The beach cat, which is just under five metres long and weighs 162 kilograms at the planning stage, should be able to carry three to four people. The hulls will have four hatches, making them suitable as storage space and able to accommodate sailing equipment, batteries, solar technology, a cool box, tent ropes and more. Instead of a trampoline, a hard deck is provided between the hulls. An electric outboard motor with one, three or six kilowatts of power is offered as an auxiliary motor. These key data characterise the vehicle as an open cruising boat for warm climes. It is also intended for use on lakes and rivers for water touring.
The Strandkat is made with the new Vulcan fibre
The fibre material used is Tenron, a second generation of volcanic fibre that is said to be even more powerful. The pure mineral fibre is also used in the aerospace and automotive industries. The core material is FSC-certified balsa wood, the resin is solvent-free and bio-based epoxy. This means that the Strandkat is built sustainably and can be completely recycled. The recyclable fibre is made from various types of volcanic rock, depending on the desired properties. The stones are mixed, ground, melted and thin threads are drawn from them, which can be further processed as scrims or fabrics. The laminates can be shredded and reused in the finishing process
Five attempts for one big goal
Nordbert Sedlacek Koch is particularly well known for another project called Ant Arctic Lab: since 2018, he has made several attempts to circumnavigate the world non-stop across all five oceans on his volcanic fibre Imoca constructed by Marion Koch. Four times he had to capitulate early due to breakage or technical problems, and once he didn't even start due to coronavirus. The fifth attempt in August also failed. Technical problems forced the tenacious Austrian to give up. It was not due to the Vukan fibre or the construction method, and Sedlacek Koch never tires of implementing both in various boats, including the new Strandkat. Innovation Yachts is currently building a new shipyard in Vairé near Les Sables d'Olonne in the Vendée, where yachts up to 120 feet can be built.
The Strandkat Volcat 16 can be seen at the boot in January in hall 15 on stand number 01.
