Tracer 

1500TRi
Preliminary Study Plans
Design Profile  Tracer 1500TRi 
Design Overview  Tracer 1500TRi 

LOA 15.00 Metres An unusual feature of the 1500TRi is the float area which is
BOA 10.20 Metres usually minimal storage or sail lockers, however this design
has created additional accommodation in the form of two
DRAFT 0.675 Metres single cabins. These berths would be quite exciting while
Headroom (Throughout) Full Standing underway! At anchor however they are ideal for guests or
crew. The cockpit sole is half netting and half hard deck
MAST HEIGHT 19.00 Metres giving a comfortable combination keeping spray down but
SAIL AREA (Main+Headsail) 75+43 Sq Metres giving good drainage.
PAYLOAD 1800 kg
DISPLACEMENT 7000 kg
BRUCE NUMBER 1.43
spacious cockpit areas are located on either side of the
cabin, with the helm stations positioned wide on the aft
BEAM TO LENGTH 10.6:1 beam giving excellent forward visibility, as well as clear
FUEL CAPACITY 150 Litres sight of sails and telltales. Lines run aft to the helms with
winches and sail controls mounted close by for ease of
WATER CAPACITY 400 Litres operation. The large cockpit areas are fantastic for
MOTORS 1 x 40hp sunbathing and outdoor living plus just a great spot for
relaxing while underway.
SAILING SPEEDS 15—25 Knots +
Stepping through one of the dual entries leading from the
The Schionning range of catamaran designs are well cockpits, you will find yourself standing in the luxurious
known, along with the Troublemaker monohull however saloon with ample seating and large dining table. Forward in
Jeff felt that something was still missing from his design
repertoire. The demand for a performance cruising
the cabin is a big galley with large bench tops on either side For those of us passionate about trimarans
for preparation and entertaining. Behind the saloon seating
trimaran has been increasing, and the new Tracer Series are two single pilot berths for additional guests or children, and the superb sailing sensation of gently
is designed to tackle this head on with distinctive and ideal for two handed cruising staying close and in touch flying to windward, she offers fantastic
Schionning aesthetic styling combined with a practical and on night watches. Moving forward through the galley, you
liveable interior, along with being competitive against the will step down into a full width head and shower. windward ability and reaching speeds cats
big performance cats. can only dream of. This design has it all
Moving further forward you're now entering the forward
The first in this range is the 1500TRi, measuring in at double cabin with spacious berth and storage lockers. The
and this means you can now build a tri and
15.00 metres on LOA and having a moderate 10.20 metre main queen berth cabin is situated aft of the saloon, and enjoy resale value similar to that of a
beam, creating an enormous cruising platform. The has a small en-suite head situated in the cabin however this
1500TRi exterior is a little different to many of the standard is optional and can be used as additional storage or
similar sized cat.
trimaran designs we've become accustomed to. Large shelving.
Design Deck Layout  Tracer 1500TRi 
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Material Overview  Tracer 1500TRi 

Our designs are based on cored composite construction a very light laminate. It will be very stiff and very resilient to
techniques using West System epoxy resin and knitted fatigue.
fabrics. But given the range of today's composite
technologies, which solution works best for catamarans and There are many boats sailing that are built from foam so even
why? with its poorer values it works well. Initially one would expect
this cat shell to be lighter as it is ½ the weight of Balsa. We do
Resin Choices have to compensate for its weaknesses and will then add at
We use West System epoxys for their high strength and least double the reinforcement on the outside to spread that
adhesive values. It also fully protects the boat against water compression load over more core and need a triaxial type
absorption and it can not develop the dreaded Osmosis. weave to compensate for the veneer content that runs fore and
We choose ATL Composite's resin systems for their superior aft on the Durakore. Secondly, we need to increase the Core
quality, reliability and value for money. Having worked thickness to compensate for the shear value, usually
closely with the ATL Composites team and their products for cubic metre) in compression. Foam is stronger than honey- neutralizing the weight advantage. Thirdly, foam absorbs a lot
many years, we know we can stand by their material comb type cores, both the paper and the plastic. more resin into the open surface cells than timber and so
solutions, and rely on great service should something increases weight. Fourth, foam is an inert type material tending
unexpected happen. Balsa is also far better than foam or honeycomb in sheer. This to follow the surface and not naturally stay fair, fairing usually
is when the core sample is held flat between your hands, one uses more bog and again adds weight. Fifth, because of the
Cloths hand slid one way and the other slid the opposite way, when inert characteristics, foam requires a much more complex
We prefer Colan brand cloths for their quality and low resin the core tears through the middle the core has failed in sheer. control mould, this takes a lot more time and is slightly
absorption, custom made for Schionning Marine at six (6) The amount of stretch you feel before the core shears is shear expensive.
stitches per square inch for easy wet-out and rounding stiffness. To compensate for sheer weakness the core is made
corners. This may not seem important but when working with thicker. So 13mm Balsa may be equal in sheer to 19mm Foam. The end result using Foam in my experience is always a
a material for an extended period of time, the small things heavier shell with less stiffness. Professional builders can
make all the difference. Paper Honeycomb (50kg/cubic metre) is very efficient and achieve a good result but usually use vacuum bagging and
lighter than the other core choices. This can be used for very good molds to achieve this. The Wilderness 1230 has a
CORES - Which one to use? external use but needs extreme care to prevent water foam option. It weighs 200kg less than the Balsa version.
The core choice is usually quite confusing. Cores have penetration. Ideally it is used for all internal furniture and
different capabilities and properties, and their benefits I feel smaller bulkheads. Should water get into the core you lose Honeycomb needs to be much thicker and needs much
are utilized fully in our catamaran designs. A quick look at 50% of its values. It can be suction dried and restored back to heavier laminates which makes it a silly choice for cat shells.
their abilities: full strength, though this can be a long process. Paper Honey- (Nomex excluded)
comb has similar strength and sheer ability in the vein lines
Balsa end grain (150 kg/cubic metre) has exceptional and about 80% across the veins compared to Foam. Western Red Cedar has all the advantages of strip Durakore,
qualities including very high compression strength, but has a real weight penalty because of its higher core weight.
extremely good sheer capabilities and fantastic sheer Our hull skin thickness is quite thin, we therefore find the core
stiffness. Compressive strength is the resistance to works harder and it's stiffness is noticed in the finished These are the reasons we prefer Durakore and Duflex
collapsing when pressure is applied perpendicular to the structure (sheer stiffness). Generally a balsa or WRC shell is Panels for our home built designs.
surface as when pushing directly onto the material with the noticeably stiffer than a foam boat using equivalent laminates.
point of your finger. Balsa is far stronger than Foam (80kg/ Balsa has very good values and we can produce a shell using
Construction (Arrow Series shown)  Tracer 1500TRi 

