FOLDING MECHANISM
I know I'm in the minority, but my favorite folding mechanism by
far is the scissors beam system created by Raphael Francke for his
Cat2fold catamaran.
http://www.cat2fold.com/images/albums/5/5_6.jpg
You can also see it in operation on the actual boat at:
On-water unfolding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8eL2a_xqkc&t=99s
Interesting mast raising system with "stub mast / tabernacle":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8eL2a_xqkc&t=30s
Reasoning:
- It's proven and in use.
- There's no worry about how much bury to have in a telescoping
mechanism -- the entire beam is "buried" when you secure both ends.
- It will allow for smooth folding and unfolding by one or two
people, on the water, without worrying about one side jamming.
- There are no worries about how to secure the expanded system
in terms of allowing it to be tight without stressing the
connection.
- The whole beam will be quite resistant to wracking loads due
to its height and connections.
- No worries about how much free play to have in the mechanism.
- Uses a standard winch handle to fasten two heavy-duty
connectors per beam (the connectors taking primarily shear loads).
Some will argue that this could add 50 kg to the boat versus
telescoping beams. Maybe more. I won't argue against that. Plus,
there's a fee to Raphael of probably about $1,200. That's a lot
more money than something that's free.
For me, though, the benefits far outweigh the costs. Just seeing
him expand that boat on his own at the launch ramp has me completely
sold.
If I ever wanted to transport the boat, I'd want a similar
three-axle trailer (see the video from the start), and would
definitely want a fixed trailer with the boat expanding and
contracting on the water. I have an expanding trailer for my
current multi, and it's such a pain that we haven't used it since we
bought the boat in 2004. It would be sooo much nicer to just drive
onto a fixed trailer and be done with the process.
Likewise, if I were to pull into a monohull slip, I'd want to do
the folding on the water as well. Both ways I'd want to do it
either alone, or with my wife's help. There aren't many systems
that could claim to allow this to happen.
- Mike
