Small trimarans under 20'

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I already have a trailer and it cost $600* in 2001 or 2. But during this project(now converted to a smaller boat from the tri) it occured to me that you can get flatbead trailers here fairly inexpensively. And I have a lot of carbon and glass tubes here so after seeing "dollies" costing more than my trailer did it occurred to me that I could get some wheels and build my own dolly for around $300US. I want to have my trailer converted so that it has a flat bed and a fold up "gate" at the back and some sort of "risers" so the dolly with the boat on it doesn't have to take road loads. That will be the almost perfect solution for the new little boat as it would be for the tri. Anybody handy with epoxy/carbon/glass can build a small dolly for far less than they are being sold for now.
*Now that trailer would be around $1100US(guess) and would handle a 300lb boat easily(600lb capacity).

 

http://sailingcatamarans.com/Strike 18.htm

 

You can buy small Trailers cheap at northern tools or harbour freight, then modify them. However they are cheap steel and not galvanized so proper washing and painting wouldn't keep rust away.
This time of year if you can take the heat and humidity , the mosquitoes will get you. I stay in the AC and blog.

 

Brian2009

Thank you for posting the link to my Strike 18. However I think my Strike 15 is nearer the under 20ft racing trimaran Doug is interested in.

You can see more here

http://sailingcatamarans.com/Strike 15.htm

Being built now, in 4mm ply and epoxy, the prototype should be sailing later this year.

So far the plywood, timber, epoxy, glass and screws for the main hull have cost me under CAN500 (so say USD500). I probably have enough epoxy and glass to build the outriggers as well. Materials in the USA are much cheaper than in Canada.

The main hull before decking, but with all bulkheads and daggerboard case fitted, should weigh 30lbs and have taken under 30 hours to build. I'll know for sure next week

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

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Here is are a couple of beautiful pictures of this trimaran-be sure to click on it, expand it and click once again:

 

Transporting Multihulls

Miss Cindy takes car topping to new levels !

 

OOps wrong thread !

 

That is quite possibly the most awesome thing I've ever seen!

 

If it hasn't already been posted.

http://multihulldesigns.com/daysailer.html

Kurt Hughes has a number of trimaran designs that are at or smaller 20'.

 

Sea Rail 19

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Here is a video of the Sea Rail 19 under sail.( see post #50 above) Looks to me like it needs more beam and/or foils.
Sea Rail 19 set-up video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfaWjO_dFUE&feature=player_embedded

Sailing video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaFVxyG17LA&feature=youtu.behttp://

 

Weta

Just for the record: The Weta. Heres a thread with Weta specs and a turbo proposal: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/weta-normal-turbo-proposal-36228.html

 

Ninja

Heres a great little trimaran:
bigger-click on url and then youtube "expand"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d94DDcSHcVg&feature=player_embedded

 

Here is a great article on some of the many tri's available 20' and under. Scroll down for comparison chart. http://smalltridesign.com/Trimaran-Articles/review2.html

 

Doug, there are all obsolete day sailers, with no perfs in front of a god cat, and expensive to build. No interest to invest a buck in such boats. The above videos show all the same thing; a cruel lack of volume of the amas (and "potatoes bag sails" for some).
Good amas on a tri are about 220% of the DISPLACEMENT, with rudders on the amas, that means boat and crew on a small tri. So I leave you imagine the size of the amas...as big as the central hull. In France we learned the lesson in the years 85-90 with the F40, and after no tri was designed as the old ones. All oceanic race tris can fly on one hull, even 100 feet long, that's an absolute requisite. Look also at the hulls now: very simple, high prismatic coeff, almost no rocker.
All these boats are 20 years obsolete, and far too expensive to build. I do not see any advantage compared to a 18 feet cat with comfortable wings...

 

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The statistics have value to anyone designing a small tri. I'd hardly call the Weta an obsolete simple daysailer since it is one of the most successful production trimarans under 20' ever.
But I agree that if I build another small tri it will be a beachcat killer. Small tri's have a bad rap for being slower than equivalent length beachcats-it doesn't have to be so.