The PuddleCat Trimaran 12-footer looks like fun. It’s a small sailer designed and built by Roger Mann.

Roger’s description of this craft on his website is very concise, although I particularly love the first sentence: (more…)

The following info about Paddleboard trimarans comes to us (once again) from our friend Ian McGehee. In this case, the flat boards, which replace traditional hulls, allow for a very creative use of the trimaran concept.

But this again leads us to think about how such forms might lend themselves to sailing beach trimarans … or others. (more…)

The following info about a trimaran kiteboat concept comes from Ian McGehee. Ian has shared many interesting insights with us in the comments area on many posts in recent months. I always enjoy hearing from him.

At the moment, Ian has been focused on the possibility of using surfboards (or surfboard shapes) in place of traditional hull shapes on small trimarans. Ian writes here about someone else with the same idea. (Imagine, for example, the kite used with this prototype boat being replaced by a kite type of sail.) (more…)

This post contains a great sailing report about Gypsy Wind, the Drifter 17 trimaran model we read about in an earlier post. The designer, builder and sailor, Mark Gumprecht, took some time to share a little about how he enjoyed her this past summer.

Mark provides us with a fun, breezy read about this 17-foot cabin cruiser. There are some pics and a YouTube Video at the very end. Thank you for sharing this with us Mark. (more…)

Sailor and self-boatbuilder Lenny H launched his new Seaclipper 24 trimaran this past September. He shares some glimpses of both its building and launching in the following YouTube video. (It’s a great one too … 7 minutes long).

For anyone that wants to know more about this sailboat (one of the newer small tri designs by John Marples), I’ve included links to previous posts about it here at smalltrimarans. (more…)

Here is a link to WetaMarine’s website, which published a story about the 2012 Weta trimaran Rally in New Zealand. Great pics. And a bonus video too!

According to Miranda, who works at WetaMarine, this event turned out to be “a very cruisy weekend.” One great thing about it was lots of newbies got coached on how to sail by getting onboard a Weta (Wow, what a great way to get introduced to sailing :-) (more…)

Here are some photos of three different small trimaran models featured at the 2012 Annapolis Boat show this past October. The first pic is of the new Motive Trimaran. The second photos feature the SeaRail Trimaran. And the third, much more comprehensive set of pics, feature the new Ultra Light 20 Trimaran from Warren Light Craft.

The Motive Trimaran model (featured in the first photo below) was designed by a French multihull sailor/designer, and built by Ted Warren using the same materials and techniques that he uses for his super-strong, yet light kayaks and new UL 20 trimaran model. (more…)

We first featured the Tricote trimaran on this post. This trailerable tri is another successful example of a “monohull to trimaran” conversion.

The pics below are linked to directly from the Tricote website. And there are many more great photos there too, so you are encouraged you to go there and peruse those pages. (more…)

Middle Eastern Weta Trimaran distributor Brett Hall discovered that small tris can be a great platform for fishing! The images and content are taken directly from Weta Marine’s article page. And the following short video is on YouTube.

Brett writes about the challenges of trying to fish while sailing other boats. Then he talks about his Weta experience. Just scroll down to begin reading … (more…)

Our small tri friend Stefano M. sent me links to the following YouTube videos. They feature a J-24 sailboat converted into full-blown trimaran.

The sailor(s) responsible for this appear to have done a fine job. Converting a monohull into a trimaran has certainly been done before. But it’s not for the faint of heart :-) (more…)

There is a new Strike 18 trimaran sailing in Texas. Even though this is the first sailboat the owner has built himself, it turned out great!

Just see for yourself :-) (more…)

There is a DIY tandem trimaran sailing in the gin clear waters of Florida. It’s another design / build creation from Frank Smoot, who you can always check out at www.diy-tris.com

I asked Frank if he could answer a few questions from me and he shares (quite generously) below. I decided to include the questions I asked Frank this time. It may help to broaden out the conversation a bit. (more…)

The UltraLight 20 trimaran is now available! Ted and Zac Warren (the father and son team at Warren Light Craft) have been working on this sailboat for awhile. And it’s a beauty.

As you can see from the photos and short YouTube video below, this craft is pure sailing machine. It’s designed to be a true 1-4 adult performance trimaran. (more…)

The guys from Silent Bay Charter services in Italy are still sailing their Muffolo Trimaran … and still having fun. Check out these 2 YouTube videos (below) to see how these guys are enjoying their small tri, which they built using plans from multihull designer Kurt Hughes. (more…)

Sailor and self-boatbuilder Bob Trygg notified me last week that he is selling his beautiful (and still practically new) Seaclipper 16 trimaran named TRINKET. He wants to sell this beauty to someone who’ll enjoy her so that he can move on to another boat project.

