The Future of Formula 40 Trimarans

Hi, folks... first post after I have lurked over last months silently I am heavily Trimaran addicted, so hope to find here some fans of these "creatures", too.

... and I hope some of you (or one of you) can help me out with my first concrete question

Actually I am diving for details about the Formula 40 Tris

As some of you might know, we got different trimaran classes since the 80th for the racing circuit, Formula 40, Multi 50, Orma 60 and MOD70.

I havent found lots of infos, as the Formula 40 has it's origin "before the Internet era" in the 80th, in France. In February 2014 there was a headline on the website "The Daily Sail: Formula 40 reborn?" (related to the Volvo Extreme 40)

I citiate from there...

From multihull designer Kurt Hughes I got some parameters as he had designed a Formula 40, which is sailing now as Trimaran Gecko in Netherlands...

Length overall: 39'-11" (12.16 m)
Length at waterline: 39'-9" (12.16 m)
Beam: 39'-4" 12.0 m
Draft: 1'-3"/8'-10" (0.38/2.7 m)
Weight: 3,950 lb (1,791.7 kg)
Sails - Main: 787 sqft. (73.1 sqm.)
Blade: 323 sqft. (30.0 sqm.)
Spinnaker: 925 sqft. (85.9 sqm.)
Displacement: 4,466 lb (2,025.74 kg)

As we can see, the typically of these boats is the impressive square size of length x beam: 12 x 12 meters. Same concept as it was realized later for the bigger Multi 50 class.





Does anybody have the "original rule book" of this class ?? Would be great.... or at least some tips for sources I can look at ??

Tks in advance & Happy Sailing !
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P.S.: Some Formula 40 Trimarans which are still sailing.... Little beauties, isnt ?

Trimaran Gecko... completely refitted in 2014/2015 and sailing in Netherlands... some first vids on Facebook. Planned to race the OSTAR 2017 by solo sailor Pamela van der Vleuten


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One of the last built Formula 40s... it's Trimaran Biscuits Cantreau 3...


... in regatta modus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR0iWm3zp50


The boat was relaunched as Biscuits Cantreu 4 in Auckland/NZ in 2012 under the new name Trimaran AGIR...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpl5mAhye08

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The beautiful Formula 40 Trimaran Spirit (former "Spirit of England")... completely refitted during 2014/2015 and since July this year on water again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqNnnDDQxE8

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Legendary Trimaran Adrenalin (built by Gougeons Brother in NewZealand now) with a uniquely bumper system for the amas...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQpTkLm6T3U

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Felicidade.... a Formula 40 oriented Trimaran (only with 10,00 m beam (width))...

+++

 

Adrenaline

Welcome to the forum! Great pictures. I'm interested in trimarans as well-primarily 20' and under- but the Formula 40's-particularly Adrenaline really showed the potential of the trimaran platform compared to cats the same length.

 

The original concept was more like the shorthanded 40ft monohull class is now. Ie boats suitable for the Round Britain Race, OSTAR etc. Inspired by Mark Lombards catamaran in the 84 RBR

So the first years boats (85) had small cuddies and did race offshore. But Gino Morelli and Randy Smythe did an inshore racer with no jib (actually they did use one, it was the storm jib that was required) and that won the races. So the next year races were inshore only (I think the longest race was 60 miles round the Isle of Wight)

So 87 was probably the best year for the class. Ed Dubois/Jo Richards did a design in 88 that was more extreme than the rest (higher mast, up to 80ft) and then there was an arms race between them and Biscuits Cointreau (I think) each outdoing the other in successive races. But they were almost uncontrollable boats and I think both capsized. And really that was the end of it

There wasn't very good race organisation in 87/88 which didn't help

But some F40s did do the RBR, QAB cat and Spirit. QAB also did the 2 star but broke its mast

I watched many of the races from 86-89, but was never a competitor, although did race against some of the boats in open events

Richard Woods

 

The F40 trimarans were perhaps the pinnacle of the F40 class in racing but ended up being wildly expensive to race. The later F40 trimaran lake racers like Full Pelt had enormous 80' plus rigs and flew two hulls in 5 knots of breeze. It was a box rule so the notes you have there pretty much cover it since the trimarans could meet the minimum weight and had an advantage in terms of righting moment for length they ultimately dominated. Spirit of England is one of the more functional designs with enough main hull volume to make a decent cruiser. Kurt's design while it has space for an austere interior is really only geared to racing or day sailing.

