Building the Woods design 34 foot Romany catamaran
Hi, My name is Brad Mandell. Welcome to my building pages!  I will post pictures on this site every two or three  months.  This project started on 11-15-2002.  Hours to completion: Appx. 2500  Launched May 23, 2005, 31 months from starting.  This boat was built because I could not find a suitable catamaran that is a "production built" boat that meets my needs: (Roomy, Fast, Reasonable cost). I had decided to build my own and Mr. Woods design fits my needs well.
Questions/comments? Email:    
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Last update: June 16, 2006
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The latest picture, finally out sailing!
Richard Woods Romany design
(Click to go to the website)
The woods 28 foot Gypsy (shown above) is a smaller version of the 34 foot Romany.  The center cuddy cabin is the same as the Gypsy  but the hulls are much larger on the Romany and have wide berths for couples.  The design sleeps 6 with  extra room  in the cuddy and a forward "space berth" located in the port hull accessed from the deck. The Romany is modular and the hulls, beams, cockpit  and center cuddy can be built seperately and assembled at the boatyard. There is a walkway between the hulls and center cuddy so going forward to handle the anchor is safe.  This boat will be built in marine plywood sheathed in epoxy and fiberglass. The center cuddy houses the galley and dining area.
Laying out the chipboard backbone on my basement floor.  I just made it from one corner of the roomto the other corner.  The red line on the left just barely visible is the "waterline". The "backbone" is used for the setup only and does not stay in the boat.
Welcome aboard!
This is what 70 sheets Okume plywood looks like!  More to come later.
The Epoxy
The epoxy I am using is called "Raka".  I investigated West System which I have used before and also System 3 epoxy. After doing some wood bonding tests I determined that there was no difference in strength or ability to make a good bond.  The Raka was less expensive plus the personal service was very good too.  I also like the ability to "blend" fast and slow hardeners to customize the bonding time and the easy to measure 2 to 1 mix ratio.
To visit the Raka website click on the address:    
www.raka.com
Framing the first small bulkheads.  The larger ones in the background are next. They will be framed on the edges for strength and to increase the surface area for the epoxy bond with  the hull "skin" which will be 9mm ply (about 3/8").
More of the smaller bulkheads completed
Two of the larger bulkheads for the port hull with standing headroom. (upsidedown)
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