Small Trimaran (24-27 Foot) How Seaworthy are they?

[David_Old_Jersey]

and for my second question, "how long is a piece of string?"

Not to say that I am about to buy a Tri and sail accross the Atlantic, just that my hankering for a Tri has come back and I am trying to work out how much of a boat they are........and the reason for asking about smaller ones is that I am not intending to sell the Seadog .......more looking for something faster, more fun to sail and is more capable of island hopping on weekends. (I was originally thinking of a Bayliner MOBO, but don't need or really want that much speed) and in any event a 2nd boat has now been shifted back to next year (a mutual decision, so I am told )......so I have lots more time to dream

If I was looking for a smaller Mono, I would not need to ask - but a small Tri has me stumped - never even been on one.........although I have read plenty about multis (especially on here in recent times) given that people are out cruising for extended periods they do tend to be about rather larger vessels than what I am after........but I am figuring that some would have started out on smaller Tri's........or at least be prepared to venture an opinion nonetheless.

Really what I am after is to know, are boats like Dragonfly 25, Corsair 24, Farrier 720 (24') and even a Farrier 680 (22') (I am sure their are others I have missed) really little more than daysailors, where you really do not want to be more than days sail away from the safety of a harbour - just in case the weather turns?

Would anyone sail one accross the Atlantic or would that rank in the same league as using a windsurfer?

and lastly , how fast can I expect to be travelling

[The South African]

I built a Farrier 720 and put it in the water since 1993. I still own her but hardly sail her as I sail my bigger yacht more. I had lovely times on the Trailertri 720 and once had my wife and 4 children aboard for a week! We were 6 aboard and all had a bunk to sleep on.(The kids were small then and I wont attempt that now). We usually sailed in a huge lagoon on the West Coast of South Africa and went out to sea when the weather was kind. We also sailed her off Cape Agulhas (most southern point of Africa) and usually had friends with us. We achieved 7 knots easily in 10 knots of wind. A lovely boat, but I never pushed her in bad weather to test the point of no return.

[jcmjrt]

I've owned an F-27 (and am currently looking at an F-31) and it's worthy of being offshore. People have made looong ocean passages on them. The gentleman that the F-27 was purchased from was planning on sailing from West Coast US to Hawaii but had a heart attack before he got underway. I sailed off the coast but never long open ocean. The F-24 can go offshore and does in some short ocean races (like the doublehanded Farallons) but I haven't personally heard of any long passages...and I wouldn't consider it for an Atlantic crossing. The F-31 has been across a lot of oceans and I would certainly consider it for an Atlantic passage. Farrier doesn't recommend open ocean until his F-33 but designer's have to be very conservative or they get sued.
I sail SF Bay so there's lots of wind in the season and often and pretty easily hit 15 kts. Like the gentleman above says 7 kts in 10 kts isn't hard.
The only way to know how something sails is to sail one so find it and sail it. After I sailed the F-27, I never wanted a monohull again...but that's me...level sailing, easy helm and fast.

[GordMay]

Would the F-24/27 be capable of carrying provisions & stores suitable for a longer voyage?

[jcmjrt]

I think that going to Hawaii from CA is a long voyage so I'd say, yes to the F-27 but I doubt it about the F-24...but then it's more about the sailor than the boat. Or maybe you mean an extended but not necessarily long open ocean trip? I'd still say yes to the F-27 as I know a couple of people who did the Baja Ha-Ha on an F-27.
Also, my SO and I trailersailed to Baja and did Sea of Cortez for about 10 days on an F-27. No problem and lots of fun.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by jcmjrt

I've owned an F-27 (and am currently looking at an F-31) and it's worthy of being offshore. People have made looong ocean passages on them. The gentleman that the F-27 was purchased from was planning on sailing from West Coast US to Hawaii but had a heart attack before he got underway. I sailed off the coast but never long open ocean. The F-24 can go offshore and does in some short ocean races (like the doublehanded Farallons) but I haven't personally heard of any long passages...and I wouldn't consider it for an Atlantic crossing. The F-31 has been across a lot of oceans and I would certainly consider it for an Atlantic passage. Farrier doesn't recommend open ocean until his F-33 but designer's have to be very conservative or they get sued.
I sail SF Bay so there's lots of wind in the season and often and pretty easily hit 15 kts. Like the gentleman above says 7 kts in 10 kts isn't hard.
The only way to know how something sails is to sail one so find it and sail it. After I sailed the F-27, I never wanted a monohull again...but that's me...level sailing, easy helm and fast.

