Boating NZ - November 2001
by John MacFarlane
Pictures by Mike Hunter
Even tied up at the bridge marina in Tauranga
LadyHawk looked sleek: the
arced and faired beams, rounded sensuous hulls; the low screen, and
powerful rig and front prod: were evocative of a bird of prey with speed
and power. But not in a brutal, masculine way - this lady has class.
The 10.66m
trimaran, LadyHawk, began as Peter and Barbara Giles' desire for a
performance cruiser that didn't heel. After discounting catamarans in
favour of the central living space of a trimaran, a test sail on the
Richard Edlin designed 9.8m trimaran, Red Alert, quickly led back to
Edlin with a request for a bigger version. Edlin
favours big volume boats - in vogue for monohulls; less so in multihulls,
where big volume can be synonymous with undesirable attributes such as
weight, and high beam-to-length ratios. Edlin gained performance with an
8:1 beam-to-length ratio at the waterline - and the required interior
space, by strongly flaring the hull outwards above the waterline.
Construction:
The project began in Hamilton five years ago, but 12 months later the
three hulls were moved to Auckland and the boat completed by Edlin and
his team. Construction is mostly strip planked cedar: the main hull
being 12mm cedar, with 600g double bias (DB) glass inside and out; the
outer hulls are 10mm cedar with 430g DB - all laminated with Epiglass
HT9000 resins. Beams are laminates of ply, carbon fibre and DB cloth,
while the cabin top is a sandwich of ply, glass, foam and more glass
outside. Carbon was used for the chainplates, backed-up by foam knees
and cedar stringers in the outer floats for longitudinal stiffness. High
Modulus supplied engineering assistance in the critical areas of beams,
bulkheads, daggerboard cases and lay-up specifications. The boat is more
than strong enough for offshore use. The biggest challenge in multihull
design, if speed and accommodation are required, is keeping it light -
which means expense. After talking to Edlin and Giles it would appear
that Lady Hawk has cost around 35 to 40% more than a 10.6m keelboat of a
comparative standard: a significant investment for the Giles
family.
Layout - interior:
I started my inspection inside from the bow, where I
found a snug double berth, with shelves either side acting as
strengthening members, and head room aft of the bunk for undressing.
Ducking back under the substantial main beam: to port, a door led to the
enclosed toilet/shower. This has a large bench top, lockers and vanity
unit, and features a sit-down shower for use underway.
Three times a lady
Copyright - Richard Edlin Boat Builder & Designer - 2010©
