Copyright 2025 - Woods Designs, 16 King St, Torpoint, Cornwall, PL11 2AT UK
  • production Strider 24

  • plywood Romany 34

  • lightweight 14ft Zeta mainhull

  • Strike 15 trimaran at speed

  • 28ft Skoota in British Columbia

  • 10ft 2 sheet ply Duo dinghy

  • 24ft Strider sailing fast

  • 36ft Mirage open deck catamaran

From a forum post "The fact is there is a HUGE market for a GOOD folding cat and better minds than mine have been pondering the problem for decades. You've only to look at the numbers of, and resale on, Ian Farriers trimarans to see the market.

The reality is that the only catamaran I've seen that is practical is Mr Woods Wizard/Sango design. Pure genius that. Using the buoyancy to lift the hulls was a spectacular idea."


On another forum this question "Was it an easy or hard build?" and a reply by a Sango builder "Nothing complicated. A lot of pictures are coming with the drawings, they really help".

"This is the Russian Sango at the Black Sea in May. There are 20 people on the board! (see photos)

And also: "Good nautical qualities. Maximum conditions in which the boat was tested are: 2 m wave, 15 m/s wind, 12 knots speed. We sailed two times, 100 miles each time. Good livability. There were 3 of us. We are taking it out on the coast to make more accurate regulations. We'll send more pics and reports on the speed of the wind and the boat

We are glad that didn't make a mistake with the choice of the project. Thanks a lot."


From a US Sango builder "Sango went up on the trailer yesterday! A momentous occasion and the latest testament to your engineering skill! It's a scary time, but worked just like it was designed to."

Sango owner from Scotland "I'd originally seen the design in the Wizard form on paper and I was also sceptical about the accommodation in the hulls. In reality I've found them to be fine. I've slept in them many times and, although it requires a bit of gymnastics to get into the bunks, they are very comfortable and personally not at all claustrophobic.

I've also had a couple of adults use one hull as their accommodation for a 10 day trip. 5 adults have slept on board and have squeezed 7 adults and children into the cuddy for dinner"

"This boat has been maintained to a high standard, is fast, comfortable and a huge amount of fun to sail."

And from Turkey  "My Sango is completely finished now. I am very happy with it. It looks wonderful and I don’t think I did any mistake."

An Australian owner wrote:

"It is a little quicker than a Farrier 9a, at least the ones in Adelaide. Best speed so far 22.6 knots. I have a photo of it on the gps. Did fly a hull on purpose, all very controlled, all in all its a great little seaboat."

Another US Sango builder wrote: " In the two weeks we put our Sango in the water, motored a lot, put the mast up, took delivery on new sails, figured out how to attach them, added much in the way of hardware, and had one very low wind trial.

Yesterday, with the local sailing guru aboard, we did 12.5 knots in 12 to 15 knots of wind. The rig was way too loose, the sails weren't all the way up, no outhaul... terribly shaped sails: and this boat was flying! And so far it handles like a dream. The local guru was amazed! Thanks Richard for a great design."

Thank you for your swift response!  It means so much to the boat building  community to have this calibre of product support.  Shortly after our previous exchange I purchased the Sango and have been sailing it many times a week. It is so wonderfully balanced and is considerably faster than I expected. Every time a new guest comes aboard they are impressed with the folding mechanism and the thoughtful design. Many other boats have made close passes, yelling over the sound of the wind with compliments and inquiries.  Quite the hot rod.

A Norwegian builder after 2 summers sailing his Sango wrote:

"As a quick background, I built "Ran" to have adventures and create memories with my family in the Oslofjord. Racing isn't my focus, and with two young children, this season was more about exploring the skjærgård, getting comfortable with the boat, and introducing the kids to the joys of being on the water.  We mostly motored around, enjoying the scenery and finding nice spots to beach the boat. The boat is exactly what I was hoping for!

I’m using a Mercury 5HP propane outboard, and I’ve been very satisfied with its performance. At full throttle, it averages around 6.4 knots.



When launching, I found it helpful to use a small winch to help spread the floats apart. Without it, the rear bracket could potentially scratch the floats. I set up a simple spreading mechanism similar to the one used by the builder of "Bombay Duck." I launched the boat fully loaded, with the battery, outboard, beam, sails, daggerboards, etc., but for retrieval,  I kept it light, mast and outboard only.

Retrieving the boat is actually easier and quicker than one might expect. I hover the boat over the trailer, then step from the boat onto the trailer to start lifting the front bracket using the winch. I control the boat’s movement with the mast, which is conveniently within reach. A second person helps guide the stern to ensure the rear bracket, located under the connection between the cockpit and cuddy in my build, stays centered. Once the front bracket is fully raised, the rear bracket still hovers about 15 to 20 cm from the hull. From there, I use the car and slowly drive up the slipway, and the boat safely settles onto the trailer. That was it, I didn't even get my feet wet."