Swedish born BILL KRISTOFFERSON studied Naval Architecture and
Structural Engineering in Stockholm Sweden. He worked in various
parts of the world during a round the world voyage and arrived
in Canada in 1964- became a citizen in 1972.
Bill has made numerous ocean crossings in many different types
of vessels the Mediterranean in an Arabic dhow, The North Atlantic
in a Danish double ender, the Pacific Ocean in a Trimaran. His
experience is based on 50% multihull and 50% monohull sailing.
Although he likes to sail on all types of sailing craft his preference
is to sail on a well designed multihull.
As a qualified shipwright and a naval architect, he has worked
in several shipyards over the years in a managerial and supervisory
capacity. The building of many vessels of all types; fish boats,
pleasure boats, and commercial tugboats, has provided an intimate
knowledge of material and design concepts.
He is in the unique position as a designer to be able to draw
on the experience of 8 1/2 years of living onboard a multihull
with his family. The first Kismet design was drawn in 1968. Bill
has also personally built his own boats including the well known
"Star of Kismet ".
For the last 30 years research has been continous. The years 1987-88
were spent sailing and working in Australia and provided a great
opportunity to see what was happening down under. In 1989 he was
residing in Spain, sailing the Mediterranean and checking out
the great European racing multihulls. All information has been
gathered, collected and assessed. The result of all this is to
be seen in the Kismet designs.
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.
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 with the 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.
Basically multihull designs have split into 3 groups.
1 - The racing oriented designs consist of very slender hulls which are extremely weight conscious with very spartan, miniscule accommodation and over size sail plans. They require very experienced skippers who sacrifice comfort for great speed.
Two types of cruising multihulls
2 -The performance cruiser provides exceptional performance with comfortable but not luxurious accommodations and a rig which will ensure a high average speed made good. It also requires a Skipper who will make every attempt to keep his vessel as light as possible and on her designed waterline.
3 - The sumptuous luxury cruiser small or large has every appliance
and gadget to make life easier. A skipper who enjoys this great
comfort at the expense of speed and performance. At the moment
this type is probably the most popular.
There is a place for all 3 types in our life. Unfortunately many
turn their type 1 and 2 into type 3 by overburdening them , this
is not advisable.
It would be much better to decide which craft is for you and buy
or build one designed to suit your type of sailing.
However keep in mind that at times speed is one of the greatest
safety factors for many reasons e.g.
- Shortage of water ( tanks dry, water maker on the fritz)
- Shortage of food ( slow voyage, fridge and or freezer on the blink)
- Medical emergency.
A faster boat will insure that you make your landfall sooner.
Designers have learned a lot during the last 25 years. While nothing
revolutionary has surfaced,(contrary to what some 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, and a greater ability to design to the intended
type of utilization.
Designs have become more aerodynamic and this further enhances
performance as well as making them more aesthetically pleasing.
For the last 3 decades Kismet Yachts have concentrated on providing
safe, comfortable, and simple to construct high performance live
aboard ocean cruisers. We are happy to see them in harbours all
over the globe, after safe, successful crossings of the worlds
oceans.
It is not necessary to come out with a new design every year or
two as some obviously feel is essential. Our designs of 25 years
ago are still capable of making the same successful ocean crossings
today as yesteryear.
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.
Also 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
easy access to all controls, (sheets, halliards, lines etc.) in
order to be able to single hand your boat safely if and when necessary.
At Kismet Yachts 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.
For years we have avoided designing any multihulls smaller than
31 ft as it was felt that they were two small to carry the required
payload for extended coastal cruises. After designing, building
and sailing the K24 T ( 24 foot trimaran ) and the K24 C (24 foot
catamaran) we found them incredibly comfortable for extended coastal
cruises.
They are much more economical ( upkeep, moorage etc.) Easier to
handle and offer more chance of finding space at marinas etc.
We have now developed several smaller coastal cruisers. Our goal
was to provide a more affordable, lighter, and easier handling
craft for those whose cruising goals do include exciting and fulfilling
coastal cruising and explorations of our national waterways and
archipelagos, but do exclude ocean crossings or living on board
full time.
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.
