps you decide to take.
- KISMET MULTIHULL DEZINES
if you have the determination and initiative to dedicate your time to the project. Experience has shown us that the above attributes are more important than actual boat building experience.
98% of our builders were completely inexperienced at the start of their projects. We also found no correlation between previous sailing experience and successful ocean crossings after completion of their projects. Most successful builders went on to learn to sail, cruise locally, accumulate experience, and then go on to more extensive cruising.
In other words the successful sailors do things one step at a time. So can you!
Remember, the first step is the most difficult, the others come easier.
The best of luck in whatever steps you decide to take.
- KISMET MULTIHULL DEZINES