A trimaran daysailer foraging boomers

[sail(plane)]

The staying dry part is easy. Stay below 10 or 12kt depnding on the boat size.

The platform seems similar to a Strike 18 or Pulse (very different, I know)

As for the rig, take a look at Fast Forward Composites hybrid wing. It's not freestanding, but it has most of the same advantages, like not getting hung up on stays and low sheet loads. Randy Smyth used a small one on his trimaranish race boat for the Everglades Challenge

Price: use the "pick two from a  triangle" decision model

 

[TwoBirds]

wouldn't an antisub frigate be much better than a trimaran if you're foraging for boomers?

 

[MultiThom]

wouldn't an antisub frigate be much better than a trimaran if you're foraging for boomers?

Nah, A P3 Orion.  MAD, MAD, MAD...

 

[mundt]

It sounds like you have the skills to build your desired free standing mast from carbon.  How bout getting yourself a small tri, maybe a Tramp, Windrider or Searail, and stick your mast in it. A non-rotating tube the same length as a beachcat mast so you can get sails easily and cheaply.  Acats also have really nice carbon masts.  In my experience (still sailing a beachcat and small tri regularly) you should just grab something off the shelf and sail it.  Spending a lot of time and money building something will end up disappointing you.  The standing rigging on small tris is pretty much a non issue when you're sailing.  

 

[MultiThom]

It sounds like you have the skills to build your desired free standing mast from carbon.  How bout getting yourself a small tri, maybe a Tramp, Windrider or Searail, and stick your mast in it. A non-rotating tube the same length as a beachcat mast so you can get sails easily and cheaply.  Acats also have really nice carbon masts.  In my experience (still sailing a beachcat and small tri regularly) you should just grab something off the shelf and sail it.  Spending a lot of time and money building something will end up disappointing you.  The standing rigging on small tris is pretty much a non issue when you're sailing.  

Don't see how that would work.  There's no mast step on either WR or SR, just a ball/pin that the mast rides on top of.  Sans shrouds, mast fall down go boom.  But I agree, unless you really love to build an already constructed boat is more fun immediately; and most boomers do see the light at the end of the tunnel and want fun now, not years from now.

 

[maxstaylock]

Not really seeing what boxes the F22 or whatever the corsair / dragonfly equivalent is doesn't tick?

There are 3 important factors in making a multihull nice to sail:  Weight, displacement, and mass.

Even at weta size, unstayed rigs are shitters, the scaling effects make them even worse.  Give me a nice light fractional rotating mast with adjustable diamonds and spreaders any day of the week, there is a reason they are ubiquitous. Fit an RCB track if you like, it will still weigh less than half a freestanding rig, and be easier to step and drop.

Any of the production boats, with anything you don't need removed (sprits, booms, floorboards etc) will make a better boat than you could possibly come up with.  With the advantage that you or your wife will also be able to sell it when the time comes.

 

[MultiThom]

Back a decade ago, I owned a triak trimaran which was 18 feet long, weighed 100 pounds had an unstayed carbon mast.  But it is a single seater and, more importantly, is no longer available.  There were a lot of good points (easy to paddle, light and easy to handle, quick to rig/unrig-especially if you put it on a trailer instead of car topping).  Lots of bad things as well, you sit inside and steer with feet and the floats are undersized and only attached with one bolt to the single aka so they tended to break.  That being said, I enjoyed it a lot for many years.  

 

[TwoBirds]

lol, in my rush to be a smart ass I forgot why I was posting in the first place

Someone mentioned one Richard Woods boats and I just wanted to say that my first boat was a dinghy built from a set of his plans and I was quite impressed by how clear and easy to follow they were, I had very little woodworking experience, and how quickly the boat came together, have also had a ton of fun in it

 

[MultiThom]

Not really seeing what boxes the F22 or whatever the corsair / dragonfly equivalent is doesn't tick?

I think the big unsaid issue is $$$.  Hard to justify (in your own head) the cost of a car on something you play with once or twice a month.  Some Boomers have bunches of bucks, some not so much.  Many want to leave legacy $ to (un)deserving offspring so limit their enjoyment of their earnings...plus, since not earning new $, existing $ must last for as long as needed to end of days.  It is also tough (speaking from personal knowledge) to spend 60 or more years being frugal and then change to someone who is more frivolous with money.  

 

[hannibalhouse]

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/foraging

 

[MultiThom]

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/foraging

With a moniker of hannibalhouse, you'd think foraging boomers would be right up your alley.  ...liver and fava beans with a bottle of chianti....

 

[dragontri]

Ok, busted! I knew it was only a matter of time before somebody was catching me on that one, I should have looked the title over and put that space in there..."for (space) aging boomers". I don't know how to correct that so I'll live with the shame. FYI, I do forage a lot, wild mushrooms mostly but also bivalves and shore plants. 

 

[dragontri]

I think the big unsaid issue is $$$.  Hard to justify (in your own head) the cost of a car on something you play with once or twice a month.  Some Boomers have bunches of bucks, some not so much.  Many want to leave legacy $ to (un)deserving offspring so limit their enjoyment of their earnings...plus, since not earning new $, existing $ must last for as long as needed to end of days.  It is also tough (speaking from personal knowledge) to spend 60 or more years being frugal and then change to someone who is more frivolous with money.  

