Small Trimaran for Live Aboard (Suggestions and Tips)

[beau]

A friend of mine who has circumnavigated three times in a 40 ft mono, now lives on a 17 ft fiberglass catamaran (hobie type)
He puts up a tent every night on the boat or sleeps on the beach. Works for him.
And the boat only cost $1,000,
beat that.

The only problem is his girlfriend/ wife won't share it with him.

[wizard1_us]

The two searunners are gone, the 40" was Maxolar, that sold, and the other was a 31' and it sold as well.

[rberrey]

There is a 38' horstman in mobile bay for sale 14,000, 1977 I think, ply . May be a good starter boat, I am starting a tristar 31 build and have about 60% of foam, glass, epoxy so buying is not an option for me. rick

[rberrey]

There are very few tristar owners on the net, most that I,ve talked to like their tristars. I ,m using foam and replacing woven cloth and mat with all biax to lighten the boat. Any advice on modernizing. safty, room,and payload were reasons I kept going back to the older designs, it came down to searunners and tristars. I know searunner owners are a bit partical but thats ok , speaks well of the designs. Daggerboard rudder would be nice if I can find a design. thanks for any advice. rick

[shipofools]

If you are looking to go the f-boat route I would double your budget and look for an f9 or f31. I know people live on boats smaller, but for me the killer is standing headroom, which the 27 does not really provide (I know the f27 poptop attempts this) .

Some of the tips that follow are specific to longterm cruising on f-boats and are my opinion and view, but might give you some insight and help:

Sun protection, critical to have a good bimini that you can use while sailing.
Skip pressurized water - it ads a level of complexity and consumption that is out of whack with a light and simple trimaran.

Invest in good weather gear">foul weather gear - the exposure to the elements is higher on a small tri (closer to water, apparent wind), and this will result in impaired judgment because you get tired faster.

Dinghy - you got to get one that will fit on the nets/wings, because you can't tow it, and davits put weight where you don't want it.

Typically the power on a small tri is provided by an outboard, so that means you are limited in your electrical power generation - so plan for an investment in solar or a small generator (or both) if your electrical needs are anything more than minimal ie. interior lights and basic nav instruments.

Cooking - find a propane stove that you can move around, if the conditions are right it is nice to get outside to cook, which helps with the heat in the cabin.

Distance per day - no matter what your boats potential speed you are limited by your ability to sail the boat to it's potential or even close for 24 hours a day. This is where the monohull slow and steady wins the race comes into play. I have not found an autopilot that will sail a small trimaran close to it's potential, and I have found that typically you can helm for about an hour before you need a break. The reality is that you will average about 10 to 20% more distance than a similar sized/canvassed mono. To achieve the crazy mileage you need a decent sized crew, which does not fit into your plans I guess.

Reefing – rig the boat so that it is simple to do, and require one person. Reef based on the wind speed of the gusts. Always reef at sundown.

Sails – when looking at the performance characteristics of a small multihull, you come to realize how important good sails are. Expect to pay double to triple the price you would pay for a similar size monohull. If you are not willing to pay the price, you are better off with a monohull.

Weight – we are not extreme enough to cut the handles off our toothbrushes, but honestly a small tri needs to be kept light, from both a safety perspective, and performance perspective. From the safety angle, imagine the boat being a cork. In order for it to handle weather the best, you need to keep the boat light as possible.

Spares – when you consider the impact of weight on a small trimaran, you realize that you have to be very frugal on the amount of spare gear you can carry. This flys in the face of prudent seamanship. Therefore it is critical to make sure that all your gear is in topnotch condition, which increases the cost of ownership.

Sleeping at sea – on a small tri at speed the noise down bellow is crazy. Picture being in a washing machine on spincycle. In the v-berth you will actually be launched of the bed at times, and the daggerboard will be banging with a ruckus that wakes the dead. Another reason to reef for night, and slow the boat down.

MOB – at high speeds if someone falls off, it can take time to get back to them. We always wear life jackets the risk is to high.

Grounding – eventually you will run aground. Be aware that at the speeds a small trimaran can achieve this can be a catastrophic event, and while the shallow draft is nice you have to be double careful.

Anchoring – bridle all the time, and go shallow. We joke that we walk our anchor vs dive our anchor.

I am sure I or others have additional details, but that is all I could come up with this morning.

We love our f31, and think it is a the best boat for us at the moment. We have learned to live with it’s limitations, and appreciate it’s features but based on the price you mention, I honestly think that you will meet your needs better with a monohull. I do not mean to dissuade you from your dream, just want to share my experience.
Cheers,

[rberrey]

My home build 31' is below budget for material so far. I planed on using cheap epoxy on the inside of the hull, but by buying bulk I can use all silvertip and I should stay below my $18,000 budget for building material. My estimate for the boat with semi sparce fit out no inboard is $45,000. If you go with ply, woven ,mat and polyester, you can save about 3 to 4 thousand on on the front end of a build, you wont have an older design enhanced with modern material, you'll have the older designed boat which will still be a good boat. At your price range you could build bigger. Most older tri designs are crusiers, most new designs cant beat the pay load or their space. If you want speed and go lite, look at the new plans. Cruise in a 31 footer that sleeps 6 or ( 8 with no inboard), and seats 6 at the dinetes, shower, 3 burner stove , ice box. I could go on but theres no reason. By the time the new tris are packed ,an old one will get you there about as fast or faster. This is why I think searunner owners love their boats so well. Horstmans too, I hope, maybe some tristar owners will chime in. rick