I first saw Craig's Ripple Tender designs in a Multihull World magazine & it caught my eye. I'd been doing a few day trips in my plywood dinghy that I use as a tender for my keel boat but it had too much rocker in the keel to plane & wasn't set up for taking the gear you need for a day trip. I wanted something small enough to be able to be launched by hand i.e. not require a trailer to be backed into the water, small enough to get into some of the shallower estuaries & lakes of inland Tasmania, fast enough to cover decent distances in daylight hours & large enough to take 2 people, fuel, lunch, safety gear etc. for a day trip. I approached Craig about lengthening the Ripple Tender to around 12 feet & he obliged.
The plans were clear & easy to follow, & assembling the kit was straight forward. Part of the reason for the project was to teach myself about fibreglassing & Craig was great in that respect - very easy to contact & always willing to answer any questions & offer helpful advice. As a 1st time builder I learnt a lot & have used what I learnt quite a lot doing small jobs on the 30' trimaran I purchased soon after starting to build the Ripple Tender 3.6m.
She is a great little boat. I have fitted a 15 h.p. outboard & she is incredibly responsive, especially solo ! The transition from diplacement to planing is smooth & you can cruise @ any speed you like. On day trips I normally cruise @ a slow plane & she is quite economical. The for'd locker looks small but holds an amazing amount of gear. I usually store beach towels, thermos, lunch, cameras, anchor, fire extinguisher, 1st aid kit etc. no problems at all. And it is dry. I have punched into 20 knot head winds with associated nasty chops & the forecastle locker remained bone dry.
As a 1st time build, this is a great project - from what I learnt I have done jobs that I would not have dreamt of attempting 12 months ago.
As a design, this is a fun little boat. I "play" with the Ripple Tender 3.6m on the river in front of my house in Tasmania have done some great day trips on Tassie's inland waterways.
If anyone is thinking of a 1st time project or a fun little day boat, I strongly recommend 1 of Craig's Ripple Tender designs.
B. Furmage
Tasmania
"Why we chose the Spirited 380... - At the Sanctuary Cove boat show in 2006 we were mesmerised as we wandered through the Spirited 380. We were looking for a vessel to undertake a two year surfing and diving adventure around the coast of Australia and on to south east Asia and the Indian Ocean. In the midst of the beautiful boats Australian boat builders/designers had to offer, the Spirited 380 clearly stood out. We were attracted to her sleek and elegant design, her modern, comfortable living space and her sailing ability as a light, fast cruising boat which can sail anything from light breezes to open ocean gales.
We are elated with "Zinc", the 7th Spirited 380 to hit the water on Oct 08, and we are certain we made the right choice!"
D. Rowney
Gold Coast QLD
"...The Spirited 380 was the only design that we could find that fulfilled all our requirements and ease of construction..."
P. Care
Hervey Bay
Hi Craig & Marina,
It gives us great pleasure and enormous anticipation to receive the plans of your Spirited 380 last month. Greg & I have researched extensively for a very long period and the Spirited is the closest thing that we can find to perfection.
Greg was looking for a high performance catamaran and, as this will be our home, I was looking for luxury and comfort and we were both wishing for ease and swiftness in the build time. The Spirited 380 offers all of this and more.
We viewed Rob Armstrong’s catamaran-in-process and were astounded at the progress that he had made in the first 15 weeks; the shell of the boat and a lot of the furniture were already assembled and it looked fantastic.
After attending your workshop at Yandina (Jul 7th), we were convinced that even I (as a woman) was capable and able to master the skills required. (Well maybe I might need a little help from Greg).
We are very grateful for the approachability of both you and Marina, your willingness to make minor alterations to meet our specific requirements, and your prompt replies to all of our queries.
We look forward to continuing our relationship and enjoying the next few years of our Spirited Experience.
Greg & Kerri
Gympie
Hi Craig & Marina
I am writing this to let you know how much we enjoyed seeing the Spirited 380 at Sanctuary Cove 07. As you know I am a pilot that has decided to sell his plane and go sailing, catch is, my sailing portfolio is very limited, so I have spent months checking out all the latest Catamaran designs (Light wave, Fusion, Seawind, Lagoon, Tasman) all beautiful boats.
I then went to one of your workshops and was blown away by the ease of building the 380, something I will be able to do easily (even at 74), then we called in to see your ¾ finished 380 and I just fell in love with the boat and decided that I would just have to have one.
I have been like a cat on a hot tin roof, waiting to see the finished 380 at Sanctuary Cove, and it proved to me that I have chosen well. Definitely it is the prettiest Cat on the water today.
The important features are the completely flat Deck, so safe to move around on, no other Cat has that feature, the bunks have almost twice the headroom of any other Cat, the saloon is larger than most and the cockpit is just perfect!
The engine is outside the boat with a very large engine hatch for easy access to everything mechanical. Another thing we loved is the steering position; you can see both Bows from either side through the large roll down windows, a definite safety measure.
Once again, congratulations on designing such a fantastic Catamaran. My wife and I can’t wait to join the growing family of Spirited 380 builders.
Best Regards
Jim & Gabriele Connor
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