Thinking on getting a trimaran

[son_of_a_sailor3]

what is the maintenance on one? How good are they in storms? What is the most wind you have been in aboard your vessel? Does anyone have a Dragonfly or a Corsair?

[BigCat]

It seems to me that the main downside to your typical tri compared to a cat is lack of room aboard. Of course, this makes it hard to overload them, so it keeps them sporty.

[son_of_a_sailor3]

I am not going to be spending a hole month on it it will just be a weekend thing I am not retired yet! I still would like to know how these boats handle in rough weather compared to a single haull. Have you been in storms with yours, and what do you own if you do. I am mostly going to be on lake Erie for now!

[Factor]

Tris are by and large - better boats to sail than cats, have less room but go quicker and are relatively cheap on the second hand market (ignoring Corsairs and Dragonfly)

For weekending a Corsair 31 - Farrier 9 would be just fine and has all those wonderful advantages of transportability. They handle rough waether just fine. If they are built right and sailed right, much like any boat irrespective of hulls numbers.

If you are interested in farriers get on to the f boat forum - there is a link on ian farriers web site. Outside of the production boats there are some bargains to be had, one of the best tri designs ever made - the original liashona is for sale at 175,000 aus and absolute bnargain for a world cruising boat that hasnt long had a top to bottom rebuild.
farriers

Having said all that the next boat for us is a cat cause we will be going for longer periods and spending more time away.

[son_of_a_sailor3]

what is wrong with Corsair and Dragonfly ?

[Nordic cat]

Originally Posted by son_of_a_sailor3

what is wrong with Corsair and Dragonfly ?

Nothing in my opinion. But I do have a preference for the Dragonfly folding system, and I personally think that the build quality of the Dragonfly is better, as well as the finish.

I think that the suggestion to look elsewhere was primarily based on price. For the same money, you can find alot more boat elsewhere. Lots of good custombuilt boats out there.

If you want to know more on the dragonfly boats look here:
User Forum for the Dragonfly folding Trimaran

There is of course the official site as well at: Dragonfly Trimarans by Quorning Boats of Denmark | welcome

Regards

Alan

[Steve Rust]

What is your intended budget?

The F-27 is a popular boat so would be easier to find and sell at a later date if you decide to move up. I see them sell for under 50k. The Dragonfly is a nicer boat but quite a bit more money unless you find one of the older 800 series models(26ft). Performance Cruising (Gemini Cats) has reintroduced the Telstar (26ft) and the original Telstar is still around on the used market. I see them go for 15-25k. These are all trailerable which is a nice option as you live within 1 to 1 1/2 days drive from some other great sailing areas. None of these is really a cruising boat, except the larger Dragonflys, not having the interior space or load carrying ability for longterm cruising. For your intended use they would be a good choice. The F 31 would be a good choice if you wanted a little more space and"cruisability". Any of these should handle the conditions you are likely to meet on the Lakes. If cruising is something you are thinking about for the future look at these boats as a steppingstone to something larger.

[son_of_a_sailor3]

I do believe I will not go lower than a 31 because if I buy something that cost this much money I do not want to be thinking about and saying to myself "I wish I would have got the bigger one" Cant find the f33?

[beau]

I prefer tri's for cruising. With any cat under 40 ft the room in the floats is not really much use and the bridgedeck is too low.
I have designed and built a 40 ft aluminium tri (look up beaus' boat on this multihull forum)
Mine is a motor sailor, with the sailing bit only with the wind behind.
Designed for cruising and not racing I believe a tri has more useable space, I have even gone double decker with mine.
I have outrigger floats that fold in like the Dragonfly so I can use Monohull berths. I can also fit the boat inside a 40 ft shipping container and ship it to cruising spots around the world.
I put two 30 hp honda outboards on the back and I can cruise at 8 knots with a top speed of 10 knots. However the fast displacement design could easily take two 60 hp outboards. I am expecting to achieve 15 knots.

[BigCat]

"I can also fit the boat inside a 40 ft shipping container and ship it to cruising spots around the world." Cool idea! Do you have a website, or stuff posted somewhere?

[Factor]

Originally Posted by son_of_a_sailor3

what is wrong with Corsair and Dragonfly ?

Nothing at all - I wasnt meaning to suggest that you should ignore them, quite the contrary, they are exceptional boats. My reference to "ignoring Corsairs and dragonflys" was in relation to costs.

I would very much like to own a corsair 36 or a dragonfly 1200, ....very much.

[son_of_a_sailor3]

I do not like real high decks and on some Cats I do not like where they put the wheel, I am a tiller man. I can not do the switch over I like the tiller. Low tris are how they should be as long as they can use a tiller! If I got a Dragonfly I would get the tiller with it. I am realy leaning towards the f31 Ian Farrier design!

[beau]

big cat,
Go to multihulls on this forum and look up beaus' boat, it is about three pages in.
Beau