Scarab 650 Building Blog in France
Writes Jerome R. from France, regarding his construction of a Scarab 650 trimaran: (more…)
Norm Cross Trimaran Designs – Building Plans
Just received an email from Bruce – a sailor who owns a Cross 46 trimaran. He said he found contact info for Jeff Turner, who is the authorized seller of the building plans for the Norm Cross Trimaran designs. (more…)
Kayak Trimaran at Sunset
We received the following a few weeks ago from one sailor who has recently discovered the joy of small tri sailing. He supplies lots of info and some good links below.
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I am an amatuer boat builder / designer, and have built a CLC Sail Rig for my home built cedar kayak. I have gotten the taste of sailing small trimarans and now I am addicted like a junkie on heroin.
So my current boat has its obvious limits since the amas only have 100 pounds of buoyancy, and the vaka was designed as a kayak to start with. The kayak ended up having a center of gravity that was way too high for a kayak, so I made a trimaran out of it. Go here if you want to read about my journey: https://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?268647-Newbie-needs-help-with-small-DIY-sail-plan-trimaran-setup. (more…)
Waterlust Canoe Sailing in Norway
This post features a Waterlust canoe (designed by CLC boats), which we’ve previously seen here. The following info comes to us via email this week from British sailor Guy Hall.
The below videos are featured on his YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnTpCVehNBciIFungb42USA/videos
And be sure to check out the YT channel for more vids too.
Additionally, Guy provides a blog link below that chronicles the building process. He’s got a great looking boat. Many thanks to him for reaching out and letting us see this small tri configuration under sail. (more…)
Drifter 17 Trimaran Under Sail
We first saw the small trimaran named Gypsy Wind in this post here: http://smalltrimaran.co.uk/drifter-17-trimaran-building-plans-now-available-in-pdf/
Sailor Rusin Van Dyke now owns this boat and he created several videos of the boat and posted them on his YouTube Channel, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/user/RusinVanDyke/videos
Among them are the ones below. May you find their presentation of the craft interesting. (more…)
DIY ‘Bird of Prey’ Canoe Stabilizers
Below is a short video featuring DIY canoe outriggers / stabilizers.
Good info here. I saw this exact setup on a motorized canoe in my town this summer. It was awesomely set up for fishing.
Check it out: (more…)
Mix and Match Ulua (Double Outrigger)
Here is a beautiful double outrigger sailing canoe featured on Gary Dierking’s website. The boat is essentially a composite of several of his designs.
Writes Gary D. – “Gary Gunder has completed a 24′ (8.1M) stretched Ulua double outrigger matched with Va’a Motu amas and rudder, and a Wa’apa rig.” (more…)
DC-3 Trimaran KAIMANA Sailing in CA
Sailor Rob Wyman shared the following pics with me about his newly purchased DC-3 Trimaran (named KAIMANA) back in May. My apologies to him for taking so long to post.
His boat is one we got a glimpse of being built by Chuck Fenoglio and readied for sail here and here and here.
It appears the boat was beautifully built by Chuck and will no doubt be a wonderful mini-cruising trimaran for its new owner. John Marples is the designer of this craft, by the way. (more…)
Double Outrigger Canoe in Sarasota
In this post, sailor Rick Meyer shares info, pics and video of his double outrigger sailing canoe. I asked him a few questions about this boat and he kindly replied with some great details.
Great stuff here … many thanks to Rick for sharing it with us!
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Blast from a TriFoiler Past
In this post, Manfred (one of our readers) shares an old MULTIHULL INTERNATIONAL magazine article with us – as a follow up to comments/info he shared on a smalltrimarans post here: http://smalltrimaran.co.uk/12-tanzanian-ngalawa-style-outrigger-canoe/
Manfred writes…
“Maybe you are interested in the old design of Eric J. Manners. I´ve found some stuff after a long search in my older Laps.
