Strike 15 trimaran build

All good points, gentlemen. I posted these questions of mine because I wanted insight from the more experienced. No wood has been sawn or glued yet!

I will widen the cockpit by 3 inches on each side, this will turn the cockpit into a possible overnight two person tent. I will stick to the designs for everything else!

 

FWIW, there are many tried and reliable beam folding options. The forces on the hull are going to be similar regardless of whether the beam folds up or forward. Folding laterally offers some advantages, as does vertical, as does a multi-link design. I don't think any one is inherently superior. Just depends on what YOU want in your boat.

 

Kurt Hughes's web site has an interesting comparison of various methods of retracting the Amas. You might be interested in his comparison of weights, but it is illustrated using larger boats. The Cross style break in the middle is not illustrated.

Have you ever seen a Sailbird 18 tri? Similar folding position to the Cross but a production boat.

 

The sea clipper 16 also uses a very similar vertical folding design.

 

It's been a long time since anyone posted on this thread.

I launched my own Strike 15 a few days ago. Here is a link to the first video, light winds only I'm afraid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFymkiKJycU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUhKTQtbKN5BaXFTg2BjcbqA

and more here

http://sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/designs/27-trimarans-under-25/223-strike-15-trimaran

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

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Congratulations, Richard! I saw the sketch for the Laser rig and wondered how you keep the rig from breaking with the greater RM of the tri?

 

That's great Richard, looks like a sweet sailing boat even in light winds.

 

He is the lucky man! I don't think he has been on solid ground more than a day this year.

 

Thank you.

I think the Laser rig breaking problem is a thing of the past. Certainly 20 years ago topmasts and booms broke regularly. But not now. If you look at the Extreme Reaching video on my Strike page you'll see the conditions Lasers can safely sail in.

I am expecting that the Strike 15 sailors who use a Laser rig will be less experienced and certainly more cautious than the full rig sailors. So I doubt if there will be a problem.

All I need now is some more wind (looking out of my office window right now I see the water is like a mirror) and/or my bowsprit and screecher fitted. The I'll start having some real fun

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

Richard,
Please post more vids and pics of your strike 15!
I have been really tempted to buy a weta the last few years, but just couldn't hand over the 15k required.
Have you got an estimated total build cost for the strike, assuming the optimum custom rig you have designed?
Alternatively, on the cheaper end of the scale, would a laser 2 rig be acceptable?
I would still need an assymetric spin, since my laser 2 has a symmetrical.
Please get some video with the boat powered up, it looks like it goes great in the light air, but I want to see it doing what it is made for!!
Winter is coming, I'm ready to build.

 

I have been out in a small craft advisory but no camera that time. Right now the winds have been 10 knots or less for a couple of weeks and that is all that is forecast. I would go out today but its a total flat calm. I may try tomorrow.

In the meantime, this is the best photo I have. I couldn't sit it out properly as I still hadn't fitted toestraps - I have now! And you can see there is still some painting to do (the boat will eventually be purple)

I can only sail in the weather I'm given! and in 3 weeks we leave for Europe so no Strike sailing until after Christmas, when snow may stop me sailing - but I doubt it - it didn't this year!

I have yet to see a beach cat in this area so have had to compare speed with monohulls and bigger trimarans, like this one

http://www.multihulldesigns.com/designs_stock/37tri.html

Which I met a couple of days ago. I was faster and pointed higher

As always with small boats its the rig that costs the money, not the hulls. You should be able to get an idea of costs from the materials list (maybe USD1000 for the hulls) and from online spar/sailmakers for the rig.

I have a used mast/boom which cost me under USD100 (I bought a whole lot of other gear at the same time) a Nacra rudder stock, unshaped ply rudder, a Strike 18 daggerboard. The jib was in my store of unused ebay parts and came from a Trac 16. The mainsail is 14 years old and is from my Stealth dinghy. I will be using a screecher rather than an asymmetric, at least to begin with

With an assy I will have to beat back home after using it. With a screecher I can reach to and fro. In the light winds I normally sail in the screecher makes more sense as the apparent wind moves so far forward with it up that I will never sail with the apparent wind aft of say 60deg. At least that what I've found with my Strike 18 which is a slower boat

The fact that I have a screecher and will have to buy a assy also has some bearing on my decision!

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

Those glasses do something to your eyes, reminds me of a British Sci-Fi-Horror film from the 1950's they used to play back when we watched TV in the 1980's ....

Is that you behind the glasses, or have you been taken over?

PS - the boat looks GREAT!

 

You are right - I look worse, much worse with the glasses off!

Richard Woods

 

Thanks Richard.
I'm hopeful that you will get a good sailing day, with some more video before you leave.
In looking at the sail area of my laser 2, it might be too much.
Perhaps the rig from my daysailor 2 would be better suited?
You have extensive dinghy experiance, have you sailed a weta?
In your opinion, do you think the strike 15 is going to be a weta "killer"?
I've done the beach cat thing, and now I'm looking for a tri that will offer the fun, without the drama.
My core group of local sailors are getting bored with just racing lasers, and we are thinking that a half dozen strike 15's would be an exciting change, and still offer a one design challenge.
Do your plans include an optimal sail plan, so that we could have sets made, or would we need to all buy the same donor rigs?

 

I just came back from another Strike sail. The wind was 10 knots (a few white horses) when I started sailing and forecast to rise. Almost immediately I was doing over 11 knots, 11.8 was my fastest with long periods steady over 10. That was effortless close reaching, in more wind and further off wind the boat will go much quicker. Quicker still with an offwind sail.

I still cannot get over how comfortable it is to sail and how easy when you don't have to worry about a windward capsize. Having said that, the boat is definitely quicker if I keep both outriggers clear of the water (or make an attempt to do so). Very definitely a "geriatric dinghy"

My wife was going to take video for you, but unfortunately instead of getting up prior to this weekends gale, the wind dropped to nothing. I only just got home, having left the paddle in the car

I got back to the beach at 4.24pm and we drove away with Strike on trailer behind at 4.38

So no video again, and no beach cats to sail against either

I wouldn't use a Laser 2 rig on a Strike. I have drawn two rigs, big and small, I am using the small rig (I'm too old for the big one). It is a purpose designed rig, not a beach cat cast off (that's do as I draw, not do as I use)

No I haven't sailed a Weta, but the Strike is longer, lighter with more sail and assembles quicker. Also you can leave the rig up with the boat folded in a dinghy park, its then 2.2m wide (say 7ft)

Hope that helps. Not sure when I go Strike sailing again as I am also promoting my Skoota 28 powercat and I have potential customers for that visiting the next two weekends

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com