So you reckon an F-27 is capable of going trans atlantic (given the skipper knows what he / she is doing of course on a Tri and that the boat is "sorted" - whatever that may mean on a tri!)......but as always bigger has it's attractions

I have been off on Yachtworld - the problem with the F 27 are the prices, not really second boat territory (the 24 would be pushing it a fair bit - but to me they look good!).....the F 31's are nice..........but I would need to know I really wanted one, and that it was capable of what I want / need, and that I could live with one before buying (and I would need to sell the Seadog and a Kidney or 2 to pay for it!)........and the only way to know, is to buy a Tri and live with one.

(Yeah, I know started off talking about smaller Tris, but you know how it is........... )

[jcmjrt]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

So you reckon an F-27 is capable of going trans atlantic (given the skipper knows what he / she is doing of course on a Tri and that the boat is "sorted" - whatever that may mean on a tri!)......but as always bigger has it's attractions

(Yeah, I know started off talking about smaller Tris, but you know how it is........... )

F-27s have made long open ocean voyages safely so they can. It's not unreasonable that people do but I don't think that I would make that choice. Coastal - no problem. I'm fairly conservative and draw the line at the F-31 for myself and going open ocean. Others won't go unless they have a minimum of a 40 foot boat and some leave on rowing boats...so...everybody has to work out questions like that for themselves. You should locate a dealer or someone who owns one so you can get some sailing time.
MY SO and I are looking to (over a few years) sail locally, trailersail to Sea of Cortez and Puget Sound, intra-costal waterway and on to Florida and then maybe trans-Atlantic and do the Canals in Europe & the Med. I see the F-31 as being a boat that can do open ocean or fold to fit small canals and when I want to be at home for a while - she folds up and stows nicely on the trailer. Of course, one never knows how things will work out until...

[The South African]

I sailed accross the Atlantic from Rio de Janeiro in 1996 on a Farrier F36. It took us quiete a long time - 30 days, because we had a lot of beating to do. I was surprised at how wet everything was on and inside the boat. Only once an hour a wave would slap the main hull and that was enough to drench your clothing. We literally later had no dry clothes on board. I think the boat is seaworthy (because it sits low on the water) but it is much wetter than a cat of the equivalent size in my opinion. Accomodationwise a cat also has a better layout and privacy, in my opinion. That same F36 is advertised locally for sale for around US$128 000.

[md7a]

I inherited a SeaRunner 25 last fall, after years of sailing bigger monohulls. While I'd put the SeaRunner up against any similarly-sized monohull in the seaworthyness category, I don't think I'd go trans-atlantic in the 25. My boat's builder, however, used to spend months on board in the SF Bay area, and apart from some inconvenience with the lack of a proper head, I have never heard him complain of discomfort or lack of gear capacity.

I'd go almost anywhere in a SeaRunner 31 or 37, and in fact there are lots of these simple tris reported all over the place. See, e.g. TimeMachine

What the SeaRunner 25 is really good at is the evening or afternoon sail around the sound - I can leave house at 5:30, sail around the inlet or the island, and be home by 8:00. My setup time is minimal, my marina slip is close and cheap because I don't need deep draft, and I can actually sail in a breeze that wouldn't even move the smoke off the barbecue on my beloved Cape Dory.

There are few 25' boats that can beach on a beach, sail 7 knots out of 10 (yes, even my plymaran will do that), let passengers dangle their toes in the water, and happily live in a slip that dries on minus tides.

Will
s/v Blue Moon
Olympia, WA

[Tnflakbait]

I would say that the f-24 is a very seaworthy boat properly loaded (for its size) It is a good boat in offshore conditions. Now the distance of you journey is a different question. Crossing a large body of water on an f-24 could be quite taxing. The space would be very limited as would the load capacity. You would have to be very careful about what you bring along. My 33 foot cat is light and fast, and similar in size and weight to a f-33 or so. It is right on the edge of having enough load capacity to do some offshore sailing. I wouldn't go too far in a f-24, but its a great weekend cruiser!

[jdmskis]

Would anyone consider sailing a Farrier 680 thru the Bahamas and down through the British West Indies to Trinidad? (That's the island not the town in Colorado.)

[Training Wheels]

Sounds like fun to me!


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[Buzzman]

F-boats have crossed all the major oceans, and the smaller ones did it first. The F-27 most noticeably from the mid-eighties on, including TransPac, Atlantic, etc.
See Farrier website:
History

[Tri]

Originally Posted by jdmskis

Would anyone consider sailing a Farrier 680 thru the Bahamas and down through the British West Indies to Trinidad? (That's the island not the town in Colorado.)

I would. Weather routing is essential but nowadays well available and Tris are fast which reduces passage time.

[Buzzman]

They've been sailed across the Atlantic, and the Pacific, so a relatively close to shelter jaunt through the Caribbean shouldn't be a problem, just don't go in hurricane season! lol