There was an article in MULTIHULL INTERNATIONAL with some pictures and long time ago I bought two plans of Mr. Manners. (more…)
Paraw 16 Building Plans
Following is a link to a WordPress site advertising building plans for a 16-foot Paraw. I’ve no background knowledge regarding any aspect of this project, and am simply sharing it with readers who might want to inquire more about it.
The introductory ad copy reads as follows:
“I am drawing plans for this 5 meter long Paraw with a total sail area of 8 sq. meters. Intended for intermediate level boatbuilder, the method of construction is plywood on frames. I skipped the dug-out keel and substituted a laminated keel instead, since it is the only part of the Paraw that requires intimidating carving skill and time. (more…)
KISS – An Open-Source Paddle & Sailing Canoe
Below is the link to an interesting article about a small trimaran currently under development. The idea is to create open source building plans of this boat for use by high schools (and others).
Article snip:
“After some trial and error, the Kiss project took the shape of a 6.60 meter long and 3.20 meter wide canoe. A sort of trimaran with enough volume in the hull and floats for fun under sail, and light enough to reduce drag when paddling. The target weight is less than 200 kg.
The Kiss dugout can accommodate 3 people and can be easily dismantled. The 4 arms are fixed by interlocking systems with pins and dowels.” (more…)
Outrigger Canoes of Bali and Madura, Indonesia (Book)
Here is the link to an informative blog post based upon a book entitled, “Outrigger Canoes of Bali and Madura, Indonesia.”
The blogger writes:
“The outriggers of Indonesian double-outrigger canoes (jukungs) are as sophisticated in their design as they are rudimentary in the technology of their construction. (more…)
Squirt Does the Texas 200 – (Pt 2)
In this post, sailor Eric Dahlkamp shares his experience of day 5 and 6 in this year’s Texas 200. These videos and write ups offer a nice summary overview of Eric’s perspectives during this event.
Thanks again to him for sharing so much info covering the entire journey!
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Squirt Trimaran, 2022 Texas 200 – Day 5 and 6
by Eric Dahlkamp
Day 5 was the most challenging and memorable day of all. I believe 87 boats registered this year. And here I am on day 5 sailing all alone sighting only one boat nearby and a few others briefly on the horizon. Interesting how that happens.
Sailed from Quarantine Shore to Hidden Pass, about 10 miles shy of Army Hole, the designated camp for the night. Every day leaves its unique imprint on the soul. (more…)
Squirt Does the Texas 200
Sailor Eric Dahlkamp shares a great write-up AND video regarding his adventure in the Texas 200 this year. And Eric says his [mostly] self-built boat – Squirt – handled this recent boating affair without a hitch.
There are lots of takeaways from the info posted here. Newer readers should also be aware he has also shared about previous Texas 200 events on this page, and this page, and this page.
Many thanks to him for yet again compiling a terrific on-the-water small trimaran chronicle.
Now, take it away Eric… (more…)
Trimaran 5m50 Sardine Run
The Sardine Run 19 and 23 models are already featured on this blog. Here is yet another model – the 5m50.
Here is a (translated from French) snip from its advertising page:
“What if we created a nice original boat and went everywhere to discover the coast? Having a minimum of comfort, having the practical sense, and not dragging too much…
It is from these few criteria that the Sardine Boats shipyard and the naval architect Éric HENSEVAL collaborated to develop this boat. (more…)
12′ Tanzanian Ngalawa Style Outrigger Canoe
Our sailing friend Ian McGehee shares his latest small trimaran project with us here – a Ngalawa style outrigger canoe. Ian has contributed to a lot of great info on this blog over the years, and this time is no different.
Lots of pics to go along with detailed info about how he put this boat together. This appears to be a lightweight, versatile, and stable platform for outdoor fun.
