Vessel Summary

S/V Panta Rhei is a 2012 Custom Roake Guenter 50 catamaran, for sale by owners.

The design concept for Panta Rhei was formulated in 1981. We wanted a fast sailing catamaran with comfortable but minimal accommodation capable of cruising the oceans of the world and at the time couldn’t find anything that suited our needs. The design and construction of Panta Rhei was an evolution that occurred over a number of years and involved a cast of naval architects, a variety of construction methods that at the time were cutting edge technologies, and the development of novel approaches to implementing the smooth working of all components. A brief history may help in understanding the boat’s evolution.

Panta Rhei has been our only home since 2014 and part time prior to that. While we never did sail the oceans of the world as hoped, we cruised extensively from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean. During that time, Panta Rhei proved her sea keeping abilities, potential for speed and ease of handling. She is a capable world cruiser and all that has prevented us from venturing further afield is our advancing maturity and health considerations.

While Panta Rhei will not appeal to those who desire a spacious catamaran suitable for families or entertaining, she is perfect for an individual or couple who is minimalist in accommodation needs, wants the option for speed and who appreciates safe and easy sailing.

Although vessel construction was initially completed in 1991, original trials indicated that the hulls were improperly designed. This was discovered when the vessel was motored, round trip, from Halifax to North Carolina. After that, the vessel was not used until new hulls had been designed, built, and installed in 2003. In 2004 the vessel was motored to Merritt Island, Florida where it was hauled. The vessel remained there while being finished. Panta Rhei was launched and sailing trials took place June 2012.

The vessel’s current hulls  were designed by Richard Roake, N.A.; the center cabin together with the forward and aft transverse beams were designed by Robert Harris, N.A. and is all that remains of the original build; and the unstayed rotating mast and boom assembly was designed by Eric Sponberg, N.A. All of whom have extensive experience with design and construction of sailing catamarans. A full boat lightning protection system was designed by Dr. Ewen Thompson of Marine Lightning Protection and incorporated in the build.

The concept of a free standing rotating rig was originally inspired by the Aerorig design. Panta Rhei’s custom version was developed to allow the boom to rotate around the mast which, with the airfoil fairing, acts as a clean leading edge for the main sail. This allows sailing close to the wind and tacking while using only the mainsail. The self tacking jib attached to the forward end of the boom rotates with the rig and does not require tending once the traveller car is set. For downwind sailing the rig can be rotated square to the wind.

Whether it is rocketing down a 8-10 foot wave with a double reefed main in a 25 knot following wind or just cruising along at 10 knots in a light breeze; the autopilot handles steering flawlessly while you relax and keep watch.  Once the jib and main sheet are set, you can tack with ease by putting the helm over and  adjusting  the mast rotation.  The boat is easily handled by one person.

Panta Rhei is of cored composite construction, vacum bagged and infused with epoxy resin. Each hull is composed of three water tight compartments, each with its own access hatch. There is a collision bulkhead at each bow.  Hulls are used for tankage, stowage and vessel systems. A carbon fiber daggerboard is located in each hull within a watertight trunk. Kickup rudders are transom mounted and can also be retracted manually. The 10” diameter tapered carbon fiber mast was manufactured by Composite Engineering of Concord, MA and a laminated composite airfoil fairing added by the vessel builder.

All accommodation is in a central cabin located between the two beams. The cabin is a watertight entity separate from but supported by the hulls. There is 2 1/2 foot clearance between the cabin bottom and the water at the forward beam and 1 1/ 2 foot clearance at the aft beam. The cabin bottom is radiused which reduces pounding significantly. The cabin door and all hatches have gaskets and can be dogged. The cabin is also fitted with an escape hatch. A shallow water retractable leeboard is mounted on the starboard side of the cabin. The combination of the leeboard and kickup rudders allows access to very shallow anchorages.

The cabin interior has standing headroom (6’ 3”) as you enter from the cockpit to the head, communications area, chart table and galley. There is seating for four on bench settees at the dinette table. A pilot berth with a foot tunnel is located on each side of the cabin. Forward is the thwartship double berth with sitting headroom on the berth. The mattress is mounted on a Froli spring system that is hinged and raises for access to a large storage area under the berth. Storage in the cabin is adequate but without traditional cabinetry.

Netting between the hulls and between the hulls and cabin are vinyl coated polyester. There is a solid platform aft of the cockpit which supports the dinghy and its rack while underway and provides a pleasant “back porch” at anchor. Areas below the waterline are painted with Coppercoat. Topsides are Awlgrip and the decks, cabin top, beam topsides, back porch and cockpit are finished with a robust nonskid product (Soft Sand).