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…)
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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Passenger-Transport Trimaran Under Development
In this post we hear from boat designer Steve Mitrovich, who is designing / building what I refer to here as a sort of passenger-transport trimaran in Port Townsend. As you can see from the image, it’s a unique-looking boat.
Fascinating design here … be sure to visit his webpage (listed below) for updates and more info. We wish him much success with this project and many thanks for sharing it with us.
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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…)
Proa with Fully Decked Main Hull
A proa here, but very interesting DIY build twist. The main hull is completely decked.
Some readers of this blog may find this vaka hull interesting. Lots of interesting things going on here. (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…)
Nice Write Up & Pics of Solway Dory Sailing Canoes
Here is a nice little write-up (with pics) of Solway Dory sailing canoes in the UK. The full blog article is linked to below.
Article Snip:
I’ve been thinking a lot about canoe sailing lately, for various reasons. I recently sold my first sailing canoe Spy, to a sailor up in Salem, Mass. on Boston’s north shore, and that empty rack in the canoe shed has got me thinking. I have often wondered what I might do with a sailing canoe design if I started from scratch, with no pretensions to racing in any organized sense, but with the intention of building a wholesome and seaworthy canoe for day sailing and cruising. It was while banging around the internet in search of all things canoe sailing, that I came across the Open Canoe Sailing Group (OCSG) and Solway Dory, the UK builder of sailing canoes and rigs. (more…)
Very Odd Small Trimaran
A very odd small trimaran indeed!
Sailing friend Ian McGehee shared the following links with us a few days ago. They appear to promote a small tri that is no longer in production.
As Ian notes, however, we can document it for historical purposes, as it certainly is an odd design. Many thanks to him for taking time to share this find with us here on the smalltrimarans blog.
The main link that includes the 2 images below can be found here: https://www.bootveiling.com/en/boats-for-sale/202372/multihull-sailing-boat/trimaran-330/ (more…)
Folding Trimaran Shroud
Sailor Thom Davis shares how he solved a problem often associated with folding trimarans. Namely, the lack of an easy method to tension and de-tension mast shrouds in between the folding and unfolding of the boats.
He explains what he is now doing for his boat below. A great write up and video here … and many thanks for sharing it with us!
Thom writes:
Hi Joe.
One common issue with folding trimarans is the likelihood that the shrouds must be tensioned and detensioned each time you fold and unfold. (more…)
Sailor Asks for Identity of This Trimaran in NZ
This abandoned trimaran caught the attention of a sailor in Christchurch, New Zealand recently. It’s moored in the bay where he lives.
If any of our readers can identify the designer, model, type or history of this boat then please share in the “Comments” area below.
He sent the following pics, expressing curiosity about this sailboat’s origins. (So we kinda are now curious too :-) (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…)
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…)
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…)
Thoughts on Designing & Building a Light, Car-top-able Outrigger Sailing Canoe
The following comes from a post by sailor Wade Tarzia on the Instructables.com site. Lots of good stuff here that may relate to designing one’s own small trimaran.
It’s an older post but still very much worth reading. Check it out the full article via the link below. (more…)
Waterlust Canoe with Double Outriggers
The Waterlust expedition canoe is a sailing canoe designed by Chesapeake Light Craft. CLC offers it as a kit for DIY homebuilders.
Here is the webpage featuring the Waterlust Canoe on CLC site: https://www.clcboats.com/boatbuilding-news-events/waterlust-expedition-canoes.html One paragraph describing this canoe summarizes it as follows: (more…)
Farrier F25 Trimaran Mast for Sale (Texas)
Anyone interested in acquiring the mast (and some other hardware) from an F25 trimaran? Sailor Thomas B. emailed to let us know about his Craigslist post featuring the mast, which can be found here: https://austin.craigslist.org/bpo/d/austin-trimaran-sailboat-mast-30-foot/7430214027.html
He wrote: “I plan to disassemble a farrier f25 in the next few months. The hulls and ammas have delaminated, and so are trash. The hinges and other hardware are in good shape though. Before I just take them to be recycled I was wondering where I could announce their availability for anyone planning to build a farrier.” (more…)
7.2 Meter Trimaran Crosses Atlantic Under Kite Power
The below story was published by Reuters on 12/22/21 at this URL: https://dunyanews.tv/en/WeirdNews/633985-Portuguese-man-successfully-crosses-the-Atlantic-using-only-kite-power
Pretty amazing feat for a lone sailor in boat that is just under 24 feet in length. The trimaran was flying under that kite :-)
He is hoping to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. (more…)
Tony Grainger Designed Rocket 25 Trimaran
I found the following design concept by Tony Grainger on this old webpage: https://trimaranproject.blogspot.com/2013/12/tony-grainger-designed-rocket-25.html?m=1
I don’t know if one of these Rocket 25 trimarans was ever built. There are a number of competitive designs in this size range.
Canoe Sailing with Simple Outrigger Floats
What a beautiful setting to do some canoe sailing. And this fellow does it in elegant simplicity.
Simple boat.
Simple rig.
Island hopping.
Camp cruising most days. But also stayed in a B & B at least one night during one of these trips.
This is the stuff of a middle class sailor’s dreams (psssst, that would be some of us :-) (more…)
Sprit Sail on a Small Trimaran?
Anyone ever put a sprit sail on their small trimaran? Just curious.
If so, would you let us know, in the comments area below?
I’m thinking about putting one on a kayak this coming summer. But I don’t recall ever seeing one on a multihull.
Boat designer Bernd Kohler was going to design a sprit to fit on his Little Tri, but I don’t know if he ever did it.
The boat with the sprit sail featured in this post is linked to the following article, published on SmallBoatsMonthly.com: https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/living-sprit-sails/
One Approach to Raising a Larger Mast
Sailor Bill Murphy sent me the following info on the mast raising approach he uses on his Outrigger 26 trimaran. He thought it might be of interest to others.
Questions or suggestions are welcome in the comments area below. Bill is allowing us to reprint the information found originally on the webpage seen here: https://www.esva.net/~creeksedge/dreams/mastraisingalso.html
Many thanks to him for sharing it with us here on smalltrimarans.com! (more…)
Windrider 16 Cruiser
Can one turn a Windrider 16 trimaran into a small cruising sailboat? Sailor Curtis Patzer shares a short story here, along with some practical details about what he did to turn his WR 16 into something more than a mere daysailer.
I love posting this kinda stuff (and I hope readers enjoy it too :-)
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Curtis writes:
I thought I’d send an email to mention my Windrider 16 camp-cruiser. (more…)
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