Trailerable Multihulls

You can open a Farrier when it's sitting on the trailer. We just did it this weekend to work on our F24. For some, you have to loosen the bunks under the amas to allow them to drop down a little bit. For our F24, it only takes a bit of rocking to the side to free up the ama enough to pull out. The amas move pretty much horizontally, thanks to the four-bar linkage formed by the struts, beams, and hull. Once open, you have access to all of the hull surface except for the belly of the main hull where it sits between its bunks.

To get complete access to the main hull on the hard, you have to pull the trailer out from under it. This can be done by dropping the trailer tongue to the ground, which raises the stern. Put supports under the aft beam just outboard of the lower strut attachment points. Then raise the tongue as far as possible and do the same for the front beam. That will leave the boat sitting high enough that you can pull the trailer out when you drop the tongue to its normal height. This technique would be just as applicable to a trailerable cat as it is to a tri, provided that the boat can be opened on the trailer and the blocking of the beams didn't interfere with moving the trailer.

If you need the boat high enough to drop the board all the way, then you'll need a crane or fork lift to put it on tall stands. But that is not something you need to do on a regular basis. Daggerboards can be removed out the top of the trunk after the mast step is removed, which is a bit of a bother, but not too bad and cheaper than a haul-out. Centerboard removal would be a major pain because of all the screws and sealant to the cap on the trunk, but fortunately there are three cranes out the dry storage lot where we keep our boat, and we just let it dangle if we need access to the board. The vast majority of Farrier designs use a daggerboard, however - the F24 MK1 is the only one I know with a centerboard.

 

Hello Steve,

I need contact information so that I can get my address out to you. Thanks for the offer.

I have never heard of one going turtle. In fact, the worst thing I ever heard, was the story you told me and that guy happened to be mowed over by the trawler, so it doesn't even count.

I guess the safety record and unsinkability would make anyone give up the float. Was the float solid and outside or inside? I was thinking about trying to explore some kind of balloon contraption for the TR27 that is inflated by an air tank on the deck by way of a tube running up the mast. It would probably need some kind of sensor that opens the tank when the point of no return is exceeded. Ever hear of anything like that? Anybody?

I know. My paranoia...but I really want to provide maximum safety for the Category B in case of encountering Category A conditions or the unconscious skipper at the helm.

Sounds about right. I might consider the rectangle tubes however. How far does she telescope on one side and is there any noticeable flex?

Thanks
J

 

JCD,I think you can go to the members list and send a me a private email with your address and i can send you a copy of the owners manual,i can also send a copy of the multihulls article on the transatlantic trip,i just reread it last night,he actually encounted 2 gales on the trip,one after the collision,he had sails stuffed in the bow and a sail bag lashed over the bow.
The float was an aerodynamic foam filled fiberglass shell permenantly bolted over the top of the mast i think,ive only seen pictures myself.
you could probably use a mercury switch to initiate the inflation of the masthead airbag.
On my trailer,the beams must have telescoped about 6 ft each side with no noticable flex so it was probably overbuilt,they did however droop a little because as the inner beam rolls out it goes from the inner roller rolling on the bottom of the outer beam to rolling on the top as the hull passes the balance point,remember each hull weighs less than 2000lbs.
Steve.

 

Hello Steve,

Nope. It said you don't want to receive mail. If you're from Houston anyway.
Thanks for the other stuff too. Just write me and I'll send you my address.

Thanks
J

 

Send a private message J, click on SteveW and the option should come up.

 

Hello J
I've been away and now I'm back

I was looking into my crystal ball the other day, and I saw a vision.

You and your wife were driving down the freeway in your 4WD vehicle trailering your nice new category B rated catamaran. It was a nice day and the two of you were smiling and chatting. You looked into your rear vision mirror and the smile on your face suddenly disappeared. Your wife stopped in the middle of a sentence, and said...."Wossup G?"....or...."What's wrong sweety-pumpkin?"...(the crystal ball wasn't specific), but you were unable to answer her.
She spun around and stared out the rear window....paused....and then let out a gut-wrenching scream. With all the chilling suspense of a horror movie, the boat and trailer were tipping left and right, like a giant fearless infant taking her first few steps, with nobody to catch her fall....

I watched the crystal ball periodically to see what happened next, but then the vision faded out and a swirling whisp of smoke rose from the crystal ball....so I unplugged it from the wall.


