Any Trimaran Experts?

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

Hello all,

I am looking for any sailors with experience on trimarans.

My wife and I have spent the last year relocating down to the Caribbean on our Catalina 310. I would consider us decent sailors but there is always more you can learn. I recently took a captains job in St. Thomas on a 42 foot Dick Newick designed trimaran. The boat is setup with a fractional rig, wing mast. And is she fast. So far my top speed is 18 knots in 15 knots of wind. But I know she can do better. So I am reaching out to any trimaran sailors for any resources to read up more on how to sail this boat.

Any advice you have is greatly appreciated. Even down to the basics. Like for instance is it normal to have to back wind the jib to tack?

Thanks and fair winds,

Jesse

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

My Cross 35 didn't need the jib backed to tack. but some do. Depends on the keel set up and boat speed seems to me

All four of my cats had to be helped around with the jib, in light air..

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

The hulls are relatively shallow, about 18". There is a dagger board on the center hull that does down to 4 feet when fully dropped. Same with the rudder, that goes to 4 feet.

But even going into the tack at 10-12 knots I still have to back wind or else we end up in irons. I thought it might have been too much bottom growth so we started cleaning it regularly and still not much of a change.

Thanks

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Here's a trick that works with Hobie 14's When the boat goes in irons, reverse the rudder, and see if it will back around to the other tack. May not work,, but it's an easy try

 

[rgranger]

I wish I had experience on tri's....

But this might be something to consider....On my Hobbie 16' I almost always jibe unless I have a really stiff breeze. It is faster and more reliable...and if you bring in the main sheet before you jibe, it is a fairly smooth maneuver. Might not be applicable on your tri but thought I'd toss it out there in case it is useful.

 

[Joe]

Back winding the jib is common on just about any lightweight multi hulled vessel, especially in choppy seas. There's no momentum because there's no heavy keel.
It's really no big deal... just hold the sheet until the boom comes across.
If you get stuck in irons.... have your crew go the mast and pull the jib back and reverse the rudders to spin on a dime.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Interesting. So you don't release the sheet in a tack when you do on a monohull?
We're chartering a Leopard 47 in the BVI this October. Any tips sailing a tri would help me too.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

closely check the alignment of the rudder blades. and if possible pull the windward rudder out of the water
- reduce drag.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

closely check the alignment of the rudder blades. and if possible pull the windward rudder out of the water
- reduce drag.

Only one rudder on the center hull.

 

[Joe]

Interesting. So you don't release the sheet in a tack when you do on a monohull?
We're chartering a Leopard 47 in the BVI this October. Any tips sailing a tri would help me too.

Bingo! You have no other choice... unless you turn on the engine. I've never sailed a large charter boat type multi hull... but I've spent a lot of time one smaller ones.... In a lake or bay with flat water you still have to make sure the boom is across before releasing the jib sheet. Out in choppy water the momentum of the boat will not carry it through the turn... it needs help. The chop is the enemy... it will stop the boat on a dime. It is sometimes difficult just to get the boat far enough into the turn to start back winding the jib... so you must speed into the turn...then turn hard and quick to get the wind on the other side of the jib.

Unlike a keel boat.. which relies on its weight and momentum to carry it through the dead zone.... and will take a while to get back up to speed on the new tack. A multihull can almost come to a stop.. then accelerate dramatically because it DOESN'T have a heavy keel and displace a lot of water. For that reason, the different technique is required.

 

[Waltonsmith]

My experience is to crack off a few degrees prior to the tack, to pick a bit more speed. This is counter intuitive to a keel boat’s tack, but the extra speed can help make it through the tack. I only have to backwind the jib in light air conditions; and it is really more like just a quick one second hold on the jib to bring the bow around. Tacking has a lot to do with your underwater foils, and waterline shapes.

 

[capta]

Interesting. So you don't release the sheet in a tack when you do on a monohull?
We're chartering a Leopard 47 in the BVI this October. Any tips sailing a tri would help me too.

