A Single Board That Changes Everything
The standard twin daggerboards that come with most production catamarans are a compromise. They're short, narrow, and inefficient. When I built Tokyo Express in 1994, I replaced the original boards with a single, large daggerboard of my own design — and the difference was immediate and dramatic.
Going to windward in a cat is normally where you give up ground to a monohull. With the right daggerboard, that changes. TE goes upwind like no other cat I've sailed — the large chord area and NACA 63-012 foil section give exceptional lift with minimal drag.
That board has now been cruising for over 25 years. These plans are a direct result of what I learned building and sailing it.
"After fitting the single daggerboard, she goes upwind like no other cat."
Two Plans — 30ft and 40ft Cats
40ft Catamarans
TE-40 Daggerboard
The original design — 5m tall, large chord, NACA 63-012 profile. Proven on Tokyo Express for 25+ years of offshore cruising.
- ✦ Full construction drawings
- ✦ Case design and installation guide
- ✦ Material specifications
- ✦ Email support included
30ft Catamarans
TE-30 Daggerboard
Scaled for 30ft cats — 4.3m tall, same NACA profile and construction approach. All the performance gains, sized for smaller catamarans.
- ✦ Scaled construction drawings
- ✦ Case design and installation guide
- ✦ Material specifications
- ✦ Email support included
Built for Home Builders
These boards are built from timber and fibreglass using standard boatbuilding techniques — no special tooling or exotic materials required. If you can build a plywood hull, you can build this daggerboard.
The plans include both the board construction and the case installation — everything you need to do the job properly, from shaping the foil to fitting it in the boat.
Questions? Email support is included. I'll answer queries about the plans and the build process.