Wednesday 10 July 2013

A new Pathfinder

One of the most interesting new designs at the Beale Park Thames Boat Show was Colin Cumming's Pathfinder 4, the latest in a series of innovative boats from this engineer-turned-boatbuilder.
It is intended for raids, so it needs to row well in addition to having sparkling performance under sail. So Colin has created an extreme hull, rather like a racing shell with wings. The idea is that when rowed upright she will have a very low wetted area and therefore be easy to push along, and under sail will heel onto the 'wing' to stabilise her.
I wanted to try her out but somehow missed the opportunity. It will be fascinating to see how the Pathfinder 4 performs in raids.
Chris Perkins advised on the build, and took these pictures - more here.

2 comments:

Joe said...

Wow, I like it. Have you seen the PT 11 or Spear? There some nice designs popping up.

Unknown said...

I just came across these beautiful photos of the Pathfinder 4 sail/row boat designed by Colin Cummings. It is absolutely breathtaking.

I've been searching the web all afternoon for more information; plans, additional photos, kits, etc.

I realize the photos are from 2013, but if anyone who knows anything about the Pathfinder 4 or Colin Cummings, please post a response.

Thank you. Todd