Its name neatly describes the boat: two hulls, two coachroofs, and a central cockpit, all packed into a remarkably compact length.
Design and Construction
The Heavenly Twins’ most distinctive feature is the tour de force of fitting two coachroofs, separated by a central cockpit, onto hulls only 27 feet long. Canoe sterns and the central cockpit give this small multihull a traditional silhouette that was unusual among its contemporaries.
The influence of James Wharram is hard to dismiss, particularly in the hull forms, although the Heavenly Twins set itself apart from outright performance catamarans. When the Heavenly Twins 26 appeared in 1971, it faced a few competitors in Great Britain, most memorably the Iroquois. The Iroquois clearly emphasized performance; the Twins was a minimalist adventurer. In practice, its real competitors proved to be monohulls rather than other catamarans.
Accommodation and Cruising Capacity
The twin coachroofs create two separate cabin volumes on either side of the central cockpit. It’s an arrangement that makes the most of the usable interior space within a 27-foot hull and helps explain why British skippers seeking generous living space found this small multihull so appealing.
The Heavenly Twins has a beam of 13.75 feet and displaces 6,285 pounds, providing a roomy, stable platform. Water capacity is 62 gallons, while diesel capacity is 24 gallons, both reflecting its pocket-cruiser purpose.
Its capsize ratio of 2.98 and comfort ratio of 12.79 place it firmly in the coastal-and-modest-passage category rather than the offshore-racer class.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Heavenly Twins is a masthead sloop with 380 square feet of sail area and a 21.5-foot waterline. Its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 17.85, a modest figure consistent with the minimalist-adventurer brief rather than the Iroquois’ speed-focused temperament.
Hull speed is 6.21 knots, and maximum draft is just 2.25 feet. That combination suits sheltered-water cruising and anchoring close in, allowing the catamaran to settle into shallow coves that deeper-draft monohull rivals can’t reach.
The cockpit sits between the two coachroofs, keeping the helm connected to the living spaces in both hulls. The arrangement is well suited to short-handed cruising.
Refits and Ownership
The little catamaran evolved throughout its long production run, although the specific generations aren’t itemized. What is clear is that a well-restored and equipped Heavenly Twins makes an excellent pocket cruiser. That assessment also underscores how much the boat’s virtues depend on sympathetic updates to its systems and structure after decades of service.
The Verdict
The Heavenly Twins is a singular pocket catamaran. It traded outright speed for living space and simplicity, fitting two cabins and a central cockpit into a compact, shoal-draft design that British sailors considering monohulls found irresistibly roomy.
Its 27-year production run remains a cruising-multihull record. Less a performance machine than a minimalist adventurer, the Heavenly Twins combines classic lines with a pedigree shaped by the influence of James Wharram.
Pros
- Twenty-seven-year production run, a record for cruising multihulls
- Two coachroofs and a central cockpit provide generous living space for a 27-foot boat
- Shallow 2.25-foot draft expands anchoring options
- An excellent pocket cruiser when well restored and equipped
Cons
- Its minimalist-adventurer brief limits performance compared with contemporaries such as the Iroquois
- The specific stages of its evolution over the long production run aren’t documented here