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Ian writes:
Here’s some info on my windsurfer based ngalawa style amas and adjustable
crossarm system made from thrift store crutches, an aluminum closet pole and
bits and pieces from the hardware store. I’ve been fascinated by the ngalawa
since I first learned of them and this design is sort of a test bed/proof of
concept that allows me to experiment with modernizing their unique architecture
and exploiting the “sprung” nature of the crossarm connections. (more…)
Small Tri Video Compilation
Sailor Christofer Olsson shares a small trimaran video with us in this post. He has 400 followers (i.e., small tri fans) on his YT Channel now.
Chris emailed:
“Created a rewind for all my trimaran builds. Hope you like it.”
Yes, we like it ;-)
Thank you for sharing this video compilation Chris! (more…)
Scarab 18 Trimaran for Sale in NC
One of our readers sent me this CL link to a Scarab 18 Trimaran for sale in Mooresville, North Carolina. At the time of this post, the CL link is: https://charlotte.craigslist.org/boa/d/mooresville-scarab-18-trimaran-sailboat/7486472154.html
All Scarab models are designed with sailing performance in mind and it’s rare to see one advertised for sale here in the USA. Perhaps we can help get the word out about this boat. (more…)
DC3 Trimaran for Sale
One of our readers let me know that the DC3 trimaran we’ve featured on this site previously (being built at the time) is now for sale in Los Angeles. The DC3 is a John Marples design and the CL ad says it was launched in 2021.
There is no doubt a lot of time and effort went into the building of this boat. The asking price seems reasonable too, as this is a trailerable boat with genuine cruising capability. (more…)
Trailering and Boarding Watermouse
Sailor Hans Schipper shares a bit more today about his small trimaran named Watermouse. Specifically, he shares some great shots of the custom trailer he designed for the boat, as well as an explanation of how he uses the seat board to get into the boat without getting his feet wet.
Hans has shared about this boat before. See here and here and here for previous posts.
Hans writes:
Hi Joe,
Summer has arrived here extremely early this week. It has never been so warm here in March!
I want to share some experiences using my smallest trimaran, the watermouse. (more…)
DIY Kayak to Sailing Tri Conversion
Sailing friend Ian McGehee sent me the link to the YouTube vid (below). It features an interesting sailing outrigger kayak. (Thanks again Ian :-)
*** READERS, PLEASE NOTE, this is NOT Ian’s boat – he found this boat and shared the link to it, as he has found links/videos to many small tris with us over the years.
Ian writes: “Hi Joe, just saw this short video of a DIY tri conversion that has some interesting design solutions.”
Here is the video’s write up on its YT page: “In this episode I show how I transform my kayak to a trimaran sailboat with pontoons, mainsail and furling jib. I plan a trip in the ice cold sea outside Ingarö in the Stockholm archipelago. I pack my kayak at the beach of Mörtviken as the sun rises.” (more…)
Drifter 16 Trimaran: From a Free Plan to Under Sail
This info comes from an email I received this week from Duckworks Boat Builders Supply.
One of their customers downloaded a set of free plans for the Drifter 16 trimaran and then built the boat over a period of the 3 1/2 months. The boat looks great. (more…)
Tamanu Double Outrigger Canoe Launch
This double outrigger sailing canoe is a model called “Tamanu” (designed by Gary Dierking). You can see more about the Tamanu design here and here and here.
The photo of this particular build, featured on this page at Gary’s blog, shows the boat on its launch day. And what a setting for a new boat launch – Aruba!
The sailor-builder, Andy Wong, apparently shared a video of the boat under sail, which Gary posted on this page (but also posted below): https://outriggersailingcanoes.blogspot.com/2019/01/andys-tamanu-in-aruba.html?m=1 (more…)
Building An OutRigger Canoe on the Cheap
The link below features a proa being built (instead of a trimaran). The techniques and materials, however, may be of interest to many DIY small tri builders as they see how others build outrigger boats.
It may also provide some food for thought on boatbuilding in financially poor areas. This Instructables article is a good follow up to the previous one just posted. (more…)
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