Project-14

BIMARE Project-14

Those who visit our site from time to time will know we started to work on a new 14 foot. Project-14.

The new "f14" is aimed to replace fat, heavy and slow boats presently used by many clubs to initiate children to start sailing multihulls. This new design is intended also for advanced youngsters and for general recreational use.

However our new 14 will in every inch be a BIMARE product, highlighting BIMARE's distinctive touch to stand out from similar products of our competitors.

No effort will be spared to make it PRETTY (we Italians like beauty), HGH-TECH (it will feature state state-of-the-art wave piercing hulls with pivoting fully retractable centerboards instead of old fashion heel shapped underbodies of most others), LIGHTER (composite construction instead of rotomoulded polyethylene), FAST and CHEAP.

BIMARE V1R 2012 A-class

While working on this project we got an idea!

Why do not utilize these high performance hulls to make a racing 14 ft singlehandler, a smaller duplicate of the A-cat? we noted that nobody sells a singlehandler suited to helmsmen weighing under 60 kg or, more in general, to those who are intimidated by the power made available by A-class catamarans.

In dighny classes the Laser and Open Bic offers the possibility to the young sailors to race at the utmost level until they are grown up to master the Finn. We would like to have the same possibilities for young multihull sailors. Therefore we want to fit the new "14" with all the GO FAST features; carbon mast, curved boards, high-tech sails etc and make it a real "race horse" and not only a pale imitation of the A-class.

PROJECT-14 design features:

Mini A-Class version:

Length:          14 feet (4.27 m)

Width:            2.30 m

Mastheight:   7 m

Mainsail:       10 mq full battens, kevlar

Gennaker      10mq

Curved daggerboards

Carbon mast

Rudders:       Bimare V1R A-Class

Weight ready to sail 60/65 kg

Youth version:

Length:          14 feet (4.27 m)

Width:            2.30 m

Mastheight:   7 m

Mainsail:       9 mq full battens, pentex

Jib:                 2,70 mq, pentex

Gennaker      10mq

New easy daggerboards

Carbon mast (maybe other composite material)

Rudders:       Bimare V1R A-Class

Weight ready to sail 60/65 kg

 We would like to develop this idea with you all. Discuss and find an agreement on the main design parameters. Width, mast height, sail area, construction materials, minimum weight, etc. We also launch a contest to select the appropriate name for this new toy.

We would also love to hear your opinios on whether to start a new class open to other designs and drawing a Box-Rule or to offer it as a One-Design.
We dream to see a lot of these boats take part in A-class events, of course with separate starts and rankings.

 That's all for now. We look forward to your contributions.

Lars Smit

Bimare Benelux.

www.bimarecats.blogspot.com