String Theory
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Proving his iconoclast chops once again, Jan Gougeon launched his newest baby into the Saginaw River last summer - to cries of both shock and awe. I reported on the launch of Strings - or Project X - as she was formerly known, earlier, but we finally get a much better look at the fascinating vessel in the new Epoxyworks No. 33.
Strings is a 40’, folding, self-righting, water-ballasted, trailerable, sailing catamaran. She’s pod cat, meaning that the slender hulls are devoid of accommodations, while a central pod, or ‘fuselage’, “can sleep four very friendly people with enough room left over for each to bring along a toothbrush and a sandwich,” According to Jan.
Jan’s goals for his “folding cat with a fuselage” were that it be easy to sail solo or double-handed, self-righting, trailerable, with a shallow draft, and have a big enough footprint to be a serious offshore contender. The most important criteria? “You don’t have to be a spring chicken to sail it,” Jan said.
Reminiscent of Nathanael Herreshoff’s Amaryllis - the first catamaran sailboat patented in the US in 1876, the new yacht is nearly as polarizing, mostly because of her unconventional looks. However, judging by the Gougeon track record, I’ll bet she is also unconventionally capable. Besides, I just love pod cats. Thanks to Small Trimarans for the story.
