Bringing a New Balance to Life

May 15, 2020 by Andrew Holland

Bringing a New Balance to Life

What’s really involved in designing, engineering, tooling and building a new catamaran?

In early 2019, co-designers of the Balance 526 Phil Berman and Anton du Toit, were discussing the best way to build on the success of our award-winning catamaran. Due to my growing role at Balance Catamarans, I was fortunate enough to be brought into the brainstorming process and excited to share my insights from the past decade as a professional multihull captain. We started the conversation based on a trend that we had noticed in the feedback from many of our customers; they loved the design and build quality of Balance Catamarans but wanted a smaller option at a lower price point. We were eager to enter this segment of the market but needed to be cautious.

It should first be mentioned that no company will go through the process of creating a new catamaran model unless they are quite confident it will sell and have a strong market. Creating a new design, engineering it, and building the tooling is very costly. For that reason, many builders use the same tooling for a decade a more; simply making slight revisions to it after a few years in order to call it something new. I am amazed, as a yacht broker, how many one or two decade old designs are still being marketed and sold, often as brand new models. This is due entirely to the high cost of designing and tooling up a new boat. The good news for Balance was that we had very high demand for our 526 and 482. We knew our concepts and designs were well vetted and therefore felt confident the market would respond favorably to an entirely new 44ft model that shared the DNA of her very popular larger sisters.

It was imperative that we capture the same soul of the 526 and 482, only this time in a more compact package. The resulting concept was christened the Balance 442. The objective of the 442 was to create another fully modern, daggerboard equipped, world voyaging catamaran. It must also be truly livable for a couple or family to sail anywhere in the world, along with the expected equipment they would need to carry. The task was made easier because the boat was a refinement and scaled down version of the 526 – a tested design, with tested features.

We knew several of those features absolutely must be transferred from our flagship model over to the new 442 design. We had to include the innovative VersaHelm, we wanted to maintain the 6’8” headroom throughout the interior, and the design had to share the same balance of livability and performance that is our namesake. Meeting at the office of Du Toit Yacht Design in Cape Town, we began the laborious process of bringing a new Balance model to life.

The process began with an overall design brief. Phil, Anton and I wanted to sustain a real performance orientation in the new 442 without sacrificing her livability and payload capacity. We had to decide on the basic dimensions of the new boat and the list of necessary equipment she would need to have aboard. All liveaboard catamarans need much of the same equipment – watermakers, solar panels, two engines, refrigerators, freezer, air conditioning, etc. The smaller you go in size, the more challenging it is to equip a catamaran properly and keep her light enough and narrow enough to achieve that ideal balance. Base on those parameters, we then determined the materials we would use for her construction. We also had to consider the size and layout of her sail plan and match it to her projected displacement to achieve our performance goals.

We accelerated the design process by taking the specifics of the Balance 482 and simply shrinking them on a computer aided design program (CAD) to see where we would have to alter the 442. Anton then began the brand-new design by drawing the hull and cabin top of the vessel using the measurements that we had already agreed upon. Once we had a basic drawing, Phil and I gave our input about possible adjustments. Let’s give the bows a slightly sharper rake. I would prefer a rounded curve to the hardtop bimini. Make sure the davits aren’t pushed back too far. Eventually, spars and sails were added to the drawing. The trampoline and longeron dimensions became clear. We decided on the perfect size and outline for the sugar scoops. Slowly but surely, we started to see the new vessel taking shape on the screen.

Next, we moved the design focus to the interior. We played around with different placements of cabinetry, lockers and heads striving to find the best fit for all the necessary equipment. Tables moved from one side of the saloon to the other. Companionway stairs shifted fore and aft to find the best placement in relation to the daggerboard trunks. It became a game to see who could come up with the best idea for saving a few inches here or an extra centimeter there. Believe it or not, we actually got out a tape measure. We rearranged Anton’s office furniture so that we could simulate the space in a hallway or through a doorway. We stood on a chair to determine the height of a shelf or locker. We stacked books to see the clearance of a step. We had to have a clear understanding of how people would live and move in these spaces, using every bit of space to the best application. Always with the knowledge that Balance owners need to be comfortable in these spaces both at sea and at anchor. No detail could be overlooked or disregarded.

A great design is the culmination of thousands of small decisions and subtleties that most people miss. It is always about attention to the smallest things which, if gotten right, add up to a superb finished product. Can you sleep on her? Lounge on her? Is there good visibility from the helm – up or down? Is she managed easily under power or sail? Does she have enough cabinetry for long term storage? Does she have enough payload to carry equipment – tenders, kayaks, etc? Does she have enough headroom to avoid turning tall people away? Will she perform upwind? Will she ride over the seas or pound hard into them? Every choice is a decision that is a balancing act between form and function. Always striving to design a catamaran that is a marriage of beauty, functionality, and speed.

Once we were all happy with the overall design, we handed the project to Anton’s amazing design team to finalize. They scoured the layout looking for imperfections. Will this door open all the way? Will this plumbing be obstructed? Can this angle be improved? They put in hundreds of hours staring at every minute detail on the screen. Finally, the revised drawings were sent to the builder, Mark Delany at Balance Catamarans Cape Town, who has the daunting job of taking the design and turning it into reality. This inevitably leads to another round of revisions and adjustments as Mark dealt with the reality of taking a drawing and bringing it to life. Not only did we have to design the boat well, but we had to design the boat to go together well. So it went, with all parties to the design process working together to make a great catamaran. It is a collective belief at Balance that a total team approach to the design and build process improves our products. Disagreement, push back, and collective head scratching from as many knowledgeable parties as possible inevitably yields the best results.

It brings me great joy to play just one small part in the development of such amazing products. I am only one person in a process that will eventually involve over two hundred others, who dedicate their professional lives to building incredible catamarans. We are all very eager to see the new Balance 442 come to life over the next few months. Moving from a simple design on a computer screen to a floating work of art, carrying its new owners across oceans and creating memories they will cherish for a lifetime.

About the Author

Captain Andrew Hodgdon grew up sailing his fathers Hobie Cat and transitioned that into a long career as a USCG licensed captain in the yachting industry. Working his way up from his college years as a sailing instructor to a position as a private yacht captain aboard a Gunboat 57.

