gypsy catamaran

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Gypsy by Woods Designs

Budget offshore cruiser with central cuddy.

URL: http://sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/designs/3-25ft-to-30ft-catamarans-designs/176-gypsy

Description:

The GYPSY 28 was the Woods Designs own cruising boat for five very successful years

It was designed as an easy to build budget ocean cruiser and many are now sailing in all corners of the world.

The central cuddy is a feature seen on several of our most recent designs, as it combines the advantages of the open deck boat's easy access forward with the central saloon and cockpit protection of a bridge deck cabin boat.

There is standing headroom and 4 berths in the hulls and a dinette and galley in the central cuddy - which also features standing headroom. Hulls can be flat panel or round bilge and GYPSY can be built in ply, foam sandwich or strip plank. It is the minimum size boat I suggest that a couple use for ocean cruising. It can be built in sections and assembled by the water.

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Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at: [email protected]

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Gypsy Boat Test

I'D READ THE BROCHURES, absorbed the blurbs and previously sailed in several designs from the Woods drawing board. Now it was time get afloat. I expected a fairly spartan, bucket and chuck it kind of craft, an overgrown Strider with a box on top and none of the luxury of her bigger sisters. I was sceptical of the  cuddy concept and the liveaboard, ocean capability claims. Whilst I know that people do live and travel great distances in boats much smaller than the 28 foot Gypsy I sometimes doubt their sanity and hygiene standards! I hoped that the coming boat test would serve to dispel my concerns. Saltash Sailing Club sits almost beneath two of the Tamar's most famous bridges, one the modern road suspension bridge, the second, the solid, near ancient monument that Isembard Kingdom BruneI designed to carry the railway into Cornwall. Both are designed solely to carry land traffic over water and are great engineering feats of their time. The catamaran designer and builder is also a bridge builder who must unite two hulls, allow movement between them and attach one or more moving forces that can be comfortably and safely controlled and directed on the water. This also is no small engineering task.

I had boarded for'd and reached the cockpit via a narrow walkway between the hull cabins and the cuddy. It felt very safe as opposed to what is usually a scramble over all too often slippery cabin tops. No need for guardrails here they are built in! The next surprise came as I dumped my bag in the cuddy for this was not the expected cell but a roomy saloon galley combination with ample space for seven large adults to sit and for the cooker, fridge, large sink, 12 square feet of work surface and capacious stowage space. There was more besides including the switchboard, battery compartment, one water tank, a secret safe-space and, glory of glories, full standing headroom and all round visibility. The innovative, offset nacelle permits six footers to stand erect and is vee shaped underneath to discourage slamming. It is offset to starboard to provide cavernous stowage space behind the port settee. The forward slope of the  cuddy provides yet more space partially taken up by a huge shelf for books, CDs etc. The table and settees convert easily to a spacious 6ft 6" x 4ft 6" double berth. Ventilation is as little or as much as required via opening hatches and the stable door entrance. I was beginning to see the sound sense behind Gypsy's somewhat chunky appearance. She is not pretty, not a sleek racy looking production line cruiser and no pocket racer but she does feel airy and light inside that capacious cuddy. Next move was to go down into the hulls. I have spent enough time in cramped hulls that have kept me bent and bruised on long passages and expected little better from a boat that is after all not much longer than a Strider. Here the difference is enormous. Once down the easily negotiated steps I again found myself erect, all six foot of me! Gypsy's hulls each consist of three main compartments; forward and aft bunk spaces with stowage beneath and a real room between. In the port hull this is utilised as the bathroom and has room for an internal shower as well as the already fitted loo and large basin. To starboard the central space is used as the nav-centre where a chart table and stowage folds up to allow chartwork from a seated position. The separation of the cuddy from the two hulls thus provides room for privacy, all too often an impossibility in small boats. Whilst each for'd bunk could claim the honour of being a honeymoon double the smaller single bunks aft have plenty of room for comfort. This then is a boat which can easily accommodate six people for short cruises or for a couple to live aboard. In the latter case at least two of the bunk spaces would disappear, perhaps for his workshop and her larder! Gypsy's build time (mostly in a 4.6m x 4.6m garage) was 980 hours by which time she was ready to sail though not complete. Richard feels that he has probably spent as much time fitting her out in the three years he has been sailing her since the launch. The build was achieved within the amazing budget of £5,000 which reflects his experience and skill, (and probably a come-in useful store built up over a lifetime of sailing!). Planning ahead he was able to get excellent fittings at ridiculous prices. One example is the rig (including roller-reefing) which except for the sails cost £200 and is likely to see the boat's life out! What it shows is that you can still build an excellent yacht remarkably cheaply given time, planning, effort and a little luck. About 20 sets of plans for Gypsy have now been sold and for the less experienced £10 - £15,000 seems a more realistic price bracket depending on building ability, finish and fittings. On deck, simplicity is the rule to enable short-handed sailing or single-handing with a small auto-pilot. The fractional rig consists of a small jib  and large fully battened main with almost all controls led back to the cockpit. Again layout is a matter of personal preference and more could be led aft. In Gypsy two small winches on the cabin roof and an Easimatic mainsheet are all that are needed to sail-trim and reef. They might be more effective if self-tailing and one or two more on the aft beam might ease spinnaker trimming. There are two winches on the mast but only because they came in the job lot. One winch is now used for the jib halyard but both would have been removed had Richard been able to free them. The various elements of the boat each have a function of their own but now was the time to discover how well they combine via the bridge and the sailing rig to become an entity,that multipurpose thing called a yacht.

