Experience with the construction of SEDATION 4 and months of living
aboard has influenced this "new and improved" version. No major
structural
changes are involved but several design nuances have been tweaked to
improve ergonomics and enhance fabrication. The most apparent
difference is a "flatter" roof over the beds. The existing
cavernous staterooms are, admittedly, over-kill ... shorter folks can
stand up at the aft ends of the beds! Reducing excess headroom
here also permits larger windshields, which enhances forward
visibility. The new hulls' sides would been raised 2" thereby
increasing headroom below-decks and eliminating the floors'
step-transitions adjacent to the showers.
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The pilothouse floor is 2"
higher for enhanced
visibility. This change is currently being retrofitted aboard SEDATION 4. The aft roof
overhang will be extended for better shielding from raindrop splatter
when the
sliding door is open. The forward "bedroom" roof overhang will,
similarly, be extended to better shield the forward portholes.
These
are the only noticeable revisions; all other improvements involve
changes to fabrication details.
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Many in-progress improvements to SEDATION 4 are incorporated into
the S5 design.
Instead of steep (5-step) symmetrical stairways on the aft deck,
I am building a longer (6-step) "grand
stairway" on the port side. This 34" wide stairway enables
one to ascend gracefully with
cocktail in one hand and a tray of appetizers in the other. The
array of (9) 64W photovoltaic "solar" panels
atop
the pilothouse roof have
always been planned, but they are now precisely modeled. The
latest boom and mast designs are also shown in
the updated model of SEDATION 4
at
right.
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To the starboard of the sliding door there is, now, a steep
ladder for quick access to the foredeck when I'm operating
single-handed. Here is another view of SEDATION 4 showing these ladder
steps.
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SEDATION*
catamaran designs will, hopefully, never be described as "sleek"
because form follows function and huge, flat, opening windows are
functional - not sleek. The flatter forward roof, larger
windshields and
taller hulls reduce the bulky appearance of SEDATION 4 somewhat, but not
just for esthetics! One stroll around the decks and throughout
the
interior should convince most skeptics ... bigger IS better.
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Powerboat versions of the SEDATION* models exist, both for
diesel I/O and gasoline outboard
propulsion. Non-sail variations
require neither the mast tube nor
oversize main bulkheads, so
substantial reductions in both weight and cost can be realized.
For left-handed "southpaw" owners, I have options which flip the helm
to the port side. Almost any reasonable modifications can be
accommodated ... just ask.
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