TRAILERTRI

Contents:

• What's New?
• A New Low Cost Model?
• Plans For Amateur Builders
• What's New With Plans?
• Buy or Build?
• Rudders - The Latest Developments
• Rotating Mast Raising Methods
• Fore & Aft Collision? Check Boat
• Docking While Folded
• Farrier Catamaran Anyone?
• Race Results
• Original F-31 Still Going Strong
• Vertical Foam Stripping
• Design Updates & New Corsair Models
• F-25C Production and Sailing
• More Ocean Crossings
• Internet Resources

What's New?

This newsletter No. 58 has been a while coming (No. 57 was a special builders only edition in April, 1996), and there is much to catch up on. My planned 1995 sabbatical, didn't turn out quite as expected, with a backlog of miscellaneous design work that first had to be finished, then being pressed into doing the new F-28 for Corsair Marine. However, I was able to manage some time off, and contemplate what next?

Multihulls have made great strides in the twenty five years since I started on the original Trailertri series. From virtual outcasts, they have become the only growing segment of the sailing market, and have earned increasing respect. They have now broken most major sailing records, including the fastest ever circumnavigation (by a trimaran) at an incredible average speed of 15.02 knots.

Many leading sailors are now switching over to multihulls, and the days of when a Trailertri owner was actually once refused entry into a caravan park because "we don't allow trimarans in here" are probably now over, fortunately.

However, before multihulls can grow from what is still a relatively small market share to a major participant, as they will, some barriers still have to be overcome.

Price is still the main obstacle, as two or three hulls that must be both light and strong, and held together in all conditions, and at higher speeds, are very difficult to build at a low cost.

The high initial cost can be misleading however, as my designs have always offset this by their high resale value, with many having sold close to, or more than the original purchase price. Then there are the savings in docking fees and maintenance possible by keeping them on the trailer. This can even cover the monthly payments in some areas, which is almost like getting the boat for free! Thus the cost of ownership may actually be the lowest of any sailing boat, but the entry level price still remains out of reach for many.

Another barrier has been concerns about safety when offshore, which is to be expected for any relatively new type of boat. But these concerns are fast fading as multihulls prove they have what it takes, while establishing an excellent safety record.

It is also becoming obvious that just as modern materials only made multihulls possible from the fifties on, advanced electronics have now made the modern unsinkable multihull one of the safest boats offshore (as they always were inshore).

This comes from the development of instant position determination and communication from virtually anywhere in the world's oceans which have now left sinking as the major safety hazard. It is much more difficult to call for help if the boat is on the bottom, or while waiting for rescue in a tiny rubber raft, if lucky.

A floating multihull raft was always the better choice, being relatively safe and comfortable, but it was still a serious problem if no one knew help was needed, or where to look, but not any more.

The one thing still missing, and requested most often, is a lower priced entry level production boat. I have thought about this many times over the past few years, but have been held back by a number of things, including how to do it, and the considerable sales volume needed to keep the price at the level required.

A NEW LOW COST MODEL?

A completely new entry level design, of around 20' is now being considered. For such a boat to succeed, it will need to be light enough for towing by 4 cylinder cars, riggable by just one in less than ten minutes, have virtually instant folding with no bolts or stays to undo, offer lively sailing performance (but still a fun cruiser- not a racer), a 10 knot plus capability under power, and able to comfortably (well cozily) sleep four overnight. All while not costing much more than the average car.

Easy to say, but getting such a design right will probably be a tougher challenge than developing the original F-27 and then having it accepted by the market. It may be necessary for me to once again be fully involved with all aspects of design, production, and marketing for this model, as with the original F-27. The 'hands on' aspects of getting everything just right, and working exactly as it should, still appeals also.

However, to proceed further, there will need to be enough interest to achieve the essential sales volume required, and the necessary financing of production, otherwise it would be better left for another few years. If you would be seriously interested in such a boat, then please email me.

Plans For Amateur Builders Available Once More

Plans for amateur builders were discontinued in 1995, but due to ongoing interest, and the production versions becoming too expensive in some countries, with changing exchange rates, it was decided to make them available again in 1997.

They have not been promoted much since, as I still believe most sailors are better off with a full production boat, as any boat building project, in spite of all 'easy to build' claims, is still a lot of work and definitely not for everyone.

