Sailor Richard Oates is selling the Strike 16 trimaran he built. As you will read below, he hasn’t sailed the boat much due to health issues (which is why he is now offering it for sale).

Richard has re-rigged it in a way that many sailors might like. You’ll see that he has gone the extra mile in the construction process too.

For more background on this particular design, you can read our first post about the Strike 16 here. There are, however, many posts about the Strike 16 on this site, which you can find using the search box feature.

Richard shares the following info and pictures below. Anyone wanting to inquire about purchasing it may contact Richard via email at the following address: roates77 AT gmail DOT com

My Strike 16 Now for Sale
by Richard Oates

I have built this Richard Woods Strike 16 folding trimaran over the past two or three years (with a gap of 6 months in the process, as I cut off the end of a finger with a belt sander!) Unfortunately, health problems have prevented me from sailing her much, I think she is perhaps a bit of a younger man’s boat, I am 67 and have now purchased a cruiser.

The boat is based on a Pixie 14 beach cat, and indeed can still be sailed as such as I have the original cross beams and trampoline. I also had the idea of being able to use the main hull as a fast motor launch, and obtained a pair of Newcat 12 hulls, fabricated brackets so these could be easily and quickly bolted under the main hull to form a compact motorised tri. I added an extra outboard mount to the stern so she could be powered by twin 5hp motors.

I used to do a lot of dingy cruising in a Wayfarer and liked the idea of building something which would do that but with more security. I have always liked the Farrier and Dragonfly Tris but they are way beyond my budget, so I thought the Richard Woods design would be a good sea boat. Also I saw a Pixie 14 for sale which helped me decide.

I also decided that the original Pixie mast on top of the cabin roof was rather high up, and more difficult to put up, so I converted her to a twin masted rig, with a Topper mizzen mast and bowsprit. As yet I have not tried this configuration, but it gets the sail area up to about 18m2, which I think would be the top end for this boat and she should move rather well with it.

I have actually now decided to sell up, partly owing to health issues and of owning too many boats so she is available in the North West, complete with road trailer. I have decided to ask £4500, which I feel is pretty reasonable considering the cost and work involved, and the fact that it must be a one-off opportunity to obtain such a folding tri, plus production models are very much more expensive.

I am a retired architect and have built boats and many other things in the past, I know about ply and epoxy, she is a good well made boat.

Photos of Strike 16 trimaran …

The first 2 photos here show the boat prior to any rigging.

These next 3 images show the original rigging, with mast, sails and amas from a Pixie 14 catamaran. Note the mast mounted on top of the cuddy.

And here are 2 pictures of after this small trimaran’s conversion to a twin masted rig.

Sailor and small trimaran afficianado Aurelio P. is working to build up a 10 foot trimaran class. With this goal in mind, He has additionally created a whole bunch of renders and pdf docs featuring a new 10 foot trimaran design.

We’ve already seen him working on his own 10 foot boat here and here. And he even set up a website for the 10 foot class here.

These can be seen (and downloaded) below. It is Aurelio’s hope this information will ultimately help sailors build their own boats so they can participate in future regattas.

If anyone wants to build this trimaran they can contact Aurelio and obtain the building plans.

The pics are featured below. The pdf documents are as follows:

10 foot trimaran class document #1
10 foot trimaran class document #2
10 foot trimaran class document #3
10 foot trimaran class document #4
10 foot trimaran class document #5
10 foot trimaran class document #6
10 foot trimaran class document #7
10 foot trimaran class document #8

Today we have the best update yet from sailor Travis Haggard regarding his self-styled, self-named “MacGregor Venture Hobie Trimaran.” Why do I say BEST UPDATE yet? Because the boat is now SAILING of course!

As you may recall, this boat came about as an idea to create a trimaran by attaching Hobie 18 hulls (for outriggers) to a used Macgregor Venture 21 sailboat. We first featured it here. Then posted an update on his building project here. And then posted another update here.

This is a serious DIY project. And it’s not for the foolish … or faint of heart.

How did things turn out? I’ll let Travis take it from here, but please do be sure to check out the comfortable sailing position of the one at the tiller in the 2nd video below :-)

Travis shares commentary, several pics and 2 videos with us below. (Many thanks for sharing this with us Travis!)

…………….

MacGregor Venture Hobie Trimaran Now Sailing
by Travis Haggard

I finally got my trimaran in the water for its first sail last week so I wanted to update you on the project as many people were very curious about how the boat would perform and whether the conversion would be successful or not.

I couldn’t be happier with the results so far.

The boat is very comfortable and roomy, which was one of my main goals of the design. It can be sailed from the cockpit or from the bench seats on the outriggers with the use of the tiller extension (which is one of my favorite spots to sail from so far because I can enjoy such a great view of the entire boat sailing from that position).

The boat sat perfectly in the water after she was fully rigged. The outriggers sit about 1 inch above the water which is exactly were I wanted them to be. I took her out sailing on my day off last Friday to see how the boat would perform.