Plenty still racing and cruising.

Spirit of England (now Spirit and converted to a cruiser/racer) just won the Darwin to Ambon race beating a solid field of large racing monohulls home.

Adrenalin lives in Phuket these days and is raced out of Ao Chalong yacht club.

I don't know what you mean about the future of? In truth they have never gone away even though the circuit is defunct but a 40' wide trimaran with minimal payload and internal space is not for everyone and brings challenges as far as storage, slipping and racing in crowded fleets their high righting moment means they are hard on their gear and sails. it's a niche of a niche sort of craft.

 

Tks guys... great input to get a 1st drafted picture of the "history of F40".

@ Doug Lord: watched a lot of your RC models on Youtube with the foiling experiments. Definitly the "new era in sailing" with an interesting future for all who love sportive sailing.
@ Richard Woods: Tks for the review... appreciate your many decades experience in multihull design.
@ Corley: Yes, thats my view of perspective, too. About the "future of F40" ... and I love your Tri Blog (probably one of the best sources on the web these days)

I dont think that ambitiously sailing is just a pure rational approach. If one falls in love with Trimarans, why he/she should not sail it ? Just saying: I now must sail a 45 foiling Cat because it is "state of the art" doesnt makes sense.

But same I dont like to look back into "good old times". Its more to learn from for understanding the "today" and make a good plan for the future !! - Just picking up some "old memories" is some kind of thinking for boring pensionists sitting in a wheel chair in the pension home (*knocking on wood* hopefully I never become one in 15-20 years).

So what about the future of F40 ? Is it just dead, or can it be revitalized, instead some "crazy guys" did some "mad experiments" in the 80ths which became too expensive and killed the Formula 40 scene ? Actually I only see "old boats" living on.... when was built the last F40 Trimaran ? (Rec.: VOLVO should switch from the 2014 idea for an Extreme 40 Cat to an Extreme 40 Tri version ;-) as the decision was made against to take the smaller GC32).
Actually there is lots going with the Extreme Sailing circuit (now switching to the foiling one design GC32), individually foiling G4 Gunboats and as shortly noticed, even Morrelli is working on such a "dart" with the new "California 45".


I dont like this trend... shorter and spectacular match-racing multihullers, for onshore spectators presenting an afternoon show to entertain the masses. Not my world... I like and prefer long distance sailing, offshore.

So where will be the place of "40 Footer Trimarans" in the future ? I think, they have a future... they have the right size - as a kind of starter kit - to go offshore at a low budget.

Or can Trimarans only be competitive in the range of mega sized 30 meters Maxi Tris being built by multi million dollar equipped professoinal sailing teams, e.g. Gitana, Spindrift or newly launced end of August the foiling Tri MACIF nearby ready to go for the Transat jacques Vabre 2015.

We still get Trimaran enthusiasts onto the water who like to race as amateurs... if there are boats to sail with. Sailing oriented boat enthusiasts dont have the time for self building. They need to buy something "ready out of the warft".

As shortly seen during the Tour de La Voile with the one design class Diam 24 (which is very successfully sailing in France). Its a boat you get ready to sail for under 50,000 Euros (trailable)...already 70 sold and targeting at to build 3 monthly new to expand this class over next 2-3 years.

A trio racing team on a Diam 24 can run such a boat with an anuallly budget of round 250,000 Euros... enough smaller companies out there (even in times of financial crisis) who can deliver the right budget for such a team.

Trimarans are still attractive having their own spirit (by history), by their aesthetical look and by sure an own future (beside the foiling Cats)... as we shortly have seen with the 1st edition of the Alaska Race that 5 of first 11 teams are Trimarans plus 4 Cats (place No. 1 + 2 = Tris).

The smart French keep alive the 50 Footers with the Multi50 class... still attractive for smaller sponsors who dont have the huge multi million dollar budgets as upper named for the Maxis... we can see the Multi50s steadily on the racing circuits.

Where is the place for ambitious amateur Tri sailors ? As you named Trimaran Spirit (former Spirit of England)...


