Harbour Cat

The client, a keen sailor had a long held dream to build an innovative tourist business around a sailing catamaran. He approached Damien Smith Design nearly 10 years before construction of the vessel commenced. The vessel is designed to fit within the constraints of survey while still providing good sailing characteristics, and solid performance under power.

By using Damien Smith Design’s aluminum vessel construction system total weight was kept low allowing for good performance. The easily driven hulls are designed to work both under sail or with 2 x 60 hp high thrust outboard motors. The hull design also maintains an eye to commercial viability ensuring the trim and free board changes are kept to a minimum despite the 44 passengers which the vessel is surveyed to carry.

The vessel was constructed by Damien Smith Design’s partner builder Alumarine, in Inverloch Victoria. The construction proceeded rapidly using our suite of custom extrusions and 3-D printed aluminium components. This vessel is also the first use of our innovative fendering system which incorporates an HDPE section and new aluminium extrusion.

Fit out was completed by the client with assistance from Alumarine and Damien Smith Design and incorporates recycled timber tops for the bar collected by the client through his career as a carpenter. The rig incorporates a fabricated aluminium mast and electrically driven winches which allow the vessel to be sailed by a single crewmember from the helm station.

The vessel is sailed back from Inverloch through Bass Strait on its delivery voyage to Sydney Harbour where she is now in service.