Shadow

 Home-built from plans

Brand:

Woods

Designed by:

Woods Designs, Lilian Woods

Description:

Based closely on the the Strider, the enduring and successful cruiser-racer, the Shadow has modifications to suit her intended primary use as a cruiser. A fibreglass production version of the Shadow, the Strider Club by Palamos Boatbuild (UK), was popular in the late 1980s, when more than 50 yard-built units were sold.

Compared with the Strider the Shadow has a smaller sail area, fixed keels instead of daggerboards, and a large rigid cockpit pan. She is nonetheless an exhillerating sail and is capable of sparkling performance at all points of sail. Her rig size makes her more suited to offshore trips as she can be sailed unreefed in stronger wind conditions. Her fixed keels make it easy safely to take the ground. She will sail fast to windward tacking through less than 90 degrees.

The Shadow has very basic cruising accommodation in the two hulls. There are single fore and aft berths in each hull. A portable toilet and cooker or folding table can be fitted in the center space. Seating is on the ends of the bunks. A canvas boom tent can be used to extend the accommodation and sleeping area when moored or beached.

The boat is a small and seaworthy coastal cruiser: safe, fun and easy to sail with basic amenities.

The designers sailed three Strider Clubs single-handed in a convoy that made a 600 mile trip from Plymouth, UK to Russia and back. They lived aboard them for 3 months.

The Shadow can be built in cold-moulded plywood or strip-planking. Plans include two rig sizes.

Type:

Performance cruiser

Multihull type:

Catamaran

Construction:

• Cold-moulded ply or strip-plank round bilge hulls, ply decks
• Fibreglass hulls in production boats

Sails and rigging:

• Main with fully battened head only; standard sail area
• Standard windward sail area 202 sq ft (18.8 sq m)
• "Experienced sailors"' version 269 sq ft (25 sq m)
• Spinnaker optional

Sails and rigging images:

Keels, boards and rudders:

Fixed low aspect ration keels

Accommodation:

Single berths fore and aft in each hull. Sitting area amidships. Optional hinge-up stove, table and other fittings.

Accommodation images:

LOA (length overall):

7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)

LWL (length at waterline):

6.65 m (21 ft 10 in)

Beam:

4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)

Draft minimum:

0.55 m (1 ft 10 in)

Windward sail area:

18.8 m² (202 ft²)

Displacement, lightship (empty):

700 kg (0.69 tons)

Displacement, maximum:

1000 kg (0.98 tons)

Number of berths:

4

Outboard engines:

1

Fuel type:

Petrol

Trailerable:

No

First introduced:

1988

In production:

Plans available

More images:

Degree of customisation:

Several options

Cost to home-build:

£5000 Sterling (approx: €6756 / $9919 US / $11278 AUS)*

Used boats for sale:

40 boats of this brand currently available!

Associations & newsgroups:

• Woods boats' forum

* Exchange rates last updated: Sunday 27th January 2008 19:27 GMT