Best Design for Minimalist Trailerable Coastal Cruising

[mattotoole]

Originally Posted by Doug Lord

I think the Farrier F22 planing trimaran fits the bill perfectly:
Farrier F-22 Trailerable Trimaran
Address:http://www.f-boat.com/pages/trimarans/F-22.html Changed:2:31 AM on Sunday, August 13, 2006

I'll second that! The Tramp/Eagle was terrific. The F-22 looks a lot more seaworthy, a drier boat with a fast-draining open transom.

I've cruised on both beach cats and a Stiletto 27, and I still think the tri would be better.

I can't think of a monohull that would do the job as well.

[longliner45]

lewis boat beautifull sailboat,,,,,I like the style,,,and shes classy

[SolomonGrundy]

http://www.kastenmarine.com/booj_22_ext.gif

I like this one.

[Chris Ostlind]

So far, there have been some interesting contributions to the search for the ultimate minimalist coastal cruiser, but I think there's a whole genere of boats that have not come close to being addressed.

Of those on the record to this point, the Rozinante, while a stunningly beautiful boat, falls well outside that which would be comfortably trailerable in any sense (even if you had a 1.5 ton Dually as your vehicle of choice, and that's hardly a minimalist towing design along with the boat)

The F22 could be in the running for consideration, but I feel it is too expensive to build, too heavy at 1300-1500 lbs. and way to complex in its operation to qualify as minimalist. A good boat, of course, (with a caveat) but not minimal by any stretch of the imagination unless you are the current owner of an ORMA 60 trimaran. The caveat being that there aren't any of them currently sailing to form any kind of real world opinion other than to go by Ian Farrier's excellent reputation.

The Paradox comes closest to the on-point aspects of this discussion, but what about such boats as the Dudley Dix Cape Cutter 19, the John Welsford Penguin or Pathfinder, the Norseboat from Chuck Paine or either of the Core Sound boats from B&B?

Certainly, there are also many smaller multihulls than the F22 that would also qualify as minimalist coastal cruisers that have not been mentioned. The Wood's Janus is exactly on target for this discussion with weight, length and trailerable elements well within what anyone would consider for a boat of this type, though it does begin to get into the complex environment of the F22.

I've always been intrigued by the idea of a sectional boat that could help with the trailering aspects of a longer form, but let's keep this discussion to 24' LOA on the water, just to keep things in the same ballpark.

Has anyone considered a sailing, triamaran/canoe as a minimalist coastal cruiser. The Watertribe Everglades Challenge has seen many of these boats compete with a very strong showing. In 2004, a double canoe/trimaran, based on a Kruger Cruiser, finished first and this year the same boat finished third. It would be very hard to get more minimalist than a decked canoe/trimaran and be able to produce results such as those already posted.

Does anyone have any opinions on this style of boat and the potential it represents in fulfilling the objectives of this thread?

[Raggi_Thor]

Is the B18 minimalistic enough?
300kg with 100kg lead, possible to sleep under the lifting roof or with a boom tent :-)

[skyl4rk]

A Sea Pearl is a good example of an open coastal cruiser.

[Raggi_Thor]

You mean from www.marine-concepts.com?

[Sean Herron]

Hello....

Sadly we lost Nimble Boats chief - but that is that...

Ted Brewer had his hand in many of their designs - namely the Kodiak and such...

The Peep Hen has always caught my lazy eye...

See http://home.earthlink.net/~joshguys/peephen.jpg ...

Start there...

I don't expect this to be of anyones taste - but there is Bolgers' schooners that 'crack in half' aswell...

Cheers...

SH.

[Guillermo]

Originally Posted by Chris Ostlind

Has anyone considered a sailing, triamaran/canoe as a minimalist coastal cruiser.

I've found some interesting info, not on a trimaran or canoe, but on a 16' cat coming from Scientific American's pages in 1878:
http://www2.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/...malay_cat.html
At the bottom of the page, it appears a drawing from Phil Bolger about a sharpie cat 23' 6"" long:
http://www2.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/...harpie_cat.gif

[Guillermo]

A design that has spured may into the waters over the years...
http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/we...ns/compare.htm

[Willallison]

Chris - perhaps the most basic of questions has yet to be asked (unless I've missed it) - though those who have posted to date have obviously understood the intent of your original post better than I...
Are we talkin sail, power, or either / both?

