Small Trimarans

The previous post featured sailor Bill Petersen sharing about the restoration of a once-damaged Tramp Trimaran. He put it back on the water and thoroughly enjoyed it — until recently that is. Bill reluctantly sold this beloved small trimaran in order to go cruising full-time for the next few years.

He made it clear that he would NOT have sold his Tramp except for the fact he was going to be away for the foreseeable future. So the bottom line is that Bill gets to go blue-water cruising and somebody else gets a great “trailerable tri” daysailer. Can you think of a better “win-win” situation? :-) (more…)

The trailerable daysailing Tramp Trimaran first made its appearance back in the 1980’s. It was a very slick boat designed by Ian Farrier. It’s roomy, open cockpit appealed to many small multihull enthusiasts. (more…)

Sailor Lance McIntosh is building this excellent-looking trimaran / skiff. He refers to it as the “Dragonfly 14 Trimaran.” He designed this sailboat himself. And as you can see, it’s apparent that he has paid a good amount of attention to detail and appearance. (more…)

Decades after its zenith, the Supernova trimaran is still around. Of course, we wish there were more of them. But the many challenges of developing and selling a beach tri production model, like the Supernova, are formidable.

It amazes me that a boat designer like Ib Pors Nielsen was able to do it for awhile. But I know small tri fan Graham Wheeler is glad he did. Not long ago, Graham purchased a Supernova … in excellent condition. He shares the following (along with a very short video clip and a few photos of his sailboat) with us here. (more…)

Now here is an interesting little trimaran … especially for those of means with a few $$$ of disposable income. The link to this 1-person mini-daysailer was discovered by reader Dominic Valentino, who kindly forwarded it to me. (more…)

Darren Newton (a.k.a. “Daz”) is the managing director of Multimarine Composites Limited, a multihull engineering and production company in the U.K. One of his earlier designs was a sailboat known as the Dazcat 800 micro racing trimaran, or Dazcat 8RT. (more…)

I discovered the Crusoe Craft Trimaran a couple months back. This little gem from South Africa is attracting a lot of attention. And there is little doubt in my mind that one reason for this is due to a great promotional effort. (more…)

I discovered Chesapeake Sailing Tours a few weeks ago while surfing the net. This business is unique because they actually offer a small trimaran charter for daysailing. I’ve wanted to find out more about their sailing excursions ever since … especially considering this cabin cruising trimaran is just a stone’s throw from my slice of the coast. (more…)

Avid sailor and small trimaran enthusiast Allen Parducci shares his experiences with the Windrider 16, Windrider 17 and new Hobie Adventure Island Trimarans below. Allen possesses years of daysailing and camp cruising experience in a variety of small trimarans, so anyone considering one of these models may be interested in what he says about these sailboats. (more…)

In this piece, sailor and DYI enthusiast Simon Whitehouse shares fabulous details about his restoration of a Derek Kelsall Typhoon trimaran. He completely rebuilt (and partially redesigned) this 1980’s Typhoon tri, and has also created a blog featuring more details of this project here.

Simon writes: “Modifications include a new deck and coachroof to my design, completely new rudder arrangement, modified rig proportions including a taller foretriangle, extensions to the sterns of all three hulls, increased overall beam, and a carbon daggerboard in the main hull.” (more…)

I recently contacted Thayer Ridgway, from www.TriakSports.com, and asked him if he could tell us some more about the TRIAK Trimaran Kayak. He did, and also shared these great pics.

Unlike many kayaks type vessels that have had a sail added as an afterthought, the TRIAK is different. (more…)

Would Robinson Crusoe want to sail a Crusoe Craft Trimaran? What a silly question … Of course he would! Not on the open ocean, of course. But I’m sure he would have loved having this boat for coastal cruising, fishing, diving and exploring all around that island he was marooned on.

What’s that? You’ve never heard of the 18-foot “Crusoe Craft trimaran?” (more…)

I saw the Telstar 28 Trimaran at the Annapolis Boat Show this past October and also got to speak with Tony Smith, who designed the boat. While perusing YouTube this past week, I stumbled across these short videos featuring this production model. (more…)

Lots of readers enjoy the post about Dick Newick’s Outrigger 26 trimaran (a.k.a. Somersault 26). In response to a request from another member of the small trimaran community, sailor Fred G. scanned an original Outrigger 26 brochure so I could post it here. (more…)

Jim Brown has just released 2 videos about “the Multihull Pioneers” of the 20th century. There is a good mix of both trimarans and catamarans in these 2 videos, which you can view right here. (These videos are short versions of much larger ones).

This stuff is priceless! And it’s pure fun regardless of whether one prefers trimarans or catamarans (or even proas). Every multihull enthusiast should take these videos and promote them far and wide on the web. Small trimaran fans will especially enjoy the section on Arthur Piver, and his circa 1950s-60s trimarans, such as the Piver Nugget. (more…)

Windrider trimarans are designed especially with camp-cruising in mind. A lot of guys think about using a small trimaran sailboat model such as the Windrider to enjoy both inland and coastal adventures.

So what does such an adventure entail? (more…)

This past October (in 2009), I attended the Annapolis Boat Show in Maryland. A few small trimarans were represented: The Telestar trimaran, the Weta Trimaran and the Corsair trimaran.