The bad news is I only had 3 to 5 knots of wind all day so didn’t get to see how fast she will go in a decent blow. The good news is the boat tacks as easily and effortlessly as any monohull. Even in very light winds I had no problem tacking. This was one of the major concerns everyone had including myself so it was a relief to see it tack so well.

The boat seems to be balanced very well because there is no pressure on the tiller whatsoever. It is easily controlled with two fingers. The boat glides along very easily and moved well even in the light wind so I think it will perform well when I finally have the chance to sail her in a decent breeze.

Unfortunately, here in Florida, we don’t have much wind this time of year. The wind doesn’t really start blowing here until sometime around October so it may be another month or so before we will know how well it performs in 10+ knots of wind unless the sailing gods show me favor and give me a day with decent winds before then.

I will send you more videos and updates when I get a chance to sail her in the stronger winds. For now I am sending you a few pics of the boat in the water and a link to the video of the first sail in light winds for everyone to enjoy.

2nd Sailing Video from Travis below. He writes, “Here is a link to today’s sail in our Mac conversion trimaran. We had 10 to 12 knots of wind. We had a top speed of 8.4 sailing with the main only. We didn’t use the jib today because a bolt loosened on the rudder. We didn’t want to push it and possibly damage the rudder.”

Announcing Jim Brown’s Outrig “Capercast” … a new podcast of modern nautical lore.

The below comes from Jim’s press release about the new podcast. Be sure to listen to the podcast’s introductory audio below if you enjoy this modern type of media :-)

………

Jim Brown, multihull pioneer and historian, presents stories of today’s seafaring watercraft, their creators and their crews. These sea stories and interviews tell of the design, construction and seamanship for many modern vessel types, recreational and commercial, multihull and monohull, power and sail. Included are accounts of epic voyages, castaway survivors, swashbuckling characters, family cruises, racing triumphs, cultural setbacks, technical breakthroughs, and the “seasteading” lifestyle.

Brown says, “Since World War Two, the emergence of truly modern, lightweight vessels constitutes a sea change in marine architecture that may well persist for generations to come. Because modern seafaring has advanced so fast, and yet history often neglects its oral heritage, now is the time for us to gather and share this legacy.”

Free access at www.outrigmedia.com and on iTunes.

Listen to Jim’s audio introduction to this new podcast by clicking on the NAUTICAL LORE image below …

The first 2 episodes of Jim Brown’s “Nautical Lore Capercast” … a.k.a., his podcast … have just been published.

No, they’re not strictly about SMALL TRIMARANS at all. But there is sure to be lots of stuff about tris, including smaller ones, in these podcast shows.

They’re NOT on iTunes (yet). His show will hopefully be featured on iTunes within a few days. (I say this for any hard-core iTunes subscribers out there who might be reading this … you know who you are :-)

In the meantime, you’re free to listen to (or download the show mp3s) directly from the podcast shows’ pages via the main podcast page at http://outrigmedia.com/outrig/podcasts/

Oh yeah, if you haven’t listened to Jim’s introduction to these podcasts then you’re sure to want to hear it at: http://outrigmedia.com/outrig/multihulls-media/announcing-a-new-podcast-with-jim-brown/

2 things we’d love to have your help with:

First, we’d love to hear your thoughts and get your feedback after you listen to a few episodes.

Second, we’d love for you to share the news about Jim’s podcasts with your nautical friends, far and wide. Go ahead and announce it on nautical/sailing forums or your email groups. Or even (gadzooks, dare I say it) … the dreaded FACEBOOK … and other such outrageous, often useless Kardashian-type social media.

Ughhh!!!
Yikes.
There.
I said it.

Anyhow, please feel free to also share the direct link above to Jim’s OutRigMedia podcast page – http://outrigmedia.com/outrig/podcasts/

We hope you have some time to listen and eventually subscribe to Jim’s “Nautical Lore Capercast” podcast show.

Many thanks!

And happy listening :-)

The first Zeta trimaran, a new design from Richard Woods, is now under sail. We first featured the Zeta here.

Here are some pics and a video of the first sail of the first boat. Looks pretty good, especially with light wind.

One obvious goal of the pictures is to emphasize the boat’s lightness in weight. That is surely a great feature, especially for guys that want to easily trailer (or cartop) a boat to a nearby body of water, go sailing for a couple of hours, and then pack the boat up for the trip back home.

Richard will have this Zeta on display at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival about a month from now … from September 9-11.

Building plans for the Zeta trimaran can be obtained from Richard via his website.

Here are a few of the many YouTube videos featuring Paraw outrigger sailing canoes. They are amazingly fast, in addition to being colorful.

I love the unique trampoline configuration. While the center hull itself is almost completely decked-over, the wide tramps allow for many passengers.

One thing I am not sure about are the steering control lines attached to the rudder. There are no tillers or push-pull sticks, just control lines. Is that comfortable on the hands? One of the videos below seems to show the control line being fed through a block. If anyone can find a video or illustration that offers some more details on the ways this control line is arranged then we’d appreciate links in the “comments” section below.

