Multihull transport photos

In the July-August edition of Multihulls World there is a link to a French company that transports multihulls. The custom built trailers they use and the tight spaces they have managed to squeeze multihulls through are impressive. Feel free to add pics of other tight multihull extractions.

http://www.multitrans.fr

 

Although its a bit long, here's a video of Cat2Fold being towed out from my mountain cabin...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=QIRBEjgfcCQ

 

Back in the mid 1980's we used to build the 35ft Flica and Banshee catamaran in Cornwall, UK. Despite the yard having a seaview the nearest launching spot was seven miles away down a road that was only 14ft wide. So we had to make an angled trailer. Even then, the upper hull used to have to go several miles above a dry stone wall

About 40 boats were taken this route

"If it survives the launching it will survive anything"

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

Cool. How much did the boat in the photo weigh?

 

The Banshees averaged about 3500kgs (ours was lighter). The Flicas about 4500kgs

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

Don't know anything from the situation, but looking at the picture and body language of the figure he might want some things different.

 

And I thought that I was the only crazy one!

When I built the 30' cat, it was inside a factory with just a roller door between the boat and the wharf. Fine, except just as I was aligning the hulls prior to starting the bridgedeck, some 6th sense made me go OUTSIDE the door to check. Surprise - the opening was "stepped" around the roller frame and was 200 mm less wide outside than inside. Even with 200 mm off the beam, the boat went through with just a piece of masonite as padding.

Cat2Fold and I also share the experience of building at a mountain retreat. The tri. just launched required a new road to be dozed over the top of a very steep hill. I had also misjudged the length of the folding beams relative to the trailer height so instead of the amas folding OVER the wheel arches, they sat outside. This meant less than 100 mm clearance between the amas and the road. A stray rock soon became the lesson of the day (three days actually to repair the damage) prior to 300 km trip to the launching place. Amazingly, no further damage except for a bit of scraped paint. Never again!

Alan

 

Transporting Multihulls

Miss Cindi takes car topping to new levels !

 

A short video of a trimaran haulout. Looks like a useful trailer for the job.

 

Catamaran Alingi.