Strider

 Home-built from plans or kit

Brand:

Woods

Designed by:

Lilian Woods, Woods Designs

Yard(s):

Palamos Boatbuild

Description:

In the late 1970s and early 1980s several designers started introducing lightweight multihulls that were exhilarating to sail and could win races, but could be used for more than day sailing and competitions. The Strider, introduced in 1984, is an example of this versatile class of craft that has the accent on performance with Spartan cruising amenities and powerful rig.

With no bridgedeck saloon, the 24ft (7.3m) Strider has limited facilities, though sufficient for weekend or sailing and camping trips for two. The hulls have forward and after single berths, the ends of which serve for seating. The mid sections of the hulls can be fitted with a hinge up stove and removable table. The Strider has the mix of virtues essential for a multi-purpose performance cruiser-racer. She is fun to sail with an outstanding performance, yet is easy to sail and is tough and seaworthy. 

The Strider has a long and successful racing history in the UK and beyond:

• course record holder for one leg of the offshore fully crewed Three Peaks Race, UK
• 3rd  in the 1985 World Micromultihull Championship 
• 1st and 3rd in the 1989 and 1992 UK Championships respectively.

There is a 'Turbo' version with bigger rig and a wider overall beam and usually an all trampoline deck area. Such big rig boats are sailed on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe for example.

The Shadow, also called the Strider Cub, is smaller rigged version with large cockpit pan and fixed keels. This more cruiser-oriented version was the most popular model.

Strider plans are available. Production boats were previously built by Palamos Boatbuild.

Type:

Cruiser-racer

Multihull type:

Catamaran

Construction:

• cold moulded ply or strip plank round bilge hulls, ply decks
• fibreglass hulls in production boats
• hulls supported by aluminium tubes

Sails and rigging:

Two versions exist:
Standard version: main with fully battoned head only; standard sail area
Turbo version: wider beam (17ft 4in (5.3m)); fully battened main; rotating mast; 366sq ft (34 sq m) sail area

Spinnaker is optional

Sails and rigging images:

Keels, boards and rudders:

The daggerboard cases are bonded to the inboard topside of each hull preventing the case interfering with the accomodation space

Accommodation:

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

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:

0.25 m (0 ft 10 in)

Draft maximum (e.g. boards down):

0.95 m (3 ft 1 in)

Windward sail area:

25 m² (269 ft²)

Daggerboard / centreboard:

2

Displacement, lightship (empty):

500 kg (0.49 tons)

Displacement, maximum:

850 kg (0.84 tons)

Number of berths:

4

Outboard engines:

1

Fuel type:

Petrol

Trailerable:

Yes: requires demounting

First introduced:

1984

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