My plans are more detailed than all others, and do offer the fastest building methods, particularly when modern and fair hull shapes are an important requirement. But there is a certain inescapable amount of what is rather boring work in all boats, irrespective of building methods, or design, and not everyone is suited to this.

The only significant change with plans is that my personal backup service will no longer be free for an unlimited time for new builders. Thus after two years from purchase a reasonable fee may be required for any consultation.

However, all plans are thoroughly detailed and extremely well developed and tested, with all the questions that have arisen over many years being covered in the plans. Most builders will thus find little need for any backup.

Email will also become more commonly used and may eventually become the only method for support and follow-up.

There is also no guarantee that ready made parts such as beams or folding systems will always be available. However, these can now be self-built, with full details included in the plans. Ready made beams and folding systems are now currently available from Farrier Marine (F-25/F-82) or Corsair Marine (F-9A/F-31), and will probably remain so for some time to come.

This Newsletter will also remain free, though its publication will probably still be irregular. The mailed version will be limited to four pages at the most, while a larger and more comprehensive full color edition will be available on the Internet.

WHAT'S NEW WITH PLANS?

The F-25A has now been replaced by the F-82A and the sporty F-82R, which is virtually identical to the F-25C.

There were quite a few refinements from the F-25A, with all the latest F-25C developments and technology being incorporated. Overall length is increased to 8.2m (26' 11") while floats are also longer and slightly larger. Bare weight ranges from 680kg to 910kg (1500 to 2000lbs) depending on materials and methods used.

The F-82A has a cruiser friendly rig, where the F-82R has the taller more race orientated F-25C rig. Interior is very roomy and either a daggerboard or 'kick up' centerboard can be fitted. Rudder can be either underslung or transom mounted.

The F-36 and F-9A/F-9AX remain basically the same, for the time being, though foam construction is now a recommended option for all models.

Full details on all of the above designs are available from my web site at www.f-boat.com, or can be mailed out on request. A 106 page Study Book on all designs is also available, details on the above site, or in the mailout.

Buy or Build?

The only real justification for building these days is one or more of the following:

1. You enjoy building your own boat
2. A production equivalent is just not available (F-9AX or F-36 for instance)
3. Currency or import duty factors in other countries make a production version too expensive.

While some enjoy building more than sailing, most are better off buying rather than building. It is much easier to work more hours at an existing job, finance a production boat, and go sailing instead of spending hours building, or worse, sanding.

Rudders - The Latest Developments

The rudder on a high performance trimaran is an interesting challenge, and difficult to get right for all conditions. Ventilation is the most common problem, where the water flow is unable to stay attached at high speeds particularly when too much rudder is applied. Air can then be sucked down the rudder blade whereupon steerage control can be temporarily lost.

Solution is to wiggle the rudder a little, or bring back to center to restore flow, and fortunately the boat usually tracks straight, though not having steerage, even briefly, can be a little exciting!

Ventilation has not been a significant problem in the past, as the consistent speeds of over 15 knots usually necessary to experience this were not so easy or frequent with older designs. Nor does everyone want to go this fast.

However, with their much higher speed potential, later designs are demanding more of their rudders. Some F-25C owners have done a lot of experimenting, with daggerboard rudders, super deep underslung rudders, etc., and it will be interesting to see what evolves as the best. However, some of these solutions may not be practical for the average sailor, nor suitable for a production boat, with the usual practical and cost limitations.

For a rudder to work well at high speeds it needs to be a relatively thin section, with a fine parabolic entry, but this is not good for low speed control where a fatter section is better, with a quicker response. A compromise solution is to use a mid range thickness, and combat ventilation with a rudder fence, which is a thin horizontal plate on the forward side of the rudder, from 50% to 66% down. This will stop any air traveling past, and though the top section of the rudder may be ventilating, the lower section maintains flow and control.

The F-28 seems less susceptible to ventilation with its rudder blade being raked forward more, to where the water tends to flow up the blade, which seems to help. But I suspect a fence may still be required for the hard racers.

If ventilation is a problem then the first step is to check rudder and make sure it is fair, and without any score marks, pits, etc. It is very important that the leading edge be smooth, nicely rounded, and nick free.

