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Considering the Trimaran Option
Have you considered a trimaran for your next cruising boat? There may be compelling reasons to do so.
A Little History
Beginning in the 1960's, quite a few independent minded folks decided to build a cruising boat and sail the oceans of the world. Many of these amateur built boats were trimarans designed by Piver, Brown, Cross, Horstman, etc. Some of these boats were well built by skilled craftsmen, well sailed and safely carried their crews on long passages. Some others were poorly built and sailed by incompetent crews, giving rise to a number of disasters that have taken the multihull industry years to overcome.
So, why would you want a Trimaran?
The self-built trimaran "fad" has pretty much passed and few large trimarans have been built in recent years. What happened to all those trimarans built in the '60s, '70s and '80s? Many of the poorly built examples have rotted away. Some that were well built and maintained have thrived and are capable vessels to this day. These are the boats you may wish to consider. Why? In a word… cost.
Large cruising trimarans have not gained the wide market acceptance enjoyed by cruising catamarans and they have not
"caught on" as production boats. This doesn't mean that a cruising trimaran can't be as capable of taking you safely out there and back as a cruising catamaran. They are just not as popular. As a result, a large cruising trimaran can usually be acquired for considerably less than a cruising catamaran of similar size and capability. A well-found cruising trimaran may allow you to go cruising sooner rather than later. A rigorous pre-purchase survey should be considered mandatory to ensure that the trimaran you're considering is one of the gems rather than one of the rocks.
Comparison of Catamarans and Trimarans
There are differences between catamarans and trimarans of which you should be aware. The following are general observations rather than hard and fast rules:
The typical cruising trimaran may sail a bit better than a typical cruising catamaran of similar size. This doesn't have anything to do with the number of hulls. There are very fast catamarans and there are trimarans that can't get out of their own way. Remember that all boats are compromises. The design point of a typical cruising trimaran has come down a bit closer to the performance end of the scale and a bit farther from the accommodation end of the scale than the design point of a typical cruising catamaran. As always, the more accommodations squeezed into a given LOA, the less performance potential exists and vice versa.
I've always thought that trimarans are more fun to sail than catamarans because they transmit more in the way of sailing sensations to the helmsman. Catamaran helms, especially those with hydraulic steering, tend to have very little "feel." Trimaran helms are usually more sensitive. The maximum sailing heel of a trimaran is about 10-12 degrees vs. around 5 degrees for a catamaran. On a trimaran, you can easily judge how hard you're pushing the boat by observing the depression of the leeward float (ama). Trimarans tend to tack more quickly and more reliably than catamarans. On most trimarans, the amas have very little draft and don't cause as much sideways resistance during a turn as a more deeply immersed catamaran hull.
The accommodation spaces of most cruising trimarans are limited to the main hull, which often includes some extension into the "wing" area between the main hull and the amas. Accommodation arrangements tend to resemble monohulls more than catamarans. Catamarans usually have more accommodation space than similar size trimarans. The amas are usually fitted with access hatches and provide useful storage volume for light and bulky items. Heavy items, however, should not be stored in the amas. Speaking of heavy, you'll have to be even more careful of overloading a trimaran than a catamaran. This is because a trimaran has only one load-bearing hull while a catamaran has two.
Other Considerations
Trimarans tend to be somewhat wider than similar size catamarans. A wider beam will restrict access to many marina slips. When hauling out for maintenance and storage, you’ll need to find a wider Travelift. Other hauling options, however, may more easily accommodate a trimaran than a catamaran. These include hauling by marine railway, crane, and hydraulic trailer.
Since owner-built or custom cruising trimarans are less of a known quantity to insurers than production cruising catamarans, they will usually be more difficult to insure. For long distance cruising, self-insurance may be the only practical option. The upside is that your investment (and hence your downside risk) will likely be less than it would be for a cruising catamaran.
When the time comes for you to resell your trimaran, you will probably find that the sales process will be longer than for a production catamaran. The pool of potential buyers is relatively small and scattered and getting the attention of the next owner will take time.
In Conclusion
If your budget is limited and won't permit you to purchase a cruising catamaran, or if like many you've cut your teeth on F-27s and the like and simply prefer three hulls to two, the cruising trimaran option may work for you. Because of lower purchase prices, a good cruising trimaran may get you out cruising sooner than would otherwise be possible, and that after all is the elusive goal of many sailors.
This discussion has only scratched the surface. If you'd like to discuss the option of a cruising trimaran in more depth or if you need more information on any multihull-related topic, feel free to contact me. I can be reached at:
Tom Kintz, CPYB
The Multihull Company
Northeast Office-Mystic, CT
Tom@multihullcompany.com
Telephone: 860-572-7767
Skype: multihull
Happy Sailing!
This article was written by Tom Kintz
Tom is in charge of our Mystic, Connecticut office and looks forward to serving the needs of our customers, particularly those in the northeastern United States. Tom is well known to the multihull community through Adventure Yacht Sales, which he has operated since 1994. He is very experienced in all areas of yacht brokerage and is one of only a few hundred yacht brokers worldwide who has earned the Certified Professional Yacht Broker (CPYB) designation. Tom is a member of the Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA) and subscribes to the As more....
