OK Farriers ....

Really interesting thread. I spent a lot of time examining various folding systems but the cost was the major factor, also the desire to maximise interior cabin space, so I ended up developing a version of my own using ply mock-ups to sort out the articulation. I found the Farrier version far too expensive and with many of the potential problems expressed by others in this thread. In hindsight, the Woods arrangement would have been better all round.

Mine works OK and is very strong and stable. but it is no work of art visually. The biggest problem is the considerable time it takes to assemble because the lower beams cannot be put into place until the alignment of the upper beams is right, also there is the need to dismount the tramps, at least on the fore and aft edges, also the covers over the lower beams. This is daunting, so the boat is on a mooring - which somewhat defeats the "trailable" concept, but really, how often does one really need to move it by road anyway? The mooring overcomes the docking problem too.

Corley's problem with windage really strikes a chord! At Sussex Inlet on the NSW South coast, the winds are as bad, if not worse than Port Philip Bay, compounded by a narrow channel and shallow water. I truly worry about the ability of my 8 HP outboard to get the boat back onto its (fore and aft) mooring in this narrow channel when the wind is screaming through at 30 knots or more - not uncommon in the afternoons even after a quiet start to the day.

Re stability, I never tested the stability once in the water with the amas folded but would be very loath to try. To antifoul it, I'll float the boat onto the trailer with the floats out and lash it down, move it to a nearby location then re-launch it thus avoiding folding the hulls at all. No doubt the maritime parking meter attendants would complain but if the painting is done on shore with a big tarp under the boat, I might get lucky!

 

Beautiful, just beautiful! Wayne

 

90 mph .... ????

That is stall speed for most jets ..... Or, said differently, most airplanes take off at that speed. Or, a weak hurricane ....

Definitely chock!!! Hunker down. Drop anchor. Fill the ballast. Wow! I am amazed a lot of stuff was not broken.

 

Kurt has recently posted up on facebook a photo of one of his 32' trimaran designs that has the sliding beam system.

 

Thanks Corley. I've been waiting to see a pic of a 32. The beams on this one look to be mounted a couple of hundred mm higher than shown on the study plans. Now to bug Kurt to put some pics (particularly interior) up on his website and a report on how the telescoping works.

 

He has put a post up on his blog with a few more photos of the 32

http://multihullblog.com/2013/11/d-32-trimaran/

 

With reference to Kurt's 38' power Tri trawler design, do you think the hull form with the round bilge aft section is very flat? I notice the max speed is quoted as 12kts with twin 15hp: to avoid slamming at higher speeds?
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/Rustybarge/media/image_zpsaabac69d.jpg.html

 

Kurt recently mentioned that they are having big 65' cats pulled out at platypusmarine they might be able to help with your trimaran?

http://www.platypusmarine.com/index.php