Thomas Coville smashes round the world solo multihull record.

Thomas Coville has improved the solo multihull record previously held by Francis Joyon by more than eight days!  The new record is 49 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes and 38 seconds (yet to be ratified).  The record was set on Coville's latest trimaran Sodebo Ultime.  Sodebo Ultime was built reusing some parts of the Original Geronimo the original crossbeams reused and strengthened combined with new fronts on the floats and a completely new main hull.

There is more information in this article by Scuttlebutt Sailing news:

http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2016/12/25/thomas-coville-sets-new-solo-round-world-record/

A visit to Andrew Stransky's self designed and built catamaran "Fantasia"

While the Stransky's were in Melbourne attending the World Sailing Cup so their daughter Mara could compete in the Laser dinghies I visited onboard their beautiful catamaran "Fantasia".  It's a lovely performance cruising catamaran and I've compiled some notes on the boat on the linked page.  Andrew is offering building plans for the "Seven Seas 50" and support through the construction process.  He also still has hull moulds available to speed the building process.

http://trimaranproject.blogspot.com.au/p/visit-to-andrew-stanskys-self-designed.html

Thomas Coville on Sodebo Ultime breaks current solo multihull record from Ushant to the equator on Sodebo Ultime

Thomas Coville on the maxi trimaran Sodebo has made it to the equator in 5 days, 17 hours and 15 minutes (yet to be ratified) improving on the current solo multihull record held by Francis Joyon of 6 days, 16 hours 24 minutes.  What makes it even more impressive is that the new record is only marginally slower than the record set by Banque Populaire V in its fully crewed format that took 5 days, 14 hours and 52 minutes to cover the same segment.

https://www.sodebo.com/fr/voile/actualites/article/ouessant-equateur-nouveau-temps-reference-solitaire-nouveau-record-pour-thomas-coville

Discovery 21 trimaran, notes on first test sail and video of boat out sailing.

The recently launched Discovery 21 trimaran designed by Chris White has been out for a few sails now and seems to slip along nicely.

There is a nice little description of the test sails by Chris White and Ben Hall on the Performance Multihulls Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Performance-multihulls-177143022325354/?fref=ts

Here is the initial impression from our esteemed designer Chris White.
Oct. 18, 2016
Discovery 21, First Sail
...

“Awesome, right out of the box!”
Ben Hall

Yesterday I finally had a chance to get on board the new Discovery 21 for a trial sail along with her builder Bill Koffler and mast builder as well as champion sailor, Ben Hall. The boat was moored in Bristol, Rhode Island, the day was calm to start with a perfect Indian summer sea breeze building in the afternoon.

As we dropped the mooring “Ishtar” slid off on starboard tack in the first puffs of afternoon breeze easily sailing at wind speed. We tacked out through the moorings, quickly coming across in the tacks with main, jib and mast trim all self tending.

The helm was nicely balanced with just a slight bit of weather helm. Windward performance seemed excellent although we had no instruments on board and no fast boats to compare with but the way the shoreline moved past was impressive.

As we got out toward the Mt. Hope bridge the wind started building and the little trimaran's engines began to rev. With wind in the low teens boat speed was quickly over 10 knots. Going upwind at speed the cockpit was still remarkably dry.

Tacking over to the more open part of Narragansett Bay the wind continued to build. We reached off to the NW enjoying an occasional surf on the little waves. Having some distance to beat back and by now a solid sea breeze gusting toward 20 knots we turned around and sheeted in hard. It was like lighting the afterburners!

Ben and I were sitting on the windward float, Bill steering from the cockpit. It was gusty so we each had a sheet in hand just in case but Ishtar felt like she was on rails, charging upwind powering through the gusts without care like no 21 foot daysailer I have ever seen. At times we were pretty close to flying the main hull, probably 80% of the way there, with boat speed probably over 12 kts. From the high position sitting on the windward float it was a thrilling ride and the most fun sail I've had in a long time.

The leeward float has plenty of buoyancy which kept the crossbeams out of the wave tops and allows the rig to fully power up the boat. Sail handling is very simple with sheet leads set up to be controlled from any position in the cockpit or out on the windward float deck.

The main hull bow generates far less spray than the original D-20 design which is a great relief. However the combination of high boat speed and waves eventually causes wave tops to be clipped off and anyone in the cockpit is likely to get more than a little wet. So once there are white caps you'll want decent sailing clothes unless its very warm.
 