In addition, there was a large (and quite nice looking) Dragonfly trimaran yacht. Naturally, I wanted to make a few videos of these sailboats because I’d just purchased my first video camera … ever … and it was my new toy! It’s one of those “pocket video” things. (more…)

Sailor Doug Green shares these classic “Supernova Trimaran” brochure images, inserts and pictures (from the 1980s) with us in this post. He also asked a knowledgable friend about this model, who shared some more info. These images (and info) are a great follow up to the first blog post regarding the Supernova trimaran.

The designer of the Supernova trimaran was Ib Pors Nielsen. Among the Supernova trimaran’s advertised features/benfits are: (more…)

Geoff Holt is a sailor and multihull enthusiast. After suffering an accident that left him partially paralyzed, he has continued to enjoy the sport of sailing, especially with his Challenger Trimaran. The Challengers are noted for their size, speed and ability to be rigged and outfitted in a variety of ways. (more…)

For the last few weeks I’ve been working on a brand new Small Trimarans book (book #2). I tried hard to come up with a creative title for this one too — and I think I got the creative juices flowing and maxed out to a boiling fever pitch. As a result, I finally settled on a name for this new book on small trimarans. It’ll be entitled, (drum roll please) (more…)

Derek Kelsall designed the Tango 23 trimaran. Derek Kelsall, of course, it much more noted for his big catamarans. But like many multihull designers, he is obviously very familiar with trimarans. (more…)

Several weeks ago, a reader sent me a couple pictures of a small trimaran from France. He asked me if I knew what it was. I didn’t. As a matter of fact, I’d never seen or heard of this particular sailboat before. (more…)

What do you do if you own a Windrider trimaran and live in/near the State of Colorado during the month of June? Well, you get together with other Windrider trimaran enthusiasts and hold your own “Regatta” … filled with sailing races, of course! (more…)

Sailor, do-it-yourselfer and small trimaran enthusiast Jeff Singer sent me the following information and pictures. I personally think this concept would be a great application for interior lakes … especially when camping. (more…)

Would you be interested in a very light, cartopable small trimaran for 2 sailors? If so, then you’re going to love this tri. I contacted boat designer Don Rypinski yesterday and asked him a few questions about a model of his called, “TRITON Tandem Sailer. (I’d just discovered it the day before). (more…)

Ronan Quin-Huard contacted me the other day to tell me about a production-made small trimaran from France called the “Bandit 800.” Ronan is the sale manager of the boatyard Multid’o, which builds the Bandit 800 for customers. (more…)

Ian Farrier sent me the following “press release” on the F22 today. Since it contains a lot of information, I’m running it word-for-word because I think many small trimaran enthusiasts will appreciate the details.

There are some events/webpages referenced in this release that may have links to them via the F22 info page on the Farrier Marine site. Aside from the info on the F22 itself, it’s interesting (to me, at least) how well Farrier Marine is doing with this model despite the current recession. So below is Ian’s F22 Press Release. (more…)

It appears the Weta trimaran is gaining some more fans. Sailor/blogger David Anderson wrote about his recent tryout of this beach tri on the following webpage. (more…)

Ahhhhhh … summertime. (Better yet … summertime AND small trimarans).

I LOVE it! I’m addicted to summer. I dream about it … almost to the point of obsession sometimes. (And I don’t want a cure for it either ;-) (more…)

When I first saw a picture of a Fulmar trimaran sailing canoe it reminded me of another model I wrote about for homebuilders. The Fulmar was a high-tech model meant to be a production boat. (more…)

Mike Leneman (who owns Multi Marine in California) is the U.S. importer/seller of a light, fast and fun racing 23-foot trimaran called Multi 23. This sailboat is a specially designed French model that weighs just 700 pounds.

One of the best French design teams in the world created this racer/daysailer. (It was fashioned after the BMW Oracle 90 trimaran). Its light weight comes from hulls constructed out of high tech vacuum-bagged resin infusion. It also features carbon crossbeams (akas) that demount for trailering. (more…)

Zac Warren (from WarrenLightCraft.com) contacted me the other day and told me about the release of a brand new “trimaran sailing kayak.” It’s called the LW (Little Wing) 15.5

Zac works with his father, well-known multihull designer Ted Warren, in providing ultra-light kayaks for recreational use. If you know anything about Ted Warren’s bigger trimarans then you know he always tries to create boats that are a pure joy to sail. (more…)

The Supernova Trimaran is a design I’d never heard about until a sailor who owns one (Jerry G.) contacted me and provided the following information. Jerry sent me the following snippets about this cartop-able tri, which is European in origin. (more…)

One of the members of our small trimaran community, Mitchell Hay, generously shared the following with me … along with a beautiful picture (below) of his boat. I asked him if he’d let me share this information with other small tri fans.

This Newick design is very rare, as Mitchell explains below. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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). (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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). (more…)

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 … (more…)

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. (more…)

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 … (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

Steve Walker, of Ahoy-Boats.com in the U.K. generously gave me some of his time last year 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).

In this snip, I’d like to share a little bit about the big misconception Steve said a number of prospective buyers have about the Magnums. (My interview with Steve is a featured chapter in Small Trimarans: An Introduction).

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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).

(more…)

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)!

(more…)