Is the Leopard 47 a cat or a tri? The two do not share many sailing characteristics.

 

[capta]

I sailed a tri from Pago Pago to the USVI via the Red Sea (1200 miles of beating hard to weather in a narrow body of water, full of ships) and the Med.
It sounds like your problem with tacking is because you turn the helm too much when you are tacking. You only need a slight turn of the helm on any multihull to tack and any more is just like throwing a barn door down there, which will pretty much stop the boat.
Just before you wish to tack, especially in light air, fall off a few degrees and get your boat speed up. Then turn the helm slightly and let her come up and through the wind at her own pace. Unlike a mono, your tack on any multihull is going to be something around 120 degrees, so it will take a lot longer.
Even on a little Hobie cat, if you throw the helm too far, the boat won't tack through the wind. There is no reason a proper sailing multihull can't tack, so if you aren't doing it every time, then it is operator error. Certainly your Newick should, every time. After all it IS a sailboat, not a condo on the water.

 

[thinwater]

a. Join the Farrier Yahoo group. Just listen.
b. No, you do not backwind. Normally that is the result of a boat that is seriously under canvassed (many charter boats) or bad timing. In fact, with my PDQ (34-foot cat), Stiletto 27, Prindle, and current F-24, the goal is to get the jib in at just the right moment, avoiding grinding at all. It is just a matter of...

• Get up to full speed and good trim.
  
• Adjust the turn rate to the boat speed.
• Cut the jib the moment it breaks and bring it across with the wind. Backing it only makes the boat stop, insuring you won't tack properly. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
  
• Keeping the main TIGHT as the turn starts to help push it around, but then consider dropping the traveler as the nose passes the eye, to keep it from pushing the nose up. This is really easy on boats with two traveler lines. On the PDQ I would simply leave the traveler all the way down on the new tack until I was well through. Then bringing it up makes for good acceleration. On the F-24 you just keep the hammer down.
  
• Tacking just a little past 90 degrees. Don't pinch until you are at speed.

My F-24 will tack like a mono, in seconds without loosing that much speed. The PDQ was matronly but sure, and the Prindle required proper crew movement when the waves were big. But backing the jib and rudder is what you do when you blow a tack. Watch some race video, any class, and see if you ever see a jib backed. If you do, it will only be long enough to pop the jib across. Backing the jib stops a light boat fast.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Is the Leopard 47 a cat or a tri? The two do not share many sailing characteristics.

The Leopard is a cat. I thought being a multihull, tacking might be similar to a tri

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

Thanks for these latest replies. Unfortunately the boat was lost in Hurricane Irma. Flipped up side down in the mangroves.

I did get a lot more efficient sailing the boat in the year between this post and when she was lost to the storm. Sailing her in the Christmas winds last year I hit 25 knots of speed sailing in 35 knots of wind in 10-12 seas. It was a blast. Top speed was 28 knots sailing in a protected bay with 20 knots of wind. Never got to break the owners record of 30 knots.

The owner had a crane pull the boat out of the mangroves but with no mast and lots of damage he's not sure of her future.

Was a fun boat to sail.

 

[capta]

I know that boat! I wanted to sail her so bad when I saw her moored in Elephant Bay as we passed her to go to town in the dink from our mooring in Honeymoon.
Sad to hear of her loss.

 

[rgranger]

That is a cool looking boat.

 

[Gunni]

Dick Newick has an awesome portfolio of super sexy multihulls. Anyone who loves multihulls knows Dick Newick’s body of work. Somewhere around here I have a copy of his Tremolina tri plan set.
Www.dicknewickboats.com

 

[agprice22]

I would love to sail one of those. Our Tristar is a lot of fun when she gets going, but she isn’t like an Farrier or Corsair or the Newick designs. On the other hand, we have really nice accomodations without spending Dragonfly type money! Still... 20 knots... drrooolling!