Cowboy sailing a Paraw…

This first minute of the following video shows the hoisting of the mainsail…

Hang on please…

Cockpit seating…

Where to test-drive a Paraw yourself…

After seeing our previous post featuring Paraws, sailor Bill Lovelock shares the following pictures with us. He took these photos of sailing Paraws in Borocay in 2009.

Many of them are wonderfully detailed when it comes to the rigging of these unique boats. So many thanks to him for sharing them with us here!

Bill also shared the following when sending these pics:

Here are a few photos I took of Visayan sailing paraws in Borocay in 2009. I believe there are some close-ups of the steering setup.

I really loved the little Paraw we took our short sail on at Borocay. EVERYTHING, with the exception of one or two blocks, is homemade by the locals. They use inner tube rubber, cables that we use for clotheslines in the states to support the mast, pieces of flip-flops or whatever is handy and useful.

No electrical tape seen anywhere! It’s too expensive and hard to come by. It is an “Honest” boat built and sailed by locals using whatever they have available to them. They managed to put everything together to take a few paying tourists sailing so they can feed their families. Most admirable in my estimation!

I’m mostly a fair-weather sailor, but in light winds sitting on the very taunt home-made mono-filament fishing line trampolines facing forward with your feet dangling in the water cruising slowly along the coast is the closest thing to heaven for me. We cruised down to the end of the island and had a good look at Manny Paquio’s fantastic beach dwelling on the side of the cliff. Awesome!

I’m married to a Filipina and have maintained a residence there for 25 years. 20 years ago, I had an older local man set up a sailing Paraw for me from an 18 foot banca fishing boat. There are no other sailing Paraws around in the local vicinity and the younger guys had to observe the older fisherman setting it all up.

When he was younger, ALL the bancas used sail, but now days they all use 2-cylincder Briggs and Stratton air cooled motors that most likely cause permanent hearing damage and scare the hell out of all the fish.

A nice neighbor lady made me a beautiful tri-colored sail and I had lots of fun on that little boat for a couple of years. I have photos of it if you would like to see it. The termites eventually got the best of my little Paraw but I still have the tiller and the sail stored away.

It seems these locally built boats only last a couple of years before they succumb to the elements or the local insects. I also had a 25 foot fiberglass over marine plywood fishing skiff built 15 years ago and the termites eventually got to that too.

After my Visayan Paraw adventure at Borocay, I decided I really wanted one of the Paraws at my place which is hundreds of miles north of Borocay and in a different region of the Philippines. I got the names of a couple of local builders who build the Borocay Paraws and discovered (in 2009) I could have one of these boats built for about $3,000 USD. The problem would be getting it back to my place and once again I was concerned about termites. I’m still working and only get a chance to visit the Philippines a few short times each year, so I figured the boat would be eaten up before I’d had a chance to use it much.

Best Regards,
Bill Lovelock

Sailor John Ward is selling his Tridarka Raider. This is a very interesting boat design, originally developed for the “chief” of Watertribe.

The Tridarka Raider was featured in the book More Small Trimarans.

John sent me the following info about this boat (below).

Update 09/05/16: – Boat is now sold! (Glad we could help John by posting it :-)

Tridarka Raider Trimaran Info

Primary sailing venue: Lake Murray on Chapin, SC
Why this boat: Easy to rig, fast, safe
How I got it: Bought her from 3rd owner in Atlanta, Ga.
How often sailed: Once a month ( I sail a Windrider 16 too)
What I really like about it: Quality of construction, very strong but light

Additional info/notes:
— Like it a lot but my age is slowing me down! Windrider 16 is better for me to sail.
— Now has sprit with cruising spinnaker, LED running lights, tactical compass, dodger.
— Rigs and launch 30 min.
— Top speed – close haul, 16 knots … broad reach, 18 knots … verified on GPS.
— A real one of kind

Sailor Richard Oates is selling the Strike 16 trimaran he built. As you will read below, he hasn’t sailed the boat much due to health issues (which is why he is now offering it for sale).

Richard has re-rigged it in a way that many sailors might like. You’ll see that he has gone the extra mile in the construction process too.

For more background on this particular design, you can read our first post about the Strike 16 here. There are, however, many posts about the Strike 16 on this site, which you can find using the search box feature.

Richard shares the following info and pictures below.

Update – 09/05-16: This boat is no longer for sale … it’s now off the market.

My Strike 16 Trimaran
by Richard Oates

I have built this Richard Woods Strike 16 folding trimaran over the past two or three years (with a gap of 6 months in the process, as I cut off the end of a finger with a belt sander!) Unfortunately, health problems have prevented me from sailing her much, I think she is perhaps a bit of a younger man’s boat, I am 67 and have now purchased a cruiser.

The boat is based on a Pixie 14 beach cat, and indeed can still be sailed as such as I have the original cross beams and trampoline. I also had the idea of being able to use the main hull as a fast motor launch, and obtained a pair of Newcat 12 hulls, fabricated brackets so these could be easily and quickly bolted under the main hull to form a compact motorised tri. I added an extra outboard mount to the stern so she could be powered by twin 5hp motors.