Now, he has settled down in North Carolina and seeks to share his passion for catamaran sailing and the cruising life with others. As a broker with The Multihull Company and Technical Director of Balance Catamarans, Andrew hopes to help pair sailors of all types and skill levels with the perfect boat for their needs.

Building a Balance – The South Africa Experience

October 29, 2019 by Andrew Holland

Building a Balance – The South Africa Experience

By Captain Andrew Hodgdon

When you make the decision to purchase and build a new Balance catamaran, it becomes an immersive, one-of-a-kind experience. The build process takes several months and there is a good bit of planning and decision making to do along the way. Many of our customers will make a trip or two to visit their boat while she is under build. While to date none of our customers have felt the need to have a surveyor to oversee things, they all enjoy visiting South Africa, fine tuning some of their decisions, and meeting the build teams. Normally it is not until we are five or more months into the build that final decisions have to be made on hull color, interior finishes, etc., so often times our buyers just decide to come to the factory for a day or so, then head out on an amazing Safari.

It is hard to describe how very personal and intimate the experience of buying a Balance is compared to buying a production boat. Everyone gets to know each other and a strong sense of family and shared interest arises that is quite special. It is especially fascinating to watch people experience South Africa for the first time. The natural beauty, the amazing music, the richness of the many layers of African culture merging in what Nelson Mandela proudly called his “Rainbow Nation,” is most unique.

Many of our 526 customers will elect to drive the Garden Route from Cape Town to Saint Francis, which is an amazing sea-side journey of 700 kilometers of mostly virgin coast. And for those who are buying a 482 or a larger custom Balance, the Cape Town experience is for sure something not to miss – Driving to Cape Point, visiting Wine Country, spending the day on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront are all spectacular experiences.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to get the full immersion into the South African experience that a new Balance owner would enjoy. I was visiting as part of my new role as Technical Director for Balance Catamarans. The 526 and the new Balance 620 Catamarans are built in the small seaside town of St. Francis on the very southern end of the continent, about an hour from the nearest airport at Port Elizabeth. The scenic drive into St. Francis took me through stunning views of both mountains and coast, Eucalyptus groves, and emerald green ranch lands. The highway bridges several gorges over which you can just make out the sparkle of the river far below. Upon approaching the town, you travel through seagrass dunes and estuaries with picturesque houses perched on their banks.

It is in this quaint little town that Nexus Yachts, the builders of the Balance 526, have set up shop. The operation is run by a pair of brothers named Jonathan and Roger Paarman. The brothers grew up on this wild coast and have salt water in their blood. Coming up in the budding surf culture of South Africa, they spent their youth working in the growing water sports industry of the 70’s and 80’s. Over the years they had many jobs but started out shaping surfboards and building Hobie Cats, eventually working their way up to creating highly customized cruising catamarans. When I first met Johnny and Roger, it was on the bustling factory floor. Construction was nearly complete on Hull # 6 of the Balance 526 model, a stunning bright orange vessel named “Alani” which is the Hawaiian word for “orange”. With a launch date scheduled for the following week, the whole factory had an electric air as the craftsman sought to make sure every detail of the boat was perfect. Launch day is always a big event in such a small town, and everybody gets excited to see it go off without a hitch. Then nearly the entire town shows up at the little Port Saint Francis to cheer on the boat until she splashes. The pride that is shown in this town for their builders is enormous, as they are not only one of the major employers, but these bright and shiny catamarans are truly stunning looking objects that were built right there in humble little Saint Francis.

One very special thing about the Balance situation in Saint Francis is that Nexus has their own dock in the harbor, which is very close to the factory. The team has time to bend the sails, tune the rig, and do multiple test sails to shakedown the boat to perfection. Then, when Johnny is happy, and the weather window right, off she goes for the 700-kilometer coastal sail to Cape Town.

Johnny and Roger make an impression as generally laid-back guys who are serious about what they do for a living. As with many South Africans, they exuded a “can do” attitude and stark independence. This seriousness about their work really showed as Johnny gave me my first tour of the factory.

Spread out across two large warehouses, there was a lot to take in as I looked over the construction materials and boats in various stages of completion. A compressor running on the vacuum table made it difficult to hear Johnny as he described the process of laying up a bulkhead and the system by which they ensure the proper resin to fiber ratio. Johnny is literally on the shop floor all day long. His team members probably view him as a bit of a micro manager, but the respect they hold for him – due to the pride he has in what he does – is enormous.

The Balance 526 is built using a sophisticated method of blending foam-cored epoxy e-glass with carbon fiber structural components. The end result is a light weight, rigid, and very fast cruising sailboat. This construction method is a time-consuming process that requires a lot of skill and even more attention to detail, but the end result is a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

Compared to a European built catamaran, the Balance catamarans take – literally – three to four times the labor hours of other production boats. This is not due to inefficiency, but to the high level of hand-crafted work that goes into these catamarans.

Throughout my week in St Francis, it was not uncommon to see Johnny on his hands and knees working alongside several of his 50 employees to make sure some detail of the boat was just right. This same pursuit of perfection could also be seen in the office where Roger spends most of his time. With the craftsman diligently working down below, Roger watches over from his office window above the factory floor. He is responsible for the real dirty work of the boat building process…making sure everything stays on schedule. I got the sense that Roger is personally invested in every boat that leaves their facility. It was apparent that he was anxious to see “Alani” finished correctly and on time. Roger’s management role is often an unforgiving job as he deals with the mountains of emails and phones calls necessary to chase vendors and maintain a build schedule, but his approach has the same attention to detail which produces such a fine product and a smooth-running operation.

In my free time in St. Francis I was pleased to discover that the area has a lot more to offer outside of world class sailboat builders. There are numerous outdoor activities to choose from for the adventurous type. On days when the swell is up, you will see many of the employees from the factory catching an early pre-work surf session at one of the many pristine breaks along the coast. A short paddle out from my gorgeous beachside accommodations was one of the nicest waves I’ve ever seen in all my travels. You can spend hours playing in the sea but just make sure to stay clear of “Full Stop Rock”! On days when the sea isn’t cooperating, you can go for a mountain bike ride along the numerous scenic trails that follow the rugged coastline or roll through the inland hills. Hike these same paths and be sure to take a moment to look over the wild Indian Ocean and breathe deep the crisp breeze carried in from the Antarctic. The air is so fresh they should bottle it up and sell it!