You're right on, the $$ are an issue; being retired makes it a bit harder to spend money outside the budget. Plus, the powertri that I'm building has already exhausted my boat fund. Fortunately, I had a couple of thousand pounds of extra carbon fiber that I sold off, which will help finish that project but I don't think I can convince my CFO to spend 50K on another toy. The feedback on this forum has been incredible, and I was up half the night musing and coming back to earth. Time is indeed not my friend and I should focus on finding an existing trimaran that needs some help but can be on the water next summer.

 

[Tom Kirkman]

What you want doesn't exist, nor will it. $$$ and a very limited market play a large role in such a boat ever being produced. In the meantime, the closest you're going to get is the Windrider 17. I sailed the prototype for about a year. It doesn't point high, but if you're not in a hurry, so what? It's nearly indestructible, can be sailed in 40+ MPH winds, can carry 2, 3 or even 4 persons and a ton of gear. It's a clever and capable design and is easily rigged and sailed by one person. Yeah, it's ugly, but you can't see it from inside the boat so who cares. I've often thought, and even suggested (to deaf ears), that this same overall concept mated to an updated hull and sail plan design would be even more of a one hell of an all-around capable and fun boat.

This video (and many others) is from a dude that seems to have reconciled his desire to sail with what has ended up being practical for him at this stage in his life. And it seems like he's pretty happy with the boat and what it'll allow him to do. Maybe it's not your dream boat, but it'll keep you on the water and going places for a long time to come: 

 

[dragontri]

A friend let me use his (pretty worn) older Tremolino T-gull 23 a couple years ago for a week with an option to buy it, but while I liked some of the features, it was too hard for me with the low boom and the floppy tramps and rigging. It's what set me on the path of defining what I really wanted  in a sailing tri. One really valid point made here is the resale value for a stock design. Well, winter is here for a few more months, so my 2021 wish will be for a vaccine and a daysailer tri ...

 

[hobiedd97]

My best recommendation for a relatively inexpensive trimaran that will carry two couples is a Tramp. They are not modern high performance boats, but they're comfortable, and faster than most monohulls. The masts are a lot lighter than the Corsairs' masts, so setup is easier. Prices have been going up on Tramps, and boats in good condition aren't generally a lot more expensive than ones in average condition. The first issue with a Tramp is locating one. The next issue is maintenance. Most of the Tramps I've seen have been on the deferred maintenance plan. Many come with the original sails. If you can find one at a reasonable price, it's worth putting money into sails, furlers, etc. In general, Tramps that aren't being  sailed regularly will need a lot of work. Keep in mind that Tramps are close to 40 years old. In my opinion, a well sorted and ready to sail Tramp is worth around $10K. Most of the ones I've seen for sale in the past year needed a lot of work and $5K worth of upgrades. A Tramp maintained in good condition will hold it's value.

For low cost and low maintenance, a Windrider 17 is a good boat. It's quite wet, though, and not comfortable for 4 adults, especially older adults. If you decide that your wife isn't going to sail with you regardless of which trimaran you get, it may be an ok option.

Everyone's got their own preferences and willingness to make trade offs. I think you need to sharpen your requirements if you're serious about getting a trimaran.

 

[MultiThom]

For low cost and low maintenance, a Windrider 17 is a good boat. It's quite wet, though, and not comfortable for 4 adults, especially older adults. If you decide that your wife isn't going to sail with you regardless of which trimaran you get, it may be an ok option.

Someone who recently sailed a Ranger 22 will be horribly unhappy with the windward performance of a Windrider 17 (I was and I was sailing a triak at the time).  A new hobie Getaway will be quicker to weather, quicker downwind, you are not tied to one spot to steer with your feet and you won't have any trouble selling when you want something different since getaway's just can't be found on the used market. You don't have to be athletic (I'm certainly not); you just need to pick days with winds under 20 and/or put a reef in the mainsail (I did).  

 

[Tom Kirkman]

The Windrider 17 isn't expensive, you can sell them on a whim (tremendous market from an almost cult-like following) and for people that just want to sail without having to physically manhandle a boat, it's a great choice and is, in fact, what it was designed for. And it'll take more weather in greater safety than just about any other small boat. Just depends on what you want to do with your sailing.

The Hobie Getaway may be "Gettin' Gone" as the molds have deteriorated to the point that Hobie is no longer producing the boat. Whether they will invest in new molds or not remains to be seen. The "low hanging fruit" as Hobie calls it, is in the kayaks and paddleboards. They've had a record sales year in 2020.

 

[MultiThom]

The Hobie Getaway may be "Gettin' Gone" as the molds have deteriorated to the point that Hobie is no longer producing the boat. Whether they will invest in new molds or not remains to be seen. The "low hanging fruit" as Hobie calls it, is in the kayaks and paddleboards. They've had a record sales year in 2020.

Hard to believe since they made new moulds in 2017 with reverse bows.  

 

[mundt]

Lots of very experienced guys giving very good advice.  Has anyone ever tried adding a leeboard or dagger to a Windrider?  Has anyone ever used a donor Nacra or F18 to upgrade a Tramp's amas, rig and sails?  And a couple boats that haven't been mentioned much but which I enjoyed owning and sailing a lot.  Hobie 21 sc, Hobie 18 with wings, Hobie 17, Weta, Pcat, Reynolds 21.  Once you get used to the wings they really improve the experience.  I just inherited a rare set of Nacra wings from a good buddy.  If I can figure out how to mount them my 5.5 could become a very serious all-around contender.  The real truth being that beachcats and Wetas will give you the highest bang for the buck.  My 7 meter trimaran is fairly light but moving it around by myself is pretty taxing.  My multi 23 was lighter but sailing it solo required similar athleticism and skill as any beachcat.