The next step is to reduce the load on the rudder at high speed. If you have a lot of weather helm while reaching, then more steering input is required and the rudder is much more likely to ventilate. The most common cause for this is oversheeting the main.

You can get the feel of this by sailing with the rudder lifted up and out of the water where possible. The boat will want to round up strongly, and to restore balance to sail straight, the main has to be let right out. With the boat then tracking straight, with no rudder, ventilation is not going to be a problem, is it? Try to achieve this balanced state at high speed when the rudder is down. The rudder will now not have to work so hard and ventilation will be much less of a problem. The boat will also be faster.

The next and final step is to fit a fence. This can be made from a fiberglass or plastic sheet from 1/8 to 1/4" (3 - 6mm) thick. I believe a fence is essential for anyone who wants to regularly go over 15 knots - it does work well, and is the only thing that may work once everything else has failed.

Daggerboard Style Rudder: This type of rudder is probably the best of all, as the rudder depth can be reduced for shallow water while maintaining full control and a light helm. Problem has always been how to make it kick-up reliably, and I have avoided such a rudder for this reason. However I am working on a solution.

Mast raising methods for rotating masts

I avoided rotating masts on my designs for many years, one reason being the anticipated problems with raising and lowering. With no stays to the center hull, the mast is not supported when folded, and thus extra stays (raising wires) have to be fitted prior to folding.

This is not a good situation, for if one forgets to connect the raising wires prior to folding, it's good-bye mast. I almost did this myself on the first F-28.

The problem was solved by developing custom highfield levers which are used to connect the shrouds to the floats. To fold, you throw the highfield lever, which allows just enough slack for folding, while still restraining the mast (it can't fall off any more than 5° if you have forgotten to fit the raising wires). This is therefore a foolproof solution, and these highfield levers can also be used on the F-25/F-82 and F-9A if wished, being available from Corsair Marine.

The other problem with rotating masts was how to secure the raising wires to the deck, as with most designs the anchor points really needed to be around 4" off the cabin roof to align with the mast pivot point. Having something permanently there was not friendly for bare toes, so a fold down stainless steel Deck Loop system was developed. These are then flush with the deck until required, at which time they just lift up ready for use. A detail sheet for these loops is now available for all F-25A/F-82/F-9A builders should you wish to try them (with a rotating mast) and cost is US$10.

Fore and Aft Collision? Always Check Boat Carefully

Few cars can survive hitting a brick wall, even at low speeds, without damage, and similarly few boats can survive significant collisions with docks, heavy metal marker buoys, or other boats, without some damage. Monohulls have even been lost from damage to keels after low speed groundings. In this regard, Farrier designs are surprisingly tough, and there can be little or no damage after a heavy impact, but always check the boat carefully anyway.

Incidents are few, but experience from float bow impacts, or folded beams hitting a low bridge, has shown that there are certain areas of the boat structure that should be checked closely.

These include the folding struts, strut brackets, the complete float, beams, and the beam to float joins.

If any cracks or movement is visible, then they should be investigated and repaired as necessary. Be aware that a severe float bow impact can surprisingly travel right through the float hull and in some cases has even caused cracks around the hull near the aft beam, or at hatch edges.

With the larger F-9A/F-31, or any design that has fore and aft diagonal wire braces (which also support bow nets), the failure mode may be quite different.

Diagonal braces can actually turn a major float bow collision into an inwards impact on the forward beam due to the wire brace's position and angle. The inner beam end can then be damaged, or the beam bolt can be forced upwards, ripping out the bolt pad. The beam bulkhead tape inside may also delaminate from the hull.

If the collision has been severe enough, visible cracks will also appear around the float to beam joins, or the beam collars (F-31) may even be fractured. The main hull deck to hull join flange under the forward beams on older F-31s can also fracture. If the spinnaker bow pole has been pulled back and down, then this indicates a major impact where flex has been considerable. All areas as listed above must therefore be thoroughly checked.

Repair is not difficult and is probably easier than if the diagonal braces were not present, where in the worst case, the whole float and beam assembly on one side may be forced aft or completely ripped off.