For the less adventure minded explorer, there are many artisan craft vendors and high-end galleries within a short drive of St. Francis. There are also several delicious local restaurants to choose from in town, and I would highly recommend going down to the marina and trying some of the local fare. You can enjoy a fine local wine while nibbling on fresh caught calamari as you watch the fishing fleet prepare for another night of hard work. The nearby city of Knysna makes for a nice day trip to escape the bustle of the factory floor. This bayside destination is a popular spot for South African tourists and offers abundant shopping and a wide variety of local and ethnic restaurants. On the drive down, be sure to plan a stop at the Knysna Elephant Park which is an exceptionally well-run preserve. At the park I had the opportunity to meet and interact with a young lady named “Thandi” who is a 15-year-old adolescent elephant with a very kind demeanor. If you’re interested in a more immersive safari experience, there are several world class game preserves in South Africa including the famous Kruger National Park.

Departing from Knysna, heading West, you eventually arrive in Cape Town, which certainly rivals San Francisco as one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Here is where I spent some wonderful hours working with Balance Designers Anton Du Toit and Phillip Berman working on the design for the new Balance 482. Cape Town is also the home of Balance Catamarans Cape Town, where veteran builder Mark Delaney is tooling and building the new Balance 482. Due to the demands on Nexus with the new 620 and expanding 526 production, it was decided by all to fabricate the 482 in Cape Town.

The scene in Cape Town is very different from Saint Francis! A thoroughly modern city, perched at the end of the world, with magnificent coastal communities branching out to the East and West. The Eastern Seaboard is built on terraced mountains with modernist contemporary homes overlooking the ocean. Some of the architecture rivals that of any major city in the world. Cape Town is also a heavily touristed city; offering bus tours, trips to the famous Table Mountain, and to Paarden Island where Mandela was imprisoned for so many years by the Apartheid government.

The most amazing adventure, however, is out to the Cape Point, over the famous Chapman’s Peak. Continuing on to the nearby wine country also offers some stunning scenery and wines that rival any in the world.

The facilities for Balance Catamarans Cape Town are very close to the heart of the city, in what is called Paarden Island. Just down the street from the factory is the factory for Robertson and Caine, who build all of the Leopard and Moorings Catamarans. The environment is a sort of yachties dream world – Sparcraft spar makers, Ullman and North Sailmakers, every sort of marine vendor you can imagine can be found in Cape Town. And just down the road is where they all get together for the Thursday night races at the Royal Cape Yacht Club. Then, just to the East, is the world-famous Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Here you find every form of African art, carvings, handicrafts, restaurants, and a stunning array of birds and sea life as you walk along the waterfront complex.

Several other aspects of South Africa that make it such a joy to visit, especially for an American, are the fact that they speak English and that the US Dollar is currently so strong against the South African Rand. I recall ordering the giant “Family Platter” of sushi that cost us the equivalent of $18 U.S. dollar. Stateside such a plate would have been a $100 dollar meal. I certainly felt like a king with those dollars in my pocket!

Adventure, exploration, a shared sense of joy working with people who love what they do, you will enjoy your catamaran buying experience in South Africa so much you’ll be making up excuses to go back and visit.

As much as I enjoyed exploring the area, this trip was about work and soon I was back at the factory with the Paarmans and Balance Catamarans president Phil Berman. We spent the remainder of my visit finalizing the future plans for the construction of the Balance 526 Hulls 7 through 10 and planning some other very exciting new projects. Starting with Hull 7 and continuing forward, I will be working with the commissioning team and performing client hand overs to the lucky new owners of all Balance Catamarans. That means I will be fortunate enough to go back to this wonderful place and enjoy it a couple times a year. I will also be running exclusive sailing charters and a Balance University for potential 526 buyers on “Alani” this season as part of our “Try Before You Buy.” Program. And my excitement is already building for the new Balance 482, as the first five hulls have already been sold.

It looks like South Africa will be in my future, and I could not be more excited about that!

If you’re interested in learning more about the Balance Catamarans, the “Try Before You Buy Program”, or about what you can expect on your visit to South African, feel free to email me at AMHodgdon@Balancecatamarans.com.

About the Author

MULTIHULLS WORLD REVIEW THE BALANCE 526 “GALILEO”

January 30, 2019 by Andrew Holland

MULTIHULLS WORLD REVIEW THE BALANCE 526 “GALILEO”

By Captain David Block

The Balance 526 is a very good-looking, South African-built catamaran of which 6 examples are currently sailing (numbers 7 through 10 will be in the water 2019/2020… ). We haven’t yet had the chance to test one, since all the owners are off making the most of their multihulls… But Dave Block, well-known professional skipper, agreed to give us a detailed analysis of his experience on the Balance 526!

I first heard of Balance Catamarans from delivery skipper friends in the Caribbean who were impressed with what they had seen and heard. I therefore jumped at the chance when Reliance Yacht Management asked me to deliver a Balance 526 called Dragonfly (hull #4) from Tortola to Newport, RI, in May of 2018.

After a bit of research, I learned that the 526 was built by legendary professional South African big wave surfer and boat builder Jonathan Paarman. After leaving the composite and tooling division of Voyage Yachts, which he ran for eight years, he set up a factory in St. Francis Bay in 2008 with a view to crafting high-end carbon/epoxy voyaging cats. It began with a 60-footer that he launched in 2010 for fishing and surfing expeditions in Indonesia. That later led, in 2013, to a thriving partnership with American sailor and yacht broker, Phil Berman, a former Hobie Cat World Champion and author of a range of books on catamaran sailing and racing. It is hard to imagine two more experienced men coming together to design and build a voyaging catamaran.

