The Viper 5 is a twin trapeze performance catamaran that features hiking wings, asymmetric spinnaker, and high aspect rig with kevlar sails.

The 8.5 m rotating wing mast supports a high aspect, easily depowered, boomless mainsail. The boat tacks downwind, therefore sheeting angles are limited and a boom would be unnecessary weight and cost. Jibs feature a flat top profile to depower the head in gusts and to help cope with forestay sag.

The gennaker is hoisted on a single line that controls both the head and tack of the sail, and is trimmed with an endless sheet. Hoisting and retrieving is easy as the boat is such a stable platform. As well as the standard 3/4 height gennaker, a masthead 0.5 oz kite is also available. These can be changed on board.

The Viper is a delight to helm, being light and responsive at all times. Tacking is not a problem, and backing the jib is not necessary. Nose diving is much less likely with the flat underwater sections that plane and so lift the bow. Rounded foredecks shed water quickly when sailing to windward.

Sailing with a spinnaker on a small cat is addictive! The increase in downwind speeds in the light to moderate is impressive, and not difficult with the simple sail handling systems we use.

The Viper has been raced in Auckland for three seasons, and it has proved to be very fast. We regularly beat the Hobie 16's and A class cats. We also have raced with the bigger Multihulls and are competitive with boats twice our length. The Viper has raced in longer events such the Kawau Night Race and Around Waiheke Challenge.

With the addition of wing storage bags and a deck tent the boat has been used as a pocket cruiser around the Hauraki Gulf and Lake Taupo.

The design could be extended to fit the new F18 class.

Length 5.0m
Beam 2.5m - 3.0m
Mast height 8.5m
Sail Area Upwind 18.5 sqm
Max. Sail Area 45 sqm
Weight 135 kgs