How to store clothes for living on a racing Trimaran ?

[Skip JayR]

Hi folks.... as I am highly addicted to multihulls, mainly Trimarans actually I got the chance for buying one. Its a real beauty...

... and I just got the plans. In total the Tri has space for living (without the trampolin nets on deck) of size at 14.3 m2 under deck, plus regular storage room 4.7 m2, so in total 19 m2 (= 205 square feet), inclusive a big cockpit in the centre hull of 4.2 m2.

If I take into count the storage under 4 berth (2 in saloon + double berth front) the storage might increase to 8.9 m2. In total space of ca. 23 m2 (248 square feet). I suppose it is something by size similarly to a 26 foot monohull.

Naturally on a speedy multihull there is lack of space, as a trimaran needs light displacement to keep the log > 20 knots. The boat I get the chance to buy is great... everything seems fine.
There is only one single problem: No board for hanging clothes. Only one small space for "wet sailing clothes" beside the central dagger board (with bilge pump).

No, I dont mean such space one... :-)


How to store daily clothes on board of a narrow space Tri (or 26 foot monohull) without any board for hanging clothes ? - I dont need Smoking or expensive Boss suits... but I think you know what I mean.

As I want live on the trimarn + work (as cultural journalist) I need a minimum amount of clothes.

How to store, if not available a regular board size ?

I have seen different Formula 40 Trimarans shortly to get an understanding, e.g. the beautifully refitted Trimaran Spirit. Documentation of the refit here.



... and the Formula 40 Trimaran Gecko designed by Kurt Hughes. Actually refitted in Netherlands and shortly came back into the water.


Gecko under deck after its refit...


I have no idea how these owners handle the storage of clothes ? Any ideas are welcome.... I even have no space under deck of the Trimaran like such solutions... which I found here. No space for hanging things.





Thanks in advance for some cool ideas... :-)

[ryon]

Wet foulies hang in the companionway, a change of underwear will stuff nicely inside your pillow. Fit out a container for the suits and high-heels to be shipped ahead.

I may be crass in asking this, but do cultural journalists really make that kind of money?

[Skip JayR]

Originally Posted by Skip JayR

Hi folks.... as I am highly addicted to multihulls, mainly Trimarans actually I got the chance for buying one. Its a real beauty...

P.S.: I didnt want say that I already bought one. Then you might call me "mad and stupid" asking the relevant question.

I wanted say: I got the offer to buy one. Before I fly onto another continent for checking the boat with 12.5 hours flight I like to clear some details. As mentioned, the plans (and photos) are on my table, beside some vids...

[hoppy]

This thread might give you an idea about how to deal with your clothes

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ad.php?t=29116

😃


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Skip JayR]

Originally Posted by ryon

I may be crass in asking this, but do cultural journalists really make that kind of money?

Tks...

Answering your last question: No, cultural journalists don't. They keep and stay poor mostly underpayed working as freelancer and like slaves for the media companies. In print medias its a diseaster, indeed.

I am independent media producer... that means I am the owner (and copyright holder) of the "stuff" I create... and can sell it internationally to broadcasting stations. Wisely I decided for "radio formats" as it is the cheapest way to produce content :-) And the only way to have a nice living from, beside being a mighty media mogul like Ted Turner (founder of CNN) :-) and still owner of the 12m racer Courageous.


I dont target at a 2-3 million expensive G4 Gunboat... A used Trimaran is affordable, and giving up expensive land life (no car, no car insurance, no rent-a-house etc. ...= it can be handled financially safely.

But lets go back to the thematic.... and my question.

Mostly these days I learn from smart "Tiny house" owners... its a big trend in USA after the financial crisis since 2008 many lost their homes.

Micro homes start at 14 m2... and there are smart folks out there who teach how to setup with low budget a qualitatively good life. E.g. Water heating on a Trimaran is a challenge, as Hot water tanks are too heavy. So the solution is propan heated "water on demand". The prize is affordable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqfb7K-wLAw

So what about "cloth storage" ?? :-)

[Skip JayR]

Originally Posted by hoppy

This thread might give you an idea about how to deal with your clothes

Nice try... but I suppose you are talking about something differently.

