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The SAS system combines moulded hulls and decks with pre-laminated flat panel construction to achieve a well proportioned, good-looking design. The overall look of the boat is similar to a production-style appearance with smooth clean lines and unlike many other ‘kit’ boats, all Spirited models (other than the Spirited 230 ‘Power’) have no unsightly chines. Chines create more work for the builder when taping and fairing. Fairing chines is very labour intensive and requires more skill than fairing a round-bilged boat. Chines attract scrutiny because they stand out as a defined line, a rounded hull shape or topside is much more forgiving and easier/quicker to fair.
The first step in assembly is setting up the hull components which are moulded up to 200mm above the waterline. The bulkheads then simply sit into the hulls at their correct position.
A major advantage of this system is that the boat is assembled the right way up. There is no need for a strong back, cutting and setting up temporary frames and bulkheads or turning hulls. In fact there are no temporary frames required in the hulls at all. The moulded hulls and decks help to add support to the longer flat hull panels and also keep them running 'fairly' longitudinally.
The recessed join lines on the topside hull panel enable the outer sides of the hulls to remain fair with minimal fairing required. Because the hull topsides are always a highly noticeable area of any boat, this will help give confidence to any first time amateur builder. The outer hull topsides require only a small amount of fairing compound on the join line areas. All port-lights are pre-cut in the topside panel to your brand of choice. Please note that these panels are best left off until later in the project to help with access, ventilation and fitting parts in hulls.
Adhering to the sequence, the next part of the boat to be assembled is the flat decks. These are dead level athwartships (across) and are positioned easily by fixing the forward end to the top of bulkhead O (1st BH), positioning the bulkheads longitudinally as with the topside panels. The decks have all deck hatches and daggerboard case cut-outs pre-cut.
Once the decks are installed, the cabin sides are installed. These have the windows and the cut-out for the inner shroud chainplates pre-cut and ready for use. The pre-cut MDF temporary frames are fixed to the cabin sides to make a building jig to form the cabin foam panels over. These are supplied cut to size in two halves (port and starboard), making it easier to handle and laminate once in position. With the outside glassed, the cabin top half can be removed and the inside surface glassed. At this stage, the underside can be faired and any detail work can be done while off the boat.
An advantage with the interior and cockpit furniture is that it can be assembled in modules. Most of the internal furniture can be assembled on the workshop floor including all detailed work, things like fitting doors, hinges, catches and even fairing. More complicated modules such as the side cockpit seats and back steps are best assembled in position on the boat and then removed for final finishing.
The panels can be supplied in End-grain Balsa or Foam Cores. The Balsa core can be supplied in ‘Superlight’ upon request which is a hand selected grade almost half the density weight of standard 150kg Balsa core. In most cases because of the superior strength of Balsa the laminates remain the same with the ‘Superlight’ option. The Foam options are either Airex or Corecell foams which in either case can save up to 120kg’s in weight if compared with the standard Balsa kit.
Interior Kit
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The flat panel interior kit is quick and easy to assemble, with most modules being square simple shapes. Any radiused corners are ‘kerfed’ to form smooth rounded shapes. All our kits include furniture kits with detailed assembly instructions in the plans for kerfing and installation. The pre-cut parts are accurate and alleviate the need to put too much thought into layout design but if customization is required for personalized options, we offer a custom design service. The composite materials are user-friendly and forgiving, any problems can be easily remedied.
Once the interior has been structurally installed, a huge amount of time is often spent on finishing and final fit-out. This is where ‘smart’ choices can have a dramatic affect on hours spent on finishing the interior. This is of course also the ‘exciting’ phase of the build, with focus put on fittings, colours, soft furnishings and other interior equipment. Choices like a non-gloss paint finish for background surfaces that can be a considerable amount of surface area in a catamaran however by putting more attention on special highlights such as tasteful and higher quality furnishings/equipment can take your eye away from the ‘background’ finish. If using a non-gloss finish the fairing can be mostly done with a sanding machine with minimal fairing compound applied. The main focus is fairing the tapes to blend with the surrounding surfaces.
The weight-saving advantage of Duflex ‘Featherlight’ panels (see www.atlcomposites.com) is often quite dramatic if compared with a traditional fit-out using plywood and framing. Plywood is heavy and can be detrimental to a potentially light weight boat, with the heavy fit-out not contributing to the structure at all. Featherlight panels are strong, using the same laminate as on the Balsa Duflex panels which are structural grade but are almost half the weight. They contribute to the strength and stiffness of the structural shell of the boat considerably. Featherlight panels have a paper honeycomb core and are used throughout the interior of the boat.
There is also an option to use Duflex ‘Foam’ panels as the furniture material however this product is more expensive and also heavier because it is a structural core.
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Project Support
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100% technical support is on hand throughout your project. The unique situation with the designer also being involved in building his designs means that any technical questions will be answered from personal experience. The design team are approachable for support or general advice. Even with the detailed plans and supportive information supplied there are always areas where first-time builders will need support and advice, for example with equipment choice and installation, material information and even interior finishes & colours.
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Equipment Supply
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A large part of our business is the supply of equipment to our builders. This form of support is also very important and can be of great assistance to the builder and the momentum of the project. Especially for first-time builders, the time and knowledge required to source and order the equipment and hardware they need during the build can be considerable and daunting without experience. Spirited Designs have put a lot of thought into compiling equipment installation kits specific to its purpose. This means that builders receive high quality gear at trade prices without building delays. Equipment is constantly being updated with new improved products and bulk discount applies. Many of our overseas clients include as much equipment in their shipping container to save on freight and also maximise assembly by having parts on hand from day one. The design team are happy to help with fitting-out your boat to suit your planned usage.
DISCLAIMER
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