1977 26' simpson-wild trimaran

hey terri

just catching up to this blog again...

the 26 tri came about as idea to get people interested in multihulls at a low level price, plus being trailerable, would make a great lake or coastal boat...
they looked at it as more of a combo cruiser moderate racer, and could be used for weekend camping... performance was always of importance especially to weather...

andy's US partner was Frank Tuma, a boeing engineer (worked at johnson space center) that loved sailing (opps correction....racing) and winning,he was the yacht club commodore...
we'ld leave forty five minutes after the first yachts and beat everyone by fourty five minutes the boats were quick...(made quite a few people a little ouchie, as multihulls were considered by most as not sailboats)
the fastest tri was andy's personal boat, "Whisky JacK" 36' tri...
he and his first wife had sailed it from england,
it eventually was sold and ended up in St Kitts, owned by Phip Whalwiin (sp)

i had left the company in june of 1976, to earn capital to finish my boat... that was when economically things were going kinda haywire in the economy...

not a lot of people buying boats...(large multihulls anyway) 32 foot tri's and 45' Cat's

i had never laid up a 26' but would have imagined they used balsa core in the deck, as a stiffening agent, same as on the 32 foot tri's... i am sure the hull is all glass...(heavy duty) 24 oz woven rovings (fabmat)

andy was a great designer and bruce wild a great craftsman...
they were old school...and did things with pride and reputation in mind...
along with speed and efficient..for the designed boats...

i don't know how many they made, after i left i would check in on them periodically, but they (bruce and andy) actually had gone back to doing one off custom monohulls, (foam core sandwhich)...(where the money was)... the shop was located in san leon texas..(between texas city and Kemah) at first and then moved over to bay cliff, texas...
i left for hawaii in october of 78' it wasn't long after that, the company folded for lack of sales..it was a tough market then with interests rates in the double digits, eventually getting to 21 1/2 percent...
i think andy lives in portugal, with his second wife...don't know where bruce is...
would like to find out where the two Cats ended up at...
don't know how the outriggers attach or unattach... but can share it wouyld have been simple indesign, but super strong...that wqas just standard with them...
hope this helps a bit...
if you find one...
my advise would be to scoop it up and have a blast...

mark n adino

 

well..thanks for that zachary..you were right ..i hit a treasure-trove of information..i've seen some of there larger trailer tri's and they are a very nice looking design..i'll have to look closer next time i find one..for now the 26' will do fine. drop me a line so we can chat if you have time.

 

smiling

yeah those were the good old days...
life was simple and "fun"...i remember that andy had in interest in flying i used to laugh at that being some 14 years youger than him... but now my interest has too, turned to flying...see "seawind amphibian"... the ultimate freedom machine...
if you check out... simpson wild "nauticat"...you can see the hulls of our 45' cat... the deck was of that owners design...nothing andy would have designed...look closely at the hulls...real streamline, like arrows through the water... when i worked there, i fronted all the money for, the original "hull/plug"...(From that we made the mold)
we used c-flex, a new product,back then... and lotsa lotsa..micro fibers to fair it out... i laid up a total of four hulls (two cats)...
i guess the molds, for the cat ended up in channelview texas, and i ended up in hawaii, on another 25 year adventure...LOL, selling timeshares...LOL...
my e addy is mawern8@aol.com...drop a note sometime,Terri...
glad i could help...
mark werner and adino, she my portuguese waterdog

 

still smiling

Zachary, was my harlequin great dane...back then...almost as rare as a simpson wild tri or cat...LOL
keep in touch
Mark n Adino

 

Some of the Simpson plans are available from here
http://boatcraft.com.au/Shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=32_33&sort=20a&page=1

And, Roger plays and makes Banjos now, so doesn't really play boats any more

SC

 

Thats a different Simpson - who I beleive may have been related......

 

Roger is definitely related to Andrew(brother), I have met both of them before and talked about the Simpson/Wilde days

 

A 31 foot MKII available at yachtworld for $20,000. Its design is real slick but the photos suggest it needs a handyman.

 

hey phildave

saw that you're located in the philippines... way kewl...
i lived in Hawaii for 25 years and the philippino people were "the best",

had some friends that were ex'pat's living there and said it was great...
7000 islands and 77 million people...

i was wondering what you know about the sailing scene out there, i would think it is "great"...
looking for a nice cruising catamaran... 36' or larger but not too large or you need a crew... or pockets full of money... to rig it properly,

any first hand knowledge on small plane and private pilots and the ability to get around the islands...there...what the government restrictions are???

thanks for any updates...or info...

mark n adino

 

1976 Simpson-Wilde MkII Shifter

I have a 31' that has been customized but is in need of completion. Anyone interested in a very nice project boat should email me @ diverdbc@yahoo.com. It is on a custom trailer and includes many upgrade parts. some assembly required.

 

Photos, Diver..... Got some?

 

1976 simpson-wilde shifter MKII

I will post more pics when I can.

 

Andrew Simpson

If you are looking for more information on Andrew Simpson's boats (Shifter, etc), you could try contacting him directly through his site;

http://www.andrewsimpson.co.uk/boat-designs/multihulls.html

 

Hi Mark. It's Angus Simpson. Andrew's son. You still on here?

 

I have a 32" simpson Wild Shifter Mk2 Trimaran that's being refitted and would appreciate any information on history, design, construction, plans, etc. That are avalable.