The Build Process

As most of you know, I spent the majority of my working career trying to build boats to transport natural gas.  Now, I finally have had the opportunity to build one that transports Meg and I across oceans very comfortably, safely and fast.  The process of finding a boat that could do all these things was relatively easy after I saw Balance Catamaran’s new 482 design.  This 48ft catamaran was designed as a performance cruiser and had all the features that we were looking for, however it was a new design. So, we took a leap of faith on the builder (and the craftmanship that was promised without seeing it first-hand) and wrote a very large check in February 2021 to secure the contract for hull no. 007.  I really like the parallels with my favorite Bond movies and “007” is our sail number.

We have been working with the builder during the design and build process to customize certain features to suit us. It has been a fun process to see some of our ideas come to life. It is helpful for the builder too to get feedback from early boat owners to tweak the design.  It has been a tremendous experience and opportunity. 

Making of the Hull

The boat hulls and bridgedeck (1 piece) and the coach roof (1 piece) were put into molds in October 2021.  Upon removal form the molds, they were joined together and the real labor intensive work could start in prepping, sanding, fairing, tabbing in bulkheads and furniture building.

We visited the factory in January to see the progress and discuss our design ideas.  We selected all of our wood and floor finishes, sail configuration, electronics and a ton of options before we left. 

Upon arrival in June, the shell of the boat was assembled but there was still a long way to go. There were many decisions to make like sail selection, roller furling, nav desk configuration and shelf heights, galley appliances and electronics layout.

Rodeless was launched on September 28 at the Cape Royal Yacht Club. After stepping the mast, we sailed around to the V&A Marina, where test sails, final commissioning and handover activities are completed. 

As you can see from the pics, the boat has been transformed into a beautiful sleek performance catamaran.