Arrow 1200 Shown

A Note From The Designer  Tracer 1500TRi 

The success of our designs I feel, stems from the practical in our designs. We work with some of the best Aerospace SAILING ABILITY AND PERFORMANCE
common sense approach of a boat builder, coupled with engineers in the composite industries to achieve this.
many years of live aboard experience and over 100,000 Power to weight ratios show how well a cat will sail in light
nautical miles in some of the worst conditions in the world. Flat Decks The flatter deck lines have a number of conditions. As wind strength increases, one reefs the power
This experience makes one aware of the power of the sea advantages. Secure footing while reefing, anchoring and in to stay at safe acceptable speeds (this is different for
and the need for a boat to be able to survive these rough conditions. Life lines should be at a sensible different people).
conditions, protect her crew physically and psychologically protective height instead of set down a level. A flat deck is
as well as being a fast comfortable vehicle for all the good great for socializing, sunbathing or as a kids playground too. The Bruce Number is a commonly used value and very
times. I am sure you will find our designs reflect our sailing useful in comparing cats, displacement is not always reli-
and live-aboard experience and will give you the offshore Buoyancy Buoyancy distribution is the placement of able and will vary with load. A Bruce Number = 1 is very
confidence to sail safely anywhere in the world. Multihulls buoyancy in the hulls. Our designs have between 50 and 60 slow, 1.3 – 1.4 is a good cruising value, 1.5 – 1.9 reflects a
are ‘beautiful, safe, cruising boats’. We hope you find them separate sealed buoyancy tanks built into every shell so very fast cat. Boats like the French 60’ Tri’s and “Club Med”
as exciting as we do. they are almost unsinkable. Most old designs hobbyhorse are running to extremes like 2.3.
(rock fore and aft), this makes them uncomfortable and
inefficient. Modern designs have the buoyancy pushed A light and efficient cat can often sail out of trouble and
WHAT MAKES A GOOD MULTIHULL? towards the hull ends damping down the hobby-horsing outrun severe weather patterns, shorten passage times and
Choosing a design can be difficult so we hope that this tendencies and giving a lot more safety downwind where avoid bad weather by getting there in the existing weather
introduction helps clear the way a little. the buoyant hulls stop nose-diving. Coupled with a lot of window. Most good designs will tack through 90 degrees at
reserve buoyancy higher up in the forward hulls this adds an a speed of 8 – 10 knots while reaching at 10 - 13 knots
Cat design is not just a matter of two hulls floating a cabin enormous amount of safety and gives you confidence when comfortably with Main and No. 1 in 15 knots of wind.
above the water. Only in fairly recent years have the basic sailing off the wind.
elements of design and an understanding of their effect on Daggerboards are efficient and allow very shallow draft for
the use and performance of the finished boat been A soft ‘V’d entry, quickly picking up reserve buoyancy with beaching. With a strong reinforced bottom and with kick up
properly understood. lots of reserve higher up is an ideal combination. rudders, it’s easy to beach our cats. Should you want shal-
low keels to protect inboard motors, then a combination of
The basic principles of good design should ALL be Good Bridgedeck Clearance High Bridgedeck Clearance shallow keels and fixed rudders are a good option, dagger-
present in the boat you’re considering building or buying. is essential. A short cabin length with long hull overhangs is boards would still be fitted as usual.
These will blend together to produce an excellent and safe a good safety feature. Good clearance on a cruising cat is
multihull. 600mm – 800mm, a Performance cat 700mm – 900mm and Low Drag is a good characteristic. Slim hulls reduce drag
a Racing cat 800mm – 1000mm. Chamfer panels add high and are efficient. A good cruising cat would have a Waterline
THE BASICS ELEMENTS OF A GOOD DESIGN: reserve buoyancy and need less clearance than a similar beam to length ratio of 11.5 to 12.5:1. A performance cruis-
cat without them. They also reduce wave slamming and add ing cat 12.5 to 14:1 and a racing cat 14 to 20:1.
Good Engineering Our boats are well proven. With over strength.
400 Schionning cats on the water, and many performing It is important to note that ALL these elements must be
under extreme stress whilst racing, we proudly claim we present in a design to make any of them valid. For
have never had a structural engineering failure of any sort example, a design can be really good looking, have high
bridge-deck clearance,
A Note From The Designer  Tracer 1500TRi 

