The Polynesian Concept is an American production
catamaran
A Formula 16 beachable catamaran
Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States
A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...
sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
that was designed by
Rudy Choy of
C/S/K Catamarans, in conjunction with actor
Buddy Ebsen. Intended for
cruising, it was first built in 1970. Ebsen had built the wooden
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
, named ''Polynesian Concept'' and raced it in the 1968
Transpacific Yacht Race.
Production
The design was built by
W. D. Schock Corp and by C/S/K Catamarans in the United States, from 1970 to 1972, with 12 boats completed, but it is now out of production. W. D. Schock Corp reported building three of the boats in total.
Design
The Polynesian Concept is a recreational sailing catamaran, built predominantly of
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
, with wood trim. It has a
masthead sloop rig with double
spreaders. The hulls have
raked stem
The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively.
Description
The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...
s,
reverse transom
A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline.
The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...
s, dual transom-hung
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
s controlled by a
tiller
A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...
and twin retractable
daggerboard
A daggerboard is a retractable centreboard used by various sailing craft. While other types of centreboard may pivot to retract, a daggerboard slides in a casing. The shape of the daggerboard converts the forward motion into a windward lift, cou ...
s. It displaces .
The boat has a draft of with the daggerboards retracted, allowing operation in shallow water or
beaching.
The design has a
hull speed of .
Operational history
Ebsen wrote a book, ''Polynesian Concept'', published by
Prentice-Hall
Prentice Hall was an American major educational publisher owned by Savvas Learning Company. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market, and distributes its technical titles through the Safari B ...
in 1972, about sailing the wooden prototype with a professional crew in the 1968
Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, winning against a field of eight mutihulls on corrected time.
See also
*
List of multihulls Types
* catamaran = two symmetric hulls
* proa = two asymmetric hulls, reverse-shunting (interchangeable bow/stern)
* trimaran = three hulls
* quadrimaran = four hulls
* pentamaran = five hulls
Pre-modern Austronesian
* ʻalia
* Amatasi
* B ...
*
List of sailing boat types
The following is a partial list of sailboat types and sailing classes, including keelboats, dinghies and multihull ( catamarans and trimarans).
Olympic classes
World Sailing Classes
Historically known as the IYRU (International Yacht Racing ...
References
External links
*
{{WD Schock Corp
Catamarans
1970s sailboat type designs
Sailing yachts
Sailboat type designs by Rudy Choy
Sailboat types built by W. D. Schock Corp
Sailboat types built by C/S/K Catamarans