Paarman and Berman were of like minds when it came to the sort of catamaran that they would want to sail if they ever had time to do it. They were serious racers when young but recognized that what they most wanted to do was have adventures on the water. Going fast was great, but they wanted a boat that could be easily short-handed, repaired in remote locations, and which would have enough payload capacity to carry fishing gear, kayaks, surfboards, dive gear, a big tender to travel to remote surfing reefs, and plenty of parts and spares, together with large fuel storage capacity when required.

The like-minded surfer/sailors decided pretty quickly they wanted to work together on a new design that a couple could sail around the world in speed and comfort. They then partnered with Cape Town naval architect Anton Du Toit to oversee the engineering and fine design details. Judging by the result, it was an excellent coupling of strong talents – the Balance 526 I delivered is a truly remarkable performance voyager – a sort of BMW M series for the open seas.

How She Sails

Balance builds the 526 with either fixed highperformance keels or with dual dagger-boards. The boat that I sailed, Dragonfly, sported fixed keels, so I can only speak about the performance I experienced on her. For those who are curious about the performance differences of a 526 with keels or dagger-boards I strongly suggest visiting the Balance website where you will find a comprehensive comparison of the two configurations. It also offers 526 performance polars for the two configurations in a wide range of wind conditions.

Now, back to Dragonfly. She was a fully cruise equipped 526 with a 6.5 kW generator, 1300 watts of solar panels, washing machine, watermaker, two refrigerators and two freezer units, a life raft, full house air conditioning and four sails in her inventory. Prior to departing Tortola our crew of three topped off her fuel and water stores. Given the above our experiences of her performance should accurately reflect a keeled version Balance 526 in a laden ocean passage cruising mode.

Although our delivery had a lot of low and no wind days, we had enough variety in our 1,800 nautical mile trip to get a solid feel for her speed, motion, and live-ability in a good range of winds and seas.

We delivery skippers learn early on that every boat we deliver has a “sweet spot” where she slithers through the water effortlessly, and this speed for the 526 is in the 10 to 12 knot range when fully laden with any breeze over 12 knots. On a broad reach with her large Code Zero she will often do wind speed in true winds as low as 7 knots. Upwind in a 12 knot or better breeze she wants to sail around 9 knots. Crack off to a close reach in the same winds and we pulled 10 to 11 knots. Upwind in 14 knots or better she will get to 9.5 to 10 knots and close reach in the 11 to 13 knot range. Give her 17 knots or more and she will not go any faster upwind (you take in the first reef in the mainsail at about 14 to 15 knots true), but as soon as you crack off to a close reach or beam reach expect speeds in the 13 to 15 knot range. In very strong winds surfing with the wind aft she will sometimes burst nicely into the high teens to low 20’s, but such speeds will not be sustained consistently. Several Balance owners have reported 24-hour periods covering 260 miles or more. This is one very, very fast catamaran – laden or empty.

I found the ride to be smooth and pleasant with little fore and aft pitching. The designers took pains to center the heavy weights on her carefully, leaving little heavy equipment in her bows and sterns.

The most interesting thing about the 526 is that she sails these high speeds with ease. Her rig, reefing systems, sheet handling are no more complex than a production charter cat. It is a testament to the designers that the 526 is a remarkably easy boat to sail given her powerful sail-plan, the high speeds she achieves, and the degree to which she pulls the apparent winds forward. Although we did not have much back and forth tacking, the self-tending blade jib does not need to be touched to tack the boat. And the jib, like all of her sail handling, comes back to a winch station positioned just to the starboard side of her helm in the “up position.”

The 526 steering system is a mechanical racing type design – large Edson sprockets carry spectra cords around pulleys. The feel is sumptuous for a catamaran, where the normal feedback we get on charter builds is akin to driving a semi-tractor. For the sporting sailor this helm will not disappoint – it is perfectly balanced and responsive on all points of sail.

Another distinctive characteristic is the view: even when sailing her on autopilot, walking about the 526 with the remote control in hand, the visibility and the sight lines, are the widest and clearest of any catamaran I have ever delivered. Whether you are piloting the 526 down below, up top, sitting in the saloon, or in the aft cockpit, the clear views in all directions are remarkable. The designers have removed as many blind spots as is possible on a catamaran.

How She motors

The standard 526 comes with dual Yanmar 45 HP engines but I was told that so far, every customer has upgraded to the Yanmar 57 because it adds no additional weight to the boat. At full throttle in flat seas with both engines she will motor at 10 to 10.5 knots, but when passage-making we ran one engine at 2,400 RPM and this moved us along nicely at 7.5 knots. Fuel consumption at this speed on one engine is very low, giving her outstanding range with her fixed tanks. Balance adds a fuel transfer pump to the large locker in front of the mast for those who wish to extend motor range by adding a bladder tank or jerry cans.

How she is built

The Balance is built like most epoxy carbon reinforced racing cats. There is not a single fiberglass interior module, nor any fiberglass furniture modules, to hold down weight. Each and every piece of furniture is hand crafted at the factory using light weight cored panels. The bulk of the interior is hand sanded and painted to a smooth white finish to avoid the use of liners or wood paneling. The workmanship is superb, reflecting thousands of hours of careful fairing and paint work. A catamaran such as this built in Europe or America would surely have to cost many thousands more due to the enormous labor costs associated with such a build. All the handholds, doors, and cockpit furniture are in composite. There is simply no wood or stainless steel found on the deck of this catamaran, other than the bow pulpit seat.

The amount of cabinetry on the 526 is significant compared to any other performance catamaran of this length that I have seen. It is not the sort of spartan catamaran where guests will be climbing over clothing and gear as each cabin provides ample drawers, hanging closets and shelve

A No-frills catamaran

It is evident to anyone who sees or sails this boat that Berman and Du Toit come from practical sailing backgrounds, but are also driven by strong esthetic philosophies. The design and look of the 526 is gimmick free. Her lines are lean and angular, crisp and contemporary, free of any garish bling – understated and elegant. When we pulled into Newport harbor on Dragonfly all heads turned.

