Reviews and Designs

Generation F

I think the use of "foil assist" on most racing multihulls must represent some form of new generation......

 

I think you have a point there, pretty incremental though, think you could probably also add the migration of carbon into mainstream design in the construction of foils, masts and prodders.

 

In terms of progress you could say that the evolutions can / does goes in circles. Such as the bow sprit and the prodder, they do pretty much the same job. would the square top mainsil come under a similar category as the gaff rig with a topsil.

 

When I was working for Derek Kelsall in the late 1970's we did several boats with foils. Both on the rudders and on boards. I remember Derek also sketched curved daggerboards to be fitted in the outriggers, but I'm not sure if any owner actually fitted them back then

So foils aren't new. Nor are square top mainsails. I first fitted one on my own catamaran in 1980

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

Generation F

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Its not that they're new, Richard-its that almost every racing tri or cat is using them and now more and more some cruisers and cruiser/racers, almost every multihull record set in the last few years has been done with foil assist. They are pervasive on multihulls from the smallest to the largest and becoming more widespread all the time. They have changed multihull design......

 

And the latest and most stunning example has been Banque Populaire 5's round the world record just a few weeks ago.
Just when others were saying the great days of sail were dead and gone, up pops an example of how sail, with foil assist, has done what no other form of surface vessel has been able to do----ever.

 

And further recorded and broadcast all over the web for us all to marvel at, the sheer speed and grace, particularly when they screamed past that cat was breathtaking !

 

So to return to the OP's original question the answer appears to be buy Banque Populaire V !

 

thank you once again for more than valuable information. I am looking for a used boat as having one built is currently outside of the budget. the loking area is said to be on the outside area of about 350k. i am sorry for not responding sooner but as a college student finals can take up a vast majority of my time. ang guzzis3, you have been far more helpful than you know. if you have more information on the used area of trimarans, i am all ears. thank you for reading and to everyone being so responsive to my requests.

 

You have got to be kidding. I just spent 45 minutes writing a reply and this stupid forum lost it. (lots of swearing)

Oh well: Budget ? $350k ?

How many people ?

Full time live aboard or moore and cruise part time ?

look on yachtworld, yachthub (australia) etc.

Don't forget the survey.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SAIL...522361?pt=Sailboats&hash=item19d093b0b9#v4-42

I know some people will not agree but you could do worse than look at this boat. They are balsa but apparently were well made.

 

Contour 50

You definitely want a Contour 50. It's the best of the modern manufactured tris with the possible exception of the Neel. They are reasonably fast and will probably sail past about any mono (or cat for that matter) thanks to their centerboard. They mostly come only one way and that is fully loaded; a/c, gen, radar, watermaker etc. They were built in Canada but the company is gone now. One pretty cool aspect is that they were shipped disassembled from the factory and were reassembled at the clients marina. So they can be taken apart and trucked by a semi in one load from the east coast of the US to the west coast. It beats the Panama Canal and in less than 2 weeks you are sailing your tri in a different ocean. An owner just did something similar recently.
http://www.multihullcompany.com/Trimaran_for_Sale/Contour/Pipeline