“As we approach the 6 month mark of our build, we couldn’t be happier with how far we’ve progressed and how easily the kit has come together!
Before committing to our build, Felix and I (Onika) had rebuilt a few smaller fiberglass boats, and really enjoyed watching our creations come to life. When looking for our next project, we originally had planned to find an older style sailing catamaran and rebuild – however, when we came across the Schionning kits, we were super excited to be able to build something new!
We felt that the performance catamaran would be far more beneficial for the type of sailing we wanted to do at home on the west coast of Australia, but also for much bigger adventures internationally in the future.
We are fortunate to already have a shed on our property (16m x 10m), where we have been building our yacht. We knew space would become tight very quick once hulls were constructed, so after the initial joining of all panels, we first built the cabin top and hoisted into the roof on completion.
Next up, we joined all main crossing bulkheads and worked on the reinforcements required. Stacking these at the back of the shed in the order that they are to be installed in the hulls was critical, as there will be no room to turn or move them around very shortly!
Our kit was supplied with MDF build jigs, which we found very helpful – super quick to put together, and the build frames have all lined up nicely with the DuFlex panels. We built our hull jig in 2 days, and had the hull panels fitted, glassed and ready for fairing in 2 weeks!
Whilst we have been working on these main projects, we also have been working on the forebeam and daggerboards when we have some time to spare. We have tried to make the most of every day we are able to work on the yacht, and keeping busy with other aspects of the boat has sped the process up for us.
Our goal is to have the bridge deck and both hulls fully completed in May, ready to start installing bulkheads and bridge deck in June.
It’s certainly been an exciting and rewarding journey for us, and we can’t wait to get her in the water!”
Onika & Felix
- Schionning Design: Arrow 1360
- Build Type: Owner Build
- Location: Perth, Australia
- Status: In Progress
Owner Geo Uhrich speaks about DUET’s impressive performance and his experiences while cruising in Spain. 
“We have just returned to New Zealand after spending 5 months away in Tonga and Fiji and thought I would let you know some things that have happened to us and our Cosmos 1160 called Division II. I knew that building a time proven design would have its advantages and I feel that the boat has outdone herself in performance and comfort. When we left Whangarei back in mid June for our first ever trip offshore we were unsure just how we would go. I have to say that the boat looked after us and we had no worries. We had one day on passage where it blew up to 50 knots with a constant 43/45 knots. With only the tiny storm jib up we surfed along quite happily and comfortably at 12 or so knots one hand steering with no worries. The very buoyant bows kept the decks almost dry. The rest of the passage was very uneventful and it was almost a shame to make land fall.
During our three month stay in Tonga our shallow draft allowed us several times to go and anchor closer to the beach or tucked closer in for shelter as others were more exposed to the elements. We had countless comments on the design and finish that we achieved during the build. During Regatta Vava’u we won the multi‐hull division beating the St Francis 50 quite easily due to our pointing ability and good speed, in fact passing and out pointing most of the half boats. What a great feeling!
“We left ‘D’Estree Bay’ in Broome last week and are now back in Hong Kong. A friend of ours is taking her to Borneo for us where we will pick her up again to continue the trip to Hong Kong in a few weeks. We sailed her to Perth from Adelaide in late February via Esperance and Albany and left her at the Freemantle Sailing Club for a month then, in April, took just under 3 weeks to sail her to Broome via the Abrolhos, Shark Bay, Ningaloo and the Montebellos. It’s the best sailing we have ever had. The boat goes like a rocket and is comfortable and easy to sail. She is everything we hoped she would be. Our top speed has been 24 knots but there have been plenty of days loafing along at 12 – 15 knots. In flat water we can get her to do 10.5 knots upwind – faster than our Volvo 60 which winds up at about 9.5 knots on the wind.
We have sailed with two couples and there is a tonne of room and very easy watches for the overnight legs compared to our mono hull days. We are very fussy about weight and getting the sail off her promptly. The big flat head mainsail gives her overdrive! Being a light ship makes her a joy. Thanks so much for everything.
The delivery proved Attitude everything we set out to achieve, with our wish list dovetailing nicely into your fantastic design.I believe Attitude gives you guys the opportunity to promote the G‐Force range as a true performance cruiser, probably the best there is, not just a bare bones racer. And as you know better than most, when it comes to making these purchases, the saying “happy wife, happy life”, certainly makes that decision easier.”
“Jag is tracking very well can take your hand off the helm at any speed for minutes on end and she says on course. Did this one day in slight seas and 20 knots of wind for seven minutes at 16 knots boat speed and her course altered by 7 degrees. I am very much enjoying ‘JAG’ she is awesome. I am cruising at 16 knots using 24.4 litres per hour for both motors.”