Thomas Coville sets out to attempt to break the solo round the world non stop record

Thomas Coville has departed on his solo round the world non stop record attempt.  Thomas Coville has upgraded from his previous Nigel Iren's designed trimaran with a new Ultime trimaran that carries over some parts (suitably modified for their new role) of the former maxi trimaran Geronimo. To improve the record that Francis Joyon, on the trimaran IDEC, set of 57 days 13 hours and 34 minutes, he will have to finish by Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 04:22:57

There is an article on Sailing Scuttlebutt here:

http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2016/11/06/coville-starts-solo-record-attempt/

and the tracker for the attempt is here:

http://tour-du-monde.sodebo.com/

Trailerable Strike 20 trimaran by Richard Woods

Richard Woods Strike 20 trimaran design is trailerable, folding and intended for racing use.  It does have a comfortable cockpit so would still be suitable as a daysailor.  It uses donor hulls and rig from an F18 catamaran.  There are more details on his website here:

http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/designs/27-trimarans-under-25/433-strike-20

Also a video of one of the first boats launched that was built to the plans.

3D rendered video of the new Maxi Solo Banque Populaire IX trimaran

Groupama Race, Frank Racing claim line honours

Frank Racing onboard the teams ORMA 60 trimaran have claimed line honours in the Groupama Yacht race.  She crossed the finish line at 10.33.12 on Tuesday morning local time for a race time of 2 days 10 hours 33 minutes and 12 seconds.

  This event circumnavigates New Caledonia and it's lagoon. In second place in the multihull division the 40' custom foiling trimaran Jessica Rabbit is consistently extending it's lead over the two catamarans that have entered.

There is an article on Sail-World with more details.

www.sail-world.com/148552

Groupama race underway

The Groupama Race which circumnavigates New Caledonia is attended by a number of multihulls with the racing trimaran Frank Racing (formerly Geant ORMA 60) and Jessica Rabbit (Custom 40' foiling trimaran) along with catamarans Moemeti and Birdies Furax 2. Not surprisingly Frank Racing is leading the entire fleet while Jessica Rabbit is in 6th place overall.

The race tracker is here:

http://www.groupamarace.nc/la-course/tracking

Website for Groupama Race:

http://www.groupamarace.nc/

Ultime trimaran IDEC relaunched as Francis Joyon and team prepare to go on standby for another Jules Verne Record attempt

Francis Joyon and team will soon be on standby for another attempt at claiming perhaps the most coveted offshore racing record for multihulls the Jules Verne Trophy.  The trimaran IDEC has recently been relaunched after a Summer refit at Multiplast.

They have made the following press release available on their website:

English:

http://www.idecsport-sailing.com/aiming-for-the-jules-verne-trophy-idec-sport-back-in-the-water-and-shortly-going-on-stand-by/?lang=en

French:

http://www.idecsport-sailing.com/objectif-trophee-jules-verne-idec-sport-retrouve-son-element-en-vue-dun-stand-by-imminent/

There is also a video of the relaunch of IDEC:


Vannes: Francis Joyon pret pour le Jules Verne - Bretagne Télé from BRETAGNE Télé on Vimeo.

Banuls 53 trimaran Finn, new article added to pages section of blog

Jason Gard was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to have a look around onboard Clint Clemens gorgeous performance cruising trimaran "Finn".  It's available in the pages section of the blog, direct link below:

http://trimaranproject.blogspot.com.au/p/banuls-53-trimaran.html

America's Cup World Series Toulon (French narration from Canal+)

Voile - America's Cup - Toulon - Etape du 11/09/2016

Direct link to the Canal+ video page: http://www.canalplus.fr/sport/c-autres-sports/c-voile/pid3490-video-voile.html

Oman Sail/Musandam MOD70 trimaran craned out at Lorient for repairs

The Oman Sail/Musandam trimaran that capsized in the Quebec - St Malo transat has been craned out in Lorient for repairs.

Sultanate of Oman from muriel vdb on Vimeo.

Rapido trimarans, Rapido 60 hull #2 underway for NZ based owners

The construction of Rapido 60 trimaran hull #2 is well underway.  The shell has come together quickly thanks to the excellent tooling that is now in place at the factory.

 

Francois Gabart on Ultime trimaran Macif to challenge reference time on the Mediterranean record route

From the following article on Yachts and Yachting:

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/192115

François Gabart will leave at the end of the week for a delivery with crew to La Ciotat, where he will attempt the Mediterranean record single-handed in early October.