Why choose a Multihull over a Monohull
Both Multihulls and Monohulls have evolved into vessels that have
been proven safe on any ocean. Therefore, we do not believe that
you should choose one overthe other because of some preconceived
idea that one is safer than the other. 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. In fact 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 is 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 always in all circumstances;
- Roomier than any monohull
- Safer than any monohull
- Faster than any monohull
It is true that, in the majority of cases a well designed multihull will be superior to a monohull in the above situations. However a well found larger racing monohull could come along and force us to stare at her transom. In general the performance Multihull cruiser is approximately 30% faster than a comparable monohull in the cruising mode.
Let's choose a multihull simply for the reason that they are exciting practical sailing yachts incorporating superior 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.
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.
This is a distinct advantage. Cruising the shallow estuaries increases
your cruising area.
-Beach the boat for painting and repairs. This will save the owner
hundreds of dollars.
-If beached on unfriendly shores the multihull with it's shallow
draft will deposit you high and dry on the beach while the monohull
with it's deep draft will founder in the heaviest breaking surf
making abandoning ship very treacherous.
In general, motion on a multihull is far kinder than a monohull.
-Windward - Finer hulls and no ballast thus less pounding and
less pitching if designed with a fuller stern.
-Downwind - Not as much rolling because of greater beam, no great
danger of broaching.
-Reaching - Beam makes for stable exciting sailing. This is what
multis are made for!
Every body mentions capsize when multihulls are the topic of conversation.
Contrary to public opinion, multihull capsizes are not common
in cruising multis. Most capsizes have been in the racing category
and 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 approximately
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.
So lets look at the problem logically.
In the most unlikely and extreme scenario, it becomes a choice
as to what you prefer, floating around in a small rubber raft
with some emergency rations, or floating around in an overturned
multihull with all your supplies and water on a larger more visible
raft which would be more likely to be spotted.
In many cases the multihulls that have capsized for whatever reason
have been towed to shore, righted and renovated. They are out
there sailing again. On the other hand it is almost unheard of
to raise a sunken monohull. Even if you know the exact spot where
it lies, the depth of water makes the recovery too costly.
We design almost exclusively for the homebuilder and our goal
is to provide good designs which utilize so called low tech materials
( wood, plywood and epoxy) while providing high tech performance.
Every effort is made to ensure that the designs are pleasing to
look at, something to be proud of.
We have adapted our designs to a new building system which will
speed up the assembly time to an incredible degree. The hull sides
and all connecting bulkheads 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. This means that components
can be built separately if desired, which in some circumstances
could be very expedient depending on the building site.
Kismet multihulls can be fabricated using most of the modern building
materials and methods currently employed in the building of a
modern multihull.
"To me the pleasure of sailing is almost in direct proportion
to the speed."
Herreshoff
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.
- Have clean hulls with good load carrying capacity,
-Lowest wetted surface,
-A developed hull shape which will reduce pitching,
-Angled or flared hull sides, to provide roomier interiors, and expanded load capacity.
Wingdecks are cut back further than most designs for two reasons,
- to keep the bows of the vessel lighter
- to keep the underwings from pounding at sea
Bridgedecks are kept as low as possible with lots of underwing clearance to the water. 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 sailhandling.
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 both dock and at sea. This is of the utmost importance, as we have seen many accommodation plans that are lovely at the dock, but completely untenable at sea and vice versa.
For most of our designs we use a conventional masthead rig and
sails.
However some of our more performance oriented cruisers have been
designed to incorporate fully battened and semi fully battened
sails ( full battens in the upper section of the sails only ),
3/4 rig rotating and fixed masts.
The advantages of this rig configuration are, less windage and
less compression load from mast.
Multihulls are slightly cheaper to build than a monohull, as they
are 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 a mediocre design, 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, 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.
There are two types of people in this world, the DOERS and the CRITICS.
THOSE WHO CAN, DO!
THOSE WHO CAN NOT, CRITICIZE!
THE BEST OF LUCK IN WHAT EVER STEPS YOU DECIDE TO TAKE.
KISMET MULTIHULL DEZINES
P.O. BOX 122
VANANDA
BRITISH COLUMBIA
CANADA V0N 3K0
tel/fax 604 486-7434