Metz TriRaid 560s vs Smoot Slingshot 19

I've narrowed my search for a first time build to 2 designs. My goals for the boat are day sailing with 2, perhaps an ultralight overnight trip here and there, but will depend on how well it can perform with the added weight of equipment. I'd like to use a mirage pedal drive unit for when the wind is down, and removable tramps for sitting on when sailing. I might alternatively use kayak paddle(s), and potentially add some sort of skirt/dodger for spray/waves.

Frank Smoot's Slingshot 19

19LOA, 14'-8 beam, 230lbs displacement, 26" wide main hull, 18' long ama, 5"-7" draft, 106-148sf sailplan options.

This seems like a slightly simpler build. It doesn't have a self draining cockpit, but is designed to carry 2 adults. Frank doesn't have numbers for buoyancy at DWL, as he's designed hulls without computer simulations as iterations from his decade of testing. His hulls are "flat bottom with about 2” of rocker, 45-degree bilge panels, vertical sides, vertical transom with no tumblehome." His amas are "V-bottom with a smooth fore-aft curve, single chine, vertical sides, flat top, 45-degree transom." He has twin lee boards and a remote flip up rudder so it can sail in shallow water easily. I would probably want to add a self-draining cockpit and mirage drive for 1, and the other person could use a paddle. I'd also likely add some removable tramps for sitting on when there is wind, or for my niece to get splashed. The rudder would also have to change to a hand control vs foot. Frank's design for folding amas that can deploy from the cockpit as well as a mast that can be stepped while seated in the boat are both super cool.

Klaus Metz's TriRAID 560s


18.4LOA 11.2' beam, 243lbs displacement, 27" wide main hull, 14.4' long ama, 6-37" draft, 127sf sail

This has a rotating centerboard, self draining cockpit, and works with a mirage drive unit. It's designed to be sailed from the center position. At DWL it can carry 308lbs, and 730lbs if it sinks 3/4" deeper. Klaus says it's really designed to have 1 passenger inside and the other on the tramp, so it might not be ideal.

There is one more option out there- Klaus Metz just released a TriRAID620. This is 20' LOA with a canoe stern that is more tolerant of overloading weight. It also works with mirage drive, and is designed to be sailed from the tramps, rather than the center position. It should weigh around 310lbs, and has capacity for 400lbs at DWL, or 770lbs at 1/2" deeper.

I'm thinking that longer is faster, (given more wind and sail area to push it) and can take more cargo weight. Shorter is cheaper to build, lighter to move, and easier to paddle. I wish I knew the buoyancy at DWL for the Slingshot 19, as it's hard to compare how much I could put in the boat and still have a good ride. I might just buy the plans and then draw up the hulls in delftship, assuming I can figure out how to use it.

Both main hulls and amas seem fairly similar between the Slingshot at the TriRAID 560s. Slightly smaller amas on the TriRAID.

Does anyone have any thoughts on potential differences between these? I have yet to meet someone who's sailed both. But there is a guy who lives 20 minutes from me who built a TriRAID 560s. He ended up doing a lot of prototyping and kitting out for expedition racing, and he thinks he might have $20k into his boat by now. (that includes adding solar, batteries, gps, autopilot, anchor, and $3k for new sails). I also have talked to a second owner of a Slingshot 16, and he loves it. So lots of good reviews on both boats, but almost no discussion on merits of one design over the other.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Slingshot design looks more like a serious design of a sailboat architect !