Another stupid question - rerighting a folding tri

You can do what you want but I think you'll find its not worth the trouble thats why people who sail trimarans regularly dont bother. I'm in an active multihull club that races nearly every weekend. Looking back through the race reports we have not had a trimaran capsize in 10 years (probably longer dont have older records) and they dont hold back. We've had a few custom lightweight racing cats capsize in that time though (Raw to the Core and Skeddadle).

 

That's interesting. I'm surprised the capsize rate is so low. I live in the mountains of western United States. I've literally only seen 1 other trimaran ever on the water of the lakes around where I live.

I've owned beach cats previously and capsized on a regular basis. I'm going to start building a smaller folding tri soon. I expected that it would be more stable than the beach cat due to more beam, but I figured I'd dump her over every now and then. Maybe not?

 

One of the members here Megwyn? and her partner had a scarab 18 might be worth messaging them. I'd be surprised if you could ever capsize a scarab 18 in normal conditions but I imagine its doable if you went out in a gale without reefing.

 

Mast float/ bag system assumes mast is still intact and I would say that is a pretty big assumption !

 

somewhere sometime I read about a stratedgy of righting a big tri by flooding a wing hull then pumping it out again once a mast float was rigged.

 

Yup, now that is a VERY good consideration!

 

It would seem that someone would have put together all the possible ways of already doing this? a book maybe? I myself have done the research into what I need but it's only for beach cats sizes.

 

The book, as mentioned previously, is "The Capsize Bugaboo" you'll have to find it used. Many ideas,including most of these, are in there including systems that have been tested full size including efforts by Walter Greene. There are some really different approaches as well such as Robert Harris' flooding ama with engine powered thruster to power the boat over without having to have the mast. In ocean conditions or highspeed crashes I'd count on loosing the rig, if it's still there count it a bonus.

 

Since concern is over the spar, what spar would best survive a capsize? A tripod mast?

 

Waterbag or spinnaker poles on deck or fastened under the deck. A kite sail should get you home or can move the capsized boat or help right it.

 

AFAIK no Buccaneer 24 capsize has ever been reported.
If there is ANYONE out there who has knowledge of such a capsize, I (and a lot of other people), would be very interested in the event and all the circumstances surrounding it.
It has been suggested that extending the bows of the floats forward to align with the main hull bow, would be an advantage.
However I am in two minds whether it would.
I think it's possible the extended float bows may produce a lever when buried in the back of a wave, which could initiate a diagonal capsize.
Samnz has experienced burying the bows of his B24 right up to the mast foot and didn't pitchpole. Which seems to suggest that Lock Crowthers design was just right.
Motto:- "If it 'aint broke---don't fix it."

 

The folded tri has been done in practice

Gday

Your query about folding the boat up and then trying to right it manually was tested by Farrier with his Super tramp in the 80s. I have a whole heap of early Multihulls mags and in that Farrier wrote and showed photos of him and two others re-righting the Tramp in the waters of Moreton Bay. They got really wet but it seemed to be fun and it got them back up. The mast was down and they rolled it sideways with the floats pulled in.

cheers

Phil Thompson