Pretty as she is, every aspect of her design seems to have been refracted through a simplicity prism. Access for repairs is exceptional. Movement from helm to side decks and from side decks to foredeck is a breeze. The wiring and the systems installations all reflect a commitment to functional excellence. Moving from the salon to the cockpit and from the cockpit to stern steps, is as ergonomically correct as one can get. Whether it is the bathrooms, the sleeping cabins or the galley – the Balance 526 is a finely crafted, gracious catamaran to live on

High price

The only major negative to the Balance 526 is that most of us cannot afford her. She comes in at a base price of $1,399,000 U.S. dollars, and most of the units leave the yard cruise-equipped at around 1.6 to 1.7 million dollars. This actually appears to make her the least costly carbon/eglass/epoxy cat on the market of her size, but there are cheaper alternatives for those that require it. The buyer for a Balance 526 must be the sort of experienced sailor who appreciates the build quality, performance, and design features she offers. It comes as no surprise that all of the buyers for the 526 so far are purchasing their second or third large catamaran.

About the Author

This article was originally published in Multihulls World Magazine and is being reused with permission from the publisher.

Balance 526 “Alani” Launches in South Africa

December 5, 2018 by Andrew Holland

Balance 526 “Alani” Launches in South Africa

Balance Catamarans and The Multihull Company are pleased to announce the launch of Balance 526 Hull #6 “Alani” in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Balance 526, which won Cruising World’s Import Boat of the Year in 2017, is looking truly amazing with her sharp, wave piercing bows, and her eye-catching orange hulls. Following a celebratory launch party, the owners will set sail for Grenada where she will remain for the winter.

“We couldn’t be happier to have ‘Alani’ on the water,” said Phillip Berman, Balance Catamarans founder. “She is that perfect balance of high performance and live-ability and the feeling of satisfaction we get from each new launch is truly enormous.”

With Balance 526 Hulls #7 and #8 expected to launch later in 2019, and hulls #9 and #10 following suit in early 2020, it is going to be an exciting year for Balance Catamarans in South Africa.

“We never wanted to grow the company too fast and lose touch with why we started in the first place,” said Berman, “which was to truly build the finest performance voyaging catamarans on the water for a handful of appreciative customers. We approach each boat as a work of art, but are palpably aware that our customers are risking their lives sailing the products we build. It is one thing to build fast and beautiful catamarans, but in the end they must be built robustly enough to withstand the worst weather nature can deliver.”

With her sharp, wave piercing bows, and her beautiful eye-catching orange hulls, she is sure to turn heads everywhere she goes. Congratulations to her new owners and to the special team at Balance Catamarans South Africa for building a truly remarkable boat!

The initial inspiration for the Balance 526 arose from our passion to design and build, from the ground up, the finest performance voyaging catamaran ever conceived for a couple or small family who really want to go places in speed and comfort yet carry significant cruising payloads. We set out to design the 526 to be simple to operate, to maintain, and enormously gracious to live on. We’re proud to say that the design was a success, as the 526 won Cruising World’s Import Boat of the Year in 2017.

Performance Study of Daggerboards Versus Keels

August 17, 2018 by Andrew Holland

Performance Study of Daggerboards Versus Keels

By: Phillip Berman, published with editor’s permission from Boating NZ and Blue Water Sailing

In my forty-five year career in the catamaran industry there’s been a relentless debate on the virtues and vices of daggerboards versus fixed keels. This debate has, however, mostly been waged without “hard numbers” from which to compare performance differences. As we have had requests at Balance Catamarans for both keels and daggerboards, Anton Du Toit (my design partner) and I felt we should conduct a study, the results of which follow.

When we first set out to design and construct the Balance 526 we were aiming for cruising couples who wanted more performance and quality than they could find in mass production cats, but also more interior space, payload capacity and ease of use and maintenance than consumers focusing primarily on speed. Our intent was to find the balance – not to create the “lightest and fastest 52” in the world, or the “largest 52,” but a catamaran that could sail swiftly on all points of sail, carry significant levels of payload, yet still be gracious to live on. We also wanted her to be pleasing to the eye.

Our focus at Balance brings us an interesting range of buyers, some of whom are more focused on strength, space, safety and comfort rather than all out speed (cruiser types), others who are more speed focused, less value oriented, and prepared to give up comfort, ease of operation and payload capacity to go a bit faster (racer types). The later sorts of buyers are mostly what I affectionately call “spreadsheet guys.” (Full disclosure: I am not a spreadsheet guy. I am far more focused on how a boat lives, how tough she is, what she can carry, and how simple she is to sail and maintain without a professional crew.)

As we have gone along a few of our customers have asked if we would create the 526 with performance keels rather than daggerboards. They felt that the advantages of keels trumped the performance advantages of boards. We were happy to comply, so Anton set about to design high performance keels for the 526. (Note: On our 451, we only offer her with dual daggerboards and two shallow permanent fixed minikeels. On all other Balance designs it remains customer choice which configuration they wish to have.)

What we were not prepared to do was tell 526 buyers how much faster or slower the two different configurations would be. We felt it best to heed Lord Bryon’s advice to evade “kant and hyperbole” (the language of the day at boat shows!) so we hired the Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and Industrial Aerodynamics at the University of Southampton to conduct comparative studies of the two configurations on identical 526 models. When you are comparing identical products with just two different variables it seemed a worthwhile study to undertake and share with our customers. It also becomes, to some extent, a worthwhile study for anyone considering a new or used catamaran purchase who is curious how the two different configurations impact performance.

While Anton and I believe these studies can be used by consumers to compare the relative performance differences between boards and keels, it is important to note that the 526 is a very light, narrowhulled epoxy performance cat and the keels we install are considerably finer, deeper and more carefullyshaped than those found on mass production designs. Additionally, we conducted the study with the daggerboards in the fully down position on all points of sail to reduce the studies complexity. The daggerboarded 526 would be marginally faster than the study indicates off- the-wind with boards raised due to a further reduction of wetted surface.

The disparity between keels and boards on a mass-production cat compared to a Balance or any other performance cat would be exaggerated considerably compared to the study that follows. I would note that we erred on the side of caution in setting our lightship weight for this study at 12.5 kg. We have carefully lode cell weighed our 5th boat and the actual lightship weight is 12,215 kg, or 26,930 pounds for the keeled 526 and 12,261 kg, or 27,030 pounds for the daggerboarded 526. Our lightship weight could be lower for customers prepared to put their boats on a diet, or sacrifice quality in several areas, but we have found that they want as much cabinetry as possible, folding tables, glass salon windows, Corian counter tops, and high-end flooring inside and out, etc. Spreadsheet guys miss the mark on this subject constantly in my experience. They also wrongly compare boats based on length, rather than the interior volume of the hulls and bridge – what I call the sum total of fiberglass parts. Regardless, the polars closely mimic the high performance our yachts have proven in real life cruising, fully laden, so this gives us great confidence in the studies accuracy.