Had the wind freshened more we could have taken one to three reefs in the main and rolled the jib as necessary. The reefing lines were big, easily handled and led through top quality blocks back to the cockpit. No fancy boom fittings here, the blocks and lazy jacks ensure quick, safe reefing by one or two people. Gypsy is designed to carry full rig up to force 6 and to date the third reef has only been taken for practice. Lunchtime saw us hove to in a briefly easing wind and slight residual swell. Very quiet and stable, we drifted slowly to leeward. There was time to reflect on what I'd seen so far. Putting myself back into building mode I was pleased that there were so many options in hull outline and interior layout. No dire threats of disaster for the slightest deviation from the plans. The builder is free to customise in the best sense of the word. My Gypsy would be slightly different from this; heads layout slightly altered, more creature comforts in the starboard hull................ It was perhaps as well that I was dragged from my dreams to start beating back to the eastern entrance. Back inside the breakwater everything was in our favour, downwind on a flood tide. Moving onto a beam reach we hovered between 7 and 8 knots without effort in about 10 knots of wind. To be fair Gypsy was not loaded and in full cruising mode speeds are unlikely to be so good but there is no reason why trade wind sailing passages shouldn't approach 200 miles a day. Those familiar with Plymouth will know that tides through the narrows can cause difficult eddies. Many yachts tend to motor upriver for fear of 'losing it' amongst the ferries and pleasure boats and the bevies of tugs and police escorts on the move each time a warship enters or leaves harbour. The zigzag route in further complicates the matter but we hoisted the spinnaker and enjoyed the trip and views. Her minimal draught, .7m, allowed us to stray outside the marked channel with impunity and away from the crowding keel and power boats. In the eddies she was easy to correct and the 'stretched' Strider spinnaker maintained plenty of steerage way whether running or reaching. In areas where the wind funnelled stronger we occasionally hit 10 knots and I wished for the force 6 and no reefs! A friend once water ski'd behind my ancient Val 31 and in suitable conditions he would also be able to behind Gypsy! Gybing the spinnaker with ease we were soon close to Saltash again. The peace was only disturbed by an unsilenced workboat that struggled to overtake us and a speeding powerboat full of people that I can only imagine didn't know they were breaking a speed limit strongly enforced by the Queen's Harbourmaster. They can't have for they all waved as I photographed the evidence! We hovered beneath the twin bridges as Richard recovered the spinnaker and lowered the main. Almost as quickly I found myself back on the pontoon some 51/2, very good hours after leaving it. Although I would have liked stronger winds for some of the test I was convinced already that Gypsy is a solid, safe yet remarkably nippy and budget conscious cruiser. Pretty she is not but she has an attractive purposeful look to her. She is an effective  engineering solution to all the questions asked by any small boat that  ventures out on the oceans and  I'd be more than happy to go there with her. Who knows? This is one dream at least that doesn't need a lottery win.

50th Anniversary Collectors Issue - September/October Issue No. 300 Preview Now

The GYPSY 28 was the Woods Designs’ own cruising boat for five very successful years. It was designed as an easy-to-build budget ocean cruiser and many are now sailing in all corners of the world. Several have made ocean passages.The central cuddy is a feature seen on several of our most recent designs, as it combines the advantages of the open deck boat’s easy access forward with the central saloon and cockpit protection of a bridge deck cabin boat.

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Richard Woods of Woods Designs

[email protected]

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Gypsy 30 Catamaran

• Thread starter Stingo
• Start date 9 Jan 2020

Well-known member

I've come across a Gypsy 30 plywood catamaran that is within my meager budget. It was home built in 2006 by the current owners who are selling up for health reasons. Do any of you have an opinion about the design, sailing capabilities or warnings about this potential boat? By the way, it hasn't been listed on any sites yet, so I'm unable to offer more details than the above.  

As per my very first post on the forum, I intend living on it and eventually crossing many an ocean.  

Active member

Unfortunately the details that I've been given so far are very scant, but Google agrees with you that it's a Woods design. From the one photo that I have, I would agree with you and Google.  

Ref Hardy Marine, the boat is in the Caribbean, which might be a little too far for Hardy's to give it the once-over.  