A Little History
Beginning in the 1960's, quite a few independent minded folks decided to build a cruising boat and sail the oceans of the world. Many of these amateur built boats were trimarans designed by Piver, Brown, Cross, Horstman, etc. Some of these boats were well built by skilled craftsmen, well sailed and safely carried their crews on long passages. Some others were poorly built and sailed by incompetent crews, giving rise to a number of disasters that have taken the multihull industry years to overcome.So, why would you want a Trimaran?
The self-built trimaran "fad" has pretty much passed and few large trimarans have been built in recent years. What happened to all those trimarans built in the '60s, '70s and '80s? Many of the poorly built examples have rotted away. Some that were well built and maintained have thrived and are capable vessels to this day. These are the boats you may wish to consider. Why? In a word… cost.
Large cruising trimarans have not gained the wide market acceptance enjoyed by cruising catamarans and they have not
"caught on" as production boats. This doesn't mean that a cruising trimaran can't be as capable of taking you safely out there and back as a cruising catamaran. They are just not as popular. As a result, a large cruising trimaran can usually be acquired for considerably less than a cruising catamaran of similar size and capability. A well-found cruising trimaran may allow you to go cruising sooner rather than later. A rigorous pre-purchase survey should be considered mandatory to ensure that the trimaran you're considering is one of the gems rather than one of the rocks.Comparison of Catamarans and Trimarans
There are differences between catamarans and trimarans of which you should be aware. The following are general observations rather than hard and fast rules:
The typical cruising trimaran may sail a bit better than a typical cruising catamaran of similar size. This doesn't have anything to do with the number of hulls. There are very fast catamarans and there are trimarans that can't get out of their own way. Remember that all boats are compromises. The design point of a typical cruising trimaran has come down a bit closer to the performance end of the scale and a bit farther from the accommodation end of the scale than the design point of a typical cruising catamaran. As always, the more accommodations squeezed into a given LOA, the less performance potential exists and vice versa.
I've always thought that trimarans are more fun to sail than catamarans because they transmit more in the way of sailing sensations to the helmsman. Catamaran helms, especially those with hydraulic steering, tend to have very little "feel." Trimaran helms are usually more sensitive. The maximum sailing heel of a trimaran is about 10-12 degrees vs. around 5 degrees for a catamaran. On a trimaran, you can easily judge how hard you're pushing the boat by observing the depression of the leeward float (ama). Trimarans tend to tack more quickly and more reliably than catamarans. On most trimarans, the amas have very little draft and don't cause as much sideways resistance during a turn as a more deeply immersed catamaran hull.The accommodation spaces of most cruising trimarans are limited to the main hull, which often includes some extension into the "wing" area between the main hull and the amas. Accommodation arrangements tend to resemble monohulls more than catamarans. Catamarans usually have more accommodation space than similar size trimarans. The amas are usually fitted with access hatches and provide useful storage volume for light and bulky items. Heavy items, however, should not be stored in the amas. Speaking of heavy, you'll have to be even more careful of overloading a trimaran than a catamaran. This is because a trimaran has only one load-bearing hull while a catamaran has two.
Other Considerations
Trimarans tend to be somewhat wider than similar size catamarans. A wider beam will restrict access to many marina slips. When hauling out for maintenance and storage, you’ll need to find a wider Travelift. Other hauling options, however, may more easily accommodate a trimaran than a catamaran. These include hauling by marine railway, crane, and hydraulic trailer.
Since owner-built or custom cruising trimarans are less of a known quantity to insurers than production cruising catamarans, they will usually be more difficult to insure. For long distance cruising, self-insurance may be the only practical option. The upside is that your investment (and hence your downside risk) will likely be less than it would be for a cruising catamaran.
When the time comes for you to resell your trimaran, you will probably find that the sales process will be longer than for a production catamaran. The pool of potential buyers is relatively small and scattered and getting the attention of the next owner will take time.In Conclusion
If your budget is limited and won't permit you to purchase a cruising catamaran, or if like many you've cut your teeth on F-27s and the like and simply prefer three hulls to two, the cruising trimaran option may work for you. Because of lower purchase prices, a good cruising trimaran may get you out cruising sooner than would otherwise be possible, and that after all is the elusive goal of many sailors.
This discussion has only scratched the surface. If you'd like to discuss the option of a cruising trimaran in more depth or if you need more information on any multihull-related topic, feel free to contact me. I can be reached at:
Tom Kintz, CPYB
The Multihull Company
Northeast Office-Mystic, CT
Tom@multihullcompany.com
Telephone: 860-572-7767
Skype: multihull
Happy Sailing!
This article was written by Tom Kintz
Tom is in charge of our Mystic, Connecticut office and looks forward to serving the needs of our customers, particularly those in the northeastern United States. Tom is well known to the multihull community through Adventure Yacht Sales, which he has operated since 1994. He is very experienced in all areas of yacht brokerage and is one of only a few hundred yacht brokers worldwide who has earned the Certified Professional Yacht Broker (CPYB) designation. Tom is a member of the Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA) and subscribes to the As more....