Performance, of course, is not the be all and end all, so it is important to examine the advantages and disadvantages of boards versus keels beyond speed. They are as follows:

Advantages to Keels:

No moving parts. One less thing to operate or break.
If you ground the boat you hit the keels and they are easily repaired and at a low cost generally.
You can chock the boat more easily on the hard and it is easier to beach in some circumstances.
They cost less to fabricate.
You get more room amidships for additional cabinetry.
The keels add a bit of buoyancy. On a 526 about 1,600 pounds as our keels are large and mostly hollow inside.
Daggerboards are typically a bit heavier. On the 526 each board and trunk weigh about 50 pounds more.
Poorly designed boards and trunks can allow the boards to rattle when they are not under load. Keels do not rattle.

Advantages to Daggerboards:

Boarded cats point higher and side-slip less as the study shows. I have noted that on keeled production cats you can “stick them up into the wind” but they tend to crab horribly when pinched, as such that you must crack off considerably to reduce leeway and sustain momentum. On most of the sea trials I conduct on production cats we “close reach” to windward on sea trials. This is less the case on deep, finely shaped performance catamaran keels.
The draft on most keeled catamarans is deeper than the draft on daggerboarded cats. Our 526 keeled version draws about 12 inches more than the daggerboarded version. On daggerboarded cats the rudder tip usually represents her deepest draft. It is important to note that some cats carry very stubby keels to sustain shallower draft, but the shallower the keel the less well she performs when sailing close to the wind. This is important to keep in mind if you are comparing performance on fixed keeled production cats.
Off the wind with the boards raised to 1/4 there is less drag and the boat steers and sails faster and more playfully.
The daggerboarded cat is a bit faster and makes less leeway on nearly all points of sail as the study shows in the majority of wind conditions.
An equally efficient set of keels have much more wetted surface than daggerboards, almost 4 times more. This is the case on our 526 keels.
Daggerboards set properly can assist in preventing a cat from a “tripping capsize” in very high winds with large breaking cross seas. Both boards can be fully raised, or only the leeward board raised, so the boat can side-slip easily.
Daggerboarded cats tend to have a bit higher resale value due to the fact that so few are produced in mass production. A buyer that wants boards will only focus on catamarans that have them.

Shifting our focus now to the performance data generated by Wolfson Unit. Their analysis returned the predicted boat speed and leeway angle for the Balance 526 with a keel design and daggerboard design for all combinations of true wind speed from 4 to 25 knots and true wind angles from 40 to 180 degrees. We can begin comparing these two configurations by directly comparing the speed and leeway at major points of sail, specifically beating, close, beam and broad reaching.

While beating the two designs are predicted to perform as follows:
To summarize the upwind comparison, the daggerboard design is, on average, expected to sail 1.5 knots faster and 1.75 degrees higher. While close reaching the daggerboard design has less of an advantage than when beating, as can be seen from Table 2:

While close reaching the daggerboard design is expected to sail 0.5 knots faster and 0.75 degrees higher.

As the true wind angle approaches 90° for a beam reach, the keel and daggerboards become more closely matched.

In the beam reaching comparison the daggerboard design will sail slightly higher with a leeway advantage of about 0.25 degrees but it’s speed advantage in 5 knots TWS of 0.3 knots will fade to a 0.5 knot deficit in 16 knots TWS. At this point of sail the two designs are considered to have equal performance as the differences in leeway and boat speed are negligible.

Finally, while broad reaching the following speeds and leeway’s are expected.

In summary, when broad reaching the daggerboard design regains a slight advantage, as it maintains an additional 0.5 knots of boat speed. Leeway differences are again negligible.

Considering the above analyses, it can be seen that the daggerboard design will typically not only outperform the keel design but also out point it, make less leeway close to the wind, therefore giving the daggerboard design a substantial advantage when racing, or for performance focused sailors.

This data gives a fair comparison of the two designs at specific true wind speeds and angles but in order to fully understand the performance trends and enable better predictions between them, one must consider the entire range of wind conditions and all points of sail. This is best done with the use of speed and leeway deltas, where the differences between the two designs are calculated and analyzed.

The following two figures display the average speed and average leeway deltas. The calculation process to determine the deltas is chosen such that a positive value for the delta indicates an advantage for the daggerboard design, and a negative value favors the keel design. For example, a speed delta of +2 knots and a leeway delta of -1 degrees means that the daggerboard design is 2 knots faster than the keel design under the same conditions but would sail 1 degree lower than the keel design.

Considering Figures 1 and 2, the three TWS ranges used are from 4 to 7 Knots, 8 to 12 Knots and 14 to 25 Knots and will be referred to as light, medium, and strong wind conditions respectively. By analyzing the Average Speed Deltas shown in Figure 1 below and taking a beam reach (90 degrees TWA) as the point of sail under investigation, we can determine that in light winds the daggerboard design will perform better than the keel design as the blue line (4 to 7 knot TWS range) indicates a positive delta of 0.4 knots at 90 degree TWA. We can therefore expect the daggerboard design to outperform the keel design by about 0.4 knots under these conditions.

Counter to this, while still on a beam reach but when moving from a low wind condition to a high wind condition, the keel design begins to perform better. This is now taken from the green line (14 to 25 knot TWS range) and gives a -0.6 knot reading. Therefore the daggerboard design is now expected to be about 0.6 knots slower than the keel design under the new, higher TWS conditions.