• 10 Jan 2020

Bajansailor

Just being pedantic, I think the Gypsy is 28' rather than 30', unless your chap made her longer? Sailing Catamarans - Gypsy - 8.5m Budget Offshore Cruiser with central cuddy Whereabouts is she in the Caribbean? I am a marine surveyor in Barbados, but I know of surveyors in most of the other islands. I bought a set of study plans for the Gypsy from Richard 20+ years ago - I had a dream about building one, but sadly that never happened, as other things got in the way. I can confirm though that Richard's designs are very good, after being on board a few, and sailing on his Eclipse here (after she had had a text book crossing from the Canaries about 15 years ago).  

You are correct about it being 28ft. The seller said "oops, sorry". I'm still struggling to get recent photos out of them - they're now aware that I've done a right-click, properties and checked the date of their photos. Oops no 2!  

Can you perhaps post a photo of her on here? Whereabouts in the Caribbean is she?  

Grenada. Will post a photo once I've lost interest in her - I don't want someone else snatching her up while I'm dilly-dallying about. Sorry, I've got so much still to learn, so don't need any competition from anyone with plenty of experience.  

capnsensible

I have a surveyor friend in Grenada who could go and have a look at her for you, maybe just an initial inspection to take up to date photos and then you could decide if you want to proceed further? I very much doubt that anybody else will snatch her up in a hurry - there are a lot of boats for sale in the Caribbean (a lot more than what you might see if you do a search on Yachtworld and type in 'Caribbean' as the region). And Captain Sensible makes a very valid point above....... Edit - if you were to buy her, would you want to stay in the Caribbean, or head west, or take her back to Europe, or......... ??  

What the good Captain Sensible says makes good sense, but I'll pursue this just a little longer. Wherever I end up buying a boat, I'll stick around there until I'm confident enough to venture further afield. Someone off a facebook group has recommended Neil batchelor in Grenada. I haven't made contact with him yet - am waiting for the sellers to send recent photos. If they don't, I'll move on... so no point yet in filling Neil's wallet with my hard-earned - if that makes sense? Thank you for your great suggestions so far.  

Unless you really want to be in the caribbean for a while you're making life very difficult for yourself, there's loads of boats for sale in the UK & it really is a buyers market... Edit - here's a famous cat for sale a bit closer to home, sorted & made famous on Youtube ( Sailing Kittiwake )...  

• 13 Jan 2020

Geez, who hit that catamaran with an ugly stick?  

IdiotNoob said: Geez, who hit that catamaran with an ugly stick? Click to expand...

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Used Yachts For Sale

Sail catamarans 25ft > 30ft,          woods boats for sale, woods gypsy 28 boats for sale, woods gypsy 28 located in fiji, a fiji home  .

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Time For a Catamaran Adventure

Isn't Time For Yours?

Light Wave – 28 then 32 37 foot Catamaran

This is the 28 foot ( now 32 foot – Full Article ) (now 37 feet as of July 2013) sailing catamaran that we launched in June 1999 after 28 months of serious part-time work. It is Richard Woods’ Gypsy 28 design.

We invested 3,500 hours on the building process and are very happy with the results. Throughout the building process Carllie kept saying, “I don’t want this boat to look like a homebuilt boat !” Somehow we have managed to get a home built boat onto two covers of Multihulls Magazine where Light Wave was featured in September 2002 after trips to Desolation Sound and around Vancouver Island and in 2006 on our trip to Mexico. We figure it is because of the yellow hulls which creates good color contrast compared to the ubiquitous white of most boats.

Adding 4 feet to Each Hull

In May and June 2007 while cruising in Mexico we added 4 feet to the sterns of each hull ( click here for full story).

Basic specifications, performance numbers, and key features:

• Weight: 6000 pounds
• Length: 32 feet (originally 28 feet)
• Beam: 17 feet
• Draft: 2 feet 10 inch
• Engine: 9.9 hp Yamaha four stroke
• Mainsail – 190 square feet
• Jib – 170 square feet
• Speed under power 5 knots

Key Features

• Mini keels – no daggerboards – makes for easier beaching
• Hulls are separated from the bridgedeck cabin for safe and easy access forward and greater privacy
• You can see over bridgedeck cabin when steering from the cockpit
• Forward netting for napping when at anchor
• Hardtop for shading from the sun and out of the rain
• Mainsheet is out of the cockpit and off stainless arch and hardtop

Standard Equipment List – Partial

• 2 large single berths in port hull
• Dinette quickly makes into large double (we were 4 of us on Light Wave for 10 days of cruising in Hawaii last spring)
• 2 burner propane stove and oven
• Propex propane forced air heat and Dickinson P9000 fireplace in bridgedeck area
• Portaboat folding dinghy and 3 hp motor
• Roomy private shower and head area
• Icebox with refrigeration (no freezer)
• 2 VHF radios
• Garmin GPS with chart plotter and depth sounder
• Dual Raymarine ST 4000 Autopilot
• Fullly equipped galley with dishes, pots, etc.

Comparison of Wind Speed versus Beam Reach Boat Speed

Here is the plan view

Here is the accommodation plan

Here are some exterior and interior pictures