Seeking info on Tri-Star or Piver trimaran 23 to 27 Feet

Discussion in 'Multihulls' started by LucD, Sep 25, 2009.

  1. DarthCluin
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    DarthCluin Senior Member

    LucD,
    The Mariner 25 is fat compared to a Nugget. Beam on the waterline compared to length on the waterline is about 1:8 for the Mariner, and 1:10 for the Nugget. This makes the Nugget a faster boat, but the Mariner a more capacious boat. The Fraser Aerotechnology website has pictures of the Mariner that Richard Fraser built back in 1970. It has two berths, a minimal galley, a settee, and a head. The Mariner's Museum has plans for both the standard version and the commercially manufactured PiCraft version. The biggest difference between the TriStar 25 and the Mariner is that the Mariner has a hard chine hull, and the Tristar is cold molded.
    Any of the slimmer Pivers will be faster than Mariner, and I really don't think she is big enough to cruise four. I've seen a picture of a cabin version of the 27' Chariot, but the only drawings I have seen were for a day sailer. The 27.5' Quest and the 28' Encore both show berths for four (two doubles).
    When I decided I wanted the Mariner plans, I filled out a research request and paid the Mariner's Museum $15 to look it up. They emailed me a list of the drawings available for that particular design. I picked the ones I wanted from the list. They charge a per square foot reproduction fee, and I'm not sure but I think it worked out to around $15 a sheet for 18"x24".
    From the two catalogs I have seen, the AA series seems to jump from the AA-17 to the AA-31 with nothing in between, and the Pi-Craft jump from 25' to 30' with nothing in between.
    Jim Brown turned his Searunner designs over to Jim Marples, and you can find them here:
    http://www.duckflatwoodenboats.com/mainpages/kPlans.php#John Marples
    I think in many ways Searunners were next evolutionary step after Pivers. Jim vented the wings and added low aspect ratio keels with centerboards.
    Norman Cross' designs are here:
    http://mysite.verizon.net/res78939/index.html
    The Cross boats are sleek looking, and they have been good performers. I think the Cross 24 is the largest that is trailerable, and I believe it has a draft of around 34". I ordered study plans for the Cross 26/27 back in May, and haven't heard a peep since.
    I am not pushing the Mariner. Its not the only plan on my shelf, and when I finish my Wa'apa, I might have talked myself into one of the others (though mind you except for Mbuli, the newest one of the lot dates back to 1983).
     
  2. jamez
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    jamez Senior Member

    I like this photo of the 25 off the back of 'Searunner Construction' - looks like a nice day they were having :cool:

    There were a couple of articles published in Multihulls Magazine from a guy who rebuilt one and set it up for regular trailing. May/June and July/August 1994.
     

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  3. DarthCluin
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    DarthCluin Senior Member

    LucD,
    Something you may not have looked at:
    http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/merlin.htm
    I know you are interested in trimarans, but you might want to look at the Woods Merlin. This is a 25' catamaran, it sleeps at least one person in each hull, and IF the plans include the cuddy, it would sleep a total of four people. I say if, because the materials list does not show materials for the cuddy. The hull can be built in cedar strip planking, which might free you from having to use cheap plywood. The boat is demountable and trailerable. The website has a video showing how it sails, and links to a page with lots of photographs and a materials list. If it looks like it might work for you, email Richard and ask if the plans include the cuddy. The biggest downside would be that strip planking uses lots of glue and a lot of sanding.
     
  4. DarthCluin
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    DarthCluin Senior Member

    LucD,
    Something you may not have looked at:
    http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/merlin.htm
    I know you are interested in trimarans, but you might want to look at the Woods Merlin. This is a 25' catamaran, it sleeps at least one person in each hull, and IF the plans include the cuddy, it would sleep a total of four people. I say if, because the materials list does not show materials for the cuddy. The hull can be built in cedar strip planking, which might free you from having to use cheap plywood. The boat is demountable and trailerable. The website has a video showing how it sails, and links to a page with lots of photographs and a materials list. If it looks like it might work for you, email Richard and ask if the plans include the cuddy. The biggest downside would be that strip planking uses lots of glue and a lot of sanding. If you are willing to take electronic files instead of paper, the plans are 275 pounds (sorry, I don't have the pound sterling symbol on my keyboard).
     
  5. DarthCluin
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    DarthCluin Senior Member

    Sorry,
    I meant to just edit in the price, but instead I posted it twice. My bad.
     
  6. DarthCluin
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    DarthCluin Senior Member

    LucD,
    Whatever you choose to build, make sure it is what you, yourself wants to build. You should feel passionate about whatever design you choose. Building even a small boat involves a lot of labor. Murphy's laws of construction apply, "Everything takes longer and costs more". You need to want it badly enough that when everything goes wrong you can still say to yourself. "I want this boat!" Then you fix whatever you messed up and move on to the next step.
     