...it shows that this kind of boats in the range of 40 Foot and with owners like Jason Gard can be competitive. Such kind of boaters sail successfully with lots of cruising fun in between over many years (Rec.: Jason bought Spirit in 2010 in USA).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQyZacYiaOU


Not all (probably most of ambitiously amateur sailors) can afford to race an old MOD 70 as we see it with Phaedo3, the Phaeod Racing team around wealthy owner Lloyd Thornburg... or privately owned by Peter Aschenbrenner the smaller 60 foot Nigel Irens Tri Paradox (which actually is for a huge sales prize listed at 1.19 million Euros / 1.33 mio. US dollars)

I still can imagine, that a "modernized F40 box" would give the chance we then could see more of these boats if someone would build them as one design class. - I suppose there do not exist some moulds to produce a little series, isn't ?

Actually there are no "modernized plans" to buy (beside those of Kurt Hughes at a prize of 4,200 US dollars).

I think, if there would exist a F40 or maybe something little bit bigger, a F43 one design class organisation delivering the hulls and defining some "standard riggings" (as it is done with the Diam24), e.g. something at the size of 60 Foot rotation wing mast (roughly 80m2 windward / 170 m2 downwind)... it would keep open the doors for a new future as "foiling F40 (or F43) Trimarans".

I would love it to see the upper named boats racing against each other in a fleet... It might be an interesting niche, isn't ?

Boat builders like Tony Grainger with the 43 Footer, or the sister ship of legendary Crowther 40 Trimaran Verbatim are still floating.

So why not a "modernized F40 (or F43) one design class" ?

In that range of size attractive boats (built in the 90th) are out there in the market starting at a sales prize of 70-80 Thousands US dollars... e.g. 43 Foot Trimaran Dolphin Spirit is for sales at 75,000 US$ on the coast of San Francisco... the owner cant start a 3rd attempt for Frisco-Tokyo record in spring 2016 because of health problems.


or the Trimaran Ave Gitana/Shark Angels (which won last winter the Solo Tasmanian race), sister ship of Tri Verbatim, a Crowther 40 Foot design... at round 118 Thousand US dollars for sales.

 

More info here.
And not only about F40.

 

Lorient... the mekka for Trimarans in Western/North Europe

Yeah... I know that site... but it didnt pop up about the F40s... many tks, semelis

I should have learnt French (more properly and instead of Latin) in school... my "googling" mainly is limited 99.9% to ENG sources :-( . But that time in the 70th I didnt know about my Trimaran addiction...

France definitely is the Trimaran Mekka in Europe with multihull haven (or shall I call it heaven) in Lorient on Atlantic coast. All legendary boats you can find there...

 

Formula 40 in USA/Canada...

Hasnt been an own Formula 40 scene in USA ? Beside the upper named Trimaran Gecko (designed by Kurt Hughes) there have been some more, isnt ?

One design I remember is the Trimaran Aotea... (source of picture: Antrim Associates - Naval Architects)




They realized two Cruising versions for Goran Andersson in China and for Tim Duncan in South Africa.


And thats what I targeted at with my question: What is the future of F40 ??

For ambitious amateurs it might be something like sailing on Trimaran Quingdao as seen in these 2 vids of 2011 and 2012...

2011...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZneC8T3UrS0


2012...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNajkw4gQpE


The Specifications:

Displacement: 6,330 lbs 2870 kg
Overall Length: 40' 0" 12.19 m
Waterline Length: 40' 0" 12.19 m
Beam (max.): 34' 1" 10.4 m
Mast Hgt. from WL: 63' 5" 19.33 m
Draft (board down) 8' 2" 2.5 m
Draft (board up) 4' 6" 1.38 m
Draft (rudder up): 1' 7" 0.49 m
Main: 741 sf 68.9 sm
Wing Mast: 71.8 sf 6.66 sm
Jib: 217 sf 20.1 sm
Genoa: 494 sf 45.9 sm
Spinnaker: 1456 sf 135.3 sm



Berths 1 double, 1 queen, 1-2 single
Heads 1 marine toilet
Fresh Water 110 gal, 416 ltr
Fuel portable
Payload 2500 lbs, 1130 kg
Auxiliary Power 15 hp outboard – saildrive option

Another F40 was built in Montreal in 2000, designed by Antrim Design... the cruising Trimaran Zephyr.

Overall Length: 40' 0" 12.19 m
Waterline Length: 40' 0" 12.19 m
Beam (max.): 34' 1" 10.4 m
Mast Hgt. from WL: 62' 8" 19.1 m
Displacement: 4,620 lbs 2100 kg
Draft (board down) 7' 11 5/8" 2.43 m
Draft (board up) 4' 6 3/8" 1.38 m
Draft (rudder up): 1' 4.25" 0.41 m
Main: 741 sf 68.9 sm
Wing Mast: 71.8 sf 6.66 sm
Jib: 217 sf 20.1 sm
Genoa: 494 sf 45.9 sm
Spinnaker: 1456 sf 135.3 sm

Beautiful lines...




