Here is a truly unique, custom-built aluminum trimaran. I received these photos from the owner, Alaric W., last week. He acquired this boat several years ago because he thought it would be a great way to get this out on the water with his family.

The boat came with a bill of sale but no title. This is one of the things that has kept Alaric from sailing it. (He is actually considering whether or not he should sell it to someone that really wants to get a lot of use from it).

Anyhow, I’d love to see how this boat performs with its boomless Sprit sail. I am always curious about how traditional, unstayed rigs might work on small tris … even though I’ve been told many times they’re not optimal :-)

This boat, however, is sure to turn heads. And the wide fiberglass deck that sits atop the beams joining the aluminum hulls certainly offers a nice platform for an 18-foot boat.

Below is what Alaric shared with me … and I thank him for sharing both the information and photos with us!

……………….

More on this 18′ Aluminum Trimaran
by Alaric W.

Built in Chicago, it was built as a prototype for mass production, and shipped to Florida. Production fell through and this turned into a one of a kind gem.

Heads turn with curiosity to see this unique vessel. Sails on a horizon/vert hinged 14′ mast with 15′ staypole. 3 sails (2 used, 1 never sailed),12′ wide when pontoons extended, 7′wide when retracted.

The pontoons retract to the stern at water level, so you can motor through canals and tight squeezes. The center hull is open, perfect for extra seating or storage. Paint is sun bleached. All necessary rigging is included with extras.

Just a few of the commonly asked questions:

There is no boom. This is a trapezoid sail, using a mast and staypole. It only uses one sail, but we have two extra (one never used).

The center section is based on an aluminum canoe, it has a deck the front 3 or 4 feet where the mast goes and is flat at stern for mounting of rudder or outboard. The outriggers are fiberglass; the connection beams are either stainless steel or aluminum and made of tube that is about 3″.

It is very well done. Very slick collapsible system; the beams have a sleeve that lock over the hinge to keep the outriggers fully extended. When slid off the outriggers can be folded back horizontally (not vertically like the big Farrier boats).

The trailer is custom made to accommodate the boat in both positions. Each outrigger has a 2″ thick fiberglass platform that folds to cover gap between outrigger and center hull (doubled up when close-in and fully extended when outriggers are).

I am not knowledgeable enough to tell what the sails are made of, they are not canvas or silk but something synthetic like a thick nylon, probably Dacron.

The boat is untitled, but I will offer bill of sale, just like I got when purchased several years ago off of eBay. I have never gotten it in the water and it is time to move it on (wife will only let me have so many toys at once.)

The ideal buyer would be one who lives on a lake or a chain of lakes and can avoid the hassle of transportation altogether.

Anyone interested in this boat can potentially get in touch with Alaric by leaving a comment (with email address) in the comment area below.

Tags: aluminum trimaran

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 17th, 2013 at 4:42 am and is filed under Self-built Small Trimarans, Small Tri Info - All. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.