Photos and first-hand reports from Horstman 24 trimaran owners (online) are few and far between. How many have been built over the years? I don’t know. But this beauty (painted in sunshine yellow) comes to us from the U.K.
The Horstman 24 certainly isn’t trailerable … but how can we ignore a tri that was designed and built to be just 24 feet in length?
I can’t! :-) (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…)
I received a question recently from a fellow asking, “What might be the lowest cost trimaran one can build that also offers relatively decent performance?” After thinking about it for a minute, my guess would be a “kayak trimaran.”
I’m sure there are several ways to approach this subject. So if you’re reading this and have another idea then I’d love hearing it. (The idea of getting the biggest bang for one’s buck is a top priority for many would-be sailors today). (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…)
Can you believe there are still some Piver Nugget trimarans sailing around? Considering this sailboat was promoted in the 1960s, I think it’s pretty cool this classic model still attracts a small number of devotees who are dedicated to preserving and enjoying the few remaining sailboats out there. (more…)
Jim Brown has just released the first video footage of the Seaclipper 20 trimaran. It features Jim providing a full description of the boat, along with some good footage of how this new sailboat moves in light airs. Enjoy! (more…)
Richard Woods sent me these short video clips of his Strike 18 trimaran a few days ago. They feature his design sailing in mostly light airs. But one does show off the sailboat’s performance in a blow … during a little race against a much larger multihull. (more…)
The Sea Pearl is a beloved model among a certain group of small boat enthusiasts. Any time I’ve ever heard a Sea Pearl owner talk about their boat (whether in writing or on audio) they always speak in glowing terms. But what’s cool is that Sea Pearl’s manufacturer makes 2 Sea Pearl trimaran versions also. (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…)
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…)
The building plans for Jim Brown’s new “Seaclipper 20 trimaran” are now for sale at www.Searunner.com. Upon release, Designer John Marples sent me the following … “Joe, The plans are officially available for the Seaclipper 20, including full-size patterns for all bulkheads. There is a total of 9 sheets – including the patterns – so they are very well detailed. Plans also include the Liquid Joinery and Standard Details booklets, and papers on Rigging and Metal Parts. I mailed the first bunch (4 sets) today. Cheers, John” (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…)
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…)
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…)
Back in 2004-5 the Discover Channel featured a homebuilt small trimaran on a reality TV show called, “No Opportunity Wasted.” Apparently, the premise of the show was that anybody featured would be given $3000 (and 72 hours) to achieve a particular dream/goal. (more…)
The following small trimaran tale comes to us from Stefano, who lives in Italy. Stefano found our site and offered to share about the challenges (and fun) of taking his homemade proa and converting it into a trimaran. He provides some excellent details too. (I get the impression he is a sailor who enjoys having a bit of experience under his belt). (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…)
Sailor Oliver Blanc built a Kendrick Scarab 22 trimaran and chronicled his 3-year (1500+ hour) building project here. The great pictures he took will surely help others want to follow in his footsteps.
He states the case very clearly as to why he chose to build this small trimaran model in glass/foam/res rather than wood on this page . (more…)
I got to speak with Boat designer Dudley Dix briefly today. I’ve wanted to interview him about his small trimaran design called “Threefold 6“for awhile now. (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…)
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…)
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 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. (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…)
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).
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.
Adventure Trimaran 24 Downwind
Adventure Trimaran 24 Upwind
