Naval architect Bill Kristofferson started designing trimarans soon after the Piver Trimaran backyard-building wave hit in the late 60’s.
Bill actually sailed around the Pacific with his entire family on a couple of his large trimaran models. He never did much advertising in print or other media. But he still sold hundreds of his plans during the 70s and 80s. Read the rest of this entry »
Multihull expert Jim Brown (the designer of the Windrider trimarans) narrates in 3 professionally produced videos below. These videos are great advertising because they offer a lot of info, plus show the Windriders in action all throughout. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week I received an email from a reader who shared a link that took me to a beautiful wooden trimaran from Denmark. I contacted the builder/owner and asked him if he’d like to share some information about his sailboat with us.
He kindly responded with the following (including the pictures below). Read the rest of this entry »
Small trimaran enthusiasts who’ve been around awhile are certainly familiar with Dick Newick’s famous Tremolino trimaran. The Tremolino was the very picture of high performance … mixed with simplicity.
The original version incorporated Hobie 16 hulls for its amas. It also used the Hobie 16 rig for sails. Read the rest of this entry »
About 3 weeks ago I discovered a small trimaran featured by a boat builder in the state of Washington. This boat is what you might call a “looker.”
Gorgeous! And the slender hulls on this boat suggested it was a high-performance tri with the sails up. Read the rest of this entry »
After reading about the L7 trimaran, Michael Waters offered some thoughts regarding the concept of using a pre-fabricated fiberglass base for simplified hull construction. He sent me the image of an early catamaran design … one he first sketched inside his design notebook 50 years ago. It included the idea of using what he then termed a pre-fabricated fiberglass solepiece (or “soul piece”) as he referred to it. Read the rest of this entry »
Listening to Mike Leneman, from Multi Marine, talk about his L7 trimaran was just plain fun. As a professor of Oceanography for many years, I got the feeling Mike could have shared great sailing stories with me for hours upon hours.
Mike is a serious multihull enthusiast, sailor, boat dealer and builder. He has decades of experience working among catamarans and trimarans. This is why I wasn’t totally surprised when he discussed what I consider the big, unique feature about his L7 design … the use of pre-formed “fiberglass pans” for the bottom portions of the boat’s hulls. Read the rest of this entry »
Below is a list of links to trimaran designers and websites that offer plans for small trimaran sailboats (for self-building).
Some of these are included in the “Small Trimarans Book,“ which will be released in early 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Below is a list of links to Production (Commercial) Small Trimaran Sailboats around the world.
If you know about other sailboats that should be added to this list please let me know (please email me: MoreInfo AT SmallTrimarans DOT com). Read the rest of this entry »
Michael Waters wrote me the following after reading the post on sailing for the disabled:
“Perhaps no one has helped the disabled more, than one himself!
Tristan Jones was a totally amazing individual. A Welshman, he left school at 14 to work on sailing barges and then spent the rest of his life at sea. He authored 16 books before he passed away in Thailand while helping others (1924-1995). Read the rest of this entry »
Sailors with disabilities love sports and recreation as much as anybody. But I never thought about how a trimaran can be such an ideal watercraft … one uniquely qualified to assist disabled sailors.
Disabled sailors are using trimarans (in increasing numbers) to enjoy fast sailing, participate in multihull sailing competitions and have just plain ole’ good fun. Ted Dexter, of Duck Flat Wooden Boats in Australia, opened my eyes to this benefit, which is offered by certain trimarans. Read the rest of this entry »
Ever wonder if a trimaran can plane on the surface of the water or not? Naval architect Michael Waters answered this technical question recently at the SmallTrimaranDesign.com site, which is beginning to feature some of his articles.
He offered a good explanation about what is actually happening when “planing” occurs and some of the factors involved. Among them are Read the rest of this entry »
How do new boat designs (including trimarams) come to be developed? Michael Waters, who is answering questions about trimarans at SmallTrimaranDesign.com, wrote a fascinating piece on this subject recently.
The article discusses a lot of things, but what is particularly interesting was the topic of testing small-scale boat models in water tanks as compared to full-sized watercraft. Read the rest of this entry »
Contributor Michael Waters sent me these pictures of Lock Crowther’s Buccaneer 24 Trimaran model. Mike has told me before that he thinks this particular design was an exceptional one for its time … although today it could benefit from minor updates.
The photos below display a boat that appears to have been built according to Crowther’s plans. Read the rest of this entry »
Contributor Michael Waters offered some ideas regarding Small Trimaran classification.