I used to do a lot of dingy cruising in a Wayfarer and liked the idea of building something which would do that but with more security. I have always liked the Farrier and Dragonfly Tris but they are way beyond my budget, so I thought the Richard Woods design would be a good sea boat. Also I saw a Pixie 14 for sale which helped me decide.

I also decided that the original Pixie mast on top of the cabin roof was rather high up, and more difficult to put up, so I converted her to a twin masted rig, with a Topper mizzen mast and bowsprit. As yet I have not tried this configuration, but it gets the sail area up to about 18m2, which I think would be the top end for this boat and she should move rather well with it.

I have actually now decided to sell up, partly owing to health issues and of owning too many boats so she is available in the North West, complete with road trailer. I have decided to ask £4500, which I feel is pretty reasonable considering the cost and work involved, and the fact that it must be a one-off opportunity to obtain such a folding tri, plus production models are very much more expensive.

I am a retired architect and have built boats and many other things in the past, I know about ply and epoxy, she is a good well made boat.

Photos of Strike 16 trimaran …

The first 2 photos here show the boat prior to any rigging.

These next 3 images show the original rigging, with mast, sails and amas from a Pixie 14 catamaran. Note the mast mounted on top of the cuddy.

And here are 2 pictures of after this small trimaran’s conversion to a twin masted rig.

Sailor and small trimaran afficianado Aurelio P. is working to build up a 10 foot trimaran class. With this goal in mind, He has additionally created a whole bunch of renders and pdf docs featuring a new 10 foot trimaran design.

We’ve already seen him working on his own 10 foot boat here and here. And he even set up a website for the 10 foot class here.

These can be seen (and downloaded) below. It is Aurelio’s hope this information will ultimately help sailors build their own boats so they can participate in future regattas.

If anyone wants to build this trimaran they can contact Aurelio and obtain the building plans.

The pics are featured below. The pdf documents are as follows:

10 foot trimaran class document #1
10 foot trimaran class document #2
10 foot trimaran class document #3
10 foot trimaran class document #4
10 foot trimaran class document #5
10 foot trimaran class document #6
10 foot trimaran class document #7
10 foot trimaran class document #8

Here is a great looking Seaclipper 16 trimaran launched this summer (colorful too :-)

It was built by sailor Ed Stewart, who is sailing this boat on nearby lakes in Tennessee. He says the boat performs well under sail and his wife really likes its stability.

Building plans for this boat can be obtained from designer John Marples (you can check out plans/specs for this particular boat at his website here).

Ed built the version of this boat with cockpit type seating, but a more traditional, open cockpit version is also now available for builders too.

Click on any of the images below in order to enlarge them. (And thanks to Ed for sharing pics of his new boat with us :-)

Sailor Gary Baigent is almost finished building his unique, self-designed trimaran. This boat is going to use foils as its outriggers.

Gary is a very experienced waterman and builder, but this is certainly “out of the box.” I don’t know that I know many guys who would attempt anything like this.

We’re already looking forward to hearing about the sea trials for this one.

Gary wrote the following when he sent the below pics to me a few days ago. Click on the images to enlarge. (Thanks for keeping us updated on this boat Gary!)

…………………….

Swimming Frog “Foils” Trimaran?
by Gary Baigent

Soon be sailing on the 6.5 x 7.3 metre monster. Just need to erect D mast and then get the double luff Bill Barry main built. Hull and beam plus floats/foils weighs 102kgs, D mast and rigging 26kgs.

Fast swimmer Frog?

The D mast is a wing mast with the trailing section chopped off at the “central” cross section brace, so you have a blunt area there with the two sail tracks attached at the outer flat D edges. (See photograph below.)

The intention is to have a double luff main sail that is attached at the leeches by sliding pins at the end of the battens … so you have a full wing rig but one that is soft and can be reefed.

This is not as efficient as a C Class or AC45-50 full hard wing, but as said, can be reduced and doesn’t require cranes to lift and drop. And it will be more efficient, I hope, than conventional wing mast/single soft sail. And it won’t have to rotate as much as the latter setup – because of the two sided sail. Therefore less drag and turbulence.

Will this Frog contraption work with strange foils, no floats and equally strange rig?

At the moment I’m impressed how the Frog floats with just the lower part of the foils at the water surface. That will change of course when the rig goes up … but I think the buoyancy of the “bent down” beam will be sufficient to keep platform upright. And when sailing moving, the foils will do their lifting job and keep boat upright.

Will find out soon.

Cheers
Gary

D Mast for Foils Outrigger Trimaran

Challenger trimarans are based in the UK. I wish they were on this side of the Atlantic too. (I’ve wanted to sail one ever since learning the story of how they came about a number of years back).

I’ve done a bit of corresponding with sailor Dawn Smith over the past couple weeks. She is highly skilled sailor who badly injured her back while navigating her cruising vessel in a huge storm in 2013. Dawn has been researching the best way for her to get back onto the water for awhile.