If the folded beams have hit an overhead bridge, then carefully check folding struts (which may be bent), the strut brackets for any sign of cracks or movement, and very carefully around the beams near the float. Any crack running around the actual beam itself, should be taken very seriously and will require the complete replacing of the beam to avoid an unexpected failure later, and probably at the least convenient time. So watch out for those low overhead bridges.

To summarize, if a significant collision or impact has occurred on the floats and/or beams, check all areas described thoroughly. If nothing is found, continue to monitor over a period of time as any cracks may take some time to become visible.

Docking While Folded

My designs were always intended primarily for trailering, but some owners still prefer to use a dock, and if folded and left for an extended period, there will be some problems with growth on the float sides.

One solution is a HydroHoist, which lifts the folded boat completely out of the water, by pumping air into two supporting pontoons. Takes a couple of minutes. The boat is then high and dry, and more stable due to the wider spacing of the pontoons. Cost can be recovered by savings in bottom paint, and better resale value. Details at www.boatlift.com or Ph. 800-825-3379.

Docking with vertical folded floats has always been the only advantage of the 'swing wing' folding system. However, the above systems allow the ability to dock folded for long periods while retaining the ease of trailerability, and structural superiority of the Farrier Folding System™.

Should a 20' tri (new low cost model?) not prove feasible, then I may take a look at doing my first catamaran (F-38 perhaps). Cats begin to have advantages in larger sizes, and I would use similar design principles/features as in my tri designs. It would thus be a roomy, strong, seaworthy boat, with great handling and excellent all round performance. If interested see the Farrier Catamaran Home Page

RACE RESULTS:

Though designed primarily as comfortable, roomy family cruisers, Farrier designs can also be rather fast and recent notable results include:

1998 Newport - Ensenada

Fastest race on record, with 22 multihulls, and over 400 boats. 'Stars and Stripes' (Steve Fossett's America's Cup 60' racing cat) was first to finish in a new race record, and second was Los Angeles Corsair dealer Mike Leneman's F-31 'Delta Vee', around 4 hours behind. Third was Roy Disney's 70' Turbo sled monohull 'Pyewacket', another hour later. A great effort from Mike in his modified F-31 (a forerunner to the F-31R) and against some very high powered and expensive machinery.

Reminds me of when the 67' monohull sled 'Bobcat' set a new race record in the 1992 Brisbane to Gladstone Ocean Race. It made the headlines in all the papers, but none mentioned that during the race, 'Bobcat' had actually been caught and passed by Fred Gans' F-31 OSTAC TRIUMPH, a mere trailer sailer at a fraction of the cost, and finishing over an hour ahead!

1998 Scottish Peaks

Pete Newlands and Steve Mellors of Cowes, in their race customized F-27 trimaran 'MicroStation Modeler', teamed up with Royal Marines Commandos Colin Murray, specialist peaks sailor and previous winner, and top fell runners David and Billy Rogers to compete with sixty two other entrants.

After a grueling battle with Norman Ferguson's F-27 'Eezie Ossie' containing last year's winner Ian Luffhagen, top multihull sailor and sailmaker Graham Goff with two fast runners, 'MicroStation Modeler' finally made a break around the Mull of Kyntyre and won by two hours.

Race organizer Curly Mills with the F-31 'Matilda' and the first female runners finished third after missing the tidal gate at Fladda and subsequently trying an eastern approach and then on through the dreaded Correvreckan Channel.

1998 Mars Twin Peaks

Following the success in the Scottish Islands Peaks race, the 'MicroStation Modeler' was after the double in the Mars Twin Peaks Race (England), and though they broke the race record, the larger F-31R 'Pwllheli Partnership' (with fast lady runners) broke the record by even more.

The winning F31R was well sailed by Paul Keen and Richard Tudor. Ian Luffhagen and Graham Goff on the F-27 'Kaos' were also in close contention until struggling through the Menai Straits and thus missing the tide into Ravenglass. Ultimately they finished two tides later, followed by three catamarans, further tides adrift.

Race highlights included the F-27 and F31R negotiating the Menai Straits just 400 metres apart, and a neck-and-neck dinghy haul at Ravenglass (after the F-27 runners had gained 40 minutes back).

