Our next boat
Welcome to our website where we are sharing our experiences aboard PUFFIN, our Outremer 4X catamaran that is currently under construction at Outremer Yachting in La Grande Motte, France.
You can find a brief description of our background and what’s coming up on this site on our Welcome Page.
I explained here why we had to change our plans to sail WILDLING in the ARC rally and then continue on across the Pacific. I received many kind words of support from the readers of our sailwildling blog (thank you all) and some helpful advice on the available options to transport Wildling from France to Australia. In the end, although it was certainly possible to transport WILDLING, the change in plans forced us to really consider if WILDLING would be the right boat for us to have in Australia long term. Most of our long distance sailing from now on will be just Robin and I, and we aren’t getting any younger. So we explored the possibility of “What if we had a smaller boat that either of us could sail solo if needed, and still meet our needs”
Our criteria
In order to find an alternative boat (if one even existed), we listed our criteria as follows:
- Must be strong, safe and comfortable for extended offshore passages
- Must have a large salon and cockpit and a galley up!
- Needs to have a dedicated owner’s hull
- Needs to be able to sleep 6 people for when we have guests
- Must be able to sail single-handed by either of us
- Must have good sailing performance, able to achieve close to true wind speed on a reach
Aussie candidates
Because we want the boat in Australia, the ideal solution would be to find a boat either already in Australia or have one built in Australia. There are only two catamarans available in Australia that I could find that met our criteria:
Schionning G-Force 1500C – This is a nice boat and certainly has all the sail handling and performance features we are looking for, but we don’t like the small cockpit or the layout of the salon.
Spirited 480 – Another very nice Australian boat that would meet all our criteria. These are built from plans and kits, so we would have to find a boat builder to work with. After seeing how challenging it is to get all the details correct on production boats, where they have the benefit and experience of many previous models to refine and correct design and manufacturing details, I was concerned there would be too many problems to manage with a one-off build.
Back to France
With nothing available on the Australian market that worked for us, we decided to look at the European boats, and Outremer in particular. I really liked the concept and design of the Outremer 4X, which Outremer released a year or two after the 5X. It’s very similar to the layout of the 5X, just smaller, so we know we like the design. It’s light and fast, and can be setup to be sailed single-handed. We also had a great experience with Outremer with our previous boat. They are a company that builds high quality catamarans and they take care of their owners with excellent after sales support, no matter where in the world the boat is located.
The other model in the Outremer line that was a possibility is the 51. Another great boat, but geared more towards comfortable cruising and does not have the performance of the 4X.
Choosing a 4X
So we decided our next boat will be an Outremer 4X. The next steps were to work with the Outremer design team on all the features and options we want on the boat, and to find a shipping company to transport the completed boat to Brisbane.
This involved many meetings, a lot of research and detailed discussions with Outremer, and we now have a design that I am really happy with! The Outremer team was easy to work with, and really gave me great advice to help refine the dozens of details that need to be considered when ordering a new boat.
PUFFIN is scheduled to be completed in August, 2019 and we have booked passage on a Sevenstar Yacht Transport ship from Palma, Majorca to Brisbane to bring her to Australia.
I’ll go through many of our design choices and custom options for PUFFIN in future posts, along with photos of the build process. As always, sailing and cruising is a continuous education process, and I will share what we learn along the way.
In the meantime, welcome to our new website, and welcome aboard PUFFIN!
Sail Puffin 
Excellent choice. Have been following your stories from the beginning. Down sizing to a 45’ boat seems like the perfect way to continue sailing.
LikeLike
In the past I have left a comment on your Wildllng blog. I think you have made the right move here, having raced on Schionnings Mojo and Bullet Proof both these boats such a thrill to sail at well over 20 knots in suitable conditions. There is a lot I’d put up with for the extra speed having owned a Dufour Nautitech 475 for 12 years and always hunkered for the performance cat but could not afford. Certainly after cruising for more than 60,000nm I’d go with your choice.
LikeLike
In the past I have left a comment on your Wildling blog. I think you have made the right move here, having raced on Schionnings Mojo and Bullet Proof both these boats such a thrill to sail at well over 20 knots in suitable conditions. There is a lot I’d put up with for the extra speed having owned a Dufour Nautitech 475 for 12 years and always hunkered for the performance cat but could not afford. Certainly after cruising for more than 60,000nm I’d go with your choice.Get well soon
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment and good wishes, much appreciated! The Schionnings you mentioned are legendary boats for sure!
Cheers,
Doug
LikeLike
Wow, that was quite quick to get another boat ! I thought the waiting period to get an outremer was around 2 years, not the case ? Or you got pushed up as a returning customer ? 🙂
And you didn’t look at all at the Marsaudon TS ? (TS5 or TS42, both designed by Barreau as well). Although the TS5 is quite bigger than the 4X (but can be made lighter I think, and still much smaller than the 5x) and the TS42 quite smaller
LikeLike
We began talking with Outremer about a possible 4X last year and soon after they had a pending 4X order push out by 12 months, so we were able to get an earlier production slot. Very lucky! I know of the TS boats, but I don’t see any advantages over Outremer, so given I know and trust the Outremer folks I had no reason to pursue a TS.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Does the 4X have room to accommodate the larger Ultra 35 anchor? Was your choice of the Ultra 27 simply a matter of saving the 17 pounds?
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure you can fit a 35 on the bow. The reason I chose the 27 is that pretty much all the Outremer 45s use a 25kg Spade and are reporting no issues. We will be a lot lighter than them and the Ultra is a better anchor, so going up a couple of kilos felt very safe to me. Plus I save 17 pounds 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Doug, glad you grabbed a new boat project. I will go through the whole blog as I really like these Outremer boats (even though we are sailing an old Catana 43 and we love every mile she takes us through) and the way you describe them.
LikeLike
Wonderful blog,
I am looking to buy a catamaran, and checking your site. Is see that you wrote “There are only two catamarans available in Australia that I could find that met our criteria”
Do you still think this today?
What about McConaghy and Seawind especially there new design 1370 and also the South African brand Balance (Maybe not comparable since it more expensive)
If you bought Puffin today, would you still buy an Outreamer and whats your thoughts about the above brands?
LikeLike
Hi Christian,
Thanks for your kind feedback! I’m very happy with our 4X. It’s the best balance between, comfort, safety and performance that I know of and would still choose Outremer again.
Both Balance and Seawind are too heavy, so would not be on my list. McConaghy are well made, but I’m not a big fan of their design, just my personal preference and nothing against them. They don’t publish weight data, so you would need to try and figure out if they are in the right power to weight ratio zone, or if you need to put up a lot of sail to get the performance they are promoting.
I would prefer a customized Schionning to the designs you proposed, it should be possible to build to a good spec, but the risk of it not being a series manufactured boat is still a problem for me.
Doug
LikeLike