[mikereed100]

We use hanging shelves similar to those you posted pictures of. We also vacuum bag our cold weather clothes and blankets, which can then be stuffed just about anywhere. The key, though, is to keep the wardrobe simple. In the tropics you don't need much more than a few pairs of shorts, a pair of lightweight long pants and a handful of shirts.

[Skip JayR]

What about Vaccuum Bags ?? Any experiences with ?

I just read about it (and again learnt from) on the website of TinyHouseTalk: Ladies: How to Get Your Clothes to Fit in a Tiny House
... very interesting to read. Seems some men have more clothes than women, hm ? :-)

So it might be possible to get a living on a narrow space trimaran withoug having a regular standard closet/board ?! :-) ...gives hope as I fell in love with this 40 foot Beauty I took an eye on (video here).

[Tingum]

Nieve person. You are not allowed cloths on a racing multihull. Foulies and a change of underwear and that is all! One square of toilet paper person per day!

[Skip JayR]

Originally Posted by Tingum

Nieve person. You are not allowed cloths on a racing multihull. Foulies and a change of underwear and that is all! One square of toilet paper person per day!

yeah, you are right, Tingum. For racing I even would throw off board the heavy weighted outboarder and anchor chain+anchors to blast the boat to its maximum speed of 24 knots *laugh* .

But I talk about a "living on board", too. As I need for my profession a quick coming from A to B I dont want have a slow cat cruising average speed of 10 knots... which most overweighted Cruising catamarans have.

At least I like a minimum of comfort. Small Galley (2 flame + stoven installed), Toilette (installed), hot water, deck shower (installed), autopilot (installed), 2nd mechanical autopilot/Windwave, water maker, radar and other electronic stuff (chart plotter, GPS, VHF with AIS) etc. ...

... and as I work on board (mostly sitting behind laptop) I need enough power for running file server, 2-3 computers/flatscreens and wifi/wlan, e.g. Solar (installed), Wind energy...

All this is possible on the 40 foot trimaran, no problems with these configurations. As it just has 4 tons displacement (cedar/foam/cevlar) with 140 m2 sails area upwind/170m2 downwind I am little bit flexible to pack some hundred kilos onto. It will keep speed >20 knots (otherwise I wont call it a Trimaran).

Only one item is to get cleared: enough storage for clothes (Rec.: enough storage space for food under the berth bunks is available for a 2 handed transatlantic regatta).

[mstrebe]

1) In the Navy we were taught to roll our clothing rather than folding it. Essentially you fold it in the vertical axis to get a rectangle of sorts, and then roll that rectangle up into an easily packed cylinder. Works with all clothing types including sport-coats, but if you're bothering with a sport-coat you'll probably want to hang it somewhere anyway.

This works great for keeping nice clothes wrinkle-free while still being able to "stuff" the clothing into whatever space you have available. It's how we used to keep our "cracker jack" uniforms looking pressed underway. Every item of clothing can now be stacked however you want in whatever space you have, and it works especially well for oddly shaped locations because you can just stack your clothes like cord wood. Fill any gaps with underwear and socks.

2) Keep your clothes in sealed refrigerator zip-locks, the biggest size you can find easily. We like the ones with the slide locks. We use the freezer sized bags and pack them each for a day's use: 1 pair shorts, socks, underwear, shirt, etc. Seal them most of the way, then press out the remaining air by squeezing them and sealing them while squeezed. This works nearly as well as vacuum bagging and doesn't require any equipment. More importantly it keeps your clothes dry in the inevitable event of water intrusion. You can safely pack plastic clothes bags anywhere you want, including a reasonably clean bilge area.

>>Warning: All bagged clothing, especially vacuum bagged, will be very wrinkly. Rolling them first helps a lot but doesn't eliminate wrinkles from being compressed.

3) Conserve clothing by wearing a swimsuit underway and cleaning that when you shower. You simply leave a black back of water called a solar shower out on deck all day and shower in the afternoon when it's gotten warm.

Hang the solar shower from your boom or backstay and use a little hose to wet yourself down in the cockpit with your swimsuit on. Washing yourself will keep the swimsuit clean. If it's overcast and the water never warms up, your choices are to grin and bear it or skip a day or two. Underway it rarely matters.

