Summer Twins 25

SUMMER TWINS is first and foremost a cruising yacht. She is small enough to be as easily handled as a dinghy yet large enough to be as comfortable as a 35 foot yacht, both at sea and in harbour.

This is a go-anywhere cruising boat: from deep water to the shallowest tidal creek Not only does she sail upright, giving greater comfort when cooking, navigating or sleeping on passage, she can also take the ground when the tide goes out, be you in a little French fishing harbour or up an East Coast swatchway.

The auxiliary power for SUMMER TWINS can either be an economical outboard motor or a small diesel with an out-drive leg. Both have electric start and remote controls in the cockpit.

SUMMER TWINS is very manoevrable under either sail or power.

BETTER CRUISING PERFORMANCE

She can be prepared for sailing in no more time than it takes to rig a dinghy. The genoa is on a roller reefing stay so you can always have the correct sail area for the wind strength and almost instantaneous complete furling. The mainsail has jiffy slab reefing with lazy jacks to contain the bunt of the sail.

There is over 350 square feet of non-heeling deck area, which gives a new dimension to handling anchors, spinnakering, sun-bathing or whatever. Note the clean moulded anchor locker, which can be used as a kiddy’s paddling pool! There are built-in transom steps, which make boarding from a dinghy so easy and could be a life-saver in a man overboard situation.

BETTER BY EXPERIENCE

SUMMER TWINS is a British designed and built production cruising cat. She is developed from experience gained from the good production cruising cats designed a decade earlier, together with new design ideas and recent glass-fibre technology. This has resulted in a lighter, faster, stronger and roomier cat when compared by length overall.

One catamaran problem has been under-bridgedeck slam. SUMMER TWINS has a pronounced flare just above the waterline which turns the waves over. She has a wider overall beam, one of the advantages of which is less wave interference between the hulls. These two design improvements result in a smoother, quieter sail and less drag.

Good cruising cats make very safe, seaworthy yachts. A few cruising cats have capsized (up to the time of writing none of the hundreds built to Pat Patterson’s design have done so and this includes two circumnavigations). As far as can be analysed, the design faults causing capsize have been lack of fullness in the bows and narrow overall beam, a fault further aggravated by poor stern and rudder forms. SUMMER TWINS’ flare gives another advantage here: As the lee hull is depressed the centre of buoyancy actually moves forward thus lifting the bows.

The cockpit layout is based on the designer’s 30 years experience. It is large enough for comfort but small enough for safe offshore sailing. The cockpit seat level is fully protected from the wind while from the helming position you have easy control of the vessel.

BETTER SAILING PERFORMANCE

Pat’s previous production designs have an enviable reputation for seaworthiness. When designing SUMMER TWINS he placed much greater emphasis on performance, providing it did not detract from inherent seaworthiness. To achieve this, the major differences are: greater overall beam, improved hullshape, lighter but stronger structure, improved rudder configuration and more efficient rig. In practice her performance is sparkling and she is quite capable of outsailing many larger production cruising cats and monohulls.

BETTER CONSTRUCTION

To get a stiff panel you have to have the tension and compression surfaces apart. You can fill the middle with heavy or light material. SUMMER TWINS uses PVC foam cores strong in shear and skinned each side with special high strength glass cloths The hulls are built throughout using the much stronger (also dearer!) isopthalic resin which is more water resistant than the common orthopthalic resin. Correct use of the latest materials coupled with conscientious laminating makes for a wonderfully strong and light structure.

The two hulls and the bridgedeck is a one piece integral moulding as also is the deck. The hull mould is spindled so all layup can be done horizontally thus avoiding resin drain.

BETTER DETAIL

As well as the many design features already mentioned there are several other details worth noting: SUMMER TWINS’ stanchions and other deckfittings are bolted through the overhanging deck flange so they never leak into the boat.

Safety jackstays for your lifelines run each side from the cockpit to forward of the mast.

There is an opening port in the loo and galley complete with mosquito screen.

Below the table there is a large chart stowage shelf as well as a rack with litre bottle sized holes.

A major cause of fires on board boats is electrical faults. We greatly reduce this risk by fitting a ring main and electrical trip switches in place of fuses. A 12 Volt socket inside is standard, providing power for anything from your car vacuum to your cigar lighter.

BETTER ACCOMMODATION

The designer, having lived for long periods aboard some of his earlier designs—including sailing one around the world—has put this experience to good effect in the SUMMER TWINS accommodation plan, with a finish that is as attractive as it is practical. As the illustrations show, a superbly comfortable interior has been achieved. Two 7 foot long by 4 foot wide berths are well aft so they are as comfortable at sea as they are in port. The wardrobes are horizontal alongside, offering far more clothes stowage than usual—hanging lockers cause a lot of rubbing and scuffing of the clothes with the constant motion.

The galley, by monohull standards, is enormous. On SUMMER TWINS a double sink, fitted coolbox and large working surface make cooking and even the washing up easier.

The heads is large and comfortable: there is room for a shower if required. Like the galley, the heads is a one-piece moulding so has easy clean, low-maintenance surfaces throughout. One of our first customers, accustomed to sailing larger monohull yachts said: “I cannot get over the pleasure of being able to use the toilet at sea without having to hang on for dear life ”

Saloon seats have a double role. When you are eating at the table they perform the function of a dining chair; for the remaining time they act as comfortable lounging chairs. They also need to be two feet wide to be usable as berths.

If you have a six berth boat then you should be able to seat six in the cockpit, sleep, seat, feed and lounge six comfortably down below.  SUMMER TWINS is one of the very few yachts under 30 foot loa in which this is achieved.

SUMMER TWINS are built at the Multihull Centre which specialises in the supply, maintenance and handling of many different multihulls. The builders have built up a tremendous expertise in this form of craft. If you visit the Multihull Centre you will meet people who know their subject. The boatbuilders are all sailors in their leisure time. Building these craft is more than just a job to them. Indeed, SUMMER TWINS has been greatly improved in many ways through their help and suggestions.

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My thanks to Pip Patterson – Multihull Centre – for the use of his copyright material.