This Thing is a Monster...but I Like it

[Cheechako]

Looks alot like an old tri-hull pleasure boat made by many manufacturers. Very stable for a mono, but not quite a multihull. Looks cool, but personally I dont find the price that inviting.....

[Abaco]

Dingy to boat ratio is all out of wack....

[DavidLGCrawford]

I have been in touch with the broker about this boat (the Helleman monster from the original post), and have a few questions for the experienced sailors on this forum.

The boat weighs 36,000 lbs.
It has 200 sq metres of sail While we don't have an actual sail plan, it is fairly standard rigged, so maybe 35% in the main, and 50% in the jib, giving about 170 square metres (1800 sq ft) of sail.
The boat is sailed in conditions of 15-18 + and motorsailed below this.

I am planning on sailing around the Caribbean for the next few years. For those with experience in that area, would I be sailing most of the time, or motoring?

[Sand crab]

Those specs give it an SA/D of 26.5 which is really good for any boat. But I wonder if you can trust the displacement number. It has a 1200 Lb engine and a steel mast. Maybe they meant 36,000 kgs. I believe it's OK in higher winds and a slug when it's calmer. That boat is really nice inside!

I'm also thinking the Vetus engine might be difficult to get parts.

[DavidLGCrawford]

I checked the weight on the broker's site and it also says 36,000 lbs. Further down in the text description of the boat it states "Beluga weighs approx. 16.5 tons and therefore sails at her best with stronger winds."

So I trust the displacement number is not an accidental error.

I have never sailed in the Caribbean, so is 15-18 + knot wind typical?

Link to the broker's site: BVI Yacht Sales Ltd. (Nanny Cay, British Virgin Islands)

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by DavidLGCrawford

...I have never sailed in the Caribbean, so is 15-18 + knot wind typical?...

Yes, from November through April or so, then it can get a bit lighter, except when the squally tropical waves come through. Late December through January can bring sustained winds in the 20-25 knot range or even higher when the so-called "Christmas Winds" blow.

[senormechanico]

Do the math, about $100k to fill 'er up.

[DavidLGCrawford]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Do the math, about $100k to fill 'er up.

Don't you mean, $1k to fill her up? It's only 264 gallons of fuel. (Maybe $1,500 is closer)

[GILow]

Originally Posted by DavidLGCrawford

I have been in touch with the broker about this boat (the Helleman monster from the original post), and have a few questions for the experienced sailors on this forum.

The boat weighs 36,000 lbs.
It has 200 sq metres of sail While we don't have an actual sail plan, it is fairly standard rigged, so maybe 35% in the main, and 50% in the jib, giving about 170 square metres (1800 sq ft) of sail.
The boat is sailed in conditions of 15-18 + and motorsailed below this.

I am planning on sailing around the Caribbean for the next few years. For those with experience in that area, would I be sailing most of the time, or motoring?

I don't know about the wind speeds in the Caribbean, but at least the need for winds of 15+ knots sounds right to me. We are around the same displacement (though probably less drag) and really anything below 15 knots is not much fun. If we had to get anywhere in reasonable time I'd have to start the engine. (Yuk!)

Matt

[hpeer]

Interesting....

For comparison our big boat (mono cutter) is 44' on deck, that boat is maybe 48' on deck, sans sprit and aft overhang.

Our displacement is about 38,000 lbs, but I have seen it listed as much as 44,000 lbs.

That means either she is VERY lightly built or there is an error somewhere.

We are 1/4" plate through 1st & 2nd chine, then 3/16.

No way a tri should be substantially lighter than we are.

36,000 lbs might be dry displacement. Not very meaningful.

I don't see the scantlings. Ask what the hull plating is.

Find out how she was built. That'll tell you something usefull.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Interesting....

For comparison our big boat (mono cutter) is 44' on deck, that boat is maybe 48' on deck, sans sprit and aft overhang.

Our displacement is about 38,000 lbs, but I have seen it listed as much as 44,000 lbs.

That means either she is VERY lightly built or there is an error somewhere.

We are 1/4" plate through 1st & 2nd chine, then 3/16.

No way a tri should be substantially lighter than we are.

36,000 lbs might be dry displacement. Not very meaningful.

I don't see the scantlings. Ask what the hull plating is.

Find out how she was built. That'll tell you something usefull.

I would have thought she needed a LOT less ballast than us poor old monohull drivers?

Matt

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by DavidLGCrawford

Don't you mean, $1k to fill her up? It's only 264 gallons of fuel. (Maybe $1,500 is closer)

I was speaking of the Pilar Rossi boat.

At $5 a gallon, close to 100k.
From the website
Fuel Capacity (Gallons): 18,494

[Stumble]

Figure she saves about 10,000lbs in lead, and adds it back in the two extra hulls. I really like the layout, but that much weight on a narrow tri sounds like a recipea for poor sailing, and slow going.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by DavidLGCrawford

I checked the weight on the broker's site and it also says 36,000 lbs. Further down in the text description of the boat it states "Beluga weighs approx. 16.5 tons and therefore sails at her best with stronger winds."

So I trust the displacement number is not an accidental error.

I have never sailed in the Caribbean, so is 15-18 + knot wind typical?

Link to the broker's site: BVI Yacht Sales Ltd. (Nanny Cay, British Virgin Islands)

My own Helleman was built in Holland of Corten steel which may account for the lighter weight due to increased strength factor.
Weathering steel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I see a lot of interior cabinet similarities to my own 65ft Helleman, so it may have been built in Holland also.

I would view this as a motorsailor that runs at low rpm in winds less than 15knts on the beam

My own is very dry and seakindly in heavy weather on all points, but I cannot say about this one.

However at anchor, it would be a nice stable platform for the Caribbean. Much better than a mono and great for a family favoring comfort over speed

The price seem quite low for that size, so detailed survey is needed.

[Sand crab]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I see a lot of interior cabinet similarities to my own 65ft Helleman, so it may have been built in Holland also.

From the ad:
The trimaran Beluga was constructed and built in the years from 1988 through to 1991 by the well reputated Dutch shipyard Hellemann in The Netherlands. According to Mr. Hellemann, the construction took 20.000 working hours. Altogether only 3 trimarans of this type were built, each a different size. Hellemann has been wellknown for it’s solid and seaworthy steel yachts built according to the Dutch ship building tradition. No other trimarans of this quality are known to have been built since this custom built production is obviously very expensive. Mr. Helleman had built Beluga for himself, aiming to sail around the world with her later in life. It never came to this journey, however, and so the present owner bought the ship while it was finalized for his own purposes in this very shipyard in 1991. Beluga has been with him since then – 22 years - and was only ever sailed by himself. The ship was never for charter.