FLOAT CONSTRUCTION METHODS

A Comparison

Float construction is very important in a trimaran, as floats are a key part of the boat, and tend to take most of the water and impact loads when the boat is being driven hard, or conditions are very rough. Thus it is important that floats be constructed well, so that they can be relied on, and that inferior construction does not reduce the boat's seaworthiness.

The four main construction methods currently in use are as follows:

The F-22, F-82, F-32, F-36 and F-39 plan boats all use system #1, with the center butt joins taped over on both sides, which is the strongest method of all. The original F-27 used a similar method, but it proved too difficult in a production environment, and was eventually changed to system #2. However, the F-33 (pictured below) reverted back to system #1, but with a newly developed joining technique to suit molded production hulls, details of which are still proprietary. It worked extremely well, and thus the production F-22 will also be using system #1