Here is another sample audio clip from the “Multihull conversations with Jim Brown” audio series. In this recording, Jim speaks to sailor, self-boatbuilder and marine entrepreneur Mike Leneman.

Mike is the owner of MultiMarine in Venice, CA, which can be found on the web at www.multimarine.com. In this segment, he shares some out-of-the-box thinking on how to build wood/epoxy boats (including small trimarans) quicker by doing certain techniques differently. (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…)

Small Trimaran enthusiast Jim Gallant let me know about a new small trimaran that he designed (and is currently building). This isn’t the kind of thing anyone who doesn’t have a lot of sailing experience or building skills should undertake. But Jim is a true “do-it-yourselfer” sailor who possesses the background to undertake such a project.

And we get to benefit … thanks to his willingness to share it with us :-) (more…)

Is the boatbuilding method John Marples and Jim Brown called “Constant Camber,” which was used years ago to build slender hulls for trimarans and catamarans, still a viable method for boatbuilding? You bet it is. (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…)

Perhaps a better way to ask this question is, “What are the most common approaches to boat building today … including multihulls?”

The following link takes you to a growing collection of articles by Michael Waters that discusses this topic. (more…)

Thinking about building a small trimaran with strip planking and using Red Cedar? One reader sent me the following information yesterday.

It has to do with a particular wood for boatbuilding that’s an excellent replacement for Red Cedar … though I’m not sure about its availability outside of Australia. (more…)

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?

(more…)