Wheelchair-friendly HH44 Open cruising catamaran launches
A US boat-maker pens a sail-driven catamaran that is completely accessible to wheelchairsUS sailing multihull specialist Hudson Yacht Group has designed an all-new 44-foot catamaran it claims is accessible by anyone in a wheelchair.
Few details about the HH44 Open, as Hudson's new catamaran is called, are available, but images show a boat with wide side decks, enough room behind the helm for two wheelchair-bound people to sit side-by-side, and a tender specifically optimised to carry wheelchairs.
Even the hulls are fully wheelchair-accessible, including enough room to turn around.
“The HH44 OPEN has been designed by HH Catamarans in collaboration with the Disabled Sailors Association (DSA) of the UK,” HH Catamarans said in a statement posted on its website.
“Working directly in the UK with Mike Wood, founder of the DSA UK, Hudson's principal naval architect James Hakes has created an outstanding design that encompasses everything needed in a stunning new look that again sets a new benchmark in the industry.”
Other features of the new cat include a deep windscreen that provides clear forward vision from a seated position, a single level on the main deck, ramps rather than stairs leading below, a mainsail that can be furled from an internal helm station, and a maximum 15-degree heel while underway.
Controls and winches are also located much lower to help with reaching them from a wheelchair.
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