We first saw Bob’s Seaclipper 16 Trimaran in this post here at smalltrimarans. The official ad for TRINKET is appearing in the classifieds at Duckworks Magazine. Here is how the listing there reads: (more…)

Here is a totally unique, self-built trimaran sailing canoe in Brazil. The short story of this boat comes to us from Alexandre — its builder and sailor.

As you’ll see, Alexandre appears to have some natural talent when it comes to wooden boatbuilding and working with epoxy. Some of the ways he beefed up the canoe configuration in order to make this 14-foot craft into a trimaran are worth noting. (more…)

Here are a couple of DIY self-built sailboats referred to as — Tricote Trimarans — from France no less. The story behind these boats is a classic response to the question, “What happens when an ingeneous (and frugal) French monohuller gets bit by the small trimaran bug?”

He uses his ingenuity to build a low-cost one, of course! (more…)

The following YouTube video features a kayak trimaran in Europe. The video shows the process of setting it up, along with some of the sailing that the 2 guys in the video got to enjoy. (more…)

Recently, smalltrimarans.com reader Uli Kerner sent me the following link, which features a design called the Seagull Trimaran (thanks Uli). Oh, by the way, if you check out the designer/builder’s website, be sure to click on the British flag in the upper right-hand corner for an English translation. (more…)

Richard Woods, the designer of the Strike 18 Trimaran, sent me links to these new videos. He said that in February, he trailered his Strike 18 to Lake Havasu (a 2800 mile round trip) in order to participate in the HPCC sailing event. (more…)

Today we hear from sailor Frank De Block-Burij, who shares the story of his beloved Ocqueteau Speed 770 trimaran. All I can say is that Frank really took time to write both write it down and supply the featured photos. (more…)

Frank Smoot send me the following DIY trimaran photos and video the other day. They feature the most recent modification on his small tri.

I think it’s awesome because … (more…)

The following press release, from the folks at TRIAK Trimarans, is truly a great, genuine story. I contacted Thayer Ridgway, the owner of TRIAKsports and asked him how it all came about. His explanation (below) precedes the Press Release. (more…)

The Cross 18 Trimaran is still (in my opinion) one of the best-looking open cockpit daysailers out there. The lines and shape of the boat, for some reason, appeals to me in a way that others do not.

That being said, it’s important a boat perform well under sail … and this is where we have to listen to those who’ve sailed one. (more…)

Here is a beautiful Seaclipper 16 trimaran. This new boat is the creation of sailor/self-boatbuilder Bob Trygg and his workmanship is on full display. (As you’ll see in the post below, this isn’t the first boat Bob has built).

What is so impressive are the little details … which are especially obvious in the video (below). Seeing this boat will definitely inspire some guys to build their own. (more…)

There was a Widrider 17 Trimaran at the WoodenBoat School this past August. Mac MacDevitt trailered his Windrider there so he could show it to Jim Brown, who spent some time away from his boatbuilding class. Jim and John Marples were teaching a class on how to build their Seaclipper 20 trimaran. (more…)

Here are a couple of pics (and a short video too) of a new Seaclipper 20 Trimaran. Jim Brown and John Marples led a class at the WoodenBoat School in Maine these the past couple of weeks. (Actually, I think this boat took shape in about 9 days.) And this was the result. (more…)

I first discovered the Wavelength 780 Trimaran last year.

The boat’s designer, Robert Forster, is a great writer and storyteller and he sent me the following info the other day, which includes news about his new Wavelength trimaran website. (more…)

The Ocqueteau Speed 770 trimaran is a French design. The following comes to us, however, from the beautiful coastal waters of Michigan.

One of our readers wrote to me this past week and shared the following about an Ocqueteau that he has owned (but not sailed very much) up until this summer. The following photos were quickly taken by our sailing friend using his iPhone camera. (more…)

The Tamanu trimaran is an outrigger canoe design by Gary Dierking. And Klaus R. has constructed this beautiful one in Germany.

(Actually, this boat isn’t in full trimaran configuration, but rather a single outrigger with “safety” ama. I’ve wanted to feature a finished Tamanu for awhile now, so this boat is a beautiful example of what can be achieved with this model. You just have to image it as a full double outrigger).

At 20 feet, the long, slender hulls of the Tamanu offer a potential for nice performance and there is plenty of room for either hiking out or simply finding a comfortable seating position. The cockpit of this boat also has self-bailing capability. (more…)

The Mrs. dragged me to the WoodenBoat Show in Mystic, Connecticut a couple weeks ago. ( No-sir-ee, I wouldn’t have gone without her forcing me into it … but I gave in to her wishes … like any good husband should under similar circumstances :-)

While there, I happily stumbled upon the nicest-looking sea kayak trimaran (home-built with plenty of modern materials) that I’ve ever seen. (more…)

The second volume of Jim Brown’s memoir, “Among the Multihulls,” is now published. And what a book this one has turned out to be!