a powerful rig and sail plan and be built reasonably light CAN I AFFORD TO BUILD?
and show a fair displacement, but then have an 8:1 Beam One of the first steps in changing your dream into reality is
to Length ratio. She’ll be a good looking, powerful boat but figuring out whether you can afford the boat (or more likely,
it will be impossible to go forward, except slowly! how much money you ‘don’t’ have!). Two realities here are,
firstly, two similar sized boats with similar displacement, built
There is no reason why a good modern design does not of similar materials, will cost much the same to build. De-
have all of these features. If you find some of these lacking signers’ estimates of materials are often inaccurate and
it is usually for the wrong reasons. A lot of cats have very sometimes minimized to lead one to believe their design will
little bridge-deck clearance because the designer is con- be cheaper to build. This is definitely not the case, similar
centrating on a low profile cat which looks good or being boat, similar price! Your choice should therefore be to-
dictated by interior accommodation and ignoring the fact wards the boat that suits you best and is a good investment.
that the boat will pound badly at sea. This is not only noisy Secondly, we know a lot of people who could not afford their
and uncomfortable but can well be the cause of structural boat at the onset so don’t be discouraged. Once you start
problems. Our designs have been developed around these building it is surprising how you focus your interest, spare
practical elements of good design and then we time and money into your new project. With our new owner-
accommodate personal comforts and lifestyle choices. builders we suggest they start with the smaller items which
can be built in the garage, carport, (lounge?) etc. These
WHICH DESIGN... initial items use very little material and money but use a lot
We have many different design ranges. All incorporate the of time, so at the early stages you can get a lot done while
elements of good design discussed above so choosing a you wait for your old boat or car or house etc. to sell. These
style, size and layout comes next. Layouts and some items are; dagger-boards and cases, motor pod, forward
things like steering position can often easily be changed beam and catwalk, cabin roof, rudders, dinghy etc. The ex-
so don’t be put off if you really like a particular design but perience and confidence gained building these bits speeds
find a few small elements you don’t like, talk to us and we’ll up the second stage of larger items and gets the whole pro-
see if we can incorporate your choices. ject finished much sooner.

We’ve taken particular care with the balance of

construction methods in our designs, making them light
and strong yet easy to build in small sections, most of Good luck with your research and project, don’t hesitate
which are manageable by a group of friends when they to contact us should you need further information or a
need turning over and moving. The blend of strip planking
and light flat panels kept in single plane form, makes chat about our designs.
building easy and quick and produces a finished
catamaran of classic good looks which will not date
quickly, giving you very good investment security.
Jeff Schionning
Plans and Ordering  Tracer 1500TRi 

PAYMENT: WE ACCEPT: Bank cheques or direct deposit

into our bank account. Please email
[email protected] for our account details.
Credit cards are not accepted for plan purchases.

PLAN DELIVERY: Plans are delivered electronically on a

USB drive via mail, or the plan files can be downloaded.
The plans consist of A1 and A3 plan sheets and the A4 boat
building manual, all in PDF format. Other delivery options
can be arranged if required.

Building a boat is definitely a challenge but with good plans,

our helpful friendly support and the modern materials avail-
Advice is readily available to help with your design choice able, it's never been easier. The investment of time and
and various options available. money is very worthwhile, offering a rich life experience, fun
reward when you launch her and financially you can cer-
COST OF PLANS: tainly stand to gain substantially.
The Tracer 1500TRi is a preliminary design and as such
does not have a set plan price at this time Please contact We look forward to hearing from you again and wish
the office to discuss design development. This includes you the very best with your project.
postage anywhere in the world.

UNLIMITED BACK UP SERVICE: Our back-up service is

unlimited, our professional boat builder (Jeff Schionning)
will be here to guide you through any problems throughout
your entire project. Email and phone support is available
during business hours Monday to Friday. [email protected]
+61 (0)2 4997 3322
HOW TO ORDER PLANS: We require a signed and
faxed or mailed PLAN ORDER FORM with every plan or-
der. This form explains the terms and conditions and plans 286 Bundabah Road,
will not be mailed until a signed order form is received. Bundabah, NSW
2324 - AUSTRALIA