OK, enough with the b.s. What's my point?
I think the only really major challenge you face, is getting the cg as low as possible on your trailer. All other problems with your design will be insignificant compared to this.
I like the idea of a true offshore trailerable cat, and I think your goal is totally realistic. The only defining difference between your design and other trailerable cats, is strength and WEIGHT.
You said you will use an expanding trailer, so your boat will probably sit above the height of the wheels. I understand you want to trail the boat over long distances. (by 'trail' I mean driving in front of the boat...not behind it). You might want to consider actually increasing the weight of the trailer by adding a heavy sliding extension 'boom', like a crane arm, that lengthens the trailer and could help with tyre traction when hauling the boat out of the water. If you make the extension huge, you can push the trailer out far into the water from a beach. Ofcourse, adding weight to the trailer means adding more wheels and brakes...but that's no problem.

You could also consider making a complex system on your trailer that lifts the hulls up and out, so it can be trailed low to the ground, but then you have clearance problems with all that length, and I couldn't think of a tidy way to do it.

I know that plenty of people tow heavy boats over long distances, but how often? And a lot of people underestimate the danger until they lose control. Cross-winds can be a major hazard. I think it would be easy to develop a false confidence if you are doing it all the time. You only have to look at truck drivers to see what I'm talking about.

Cheers J

- Richard

 

Hello Meanz,

Tried that too but it said information is not available.
Whoops, I was able to it. It wasn't doind it before.
Thanks Meanz

J

 

Cool... I was going to say it works from here!

 

JCD, I got your address,ill try to get to the printers in the next few days,i found a photo in my file of a telescoping trailer that was used for the seawind 24 which is what i modeled mine off,ill try to make a copy of that for you too.
Steve.

 

It's a shame there isn't a Mac 28. Do any of you guys know of a light trailerable cat that has cabin houses that are completely, or almost completely forward of the centre, and is somewhere between 25 and 29 feet?

With some very minor adjustments I might be able to transform it into my dream boat.
If not, I will continue with my original design.

Whoops...that was definitely a hijack

 

I will probably use a more heavy duty version of this trailer system. The hulls swing out and backwards.

 

Just out on interest this is the alternate SW24 setup, I have only seen it on Mk1's



You can't have a normal traveller, that's wire instead and I have no idea how successful it was. They dropped it for a reason I suppose.

 

Hello Richard,

Welcome back. I hope the trip was pleasant.

Wow! You saw all of that?
Here's what I see. Me (a very cautious and experienced driver) and the honey (the very cautious and watchful co-pilot) driving down the highway in our 2007 Silver Chrysler 300C with a very nice and functional trailer with electric brakes, carrying the TR27B at less than 9.5' height rolling down the highway at 50mph while we're smiling thinking about how nice it will be when we get to the next cruising ground with no drama whatsoever.

Thanks for the kind words and confidence. I'm not in agreement that the only defining difference is strength and weight. There are a lot of other variables that must be calculated and criterias that must be met for the rating. Generally...yes, I agree that the design will be stronger and heavier and hopefully as little as possible of the latter.

Nope. Simple, easy to use, durable, serviceable and the least cost for the most value. That is the best way to go.

Define heavy. How often? Not sure but I bet it would be shocking.
Yes. Losing control is an issue that is of concern to everyone, including the cruise liner Captain navigating 1 million tons, tons of vessel at 30 knots. Traveling at 50 mph, the cross winds would have to be high indeed to make a difference on the base area of the vehicle and trailer. It may be easier to spill if a sudden turn is made at 50 mph.

I drove tractor trailers for a long time. I drove triples, doubles, haz mat, explosives, weapons(for military) and even behemoth loggers. Never had an accident and only lost control once in Arizona coming off the Mountain from California while I was still "green" in youth. Towing triples downhill, the third trailer decided that it wanted to beat the tractor to the bottom of the hill and it almost did. I rammed it, sped up, put her back where she belonged at the back of the line and then rammed all 18 gears into the 1st, and jaked braked that baby while slowing her down on the shoulder.

That's 90' of length with 40 tons moving downhill at 35 MPH before I soiled my pants and took charge of that machine. No one was killed and some bushes on the side of the road were the only victims. TT drivers are always pushing the speed and distance for better pay and those are the ones that fall asleep at the wheel and kill and destroy. There are many other reasons, but 99% of the time, they cooked a second road-log for the State Troopers inspection and fall asleep while at the wheel.

This is not the case with the road sailing skipper. He is not in a hurry to make another 68 cents per mile and he has a full home behind him that he can always just cuddle up into.

Thanks
J

 

Hawdy all,

Thanks Steve. Take your time.

J

 

J!

What the....!!! Dude...you are seriously cool. That story makes my silly crystal ball story look pathetic!
OK, so you know what it means to tow a big load. If anyone should be towing a heavy boat, it should be you I have no doubt now that you will have it all sorted out.

You havent ruled out the trailer extension? I'll be using one for beach launching.

fff....

fffar out!! Very cool