Especially what sort of boat to sail.

Dawn’s research has led to daysailing trimarans. Specifically, the Challenger trimaran. These boats have been enjoyed by all types of sailors, but have been especially helpful to individuals dealing with mobility challenges.

Dawn has currently re-positioned her sailing blog to focus on her sailing a borrowed Challenger trimaran. I am looking forward to her new stories and adventures on the water. I think many of our readers will enjoy following her story as well. Below is the lead-in of Dawn’s newest blog entry (at the time of this writing):

A New Beginning
by Dawn Smith

I decided to redo my blog as my enthusiastic purchase of Freyja the Westerly Centaur was tinged with sadness and regret when I had to sell her a month later, as it was clear I could not cope with all the work required to make her ready for sea.

As anyone who reads my blog will know, my single-handed ocean sailing came to an abrupt halt in 2013 when I injured my spine in a fall on the foredeck during heavy weather, sailing Windway my Joshua 40 steel ketch and I have been in recovery ever since.

Windway has been sold to a doctor from Stockholm and he is now mooring her at the bottom of his garden in South Koster, Western Sweden. I have been invited to go and sail with him, but this will depend on my mobility, as Windway has a steep companionway, which for the present would be too difficult to negotiate in harbour and I feel impossible once she is carrying sail and heeled over at 20 degrees. It is a nice thought to sail on my old boat with her new owner, but for now I will just have to keep in touch with Ola on Facebook and follow their progress that way

To say I miss sailing is an understatement. Click here to continue reading on Dawn’s blog…

______________

Aqueous Solution is a tandem, double outrigger kayak. To be more specific, it’s a 20-foot long Little Wing Tandem Sail from Warren Light Craft.

It’s now for sale by it’s owner, Jackie V. who enjoyed sailing it on lovely Lake Champlain – situated between Canada, Vermont and New York.

This kayak is described by Jackie below. She also shares a great day’s sailing experience with this particular craft.

Soon, a new owner will be able to rig this lightweight sailer-paddler for new adventures on the water. (Thanks for sharing the story of Aqueous Jackie!)

Anyone interested in inquiring about it should contact Jeff Hill (CPYB) at BruceHillYachtSales. All of the available pictures for the boat can be seen on this webpage.

………………

Aqueous Solution
by Jackie V.

I did a google search for kayak sailing rigs a few years ago and came across the warren light craft boats. I have sailed my own feathercraft kayaks with downwind sails for years, and a Greenland folboat with a reaching sail and leeboard. I was keen to move to the next level of sailing.

In 2015 I decided to use some of my savings to buy a sail boat so I could really enjoy the limited free time that I have. I first I demoed the Warren single in Georgetown and liked it.

I liked the idea that it can be used as a kayak or sailboat, and the Carbon Fiber build suggested it would really fly and be durable. I wanted the tandem so I could sail single handed or with a friend. I thought it would be possible to sleep on the trampoline (turns out this isn’t practical in many situations).

I think some reinforcement around the attachment points for the fore and aft beams and centerline of the hull would be good. I don’t like the seals on the water tight hatches. The original gaskets were way too thin and not very compressible, so it was very tricky to seal properly. Thus the very large stern compartment could flood and that is bad – though you wouldn’t sink.

I’ve since had those old gaskets replaced and the new ones, which are much improved, are wider and more compressible. I think a double gasket system would be even better. Interestingly, when I sent me report to Zac and Ted Warren, I gave them ideas on how to improve the seal. I noticed afterwards they had double gaskets on the new kayaks.

A flip up rudder mechanism or, better but more complicated, a controlled break point in the shaft with a retaining cable, might be a good idea. The sailing rudder is big, and if you hit something it is gone and when you are under sail that is not fun. That happened to me this summer, because the lake level is so low. I carry an outrigger paddle and with that I made it to shore, but then I’m a very good kayaker. After a disappointing customer service experience with WLC, I had a new one made by the marina – but it was very expensive.

There are a few nicks in the CF but these were repaired. If you use a boat stuff happens. This does not bother me in the least. It’s still a very nice looking boat!

My main use of this boat has been daysailing. I really love this, but I feel like I don’t kayak anymore and I don’t like that. Also, I took sailing lessons in in 2015, and discovered I really love sailing keelboats, and was surprised by how quickly I learned to handle a 27 ft soling. I’m buying a J70 for next summer, which I can take 2-4 people on as opposed to one, and I can weekend on it as the cabin is small but I am 5’4 so ok for me.

I strongly recommend getting a Torqueedo 503 for this boat. That motor is perfect as it is super light, can be taken apart and stowed when you don’t need it. There is a mount installed.

The boat is a bear to paddle when the wind dies, and it is very hard to get out of or into a crowded marina slip if the wind is against you, in part because the boat is so light. Less important if the boat is kept on the beach. This would be perfect if you had a house on Lake Champlain, and if that were my situation I’d probably keep it along with the J70.

