Waterline 1480

Home-built from plans or kit

Brand:: Schionning

Designed by:: Schionning Designs

Schionning Waterline 1480 MARGARITAVILLE

Description:

The Waterline 1480 is a long-hulled, high performance cruiser, with a Bruce number from 1.45 to almost 1.6 depending on her loading. The design is based on the Cosmos line of performance cruisers, with the hulls lengthened, bridgedeck raised and displacement reduced. The result is a slim-hulled ocean cruiser that is exciting to sail, very fast at passagemaking and has some scope for racing. The weight on such a boat must to be stricly manged so she can be sailed to her potential, and therefore she is not everyone's optimum cruiser - she has a payload of 1.8 tons, which is low for a 48 ft 6 in (14.8 m) cruiser. Still there are many experienced sailors who are looking for longer boats that they hope to keep light and so travel faster. At least four 1480s were under construction in 2005 by two professional yards and two home builders.

The Waterline range
The Waterline range, like the boats in the Cosmos line on which they are based, are slim-hulled, lightweight cruisers intended for fast ocean sailing. The Waterlines go a step further towards high performance than the Cosmos cats, with finer (lower drag) hull forms, stricter weight control in design and lower payload. Although designed primarily for fast cruising with roomy accommodation and a full compliment of long-range cruising or liveaboard facilities, these excellent performers can be racers successfully.

The long hull 'overhangs' (part of the hull that extends beyond the bridgedeck) make the Waterline cats very well balanced, lean and delicate looking. They are designed for serious sailors who are prepared to be weight conscious so to enjoy extra performance. In the interest of weight saving, the only option for constuction is balsa cored Durakore planking.

Type:: Cruiser-racer

Multihull type:: Catamaran

Construction:

Strip planked in balsa cored Durakore
Balsa or honeycomb cored panels for bulkheads and furniture
Sealed with epoxy resin and knitted glass cloth reinforcing
Composite forward beam with striker
Unsinkable with many buoyancy tanks

Sails and rigging:

Fractional sloop rig
Fully battened main
Fixed or rotating mast
Roller furling genoa
Furling screacher or asymmetric spinnaker flown from the bowsprit
Single line mainsail reefing, lazy jacks

Sails and rigging images:

Deck layout and gear:

Flat decks with non-slip surface
Targa bar carries solar panels and aerials, and lifts and carries a dinghy
Hardtop bimini with large lifting hatch
Wheel steering on the cockpit centreline
Double helmsman's seat which can be raised so the helmsperson can see over the roof when needed
Central winch station
Main sheet traveller track on the cockpit seatback
Wrap-around cockpit seating

Deck layout images:

Keels, boards and rudders:

Kick-up rudders
Daggerboards - offset in the hulls to give more accommodation space

Accommodation:: Port hull: Head and shower compartment aft; office midships; double cabin forward - option for en-suite head and shower Bridgedeck cabin: Saloon with 360 degree view; dinette; navigation station with view forward
Starboard hull: Double cabin aft; galley midships; double cabin forward - option for en-suite head and shower

Accommodation images:

Systems - Power, Navigation:

Two 35 HP outboard motors set in vertical wells - they can be moved up and down on vertical slides
Two 28 HP inboard diesels are optional, with standard drives and feathering props

Performance and handling:

Fast, light cruiser with potential for ocean racing
Modest payload for the length - 1.8 tons
Easily driven hulls with 14.8:1 length:beam ratio
High bridgedeck clearance for speed, comfort and safety
10 kts cruise, 12 kts top speed with the motor
12 kts cruise, 20+ kts top speed under sail
Simple handling with centralised controls for steering, sails and engines. Easily sailed short-handed