Michael suggested the following “Code Groups” … where small trimaran info would into a proper classification. He noted that the blog listings could be more “systematized” and I think it’s a good idea. I may do this at a future date. Read the rest of this entry »
What are “small” trimarans? I’ll take a risk here and hope my opinion doesn’t stoke any fires of debate. There are several ways trimaran enthusiasts might answer this question. And each of them, given certain assumptions, are probably worthy of merit.
But for the sake of meaningful discussion (and relevance of this website) I’m giving my own definition: Read the rest of this entry »
Multihull Listings ( including Small Trimarans ) …
Below are a few reference links. They include multihulls other than small trimarans. Read the rest of this entry »
Europeans are producing some very interesting small trimarans these days — the Astus Small Trimaran (from AstusBoats in France) for example.
I doubt there are many (if any) of these boats in the U.S. (There currently is no U.S. dealer). Read the rest of this entry »
Ted Warren’s love for sailing was plainly evident when I spoke to him recently about his Warren 23 small trimaran. This boat was designed as a pure daysailer.
The Warren 23 small trimaran allows (as Ted puts it) one to “practice the art of sailing” in the type of boat that might be the most uniquely suited to allow one to do this … a trimaran. Read the rest of this entry »
Last month I received a call from the US West Coast distributor for Weta small trimarans. If you haven’t heard about “The Weta” yet, and you’re in the market for a small trimaran that combines “beach-cat type” performance with trimaran benefits, then read on … Read the rest of this entry »
Windrider Company offers one particular small trimaran model that is very popular today — the Windrider 17. Its appearance and functionality are in keeping with its roots, which happens to be directly tied to the idea of wilderness adventure.
What else would you expect from a trimaran that originally designed by a kayak company named, “Wilderness Systems?” Even today, this sailboat appeals to those who crave outdoor fun that includes camping and extended coastal expeditions. Read the rest of this entry »
Here is Part 2 of my Q&A discussion with naval architect (and long-time multihull enthusiast) Michael Waters, Eng. regarding small trimaran folding systems …
In this second article, he talks about why folding arms are heavier than demountable ones and also Read the rest of this entry »
I recently put the following questions to naval architect (and long-time multihull enthusiast) Michael Waters, Eng. regarding small trimaran folding systems.
Michael shared some of his knowledge and experience regarding folding systems that have been created for small trimarans. In part 1 of this discussion Read the rest of this entry »
Experienced sailor, naval architect and multihull enthusiast Michael Waters, wrote in recently about his most favorite small trimaran ever … a seemingly famous boat named “Magic Hempel.” So I asked him if I could post it on the blog – along with the pictures he sent me of this boat. He agreed, so here is Michael … Read the rest of this entry »
This was my first time at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland. While I knew ahead of time there weren’t going to be many small trimarans in attendance, it’s always fun to go down to the Chesapeake Bay area.
The weather was perfect on Friday, October 10th … the day my family and I made the 2-hour drive south. Sunny and nearly 80 degrees. In other words, a mild summer day in October.
I’ll take it. Read the rest of this entry »
The second small trimaran was a Corsair Sprint 750. The 750 is basically a sportier version of the Corsair 24.
The main change from the 24 is that the cabin has been shed to create an entirely open cockpit. The Corsair spokesperson gave me a great “quick demo” on how easy the rig is to set up and use. Then he explained how to prep the boat for trailering afterwards. He also instantly impressed one bystander by demonstrating how easy it is to close up those famous folding amas. Read the rest of this entry »
Imagine a fast, small trimaran that enables you to not only move out to windward on a trampoline when it starts to fly, but also offers something many small trimarans do not … a “very comfortable” seating situation for up to 4 adults.
As a matter of fact, the small trimaran I’m referring to allowed its designer to take his 75-year-old mother in law out for a comfortable ride in this day cruiser. And would you be surprised if I said a renowned trimaran (and catamaran) yacht maker created this sailboat?
Probably not.
Read the rest of this entry »
I like small trimarans of all sorts. And as you can see from this blog, I like these sailboats whether or not they’re available commercially or via home-built projects (assuming, of course, good plans are used). This also includes trimarans made with fiberglass (glass-reinforced plastic, also referred to as GRP) or wood/epoxy.
I’ll be covering all types on this site.
The allure of wood building, however, appeals to many do-it-yourselfers because of the perception that wooden-built boats are always going to be a more inexpensive route to acquiring a tri sailboat in the long run. This isn’t necessarily the case though.
Magnum 21 Trimaran clip …
Click on the “More” button to see the 2 other Magnum videos …
Steve Walker, of Ahoy-Boats.com in the U.K. generously gave me some of his time this past Monday to discuss the Magnum Small Trimarans. These sailboats are made by VirusBoats in France.
