User:Nillesa/sandbox

Very Large Catamaran "Llinase". A unique project undertaken by Les Thompson was the design and construction of Llinase, a Very Large Catamaran. The vessel was 24 metres long with a beam overall of 10.12 metres and when it was eventually sold by its builder, it had a displacement of approximately 70 tonnes. Mr Thompson designed Llinase at a time when there were no comparable-sized catamarans in existence, thus it owed little to pre-existing conventions except insofar as Mr Thompson scaled up the characteristics of many smaller vessels to attempt to discern, where possible, a guiding trend. Beyond that, Mr Thompson used his own knowledge and experience to effect the design which turned out to be a successful one. The building of "Llinase" was essentially a one man exercise, with the indispensable support of his wife Lina. Using simple tools and equipment, much of with he made himself, or adapted from equipment salvaged from elsewhere, Mr Thompson built "Llinase" to the stage where it could be launched and sailed from Inverloch, Victoria, around Wilson's Promontory to Victoria's Gippsland Lakes. Much more construction work was done there, including the design and fitting of the hydraulic legs that were such a feature of this vessel. These legs were essentially hydraulic jacks that enabled "Llinase" to be "walked" out of the water up any suitable beach. "Llinase" has been sailed around Australia and with that voyage and other shorter ones, she has sailed a total equivalent to about half-way around the world in the open sea. Billed as "the largest sailing catamaran in the world to be designed & built by one man" it seems unlikely that a comparable feat will ever be repeated, for "Llinase" was a child of its times, its place and its builder.