In this post we hear once again from sailor Eric Dahlkamp about a small trimaran he is building. This boat will replace his current one after he sells it.
The center hull is a repurposed Snark sailboat. It’s a very interesting project. (Thanks for sharing it with us Eric!)
Eric writes:
My little replacement for Crosswins is coming along – slowly. No rush.
Plan to use her exclusively after I sell Crosswinds following the EC2020.
Here she is on her float trial at Willard Bay in northern Utah. Lovely Fall day.
Hi Eric,
why do you switch from your nice Cross18 to this machine???
I liked your Texas 200 videos.
or is it the problem of finding crew?
Greetings from California
Hi Chris,
We’ll have to let Eric reply to his situation. In general, I’ve found that the smaller and easier a boat is to set up and use — the more it gets used.
Smaller often means more time out on the water.
Hi Chris, still sail Crosswins on annual long distance events. She single hands very well, but I do like crew aboard in wind to take the tiller for me to handle the sails and seems a shame not to share the cockpit space with an enthusiast! Lovely ride, comfortable, fast and completely self contained for onboard camping. That takes time to stage though, making local trailer daysailing a bit of a chore – set up robs me of sailing time after the long trek to good water in these parts. Plus, here at home, family and friends don’t sail so I end up going alone mostly. Squirt will set up in 5 minutes, be super responsive as a singlehander and carry everything I need for the day or overnight. Joe’s said it all. The smaller the boat, the more she gets used.
Eric,
I’ve been following your adventures for a while. Can’t wait to see Squirt out there on the 2021 Texas 200. The last two years were a hoot! I’ll be out there in my own Frankenstein’s monster of a trimaran involving a 13.5’ pirogue with outriggers named Sweetwater Breeze
Howard,
We’d love to see some pictures of “Sweetwater Breeze”
Please send a few to me if you get a chance ;-)