mtbouch
14th January 2011, 02:13 PM
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Free Spirit, the 5th Knysna 480 catamaran (48’) was launched in Knysna, South Africa in late November 2010. She is currently still in Knysna undergoing fitting of extras, sea-trials and minor snagging. My wife and I expect to have hand-over within a couple of weeks and intend to sail to the Caribbean about Sept 2011.
Having read a few of the posts, it is apparent that the Knysna 480 catamarans are not well known overseas, possibly due to being newly launched and being non-production line yachts. They are not simply a 4 foot extension of the better known 440, but far larger and more roomy with excellent performance and bridgedeck clearance, and are also Angelo Lavranos designed.
It has been an absolute pleasure dealing with the owners Kevin and Rika of Knysna Yacht Company and we thoroughly recommend that anybody interested in a large new cat look into the products and ethics of this dedicated and professional company. The build quality is superb with CE certification. Having sailed previously from South Africa and cruised in the Caribbean on a different make of catamaran which came with many problems, we were very careful indeed as to what design and builder to use; in retrospect we have indeed made the right choice. Kevin and his team are simply incapable of taking short cuts and every aspect of building has, in our opinion, been achieved to best yacht building practice standards.
As yet we have done little sailing on the new boat and in due course with more experience I will post more information. With full main and genoa we recorded GPS speeds of up to 9.5 knots in 14 to 16 knots on the beam with no slapping under the bridgedeck in a bumpy sea. (Average probably about 8 knots). On Knysna Lagoon (flat water) we reached 10 knots GPS speed (into current) flying the gennaker only in a gusty 12 to 18 knots true at about 140 degrees.
Engines are Yanmar 40hp; some owners have opted for 54s. The outer hull was constructed using vinyl ester resin. We opted for Coppercoat anti-fouling and it’ll be interesting to see how this performs over time. All instruments are Garmin, sails from Quantum. 7.5kW Onan generator, A/c, 2 x freezers (1 huge in the cockpit for cold drinks et al) and 2 fridges. 4 x double cabins each with own heads, washbasin and shower. The saloon layout has changed fairly radically since the first three 480’s with better use of space. The cockpit is very large, this being the principle living area in the tropics where most people sail. Watermaker to follow from Echotec in Trinidad, this will be 220v powered and produce about 200 litres per hour. Anybody looking into watermakers should access the Echotec website; their products work with no problems. No point in going for a power hungry 12v low volume maker with a 110v or 220v genny on board. Charge your batteries, run the a/c and microwave while making large quantities of water is the way to go. Knysna Yacht Factory allows many options with fitting out which to our minds was advantageous compared to mass produced production line boats. Incidentally, any prospective catamaran buyers will do well to speak to professional delivery skippers with regard to their experiences on the various cats available from all countries; this is true information as opposed to much of the speculation that one encounters on forums.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves as to looks both inside and out. Pure class throughout though we may be biased! Any questions are welcome and we’ll add more information with experience gained.
Mike and Debbie Bouch
2548
2549
2550
2551
2552
Free Spirit, the 5th Knysna 480 catamaran (48’) was launched in Knysna, South Africa in late November 2010. She is currently still in Knysna undergoing fitting of extras, sea-trials and minor snagging. My wife and I expect to have hand-over within a couple of weeks and intend to sail to the Caribbean about Sept 2011.
Having read a few of the posts, it is apparent that the Knysna 480 catamarans are not well known overseas, possibly due to being newly launched and being non-production line yachts. They are not simply a 4 foot extension of the better known 440, but far larger and more roomy with excellent performance and bridgedeck clearance, and are also Angelo Lavranos designed.
It has been an absolute pleasure dealing with the owners Kevin and Rika of Knysna Yacht Company and we thoroughly recommend that anybody interested in a large new cat look into the products and ethics of this dedicated and professional company. The build quality is superb with CE certification. Having sailed previously from South Africa and cruised in the Caribbean on a different make of catamaran which came with many problems, we were very careful indeed as to what design and builder to use; in retrospect we have indeed made the right choice. Kevin and his team are simply incapable of taking short cuts and every aspect of building has, in our opinion, been achieved to best yacht building practice standards.
As yet we have done little sailing on the new boat and in due course with more experience I will post more information. With full main and genoa we recorded GPS speeds of up to 9.5 knots in 14 to 16 knots on the beam with no slapping under the bridgedeck in a bumpy sea. (Average probably about 8 knots). On Knysna Lagoon (flat water) we reached 10 knots GPS speed (into current) flying the gennaker only in a gusty 12 to 18 knots true at about 140 degrees.
Engines are Yanmar 40hp; some owners have opted for 54s. The outer hull was constructed using vinyl ester resin. We opted for Coppercoat anti-fouling and it’ll be interesting to see how this performs over time. All instruments are Garmin, sails from Quantum. 7.5kW Onan generator, A/c, 2 x freezers (1 huge in the cockpit for cold drinks et al) and 2 fridges. 4 x double cabins each with own heads, washbasin and shower. The saloon layout has changed fairly radically since the first three 480’s with better use of space. The cockpit is very large, this being the principle living area in the tropics where most people sail. Watermaker to follow from Echotec in Trinidad, this will be 220v powered and produce about 200 litres per hour. Anybody looking into watermakers should access the Echotec website; their products work with no problems. No point in going for a power hungry 12v low volume maker with a 110v or 220v genny on board. Charge your batteries, run the a/c and microwave while making large quantities of water is the way to go. Knysna Yacht Factory allows many options with fitting out which to our minds was advantageous compared to mass produced production line boats. Incidentally, any prospective catamaran buyers will do well to speak to professional delivery skippers with regard to their experiences on the various cats available from all countries; this is true information as opposed to much of the speculation that one encounters on forums.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves as to looks both inside and out. Pure class throughout though we may be biased! Any questions are welcome and we’ll add more information with experience gained.
Mike and Debbie Bouch