The 60 mile close fetch to the Mull of Galloway in Force six winds and steep 4 to 6 foot seas caused the F-27 crew some seamanlike concern and they could not match the power of the F-31R. It is rumored that Peter is now costing out an F-31R

1998 Corsair Pensacola Regatta and Rendezvous

Corsair's 4th annual Trimaran Regatta and Rendezvous at Pensacola Beach exceeded all expectations this year with 52 Corsair/Farrier trimarans and their crews participating in three days of fabulous racing in the balmy, breezy, laid-back ambiance of Pensacola Beach, Florida. This event is fast becoming a classic, with the largest gathering of Farrier designs ever, and possibly of trimarans of any type.

Skippers and crews came from the four corners of the U.S. and included for the first time a strong contingent from the West Coast. This year's event also included an international flair with crews from Canada and England, as well as individual crew members from Germany, Switzerland and Australia.

The regatta featured five major classes including the F-24, F-25C, F-27, F-28 and F-31/F-9A classes. The F-31/F-9A fleet was in itself the largest gathering of these boats, and this regatta was used as the class "National Championships", which was won by Bob Gleason on a brand new stock Corsair F-31R.

The regatta was once again hosted by The Key Team of Pensacola Beach, sponsored by Corsair Marine and organized by the officers of the F-24, F-27/28, F-25 and F-31/F-9A Class Associations.

Overall results on corrected time were Bob Gleason, F-31R first, H.L. Enloe, F-31R second, and Doug Harkrider, F-28R, third.

1998 UK Farrier Nationals

The U.K. Farrier Trimaran Association, also held another successful National event in July at Bembridge, Isle of Wight. Overall winner was Brian Haynes in his F-28R, with Peter Newman's F-25A second, and Ian Loffhagen's F-27 third.

Brian's F-28R diced with Stephen Sharp's F-25C throughout for line honors, ending up with three wins each.

The Original F-31 Still Going Strong

Fred Gans' F-31 TRIUMPH (the first full production F-31 and formerly OSTAC TRIUMPH) has continued its winning ways since taking out the Australian Multihull Offshore Championships (AMOC) in 1992.

TRIUMPH won last years Brisbane to Gladstone 310 mile ocean race on corrected time, and came in second this year, while also taking second in the 1998 AMOC series overall.

The second race of this series (the 110 mile Gladstone to Hervey Bay Ocean Race) was particularly challenging, with only 5 out of 16 multihull starters able to finish. It is not very often that so many tough Australian multihulls retire, so conditions were rather rough. Two F-31s started and two finished, one being TRIUMPH, the other being Robert Remilton's well travelled WILPARINA. The other three finishers were all 38' or larger.

Vertical Foam Stripping

Reports back from builders are very favorable about the ease of building using this new system. It does seem to work very well, and results in a very light boat. Being able to use up to 20" (500mm) wide strips in the vertical format also certainly saves a lot of time.

Note that with vertical foam strips it may also be worthwhile to cut the form frames back the thickness of the fore and aft stringers to avoid having to notch them into the form frames themselves. The stringers instead then just lay on top of the frames.

A few builders have also asked about leaving gaps between the foam strips, and then filling them in later using a trowel. I do not personally favor this, as the gaps add a surprising amount of weight, though this will be much less with vertical strips. The risk of shrinkage lines appearing in the finished hull may also be greater, and thus I would prefer to fill such joins as I go, using the minimal amount of putty. However, such gaps are structurally unimportant, and can be left if wished.

Some foam types can also be very stiff and difficult to bend around tight radii like the edges of the floats. In this case a heat gun can soften the foam for easy bending, or you can kerf (multiple cuts) the foam along the float edge radius to allow it to bend easily.

Design Updates

A separate sheet for respective F-25, F-82, F-9A and F-36 builders, with notes and updates for each design is either included with this Newsletter, or has been sent recently. If this sheet has not been received in the past week or so, then please let me know.

New Plan Options

New options, with cost (inc. postage) for the drawings required in brackets, are available for the various models as follows :

F-9A and F-9AX: A new kick-up transom hung rudder is now available for the F-9A and F-9AX. This is easier to make for a trailerable boat, and lighter (US$45).

F-9R: An 'R' rig with a square top main, taller rotating mast, boomless main option, plus a new and longer bow pole setup is also now available for the F-9A, converting it into the F-9R, or a home builders equivalent of the F-31R. However, for an F-9A to be called an F-9R it must be built in foam, in order to achieve the light weight required for the 'R' performance level (US$45).

