Wilderness 1320

Home-built from plans or kit

Brand:: Schionning

Designed by:: Schionning Designs

Description:

Designed as a 'serious world ocean cruiser', there is much about the Wilderness 1320 that is influenced by this purpose. And like all Schionnings, handsome looks and speed are crucial elements in her conception, too. Owners can therefore expect to sail a sleek, seaworthy vessel that is capable of fast passages when the going is good and safe ones when the weather is at its worst.

A generous 80 cm (2 ft 7 in) bridgedeck height is clearance enough to avoid waves slamming into the cat's underbelly in most conditions that would otherwise slow the boat and increase stress on craft and crew. Slim hulls have low wave drag and are more easily driven to higher top speeds. With a 12.5:1 length-to-beam ratio the 1320's hulls are much slimmer that the average cruising catamarans'. This, along with the boat's light displacement, are major factors in explaining her impressive passage-making ability. Daggerboards contribute to efficiency too, as does the rotating, carbon fibre wing mast.

The 1320 is rigged and fitted out for easy and shorthanded handling with particular measures to cope well in tough conditions that cannot be avoided on long ocean passages. Beating out of trouble in heavy conditions with a storm jib and fully reefed main puts a lot of strain lower down on the mast. Accordingly, the mast is solidly supported by lower shrouds and an inner forestay. The mainsail can be reefed without going on deck. However, for safety, the decks are flat with a non-slip surface, jackstays and good handholds. The cockpit seating is positioned to protect the crew from wind and spray and a wet locker, accessible from the cockpit, drains into the shower compartment. Below decks, a galley down configuration is prefered as the motion in a seaway is less in this location.

The living areas of the 1320 are very practical for the varying needs of cruising and socialising. Double doors and fully opening windows ventilate the saloon and allow breezes to blow through it. The saloon is spacious, and the size of the dining table is adjustable; the galley is large with ample equipment and storage space.

The Wilderness Range
The Schionning Wilderness range of cruising cats is especially designed for simple and quick home or professional construction. Most of the boats, including the hard chine hulls and the furniture, are built from joining ready-made, pre-glassed balsa or foam cored flat panels, for example, from DuraKore. These can purchased as pre-cut kits, available in several options, for most models in the series.

The range has good load carrying potential as fits its purpose as a cruiser, yet hulls are slender enough at the waterline to give a very good speed potential. A generous bridgedeck clearance helps avoid slamming when sea conditions deteriorate. The hulls are flat bottomed, as natural in a chine catamaran construction. The flat run aft encourages planing – but the bottom panel is Veed forward to prevent noisy under-hull slamming. The hulls are also flared forward, on the inside, giving additional buoyancy reserve and thus more safety at sea. The flare also helps to deflect spray from reaching the decks.

Though built mainly of flat panels, the Wilderness range does not have the angular look of a chined boat. Compound curves are strategically incorporated both to improve appearance and to reduce air drag. The deck sections are strip-planked using the already constructed parts as a mould; this allows the decks to be rounded on the turn of the hull. Strip planking the bridgedeck cabin roof also produces similar beneficial curves.

Type:: Performance cruiser

Multihull type:: Catamaran

Construction:

Hard chine hulls, bulkheads from pre-glassed balsa or foam DuFlex, flat panels
Kit with pre-cut panels for hull and bulkheads are an option
Reinforced hull bottoms; Kevlar reinforcing optional
Furniture from DuFlex honeycomb panels
Strip planked decks and cabin roof
Speedy construction with no laminating required to build the hulls
The boat can be built in separate sections which are joined later
Composite chainplates
Many sealed buoyancy compartments
Escape hatches

Sails and rigging:

Fractional sloop rig
Mast has lower shrouds and inner forestay for safe sailing with fully reefed main and storm jib
Rotating carbon fibre mast
Retractable bowsprit
Single line reefing
Mainsail can be reefed while running downwind
Furling genoa
Furling reacher flown from a bowsprit

Sails and rigging images:

Deck layout and gear:

Wide flat decks with non-slip surface
Targa bar for hoisting dinghy and supporting arials and solar panels
Centre wheel
Optional full shade top for the cockpit with hatch for visibility when docking, or access when reefing or raising the main
Sheltered and secure cockpit
Parachute anchor bridle attachment points on the forward beam ends

Keels, boards and rudders:

Fixed or kick-up rudders, depending on choice of engine
Daggerboards

Accommodation:: Port hull: Head, shower and wet locker aft; navigation area midships; double cabin forward, berths over the bridgedeck
Bridgedeck: Saloon with large sloping wrap-around window, dinette, ample seating
Starboard hull: Double cabin aft with queen-sized bunk; galley amidships; double cabin forward, berths over the bridgedeck