Slider
GALLERY | Click images to enlarge
The Sixteen Foot Beach Cruiser Catamaran
Multihull beach cruisers are something I spend a little too much of my time thinking about, and it’s nice to discover kindred spirits. Ray Aldridge of Florida has progressed considerably beyond the thinking stage and built one of the sweetest little beach cruisers I’ve ever seen. Slider is well named, squeezing between the fantasy island of sailing nirvana and the rocks of economic/bureaucratic reality.
First off, the boat fits inside the magical 16’ x 8’ envelope, getting the max out of 2 sheets of plywood and the legal trailering width. No fancy folding or sliding parts, the boat is nearly as easy to launch as a Sea Doo. The sprit rig suits the realities of trailer life as well, giving a short and easily stepped mast, and spars that fit tidily on the trailer - which BTW - can be any old beach cat hauler, no assembly required.
The boat is set up perfectly for a pair of sailors, each with their own official cockpit and cupholder. The bridge deck is literally a wood deck, with space for the cooler, crab pot, tent, and the occasional sunbathing mermaid.
The single, off-center daggerboard is all that’s required of a boat designed to view hull flying with suspicion; an unlikely event considering the low and modest sail area. I love the boarding ladder hinging off the forward crossbeam, good for both surf and turf.
LOA: 16’
Weight: 480 lbs.
Draft: 11“
Sail Area: 140 sq. ft.
Slider in Light Air
Upwind in Slider
Slider Goes to Navarre Beach