Corsair New Models

These include the new F-28, and the F-31R, a high performance version of the F-31, weighing only 3150lbs, with a newly developed transom hung rudder and carbon fiber rotating mast. Now available from all Corsair dealers world wide.

F-25C Production Run Ends

Production of the F-25C has now ended, due to the limited market for this unique and very specialized epoxy carbon 'oven cured' kit boat. Sales were always expected to be lower than for other Farrier designs, and the forty eight F-25Cs built seem to have satisfied current demand.

Should sufficient interest again become apparent, then another production run may be considered. If interested in such a boat then please let me know at Farrier Marine.

The home builders equivalent of the F-25C, the F-82R, has continued to sell well, with 57 now building or sailing, even though only promoted in the Australian market.

The first F-82R launched in Australia continued the F-25C's winning tradition by taking line honors in the 1998 Williamstown (Melbourne) to Geelong race in Australia, as part of the "Scotchman's Hill Festival of Sail" (Australia's largest keelboat regatta).

Dean Snow's foam/glass F-82R 'Redshift' led home a fleet of around 200 boats, finishing 30 minutes ahead of the 42' Grainger racing trimaran 'Spirit of Emu'.

'Redshift' then went on to take line honors in the 1998 Marlay Point Race, a classic event, and Australia's biggest race for trailer yachts. It's also quite a test for all round performance, with more than just brute power needed to win.

Farrier designs took the first five places over the line, with Greg Kay's F-28R second, and winning on corrected time, with last years winner Martin Kilpatrick third in his F-24 Mk II. Dean is now building an F-9R and has 'Redshift' up for sale.

Sailing The F-25C/F-82R

When the F-25C was first launched there were concerns that it may be a handful in heavy airs, with its higher power to weight ratio. However, it has instead shown outstanding performance and stability in heavier airs.

This is due to the more efficient rotating mast, which moves the drive further forward, while the light weight allows more acceleration in gusts. Thus it tends to just go faster rather than heel.

Randy Smyth also discovered that moving the crew inboard to the main hull stern, just behind the traveller, emphasized the negative lift present in all Farrier designs from the main hull shape aft. This ensured the bows stayed high in strong winds, with safety and control, while achieving speeds a small boat really has no business doing.

This works best with a light boat and the more efficient rotating mast, otherwise it is better for the crew to stay out on the float when driving hard.

More Ocean Crossings

While it is nice to be able to report successful ocean crossings, and such achievements are always a reassuring demonstration of seaworthiness, please note that this is not a recommended or intended use for any of my designs, other than the F-36. The smaller designs are certainly tough enough, but they are still too small in my opinion. With this cautionary note in mind, further known ocean crossings have now been made by:

Wayne Gorrie (F-9A REDSHIFT), 1996, sailed from Vancouver to Hawaii in the Vic- Maui Race, finishing just after the 70' sleds.

Gary Helms (F-31 BAD BOY), 1996, took line honors in the single-handed Trans-Pac from San Francisco to Hawaii

Adrian Went (F-31), 1996, crossed the Atlantic to Holland in his F-31, his second crossing in a Farrier design (also crossed in an F-27 in 1988).

Yann Vincent (F-31 SALE GOSSE) 1995 to 1997, sailed from France, across the Atlantic, through Panama Canal, and then onto Tahiti.

Internet Resources

Just as modern developments first made the multihull possible, and now the safest boat, I believe the Internet is going to help lower costs, and help spread the facts on the achievements or advantages of all multihulls much more easily. The following are now available:

Forum & Bulletin Board: There are now an Internet email forum discussion group, and a bulletin board that cover all aspects of Farrier designs, with both owners, builders and prospective owners taking part. For details on access or joining go to:

 There is also a Farrier Class Association site at:

Tramp Sailing Manual: Occasional requests also still come in for the original Tramp Sailing Manual, which has been out of print since 1983. This was recently scanned and converted to a PDF document and is now available via mail ($6) or downloadable free from:

Contact: Being frequently in the field, my response to mail may sometimes be slow. Email, phone messages, or faxes can be accessed remotely and are therefore preferred - Ian Farrier