I live in Montreal, so I kept the boat docked. I have to say that is not as good a plan as I thought it was. I can put it together on my own except for stepping the mast. It’s light, but the center hull is too heavy and too long for me to put on my j-rack alone. So I was kind of stuck.

I feel completely in control sailing single handed in 15-20 knot conditions, 20+ with 2-3 ft swell on lake Champlain is thrilling. I have not gone out above 25. The design is such that you cannot flip unless there are large breaking waves, unless you do something really nuts.

My greatest day of sailing this boat included blue skies, 15-20 knots with 2 ft swells, whipping along on a close haul, between rouses Point NY and Alburg VT. Running down wind, the boat started to come out of the water a bit, I felt like I was flying and to some extent I was. I felt I was skipping from the top of one swell to the next!

Just received this bit of news from the folks who sell the SeaRail 19 trimaran. It now comes with an “On-the-Water” Folding System. It comes from this page on the SeaRail website, which states:

The SR-19’s new folding system is widely based on the f-boat system and is engineered using triangulation methods, allowing for the use of much lighter material while increasing its overall strength. This new folding system will only add 8 pounds to the SeaRail’s overall sailing weight – bringing that weight to just over 700 pounds (fully laden). To prevent drag which has plagued similar systems, the new SR-19 system is mounted above the hull chine, well away from the flow line.

I like it. By the way, I think this boat is going to be featured at the sailboat show in Annapolis.

Here also are 2 YouTube videos featuring the SeaRail 19 sailing …

Sailor Jen Iott has a Farrier trimaran she wants to sell. According to her description, this boat is a beauty and the new owner is going to get it for a terrific price (in my opinion).

Lots of upgrades on it!

This Farrier is located in Maine, where Jen operates Aurora Sails and Canvas. She is a very experienced sailor and marine industry professional … a great person to handle serious inquiries about this small cruising trimaran.

Her description (and a few small pics) are below. Jen’s contact info is below for anyone interested in this boat.

…………..

My Farrier Trimaran is for Sale
by Jen Iott

I’ve been in the sailing industry for my entire adult life, raced big boats, and own a sail and canvas shop. Multihulls were attractive to me because they are more interesting and challenging to sail. The Farrier tri was particularly attractive because it is trailerable and easy to maintain.

We bought this boat from another canvas guy in the area. When we first purchased this boat it was used to display our work, which includes running a sail and canvas shop. I’ve primarily sailed it in Penobscot Bay in Maine.

This boat includes new sails, which we made for it, and it also features a new dodger and tramps. In addition, this trimaran has new rigging, a roller-furler jib and boomless mainsail.

Other features include a solar battery charger and a DC outlet. And we also made a platform between the seats to allow for sleeping.

This is a great boat (for what it is) and it DOES come with the trailer.

One of best sailing times I ever had on it was one beautiful day in September … we took it across the Bay and met up with an 80′ schooner and kept up with it.

As you can see from the above, we’ve made tons of improvements, and our asking price is just $16,000. It’s located in Rockport, Maine.

Anyone seriously interest may contact me at my phone number – 207-230-4582 or via email: jen.iott21 AT gmail.com

Here is a fun bit of info about a “Little Tri” in the Netherlands.

The builder/sailor of this boat, Hans, participated in the Dorestad Raid, which featured lots of other small boats. This sort of event is often loads of fun for small boat aficionados … and this one sounds like one of those affairs. See Han’s write-up below.

Although there is only one picture of the boat sailing at this Raid, there are a couple of neat photos of the boat at dock. (One of them being quite creative).

Thanks to boat designer Bernd Kohler for forwarding this to us.

Building plans for the Little Tri can be found at Duckworks.

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An update about sailing activities with the Little Tri.
by Hans

I participated in the “Dorestad Raid”, a sail and oar event that was held in the North of the Netherlands.
There were about 22 small sail/row boats and a big mothership for sleeping and dinner.

I was the first multihull to attend to this kind of event (at least in the Netherlands). All went well.
I could keep up with most of the rowers with my sculling oar.

Sailing I was one of the fastest boats (but not that much faster, and not when beating to windward). The only uncatchable boat was the “Wuptem”, a traditional looking rowing shell, but completely from carbon, with two finnjol rigs and a carbon folding propeller driven by cycle pedals.

It was great fun sailing together with all kind of beautiful boats through the Frisian landscape.

I went home with the “Pride of the Fleet” prize , for being innovative, for good boat handling and seamanship. It was nice to see other small boat people recognizing my simple solutions. Especially sculling backwards got a lot of attention.

I hope to attend next year.

Sailor Aaron de Ruiter shares some info and pics of his 20-foot trimaran. He designed and is currently building this boat and it’s nearly finished. Sea trials are about to get underway.

Aaron describes it as a 6.0 lightweight demountable trimaran that separates into 3 sections; 2.4m bow section, 2.4m midships section + 1.2m aft section.

He is calling this design the RUDI 6.0. I’ll let him share the full story of how this design came about, plus some images (below).

