Kelsall Trimaran K6

[dantnz]

Hi Folks, just saw this really interesting tri on ebay (UK), thought it might be one of the old VSDs but the main hull looks too small.

Anyway, I'm not a serious buyer so I'm not going to bother the designer or seller about it. Just interesting to know its history. I would have been a serious buyer but I just bought a Typhoon and haven't got that on a mooring yet - I don't want to start boat collecting!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...#ht_797wt_1088

[Gary Baigent]

Not either of the VSD's, which were around 16 m overall, looks around 9-10 m to me - so could be an ex-Mark One Tool Hire, or sister. Just guessing.

[Corley]

As Gary said its definetly not a VSD I wrote initially that I thought VSD was ugly as hell but they were not that bad just looked at an old photo however they didnt really have the performance rewards that were anticipated. The price looks good but these old tris really suffer in interior room as no hull flare above the waterline. If I was buying one I'd want to get onboard and have a look and see how the interior room was configured. If I was buying a boat to race I'd not worry about interior room as long as there is room for a couple of bunks and a basic galley but If I wanted to cruise on a boat accomodation and the layout would be hugely important.

[Gary Baigent]

Corley, if that is a Mark one Tool hire, or sister, the original won its class in an Atlantic race, TwoStar I think, two crew, across the Atlantic at high speed, very wet ... but a winner. With a fine waterline hull like so, any larger accommodation on top or weight, would make the boat even wetter - and slower.
By the way, VSD no.2 (your photograph), a sweet looking tri, experimented with foils back in the 1980's, won the Transat en Double beating a very high class fleet. I think you're remembering the catamaran VSD, no. 3, which wasn't beautiful, interesting though.

[Gary Baigent]

Apologies, should have read the ad properly - 42 feet, ignore what I wrote. However looks like an enlarged version of M1TH, same type of boat.

[Richard Woods]

It isn't Mark One Tool Hire, that was a boat I drew when I worked for Derek Kelsall. It later became Applejack and was lost in an AZAB (I think) about 20 years ago

However I do know the boat and its current owner (who used to have one of my Strider designs - in fact a boat that was originally mine), in part because he is a member of my fathers sailing club, and the boat is moored in front of my father's house. But I regret I cannot remember the origins of the boat.

Except that Derek had several hull moulds for trimarans 30ft-40 ft and I assume that this boat was built from one of those (as was the Typhoon, MITH, Triple Fantasy, Upho etc). So Gary is correct in noticing the family resemblance

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

[dantnz]

Thanks for the info, don't suppose your father knows what the current condition is! Looks good in the photos but the ad says it needs work, so maybe the photos are old.

It would certainly be interesting to know what sort of performance it was capable of.

Richard - the amas look pretty boxy compared to the smooth lines of the main hull - was it a case of taking the main hull off the mold and then owners building their own amas in those days?

[Corley]

I have an old book on early foam sandwich construction and it shows some amas built at Derek's workshop they look similar to the ones shown on the boat so I'd imagine they were original (I'll see if I can find the book and post some pics). Deck camber on floats tended to be a later development when designers were trying to eke out a bit more performance and reduce drag, looking at the compound curvature in the rear of the float it looks like a foam sandwich construction. Derek's early boats were innovative and have an important place in multihull development history.

[Richard Woods]

Sorry, I cannot help further

In part because I am in BC Canada right now,cruising on our Skoota powercat en-route to here

http://www.princesslouisa.bc.ca/

so we will be out of internet range for a few days once we leave this marina

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

[dantnz]

no worries - thanks for all the info guys, its just for interests sake for me anyway.