I asked Jim if he would record a short audio (via phone call) with me and talk a little about ATM, Volume Two, and he kindly accepted the offer. (more…)

In previous posts on the Strike 18 Trimaran, we learned this design can incorporate the sail from a beach cat, such as a Nacra 5.2, and also incorporate the Nacra’s hulls for use as amas. (Beach cat hulls from a Hobie 16 are not recommended for this boat because the position of its crossbeams doesn’t match well with the beam boxes of the main vaka hull of this trimaran). (more…)

John Marples showed me the “swing-wing aka” system drawn up for his existing Seaclipper 16 trimaran model a couple weeks ago. This will be a great added benefit for builders-sailors. (more…)

After watching the video illustrations & commentary created by Jim Brown for Chapter 3 of his book, “Among the Multihulls: Volume One” (seen below) a viewer left the following comment on YouTube (to which Jim offered some more details) … (more…)

Windrider trimaran owners can now build a ” Windfisher ” platform for their boat. What exactly is the Windfisher?

Well, it turns out Jim Brown is having some fun once again. He built a very functional platform for his own Windrider and is offering to share the plans for it with others. (more…)

In our first post about the NINJA SPIDER TRIMARAN, we found this sailboat being offered in 3 different production variations. The first option, referred to at the time as the “NINJA SPIDER resort,” has been removed from the updated SMG-Multihull pricelist so things could be simplified. (more…)

When we say, Do It Yourself Trimarans, in this post, we’re not kidding. Just recently, I was introduced to home-boatbuilder / weekly-sailor Frank Smoot. And as things turned out, meeting Frank became a real treat. (more…)

Windrider is currently running a special promotion as part of their re-introduction of 2 models – the Windrider 10 Trimaran & the Windrider 16 Trimaran. It’s essentially a give-away of the 10-footer. (more…)

There were a few trimarans in the mix of boats taking part in the 2011 Everglades Challenge. And here are some links for info about this year’s Floridian mini-adventure. (more…)

A small, inflatable trimaran, called “Energy Diet,” crosses the Indian Ocean? Plus, makes it into the Guinness Book of World Records? (more…)

I got my first look-see-touch of an Elan trimaran this past October in Annapolis. The designer, John Elan, is a fun-loving, yet serious sailor, when it came to putting thought into how one can push the performance envelope for trailerable trimarans. (more…)

Today we hear from a sailor who has provided some great info about the trimaran canoes from Solway Dory. Solway Dory is a small boat building company in the in the U.K., and sailor Brian Pearson shares a bit about his sailing background and why he really likes their model known as the Shearwater. (more…)

I got to chat with Thayer Ridgway, developer of the Kayak Trimaran Kayak, at the Annapolis Boat Show last October. Below is a short video that features part of my conversation with Thayer.

To top it all off, Jim Brown decided to join in the fun. I got to hang out with Jim for most of the day and it was a blast! (more…)

What is it like sailing around in, or perhaps we should say, “fly around on,” a Windrider Rave Trimaran? Great question.

Rave trimaran owner Olivier Pouille shares a little bit about himself and his super-fast sailboat with us here in this post. (more…)

Simo, a multihull sailor and small trimaran fan who operates the Silent Bay Charter in Italy, shares information here about his exciting boat named Muffolo, which was designed by Kurt Hughes. Simo also included a couple YouTube videos, which you can view at the end of this post. (more…)

Steve Walker is the U.K. dealer for Magnum trimarans. My interview with him about the Magnum tris is featured in Small Trimarans.

Steve is an avid sailor and also seems to be a real “people-person.” In addition, Steve is a very good marketer because he understands that potential customers like to have LOTS of information about the sort of boat they’re interested in possibly purchasing. (more…)

Sailor (and home boatbuilder) Gerry L. launched a John Marples’ designed Seaclipper 16 trimaran this past Spring in Canada. I’ve always thought about this boat as being sort of a “wooden, homebuilt alternative” to the commercial Windrider 17 trimaran. (more…)

The following is a fantastic recount of a camp-cruise this past summer aboard Windrider trimarans. Sailor Mac MacDevitt, who wrote this piece, highlights a few of the participants’ experiences during this trip. (more…)

A Sardine Run Trimaran is now sailing in France. Small trimaran friend from France Eric Marechal has been kind enough to alert us to some cool sailing stuff in the past. And he comes through once again here. Eric recently sent me updated webpages featuring boat designer Eric Henseval’s “Sardine Run Trimaran.” (more…)