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RUDI 6.0 Trimaran Nearly Complete
by Aaron de Ruiter

I’ve been sailing pretty much all my life (I’m 35 y/o), from 3 crew sailing dinghys when I was a boy, to regular Saturday crew racing a 37ft monohull around Sydney Harbour to paid crew on square and gaff rigged 100ft charter ships. Plus 7 years in the Royal Australian Navy as a Submariner — not sure if that counts as sailing experience though!

I’ve never built a boat before but I’ve repaired many a timber yacht. Last year I bought a Farrier 680 Trailer Tri for $500 with the intention of a restoration, however, the aka beams and amas were full of rot. Fortunately, I sold most of the sailing gear (mast, sails, winches etc) for a tidy profit.

It was this failed project that led me to the conclusion I wanted a smaller tri that didn’t require a trailer and was easy to store away and avoid exposure to rain and sun. I have a steep driveway that rules out a trailer but car-topping the boat is just doable. I have a ute (that’s a pickup for you yanks!) which can hold the main hull sections while the rest of the boat, Mk3 Boyer A class cat hulls for ama’s, mast and cross beams, are on the roof racks.

Time spent on this building project thus far? Total hours are probably in the range of 70-90 hours over the last 5 months. 3 kids and running a business don’t leave much room for Dad and his boat!

I’m not familiar with any of the CAD programs available so, to draw up the line for this boat I used Keynote on my MacBook Pro.

As far inspiration goes I think it would be fair to suggest nearly all designers are influenced by their contemporaries. I’ve read Gary Dierkings book on outrigger canoes and liked the demountable solution of his Wa’apa but not its lines or narrow beam. I like Frank Smoot’s foam hulled solution of his 24ft tri but felt his amas needed more buoyancy.

After all my reading I ultimately wanted a boat that I had designed myself to meet my exact needs; simple to build and stow away, reasonable sailing ability and can carry a 400kg load.

Specifications of this boat are as follows:

– A class cat 4mm plywood hulls for ama’s. Estimated weight each is 20kg
– 6.8m 22ft stayed aluminium mast from Hobie 14
– have at least 2 people on the tramps at any given time.
– estimated mainsail area will be 12sqm / 130sq foot
– jib 3.7 sqm / 40sq foot
– possible screecher will be mounted on a 600mm prodder
– main hull is 6mm ply, EPS foam and fibreglass/epoxy.
– estimated main hull weight 100kg, all up weight around 170kg
– main hull beam at widest point 603mm
– sailing beam 4.2m
– distance between aka beams is 2250mm

I am planning to sail this boat inside QLD’s Great Barrier Reef, Sydney’s Broken Bay, inland and coastal lakes … mostly daysailing and up to 7 days camp sailing for 2.

Hope to have the boat in the water in 4 weeks.

Cheers,
Aaron
Avoca Beach, Australia

The restoration of the Searunner 25 trimaran in Minnesota continues. And see here also. I received the following detailed info and pics from sailor John Ebert, who is really going the extra mile to restore this classic tri.

If you’re someone who loves “technical information” then you’re going to love this post! It’s important to note, however, that what John shares below isn’t techie for “techies’ sake” … it’s very practical.

IMO, John’s info is going to give a lot of sailors some food for thought as they work on their boats.

Anyone interested in this boat can also download Jim Brown’s classic, Searunner Construction Manual (from the 1970s), in PDF, on this page at OutRigMedia.

We can hardly wait to see this Searunner 25 in the water next sailing season :-)

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Refurbing My Searunner 25 Trimaran
by John Ebert

I carefully sanded the entire hull and the vertical upper deck sides and underneath, leaving the topside horizontal decking and trim for next year.

I put 3 coats of Pettit Hydrocoat Anti-Fouling ‘Blue’ below the waterline and this took 2 quarts, all done by 6 inch roller. I did the same for the amas but used red instead just to see if I liked better or not. I like the blue better.

I also roller painted Pettit EZ-Poxy Polyurethane Semi-Gloss White above the waterline on amas and hull, and this took 1 gallon. I nearly had to buy a quart to finish, but got lucky.

I painted the top deck sides-only for this season, and the amas top decks with Pettit EZ-Poxy Sandstone Gloss, and I liked how smooth it rolled on and flattened down to nice finish that I think next time I will use gloss on all the hulls above the waterline. Getting a consistent finis with the semi-gloss was more work and precision rolling than I liked. Maybe I’ll buy a spray gun instead, that would have to surely be a sweet outcome, and faster too.

We removed the motor mount which had been on the starboard aft wall (dangerous and weak) and moved it to the transom, testing clearances and positioning carefully before-hand. We wanted to reinforce the aft without cutting any wood. Our tests of filling a clear plastic thin wall cavity with high density expanding foam revealed significant increases in structural reinforcement, so I went ahead and did light ‘tap tests’ on the transom to listen for where the hollows and framing were, and determined the motor mount location from that as well.

From the exterior I drilled 8 holes in the transom (yikes!) and ran 5/16″ carriage bolts through to the interior. Because the transom is a curved plane, not all bolts could be the same length, and it was a very close result but my careful study of it all resulted in all bolt threads being accessible from the interior.