[Chris Ostlind]

A Homer Simpson moment has passed

Nice observation, Will. I was thinking sailboats, but of course, the objective discussion should also include powerized craft of all types. Electric, gas, diesel all could fit the bill if done simply and cleanly.

Thanks for mentioning that over sight.

Chris

[Chris Ostlind]

Like any design snob, I have shunned many of Phil's designs over the years because I found them too much like the neighbor's chicken coop with port holes.

Much to my surprise and just when I thought I had Ol" Phil all figured out, I found out that he has done so many really wonderfully clean and flowing designs that my head began to spin.

While this cat is more like the coop than swan, it does hit the nail on the head for minimalist coastal cruising. One tends to forget that you don't have to go fast on a cruise. While the fast part shouldn't be too much trouble for such skinny hulls, the going slow aspect will make this boat a much drier and therefore, more comfortable experience.

A great suggestion, Guillermo.

Chris

[Chris Ostlind]

Raggi,

I saw a SeaPearl tri for the first time last summer at Lake Powell and kinda liked the boat and the way it was laid out for tripping. About the only thing that turned me off was the fact that the boat is surprisingly heavy and that is not what I expected from a trimaran.

The boat at Powell was owned by a retired couple and they were really content with cruising along under outboard when the wind was down. The tri setup was absolutely stable during the times when a big power boat would pass, tossing a huge wake. I could see that the stability issue was one of the nice features for the owners.

Thanks for suggesting it in the discussion.

[mattotoole]

Originally Posted by Chris Ostlind

The F22 could be in the running for consideration, but I feel it is too expensive to build, too heavy at 1300-1500 lbs. and way to complex in its operation to qualify as minimalist.

I'll give you too heavy or expensive, or complex in construction with their folding mechanisms, but not complex in operation. F-boats can be rigged and launched in minutes. They have a sailplan good for everything from 0-40 kt by simply rolling up the headsails and reefing the main. Plus the F-boat has the speed to overcome strong tidal currents -- one of your requirements, if I read it right.

The caveat being that there aren't any of them currently sailing to form any kind of real world opinion other than to go by Ian Farrier's excellent reputation.

This is true, but we can assume the F22 will be similar to other F-boats. If not, does the Corsair F24 meet the 24' limit?

The Paradox comes closest to the on-point aspects of this discussion, but what about such boats as the Dudley Dix Cape Cutter 19, the John Welsford Penguin or Pathfinder, the Norseboat from Chuck Paine or either of the Core Sound boats from B&B?

All cool boats, but for strong currents I'd want something faster.

Certainly, there are also many smaller multihulls than the F22 that would also qualify as minimalist coastal cruisers that have not been mentioned. The Wood's Janus is exactly on target for this discussion with weight, length and trailerable elements well within what anyone would consider for a boat of this type, though it does begin to get into the complex environment of the F22.

Sure. It would be like cruising in a Stiletto, but slower and cheaper. Like the Stiletto, I think it fails the easy trailerability test. It's doable, but definitely compromised. Assembly/disassembly is bound to be cumbersome.

Has anyone considered a sailing, triamaran/canoe as a minimalist coastal cruiser.

Yup! I saw a kayak with outriggers a couple of years ago, with a rig that looked like it came from a model yacht. It really flew with this small sail, and looked easy to sail too. The rig could probably be stowed easily, and if the wind died completely you could just paddle. I've been thinking about this boat ever since.

With simplicity in mind, oars or paddles vs. motors is an interesting question.

The Watertribe Everglades Challenge has seen many of these boats compete with a very strong showing. In 2004, a double canoe/trimaran, based on a Kruger Cruiser, finished first and this year the same boat finished third. It would be very hard to get more minimalist than a decked canoe/trimaran and be able to produce results such as those already posted.

Does anyone have any opinions on this style of boat and the potential it represents in fulfilling the objectives of this thread?

Great, but you might want to add "inexpensive" to your list of requirements, and/or "built with traditional materials and tools."

Also, these boats may be great for shallow, protected estuaries and beaches -- stuff like the Watertribe Challenge -- but not seaworthy enough for open ocean sailing. I know people have gone around the world in open boats this size, but...

So you might want to define your coast. Is it the Everglades, or the west coast of Vancouver Island? Or both?