Fun with an Inexpensive Littler Trimaran

http://smalltrimarans.com/blog/fun-with-an-inexpensive-littler-trimaran/

Fun with an Inexpensive Littler Trimaran

by Small Tri Guy | Jan 26, 2015 | Self-built Small Trimarans, Small Tri Info - All | 3 comments

Looking for a fun, inexpensive little trimaran to build? Here is some inspiration from Joe, who writes to us from his home in Thailand. Instead of “little” trimaran, however, Joe refers to his little creation as “littler tri.”

Joe built this boat for a friend. It’s proof that good gifts can still come in small packages :-)

According to Joe, it’s a fun boat under sail for its size. And considering the total cost to build it — $300 US dollars — what’s not to like?

Joe shares the short story about his boat below. Many thanks to him for doing so with us!

…………………..

Little Tri
by Joe (in Thailand)

I really got started sailing with my first wife. We were living near Lake Michigan and I always looked at sail boats wistfully and she had learned to sail as a child. She said we should buy a boat and my sailing future was set. She did complain later that I only wanted to sail when there were small craft advisories but we all have different ideas of ideal sailing conditions.

That was 40 years ago and time and travel brought me to Thailand where I unexpectedly met my current wife. Living near the Gulf of Thailand I decided I needed a boat and since I couldn’t afford what was being offered I decided to build my own.

I am an unremorseful pirate of ideas but I do try to give credit where credit is due. In this case the credit goes to Bernd Kohler and his Little Tri. This appears to be a lovely little boat that can get you on the water for not much money and in a short time.

In Thailand we have access to some plastic boats that are cheap but questionably seaworthy. Many people have talked to me about sailing but don’t have the resources for production boats and I kept thinking I could put together a boat for about $300.

I had considered building a boat in the distant past but found the task too daunting. The internet gave me the courage to give it a try. I had owned a small beach cat in the past and enjoyed its performance so that influenced my choice of what to build. I attached a photo of that inadequate attempt. After sailing it a couple of times I knew I needed something different and by adding a more substantial vaka and using my catamaran for amas I might have a usable boat. My interest in trimarans basically came as the result of a failed catamaran.

When I saw Bernd Kohler’s Little Tri with its pvc amas and lateen sail I thought here was a model for my project. A minor detail in this is that I’m already working on seven different boats and really didn’t need another project or another boat. I find that the boat is really the easy part and the accessories and details of usage are more of a challenge. Details of usage are 1) where to keep the boat, 2) how to get it to the water, 3) launching, etc.

At this point Christian (a Frenchman) sauntered by my shack while I worked on a boat and lent a hand. After a few days it became known that he wanted a boat which wasn’t entirely clear since he speak French and I only speak English. However language is often more of a barrier to understanding than an assistant. So I showed him a picture of Little Tri and he got out his wallet and we got started.

Sizing things up to build Littler Trimaran

The boat is only 8 feet long and I may have chosen a longer version but this would have also increase the cost by 1,300 baht (about $40) and, after all, it’s Christian’s boat. This meant the amas would also need to be about 8 feet long.

I loved Bernd Kohler’s idea for amas since they turned the pvc pipe into something that actually looked like it belonged on a boat. By cutting the ends at an angle you get a shape that moves through the water quite well. I added a 4 inch keel but I’m not sure that this adds much to the dynamics of the ama. I wanted to use plastic wherever I could and recently discovered how to make flat sheets out of tubular pvc.

You take a length of tube and cut it vertically. Then heat it up, flatten it out, and place it between two boards and stand on it. The result is a flat panel. These panels were used to attach the akas to the boat and the amas to the akas. I also used them for assembling the rudder and the lee board mount.

Bamboo is plentiful in Thailand and an excellent material for masts, booms, and sundry other parts of the boat. I had an old polytarp sail that I cut down to size and will sew a new sail after a few trial runs. Christian turned out to be an excellent worker and we completed all this in a matter of about a week. I was anxious to get the boat in the water but the day before our first sea trial I rubbed a pvc shard in my eye and scratched my cornea so we had to postpone sailing for a couple days. This experience leads me to recommend protective eyewear for all this work and careful cleanup after.

So it took a few more days to get the boat to the water but we finally made it and I have been happily surprised by its performance.

Costs:
Boat – 3,700 Baht
PVC pipe – 1,400
Plywood – 700
Alloy akas – 500
Resin – 500
Bamboo – 400
Hardware – 1,330
Sailcloth – 1,070
Total – 9,600 Baht
Roughly $300

Our ideal sailing day will be for him to sail his boat while I sail one of my boats to Koh Samet for lunch.

I have multiple sailboat projects going at any given time: 3 – trimarans, 2 – proas, 1 – catamaran. I tend to mix and match parts which can be confusing but I find it fun (i.e. different sails with different hulls, exchanging amas, etc.)