These small trimarans serve as “day boats” for hundreds of sailors who either sail solo or play host to a small crew. And after my talk with Steve I’m even more intrigued by their functionality (in addition to their sleek look).
While I won’t write about everything Steve and I talked about until my Small Trimarans book comes out, I’d like to share a little bit about the big misconception Steve said a number of prospective buyers have about the Magnums.
Farrier Marine released the design for their “F-22 Sport Tri” back in 2006.
This is a beautiful boat. And I have to pledge “guilty” to any charges made regarding admiration for the work of Ian Farrier. The guy not only seems to be a genius designer (who will leave a historical mark on the development of trimarans) but he knows how to market his boats too.
Go to his site. Read the stories. Feast upon the info … which is jam-packed with details. Drool over the pictures.
You get the idea.
In case you may not have stumbled across it yet, I just wanted to share a really cool sailing resource with you that I found (accidentally) on the Internet a few weeks ago. You may have heard of this website already, but if not, be sure to check out http://www.furledsails.com
The hosts of this show bill it as “the first sailing podcast in the world.” Whether they’re “first” or not in that respect, I can assure you these podcasts are rich in content. I’ve downloaded several of the shows in mp3 format to enjoy on my iPod when driving the car or taking the dog for a walk.
These Furled Sails audios can be a “great escape” while doing mundane activities that are part of day-to-day routines … or inspiration to spur you on to your next sailing adventure. Either way, I highly recommend that you enjoy them.
Joe - the “Small Tri Guy”
Every now and then I like to take a peek at the trimaran videos posted around the web. Many of them emphasize how fast trimarans can go … even the small ones.
The following videos are a few of the more interesting ones I’ve found. You’ll see mostly small trimarans included here, but there are a couple of bigger trimarans included. (If you have a favorite I’ve somehow missed then send me the link).
The following is taken from a recent interview I did with Chuck Leinbweber of Duckworks Magazine and the Duckworks online boat building supply store. You can download the full interview by clicking on the link at the end of this article …
My question:
Is it still a lot cheaper for a person to build their own boat rather than go out and try and buy what they want … assuming, of course, they can find what they want?
Chris Ostlind is a boat designer who offers plans for sale to home builders. He really knows how to design fast sailboats. And that’s good news for small trimaran lovers who want to build their own boat.
Chris has a few tri designs in the making, but I was entranced with the A18T model as soon as I laid eyes on it. By the way, Chris let me know the “T” designator began as a little joke among friends because the original design called for a sailing rig from a Hobie 14 catamaran (with 146 sq. ft. of sail) to be used for the boat. But when Chris upped the ante with the Hobie 16 catamaran rig (with 216 sq. ft. of sail), then it sort of became “Turbo Powered.”
As written about in the previous post, Gary Dierking is an authority on proas. But his experience in both building and sailing boats with outriggers specifically includes trimarans.
Of particular interest to anyone interested in small trimarans are his designs for 2 boats: the “Wa’apa” and the “Tamanu.”
If you research fast sailing canoes on the web, the name Gary Dierking is going to come up. It’s inevitable.
Why?
Because Gary is not only an authority on these types of watercraft, he wrote a popular book that can be found on Amazon and a host of other places on how to build them.
As a matter of fact, I own a copy of Gary’s “Building Outrigger Canoes: Modern Construction Methods for Three Fast, Beautiful Boats.” And it’s a wealth of information.
Here is a modern trimaran sailing canoe that I fell in love with as soon as I saw it. Mark Zollitsch’s Adventure Trimaran ( www.AdventureTrimaran.com ). Mark’s site is not only fun to read, but he includes the kind of descriptive details about his sailboat that make those of us who don’t own one envious.
(Way to go with your “wordsmith” skills Mark)!
Adventure Trimaran 24 Downwind
Adventure Trimaran 24 Upwind
Several years ago a friend of invited my family to join his for an afternoon of cruising in his powerboat in one of the inlets along the Chesapeake Bay.
It was a gorgeous afternoon, and we all had a great time for sure. But for me, the big, screaming-loud engine took away some of the joy that comes with being out on the water.
At some point in the day I asked my buddy, “Ever consider a sailboat?” “Nawww,” he replied. “Too slow. I’m so busy running my business that when I do get time to get out on the water I don’t like to mess around with SNAIL-BOATING.”
I understood.
If you’re reading this then I have to assume you like sailing fast. (Or perhaps you’re dreaming about being able to get out on the water and do something like this soon).
The first time I ever saw a trimaran cut through the water at 16 - 20 knots I was mesmerized. Up to that point I didn’t have an anchor for my general interest in boats. Sailing a tri was something I wanted to pursue.