  7. LucD
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    LucD Junior Member

    Hello!
    Well I am not stopped at any model yet, I even look at Proa like the HarrysProa
    http://www.harryproa.com But I can't afford to spit 3.000AU just for plans.

    These are the ideal requirement I have for my dream boat::D
    Made of plywood/Epoxy
    24 to 26 feet (maybe 27)
    Must have cabin for 2 sleeping (possibly accept 4 sitting)
    Big enough to spend the entire weekend for 2 (3 or 4 night) (no bells or fancy) (camping style)
    Must be folding or trailerable
    1500Lbs or below (as much as possible)
    As fast as possible (considering the previous configuration)
    Able to coastal or deeper (I sailed the St-Laurence, river and lake here and there, Great-Lake and North-Atlantic)
    I looked at Cat, Tri and Proa but my mind is not set (too many model)

    If possible, dagger-board in the ama instead of keel in the hull (very often the bottom come up very fast around my neck of the wood) I saw a few sail boat run their keel aground and sometime wreck their hull. It might be better to just change a broken dagger-board. I was told this can be modified on most tri.

    I saw the Tri-Star 23/25 and the 26MT (I find them beautiful and out of the ordinary) but I have no idea on how they handle.
    I also looked at the Buccaneer 24 (or a modified bigger version of it)
    I looked more to trimaran than the other because of the safety factor when things go really bad (I had this experience in the North-Atlantic with someone in a mono-hull, the water is very cold).
    Talking with many peoples on many group I got a lot of "maybe" "probably" "I bet" and "I'm sure of" but rarely fact. I don't want to put a lot of $ on maybe.
     
  8. jamez
    Joined: Feb 2007
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    jamez Senior Member

    Check out the Marples Constant Camber CC26. I think it fits your described criteria above and it folds on the trailer. Bit olde stylie looking but the couple of people I've talked to who built them found them straight-forward to construct and a great sea boat.
     
  9. LucD
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    LucD Junior Member

    Hello Jamez
    What boat did you make or have? What is your experience with them?
    I ask you this because I've seen you on many forum requesting plans and asking questions.
     
  10. LucD
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    LucD Junior Member

    What is the difference between the Searunner and the CC series?
     
  11. Seafarer24
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    Seafarer24 Sunset Chaser

    Building method. Searunner uses a jig, CC uses a mold.

    The Tristars are / were good, seaworthy boats. The Pivers just perform too poorly (they're the 3-hulled equivalent to a Wharram catamaran). The Searunners have the best layout you can find in a trimaran. I'd love to see a Tristar design with a Searunner layout....
     
  12. DarthCluin
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    DarthCluin Senior Member

    From:
    http://www.marinetimbers.com.au/methods.htm

    Constant Camber Construction
    Constant Camber is a hull moulding technique developed in USA by multihull specialists John Marples and James Brown. The hull is designed to be formed by joining a number of separate panels all made on the same curved mould, the panels being formed by laminating alternating layers of veneer or plywood strips to the necessary thickness and then consolidating them under a vacuum bag. Simply put, it makes curved plywood panels that are joined together in the same way as making any plywood boat. The method utilise only one mould, eliminates framing, and minimises finishing and fairing work.

    And Searunner 26:
    http://www.duckflatwoodenboats.com/mainpages/gallery?KID=55
     
  13. LucD
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    LucD Junior Member

    Seaferer24
    Do you know anything about the Tristar boat model? almost no one seems to know anything (that is why I am hesitating).
    I like the model looks of the 23/25 and 26MT, but are they any good???
     
  14. LucD
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    LucD Junior Member

    DarthCluin
    So basically, for the CC they vacuum bag layers of plywood instead o foam core.
    Now I understand better why they had plywood in bag for the construction of the Rikki-tikki-tavi http://www.svrikki.net/RTT/FrameSet.html
    It look like you need a ton of space to do it that way. But it look like plywood bagging is much stronger than foam. Bagging of any kind scares me a little.
     

  15. jamez
    Joined: Feb 2007
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    jamez Senior Member

    In the last 6 years I've built a stitch n tape rowing skiff, done a major rebuild on my Wharram Hinemoa and currently have a Nicky Cruz 25 Tri in the early stages of construction. Prior to that I owned mono's and did all my own maintenance on them.

    It took me 7 years, 30 + sets of study prints, numerous photocopied magazine articles and a load of emails to designers and builders of various cat and tri designs I was interested in before I choose a design I could be completely happy with and build without modification. I just hope it doesn't take me 7 years to build it ;)
     

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