DIY Inflatable Catamaran

I am now looking at a new design for the frame: A upside down and inverted umbrella with 4 ribs.
This way the mast ends up slighly behind the middle of the boat. so I guess I also need a head sail?

Screenshot 2026-08-09 164126.webp
 
But remember that you still have to fit in there .
 
This umbrella is designed to be quickly folded and unfolded?
 
montero said:
This umbrella is designed to be quickly folded and unfolded?
Click to expand...
Yes, unlock and pull up the orange part, and the legs fold upwards.

The deck is 1.8m wide and 2.2m long. I think i will fit on it.
 
Now we know what all the aerospace machinists in Russia were doing after they lost their jobs with the collapse of the Soviet Union. That thing is beautifully made! Was it aluminum or titanium? Does seem to be a very complex solution to the problem though.
 
Your first drawing reminds me of tensegrity structures, and I was thinking this idea could be a great application for a true tensengrity structure that is essentially just a combination of inflatable parts held together with tensioned dyneema lines, allowing it to rapidly turn from a rigid boat into a soft object that can roll up just by letting the air pressure out.

However, I think your desire to have the keel and mast one piece is a nice concept for simplicity, but it's really just not workable- you will probably want it to be a cat rig with the mast as close to the bow as possible so you have room to sit on the boat, whereas the keel needs to be near the center of effort, so nearly at the center of the boat. The simplest thing may be to dispense with the keel entirely and try to shape the amas to provide enough lateral resistance.
 
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