The humble catamaran is a fun, efficient and fast way to move yourself about most bodies of water.
Weather permitting.
Take one out on the wrong day (read: a windless one) and the most fun you’ll have is the part where you finally get back to shore and say, “Well that sucked; let’s have a beer.”
Unless, of course, you’re rolling with Nigel McBride, the Australian boatright whose new Wave Chaser catamaran can quickly be broken down into a pair of discrete windsurfing or stand-up paddle boards in a pinch.
The innovative vessel — which features a pair of detachable hulls connected by a central platform that can be operated individually once separated — can support a 400-pound crew (of two) despite its light weight and exceptional maneuverability.
“We have created a totally unique watercraft,” McBride told New Atlas. “This windsurfer catamaran, as we call it, is capable of fast planing on flat water, stable yet highly maneuverable, and tough enough to handle extreme wind loading and wave slam.”
The Wave Chaser’s carbon fiber and fiberglass frame takes 20 minutes to set up and weighs 150 pounds altogether. While there’s no word on pricing yet, a production model should be released in the near future.
That’ll be a g’day to have a mate.
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