If it's cold, wear your weather gear">foul weather gear over your swim-suit. I'm at 33 degrees N latitude, and this regime works well here.

If you're planning on actually sailing long distances, you can forget about ever carrying enough fuel for heated water. That's a luxury that goes out the window pretty quickly. Just get a solar shower bag and go that way. I actually have hot water and an inside shower on my boat and still generally shower in the cockpit in my swimsuit just because I can do that while I'm helming the boat.

[Cadence]

You may want to consider those bags for clothing you pull a vacuum on to save space and keep out moisture?

[Skip JayR]

As some others might be in the same situation as mube... I like to share a method which could be helpfully to get handled with the "tiny space" on small boats (e.g. 24 foot monohulls) or bigger Trimarans (enough space on a Tri one will find earlierst at the size of 50-60 foot, e.g. the Exception 52 or the 63 Foot Kurt Hughes Design).

I suppose I started with the wrong question... as following the advices of Tiny House blogger Alex Pino makes sense as I just read here "How To Completely Simplify your Wardrobe Right Now.".

Let fix shortly the headlines, a simple 3 plus 1 = 4 step method:

Step 1: Find Your Outcome

What do you want your wardrobe to be like? Crave a closet that is super simple and only contains what you absolutely love and want to use. So let's make it happen! Visualize that picture in your mind of YOUR closet... Simplified. With only the clothes that makes you happy and feels comfy.

Step 2: Gather Favorites

All you have to do to find your favorite clothes is get ALL of your laundry done. Be sure it's empty and that all of your clothes are put away completely. Do it today. Right now, if you can.
For the next 3-4 days whatever lands in your laundry basket are your favorites. These are the clothes you want to be sure to keep. The rest, is questionable and needs to be piled in categories.

Step 3: Create Keep/Give/Sell Piles

You've got your favorites safely kept away (see step 1 and 2). This should only be 3-4 days worth of clothes. The rest is just too much! If you're in a tiny house (aka small monohull or narrow (but speedy) Trimaran), you don't need THAT much clothes! Now set up three piles.

Keep Pile

Seasonal clothing goes in your keep file along with whatever else you might need on occasion. This might not be everyday clothes, but ones that you'd miss if you got rid of because you NEED them. You're probably going to run into lots of sentimental clothing items that you DON'T NEED. If you want, keep them in storage. But another option is to “digitalize” them by taking a photo you can keep and then emailing it to yourself and keeping it in your email archive. This way you can look at it whenever/wherever.

Give Pile

Your give pile is for clothes that's pretty worn and of pretty low value. You can also use the give pile if you don't want to spend that much time doing this because selling your clothes for money takes a little bit of extra effort. You can take this pile to a church, Salvation Army, and a number of other places, neighborhoods, family members, friends in need, and organizations that help.

Sell Pile

Alternatively you can sell your slightly used clothing in a number of ways. You can have a garage/yard sale or you can list your clothing one by one on eBay to get a few dollars for each item. You can also drop your clothes off at a resale/consignment shop specifically for pre-owned clothes.

Step 4: Take Action and Finish!

Now that you've got your piles you're ready to begin taking action. Store the clothes that you're keeping and begin to process your give and sell piles until you've finished. If you have a lot of clothes to shed off, simply pace yourself. Some people need a month or two because they have so much while others can do it all in a weekend.
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That makes sense, isnt ??? Its the right way to put the saddle on the horse. And then see how much space it needs. Probably not a lot anymore. :-)

Keep sharing your experiences as long distance sailor with "lack of space for big wardrobe". :-)

[Skip JayR]

Originally Posted by mstrebe

1) In the Navy we were taught to roll our clothing rather than folding it....

Oh, yeah... Navy tricks... I forgot they are the real experts

Tks for the input. Now we need some videos to get teached about this rolling method. ;-). Just googled... is it this what you are talking about ???

Folding clothes the Navy way...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zurFklsO0b4

Shirt Folding the Navy way...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jQA9Rcm6C0

[Stu Jackson]

We removed both our hanging lockers and converted them to shelving. Everything I've ever read about hanging clothes on a boat says: DON'T DO IT because as the boat moves the clothes rub against each other and by the time you get to use them, they're worn through and useless.