Figure 2 is used in the same manner as Figure 1 but shows the leeway angle of each design rather than boat speed. Focusing again on a beam reaching condition, the leeway deltas indicate that the daggerboard will always out point the keel design as all three lines (TWS from 4 to 25 knots) indicate. positive values of 0.3, 0.35, and 0.1 degrees at 90 degrees TWA. Overall, Figure 2 shows that the daggerboard design has a significant gain in leeway over the keel design at all wind speeds and angles. This reaches a maximum when beating (TWA ±40-45 degrees) of 2 degrees, and declines to zero when running (TWA ±180 degrees).

With respect to the average boat speed deltas, Figure 1 shows that the daggerboard maintains a higher boat speed when sailing in light and medium winds (red and blue lines in Figure 1). In stronger conditions (green line) the daggerboards yield better boat speed when beating but the keel surpasses this between TWA of 60 to 145 degrees. Keeping in mind that the study was conducted with the daggerboards fully down at all times, in reality, the daggerboards will be raised in the 60 to 145 TWA range. As such the study slightly underestimates the speed of the daggerboard design over this TWA range.

Overall the daggerboard outperforms the keel in both boat speed and leeway in the vast majority of sailing conditions and is thus considered to be the better design choice if achieving ultimate performance is the key criteria. It should be noted that this study is specific to the Balance 526, but corresponding trends can be expected in performance cats of similar size and design.

In the end, and it is a point I cannot stress enough to any boat purchaser, all boats are sets of compromises and trade-offs, and so too with features – helm designs, sheeting systems, rig layouts, bimini designs, bed designs and locations, baths, engine placement, etc. Because I have been deeply involved in brokerage catamaran sales much of my life I recognize there is no one right or wrong boat, certainly no perfect boat, only a boat that happens to be a better fit for a particular sailor and his or her budget, cruising agenda and specific aesthetic proclivities.

At least now we can say that if someone wants a 526 with keels, here is how she will perform compared to a boarded version. It is then up to the buyer to decide which configuration is the most appealing to them. I will say that, based on the five 526 we have sailing today, with over 60,000 miles of sailing behind them, those owners with keels seem quite happy, just as those with boards.

Alright spreadsheet guys, here’s your numbers to mess with!

Phil Berman is a former Hobie Cat World Champion and the owner of The Multihull Company, a global catamaran yacht brokerage firm. He is also the owner of Balance Catamarans, a boutique brand of high-end performance voyaging catamarans. He can be reached at phil@multihullcompany.com.

About Phillip Berman

Phillip Berman is the president of The Multihull Company and a lifetime catamaran sailor and racer. He grew up racing Hobie Cats in California in the late 1960’s and published his first book on catamaran racing at the age of seventeen. Other Articles by Phillip Berman Include:

Balance 526 “Dragonfly” is Launched and on Her Way Home

April 11, 2018 by Andrew Holland

Balance 526 “Dragonfly” is Launched and on Her Way Home

Everyone had a wonderful time in St. Francis during the last two weeks of March as Balance 526 hull #4, Dragonfly, was commissioned for her owners, Dave and Lisa, and then sailed on to Cape Town. After a stop of a week or so, she took off for the Caribbean and is now half-way across the Atlantic on her way to St. Lucia.

Dave and Lisa threw a wonderful party for the build team in St. Francis and fun was had by all.

It was also the first time that Balance owner Phillip Berman was joined by his wife, Anne Gordon, who recently retired from her job with the Philadelphia Eagles after their Super Bowl victory in January. Anne had a chance to meet the entire build team and get a taste of the laid back life in St. Francis! Roger and Phil were able to surf together, Anne and Phil did some mountain biking, and it was just – as always – a super pleasant experience to be back in St. Francis.

Seeking Perfect Balance

March 16, 2018 by Andrew Holland

Seeking Perfect Balance

When former Hobie Cat world champion, author, and yacht broker Phillip Berman decided to design his own catamarans, he did so as much from frustration as inspiration. He was selling about 90 used catamarans every year at his brokerage company and grew increasingly disturbed by what he felt was a steady decline in the quality of catamaran construction and overall sailing performance.

“If you look back on the evolution of catamarans,” Berman said, “over the past 30 years each generation of production catamarans has gotten wider, slower, heavier, and frankly, less seaworthy.” However, racing-type cats did not hold appeal for Berman either. “Curved daggerboards, all carbon this-or-that, Kevlar rigging… in the end, much of this is great for marketing to a certain buyers, but not deeply value additive to the serious, practical-minded voyagers we are committed to at Balance.”

“We had an idea to create catamarans that would be fast and comfortable at anchor, but also easy to operate and care for. We are happy to let people go crazy for go-fasts, but in the end, you could spend significantly more for terribly marginal performance gains, which often comes at the expense of simplicity and reliability. Our 760 F has an aluminum rig and hit 27 knots, as have our 526’s.”

“A boat should sail fast in light airs, point to windward admirably when required, and sail in the low to mid-teens anytime you have winds over 12 knots. And it has to do that carrying kayaks, a dive compressor, air conditioning, parts and spares, etc. Too many ‘racing-type cats’ are cramped and only fast if sailed empty.”

Berman began Balance Catamarans in 2013, starting with the Balance 451, a design he worked on with Kiwi Architect Roger Hill. Due to Roger’s strong working relationship with a builder in China, Startown Marine, the 451 was and remains fabricated in Guandong. To date, they have launched over nine 451’s. The team takes pride that not a single 451 has come up for resale, proving how happy their clients are with their boats.

All larger Balance Catamarans are built in South Africa. Both the 526 and the 601, of which four each have been launched, are built by Nexus Yachts in St. Francis. Due to the high demand for the 526 after winning Cruising World’s Import Boat of the Year in 2017, Balance has been backordered for over two years, which led to the recent purchase of a new factory space in 2018 in St. Francis. The 601 is now giving way to the 620, which is an even lighter, faster, and more modern edition to the Balance family.

The most radical design departure found on the 526 and new 620 is the VersaHelm system, conceived by Berman and co-designed with South African architect, Anton Du Toit. The cantilever helm can be set in an up-and-open position to enjoy fair weather sailing, or dropped into the aft cockpit to offer total protection and visibility in foul weather. The sight lines for piloting the 526 and 620 from either position are the finest found in the catamaran world today.