I torqued very little force on the bolts now holding the motor mount in position, and drilled one more hold in the interior wall only of the transom. To the walls and floor I taped up painters drop-cloth plastic, inserted the foam tube and counted off 5 seconds and stopped. Our prior tests, captured on video so we could review the test, indicated we would need 5 seconds and no more of injection.

The foam expanded and did not spill out anywhere except the injection hole, surrounding the carriage bolts and their threads as planned. I let it setup for two days and then was able to extract the bolts using a light tapping on the interior thread ends using a wood block and 2 lb hammer, and removed the motor mount and all carriage bolts.

Using a counter-sink drill bit, I beveled the transom holes lightly and applied small rings of butyl rubber to act as water-seal ‘O’ rings and remounted all the hardware and did a final torque-down of it all. Tap tests and pull tests indicate we completed a successful transom mount motor mount installation. I hung a 3.5 horse 4 cycle extended shaft motor on it and it was stable and firm as hoped. We are very pleased with our adventurous result!

We identified a few dangerous patch jobs on ama punctures by previous skippers, cleaned them out, and epoxy resin with hardenner with backing boards were fitted in as they should have been done. I feel so much safer, what a problem if one of those ama patches had failed and sprung a leak!

Since my last communication with you, we thought long and hard about our methods and equipment used for deploying the amas by one person and have made improvements in the process. Next year I will make a demonstration video of it all in action. Until then I’ll leave all that under-wraps as I still have one more variation in the process to explore.

I installed some lengths of PVC pipe in the interior to act as raceways for wiring, where before it was stick-on pads and cinch ties (ugly!). I’m not finished with that yet.

I include some pictures of my interior ships Lithium Iron Phosphate battery (LiFePO4) The ‘Fe’ means Ferrous, as in ‘Iron.’ Also is included the balance charger that has several charge profiles available in case one wants to use other types of battery chemistry.

On first blush, buying a 20 amp hour battery for $170 might seem contrary to buying deep cycle lead acid chemistry because of shipping from China, including a $30 hazardous handling fee (a ruling from Congress that is a bit uninformed about the safety of LiFePO4 versus LiPOs that burn up in iPhones etcetera) A second look however reveals LiFePO4 is the more cost efficient, safe, and usage efficient solution.

There is no battery acid to gassing or spilling risk, and the LiFePO4 will attain over 2000 charge cycles with a useful depth of discharge of up to 80% drawdown, whereas lead acid will be challenged to attain 300 cycles with a useful drawdown of only about 20 to 25% before reducing the life cycles possible. Though initially cheaper, lead acid batteries are the technology of the past.

Ask Elon Musk why his cars use lithium battery technology if more information is needed, the same factors are superior in sailboats as well. Readers can submit questions if they want to know more about this setup. I intend to power the DP6 OcDay battery charger with solar panels later, I managed to get it to power up on a 30 watt panel in strong sun, so its do-able, I just need more appropriate solar panels for the final install.

To minimize amp hour demands on this ‘small’ battery, I have converted all my ships lights, including mast and running lights to power efficient L.E.D.s and this battery should still have spare juice in it even after running all lights all night, but lead acid would have died long ago. If I were to install electric motor in the boat, it would use the same approach, just more and slightly different batts weighted for higher average current draw rates.

I again re-wired the central power distribution panel (not happy with my first work) and began putting some interior lights and more efficient and clean routing wires into their raceways.

Finally, I also purchased the Raymarine ‘WiFish’ product for real-time navigation safety using the ‘chirp’ technology and ‘down-vision’ for actually imaging the contour of the seabed below and installed it in the boat. WiFish interfaces to the transducer and then sends the application data out over WIFi to my Android 7 inch tablet!

I took the unit out in Leech lake for a sea trial in my 16 foot fishing boat and it did a great job of reassuring me I was in safe waters, and also it revealed current maps of the area are too inaccurate, that I could actually approach land structures more closely or to back-off using downvision and depth readouts.

I bought the WiFish because I already had $200 invested in my tablet, and getting the ‘add-on’ hardware and software for a sale price of $149 this summer was a great choice. It’s currently $199.

If I were to get another tablet, say a 10″ or more, what a display that would make! If I had not had a tablet, then I would have purchased their DragonFly 4PRO, 5PRO, or 7PRO. When I use the WiFish, I can record the journey and upload it to Navionics as a ‘community’ update of actual depth contours that others can then use.

In addition, I encountered a navigation hazard of a 12″ to 16″ tree floating in the lake with one end above water and the other end dragging 9 feet below on the seabed. I alerted local authorities but also upload the hazard to Navionics so other mariners would see it on their Raymarine gear electronic charts.

This is the product, I love it because it removes most stress and fear of being in treacherous waters, and offers manual or auto route planning, recording of actual track taken, distance and time between waypoints, water temperature readout, weather and tides, etc: http://www.raymarine.com/view/?id=11201

(Be sure to click on the images on this page to enlarge them).