Silkline 510 catamarans building in Langkawi

by Bob Mott on 25 Jan 2006 A newly designed catamaran is due to go into production late February 2006. The alloy Silkline 510 - (15.4m / 50ft 6in) is a joint effort by Australian and British designers. Her origins are based on a Australian aluminium design that has captured the interest of cruisers and racers alike with its performance, sleek lines and ample accommodation.

The catamarans will be built in Langkawi Malaysia at Wavemaster Sdn Bhd. The project will be supervised by Peter Sandy, a specialist alloy fabricator from Australia, and overseen by Wavemaster's General Manager Brendan Wright - also Australian and also Head of Technical Services. Design and Naval Architect requirements have been carried out by YHS Services’ Simon Jupe Bsc - Naval Architect, British, and trained in England at Southampton University. Overall quality control and project management will be carried out by Frank Cusack, an Australian boat builder now residing in the region.

Production of four of these new cats is soon to begin with two already sold for charter use to individual clients in Australia and Canada. One is being built for the designers as a charter/promotional/racing cat to operate in Phuket Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and The Andaman Islands (India).

The fourth boat is being built to hull and deck stage and is available for sale.

The Mark One version of the Silkline 510, Chameleon, won the Racing Multihulls Division at the BMW Royal Langkawi Regatta Malaysia 2005 and the Malaysian Multihull Challenge trophy.

The design is specifically for those who want a tough, strong cat that goes to windward, can perform in light wind conditions and can cover ocean passages at average speeds of 10 knots plus with ease, comfort and safety. Stability is another factor with an excellent beam-to-length ratio.

The project has been three years in the planning and was brought about by the desire to introduce a competitively-priced performance ocean cruising catamaran into the market place, bringing big cat cruising within the reach of more cruising sailors.