Designed in 2003 for a proposed youth sailing program, plans for this lively 15-foot sailing machine languished for nearly a decade before being revived and updated for the 2013 launch of a pair of prototypes.
Model: | Length: | Hull Weight: | Beam: | Max Payload: | Sailing Draft: | Sail Area: |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outrigger Junior | 15' 5" | 260 lbs. | 144 in. | 450 lbs. | 40" | 165 sq ft. |
Lighter than a similarly-sized catamaran, and with a higher righting moment, the Outrigger Junior is best described as a "Tahitian Outrigger," meaning a finely proportioned sailing canoe that's asymmetrical, but tacks conventionally, rather than reversing direction like a proa. It's docile, hassle-free, beautiful, and just plain fun to sail.
The big lateen sail (165 square feet) provides solid power, which translates to speed. Lots and lots of speed. The boat is very stable, however, with excellent ergonomics, and handles great on all points. Read more about our first test sail here.
The Outrigger Junior is less work to build than a conventional catamaran of the same size and horsepower, but it's not a small project. The parts-count is high compared to simpler fare like our kayaks or monohull sailboats, and you'll need to be comfortable working with epoxy and fiberglass. We've divided the kit into several separate packages so that builders can take them on as time and budget allow; We estimate about 200 hours of build time for a first-class job of it.
A note on the kit components:
See our page here on what is included in a kit.
To add a sail rig to the base or wood only kit, you will need the optional packages:
The above packages can be mixed and matched depending on how much you would like to source yourself.
Chesapeake Light Craft got its start developing easy-to-build boats for beginner boatbuilders. That continues to be their mission. However it is worth noting that the Outrigger Junior is part of CLC's newly launched Prokit range. These designs are intended for boatbuilders who have experience with stitch and glue construction, are comfortable reading plans, and who don't need the extensive step-by-step build instructions that are included with all of CLC's most popular designs.
The reasons for this vary; some designs are simply waiting for a detailed assembly manual.
All have extensive plans and documentation that exceed the average level of detail found in amateur boat plans, but nevertheless assume a knowledge of wood-epoxy boatbuilding and the ability to work from drawings.