“The goal,” reflects Berman, ”was simple. Produce catamarans that can sail fast carrying heavy payloads, are as pleasing to look at as they are to live on, can be sailed short handed when required and which are engineered and crafted to tackle the worst weather nature can deliver.” To learn all about Balance Catamarans, click right here!

About The Author

This article was originally published on Sailing Anarchy and is being used with express permission from the publisher.

Balance 526’s Trek to Turks & Caicos Past the Thorny Path

March 13, 2018 by Andrew Holland

Balance 526’s Trek to Turks & Caicos Past the Thorny Path

Ondine Blue has serious sailing experience under her hulls. This Balance 526 has even rescued sailors on a sinking vessel on her way to the Miami boat show last year! Most recently, she was sailed by David, Balbina, and Paddy to Turks & Caicos from Georgetown by way of the Thorny Path.

The route is no easy feat, but it sure is a beautiful one. At one point as the team approached the island they could see the color of the water go from a deep blue to a light turquoise. In the space of a few meters the depth went from around 3,000 meters to 3 meters!

Lucky for us, crew member Paddy has a keen eye for beauty and sent us amazing footage of the trip that you can see below.

The Cat is Nearly Out of the Bag

February 28, 2018 by Andrew Holland

The Cat is Nearly Out of the Bag

One of the most exciting happenings of 2018 for us at TMC is seeing the design come together for the new Balance 620 and launch of our fourth Balance 526.

In two weeks TMC founder, Phil Berman, will be flying to South Aftrica to sea trial Balance 526 hull #4, check in on hulls #5 and #6, and work with our team on our new 620.

Exclusively offered through the Multihull Company, Balance Catamarans are designed to be the perfect harmony of performance and luxury. The Balance 620 is an upgraded and modernized version of our 601. She is lighter, stronger, and faster than any production catamaran currently marketed in her size and price range. The design is an ultra high speed version of the Balance 526, which won Cruising World’s Import Boat of the Year in 2017.

Balance catamaran, catamaran, yacht, boat launch, balance 526

The feeling is electric, all the way to our corporate headquarters in Philadelphia, PA. We cannot wait to see the launch of these incredible boats.

Balance catamaran, catamarans, balance 620, yacht, boat launch

About the 526

About the 620

The Balance 620 is far lighter, stronger and faster than any production catamaran currently marketed in this size and price range. The design is a stretched, ultra high speed version of the Balance 526. The engineering of this boat is one that would allow the same comforts as a charter cat, but with speed unmatched.

Setting Sail with Kids

February 27, 2018 by Andrew Holland

Setting Sail with Kids

By Josh Holloway

Josh, shut off the water!” my wife, Heidi, yelled up to me from the galley.

Huh? What water? I thought as I wheeled around and caught a horrific view of the problem. Our 1-year-old had hopped off his potty in the cockpit and was hosing down the entire brunch buffet, spraying a little additional pee on his mother through the companionway. I grabbed him as quickly as I could and directed the stream overboard, but the damage was done. Were we really going to make a go of the cruising life with gremlins aboard?

A little over a decade ago, Heidi and I set out on a grand sailing adventure. We were newlyweds, and invincible 20-somethings, so the idea of taking a few years to sail the fabled waters of the South Pacific from Hawaii to Australia aboard Tiny Bubbles, an engineless 24-foot sailboat, seemed fairly reasonable. We would follow the trades and frolic in the crystal-clear waters off Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and other specks on the chart.

People’s reactions ranged from “OK, you two are nuts” to “Yep, get it out of your system while you’re young and kid-free.”

We both survived, and three years later, in Australia, we realized that Heidi was not feeding the fishies because she was seasick. No, she was feeding the fishies because “kid-free” was about to change.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and a couple of kids, to a mostly land-based existence, hunkered down on an island off the coast of Maine. All was well, albeit a bit chilly, but a sailing itch had returned, and my wife and I decided it was time to raise sail again and introduce our brood to the dream. We purchased a cutter-rigged Shannon 28 to serve as our summer digs. Tiny Bubbles II had all the bells and whistles our previous boat lacked, namely an engine, a head and a galley.

My wife’s wish was for our two boys (Kai, 4, and Cove, 1) to have a comfortable, well-nourished introduction to sailing, the likes of which we had never known. We went to Whole Foods and provisioned with the goal of utter decadence. There was creamed honey; lox with bagels and cream cheese; melons; exotic fruits and their juices; and other expensive tidbits to tickle the taste buds.

We moved aboard Tiny Bubbles II and promptly set sail for Monhegan, the quintessential Maine island. Arriving just before dark, after a smooth sail, the restless crew was eager to get some shore leave, but we tucked them in with promises of sand castles, pointy sticks, other little people and treats in the morning.

We all awoke early to get our perfect day started. Heidi busied herself in the galley, slicing the melon, toasting the bagels and lining the cockpit with a breakfast buffet to remember, while I read books to our 1-year-old as he sat on his potty on the cockpit sole. After finishing a book, I turned for a moment to put a couple of items into the dinghy, and that’s when our brunch buffet became a urinal.

“Aaaaaargghhhh, here!” I grunted, handing Cove down the companionway hatch to Heidi so I could attempt a salvage job.

Bagels? Terminal. … Creamed honey? I’ll try to pour the pee out of the jar. Can I just rinse the melon in some fresh water, Heidi?

At about that moment, our 4-year-old yelled up to us, “Uh, Cove’s doing something naughty!” We both peered down and saw the brown trail of footprints leading across all of our bedding — starting at a stinky pile on Kai’s berth and ending at the laughing 1-year-old standing on our berth.

Sailing presents certain challenges, and laundry is one. Our perfect day was transformed in seconds into a grueling ordeal consisting of bagging up all the bedding, ferrying it to land and lugging it to the laundry dungeon.

This reality was, well, parenthood. We decided not to throw in the towel, and after five summers of cruising Maine’s waters, we’re ready to go full-time cruising again. Did I mention we have three sons now? And Zev, our third son, is ready to potty train.

The Holloway family is currently cruising the U.S. East Coast. Follow along at www.adventureswithboy123.blogspot.com.

Originally published in Cruising World Magazine on January 16, 2018.

This article was originally published in Cruising World Magazine is being used with express permission from the publisher.

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