Interview with Wayne Barrett in regards to his new trimaran design for home or custom construction the M80

Wayne Barrett has entered the trimaran design market previously with his excellent 24' MOJO trimaran a spiritual successor to the Crowther Buccaneer 24. His new foray into design is called the M80 a folding trimaran design constructed in developed plywood flat panels. I thought I'd contact Wayne and get the low down on his new design.

Trimaran Project Wayne what was the inspiration behind the new design and what requirements is it designed to cater for?

Wayne Barrett After years of building high performance multihulls on a professional level I know very well the huge amount of hours that they consume. With up to sixteen people working full time for months on one project alone you can then gain some idea of how quickly time passes and always to the best estimates time wins.

Thoughts started rumbling to build a boat of my own being at the wrong end of the age scale there is no time to be delving into the high tech process. This is where the original MOJO was initiated purely for my own use and most importantly a boat that I could comfortably and safely handle on my own. Seemingly the boat that suited me was not for the majority, after studying the feedback from MOJO I decided to draw up the M80.

The M 80 had to be more convenient than MOJO so the folding system was included in the design, a standard accommodation layout was adopted with greater flexibility than the split accommodation of the center cockpit. To cut to your question the M80 is for the sailor who has the time and desire to build his own Trimaran that can be easily assembled within a reasonable period of time.



M80 trimaran, courtesy of Wayne Barrett

Trimaran Project How would you rate the construction of the new design in terms of difficulty? Is it a project a handyman who has no prior boatbuilding experience but is equipped with some basic skills could take on with a high probability of success?

Wayne Barrett The construction or assembly as I prefer to call it is possibly the most basic one can achieve and still provide a good looking tri. If the builder uses the DXF files and has all the parts cut the process is very quick, Finished parts will appear in no time and the enjoyment of self-building will be sent on a new high. With the advent of CNC every small component is accurately precut, eliminating the risk of incorrect measurements. Even the building frame is precut slotting together in the egg crate principal, I have included the float frames within the same assembly as the main hull thus reducing time even more. Any handyman can put together the M 80 and achieve a high standard of finish.

Trimaran Project Trailerability seems to be the new essential does your set of plans include plans for a trailer as well? Or can a generic boat trailer with minor modification be used?

Wayne Barrett At this stage the plans for a trailer are not included, the majority of standard trailers available can be modified to suit.

Trimaran Project There are a lot of variables I know but what are your thoughts as to an approximate costing to build the boat from scratch?

Wayne Barrett Yes the variables are hard to contend with but my best estimates the cost will be around $45 - $50K. maybe a diligent and resourceful builder could build it for less On the other hand with upmarket deck gear, sails, electronics etc. the cost if not watched could skyrocket, this of course is true with any purchase being a boat, a house, car etc.

Trimaran Project Will the boat be available as a precut kit?

Wayne Barrett Yes as mentioned above it is available in a precut version and in my opinion the best way to build, everything is supplied in the plywood kit, with small items like flanges for the deck hatches, Ring frames for some bulkheads, flanges to support the windows, surrounds for the drop boards and the drop boards. There are 35 2440 x 1220 x 9mm. sheets of plywood involved plus a dozen sheets of 16 mm. cheap ply or chipboard for the building frames.

Trimaran Project How does the folding system work? Is it similar to a Farrier system?

Wayne Barrett Yes it employs the same folding principal.

Trimaran Project Grey area I know but what sort of performance do you envision for the boat if built and sailed light?

Wayne Barrett Never have intentions of being the first boat home (or the last) the M80 has a modest rig with a mast height of 10.4 mtr. M 80 sports a self-tacking jib, a prodder can be set of the bow, Which I have drawn at one meter, so quite conservative, I think she will move along quite nicely, the main hull has a reasonable lwl ratio, the floats are very buoyant and the beams Have excellent clearance. The dagger board is quite high aspect with the rudder having plenty of area for control in the light

You can contact Wayne for more details through the contact us form on www.trimarankit.com a website will be up for the new M80 design soon.

M80 trimaran design, render courtesy Wayne Barrett