Have not found a video.

 

the cruising version of Kurt Hughes Formula 40

tks to "cmclauglin", so I fell over the "upgrade", Kurt has done with his Formula 40 design (see upper named Trimaran Gecko). Does anybody know when he published it ??

Looks good what Kurt Hughes designed newly... . I suppose he did it 5 years or so ago.

[RESIZE=400][/RESIZE]

Length overall: 39'11" (12.2 m)
Beam: 39'-0" (11.88 m)
Draft: 1'-10"/9'-6" (0.55/2.9 m)
Weight: 3.750 lb (1,700 kg)
Displacement: 5.650 lb (2,563 kg)
Sail Area m 750 sf (69.7 sq m)
j 307 sf (28.5 sq m)
s 1,175 sf (109.1 sq m)
upwind 1,057 sf (98.2 sq m)

[RESIZE=400][/RESIZE]

... and good reasons behind for this cruising version:

and I suppose Kurt is still working on a "heavy weather version":

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*) If Corley doesnt mind, lazy as I am, I citiate from his wonderful Trimaran Blog, dated on 23rd October 2012: "Phil Steggal's 50' carbon racing trimaran project : Phil Steggal is somewhat of a legend in multihull ocean racing circles. He built his first trimaran to a Walter Greene design in 1979 and came a respectable third in the 1980 OSTAR transatlantic race. A composites expert he has setup a website detailing the design and construction of his latest carbon fibre trimaran. "

The linked website http://www.buildatrimaran.com is no more :-( Phil is or was here in the forum in 2010 with the user name Gosailing. His latest posting was in 2011.

 

I am sorry for this big size of images, but the resizing code is not working :-( Already have sent a PM to the moderator. Hope to find a way to adapt it to smaller size, e.g. 400-600 pix width. BoatDesign.Net Forum has no "auto resize plugin" which is regularly available vor the VBulletin. lets see if there is a way to handle it more elegant and with an automatically process.

 

Welcome to the forum Jay.

If you click on Go Advanced, and then Manage Attachments you can attach an image which then appears as a thumbnail in your post which can be clicked to load the full size image.

Alternately, you can use bbcode if you wish to post an actual medium resolution image inline linked to the full resolution image by combining the url and img bb code tags. Some of the image hosting sites automatically do this giving you a bb code which has a web resolution image as the img tag and then linking to the full resolution image. (The BBCode you've entered to browser-resize the image down is not currently supported on the forum here, but I've made a note of your suggestion for future consideration.)

 

Tks.... great and joyfully place to share and learn

 

I don't know what happened to Phil's boat it seems the plug was pulled. Too bad really it looked like a really interesting project.

Another recent ~40' cruiser/racer trimaran is the GF42 by Greg Lynn and Fred Courable. There is a thread on the forum about the build and launch.

 

threads worth it alone for collection of f40 info since theres more in this page than one can find on google! I think theres a lot of potential in 40 range designs cause we all know how it goes, the boat you would build might not be the boat the family would allow! At 40 a lot of cruising space could be had with minimal change versus whats needed to fit everyone in a 30 ish range. Kurt designs are awesome, and really that much boat and money, designs from a guy like that is cheap insurance really.




Barry

 

1985/1986: The Beginning of the Formula 40 Class...

Tks Barry... yeah... it is really a difficult puzzle I have to stick together. Little bit helpfully to be cultural journalist and my research skills and quick data collecting methods are supportive to grap out more easily I have to dig deep for. But its lots of time consuming.

The most intensive time of the F40 was from 1985 on... before the Internet started to give access to all infos. So therefore is no documentation by one web source as quickly the Multi50, Orma60 and Mod70 Classes were created as following up of the F40 class. So the public interestes was lost very quickly.

I have scanned an article of March 1986 about the Formula 40 class which was published in YACHTING in the chapter "The Racing Yachtsman". As I suppose many here in the forum are born in the 80th or later, it might give a first idea how all began...



You can read and download the PDF here: http://bit.ly/1JZVtlv

P.S.: You find there same some pictures of those F40 Trimarans which are still alive (two of them for sales)... I suppose we have less than 10 around the globe making their owners happy these days.