This summer, the trimaran remained moored to its berth, where it was dismasted, to repair the masthead. For the technical team, this was also an opportunity to check all the rigging. They also worked hard to finalise the installation of optical fibres on the appendages (rudders, foils, and centreboard). These will provide valuable information about their behaviour: "The optical fibres will provide us with data on the distortions and strain on the appendages. This will be sent directly to the multihull's computer", explains Antoine Gautier, the engineering office manager. This real-time data will now enable the skipper to preserve the appendages if needed. At the same time they will be studied onshore for the purpose of optimisation.

read more here

Black Marlin 32' trimaran design by Jan Andersen build blog by Berthold Daum

Another beautiful design by Jan Andersen the Black Marlin this is intended as a more cruisy version of the Barracuda which still offers very good performance.  The plans support building in timber composite strip plank or carbon/core. 

http://visionboats.com/en/?Black_marlin

And a fantastic build blog by Berthold Daum who built a Black Marlin in Germany in strip plank Western Red Cedar.

http://projekt-kiri.blogspot.com.au/

The story of the fabulous Dick Newick designed Proa "Cheers"

09/06/2008 - La fabuleuse histoire du prao Cheers by Voilesnews

Main hull of new ultime trimaran Banque Populaire IX enroute to Lorient

The main hull of the new ultime Banque Populaire IX has departed Cherbourg enroute to Lorient for fitting out.

Resin infusion tutorial for carbon fibre parts by Easy Composites in the UK

I thought this video gave a good description of the infusion process in this case they used carbon but it would also work for fibreglass and core glass combinations with appropriate preparation.

Grainger trimaran TR40 design "Morello" built and launched by Larry and Amy Ketten

This lovely trimaran is a TR40 design lovingly constructed by Larry and Amy Ketten.  The boat is beautifully constructed in strip plank WRC.

A good article on Multihulls Quarterly:

http://www.bwsailing.com/mq/sailing-on-morello-a-40-foot-tony-grainger-designed-trimaran/

Team Phaedo claim round the Isle of Wight record

The Phaedo team on the MOD70 trimaran Phaedo3 have claimed the outright world record for the Round the Island course at the Isle of Wight.  The new time they have set is 2 hours 4 minutes and 14 seconds (still to be ratified by the World Speed Sailing Record Council).  The crew

The previous world record was held by Michel Desjoyeaux and set in a previous edition of the Artemis Challenge at 2 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds.

How to tie a soft shackle by Yachting Monthly

An instructional video on making soft shackles in Dyneema.

Sailing World article on Ultime trimarans

James Boyd has penned an article on the latest generation of Ultime trimarans for Sailing World:

http://www.sailingworld.com/ultimate-machine?dom=rss-default&src=syn

The current class of Ultime trimarans is bigger and more complex than ever, but a new breed of sailor knows how to handle them.

Since François Gabart won the Vendée Globe at age 29, he and his sponsor MACIF have graduated to the Ultime class, with a giant multihull launched last year purpose-built for singlehanded long-distance racing and record breaking. Gabart won last fall’s doublehanded Transat Jacques Vabre, and proved this was no fluke by winning the Transat bakerly singlehanded across the Atlantic, from England to New York, in May.

read more here

Chris White designed Discovery 21 trimaran

The crew over at Aquidneck Custom Boat Builders/Performance Multihulls have been constructing an updated version of Chris White's original Discovery 20 design.  The new trimaran will be available in either a kit version for the owner to assemble or a full constructed sailaway package.  It features a folding mechanism, spacious cockpit and updated rig.  Chris has revisited the platform design and powered it up with larger floats.

Some photos of the platform of the first boat out of the molds have been posted along with a flyer with features and preliminary pricing.

For more details Performance Multihulls

Tracer 1500TRi performance cruising trimaran design by Schionning designs

Jeff Schionning is well known for his performance cruising catamaran designs and has stepped into the trimaran field with his Tracer 1500TRi design.  A performance cruising trimaran which once again can be provided as a precut duflex kit for home builders or constructed to sail away stage by one of their suggested professional builders.

Specifications

LOA	15.00 metres
BOA	10.20 metres
DRAFT	0.675 metres
HEADROOM	Full Standing
FUEL CAPACITY	150 litres
MAST HEIGHT	19 metres
SAIL AREA (Main + Headsail)	75+43 sq metres
PAYLOAD	1800 kg
DISPLACEMENT	7000 kg
WATER CAPACITY	400 litres
MOTOR OPTION	1 x 40hp Diesel
BEAM TO LENGTH	10.6:1
BRUCE NUMBER	1.43

More details here:

Tony Grainger TR36 trimaran

Tony Grainger has added a new design to his current trimaran portfolio.  The TR36 trimaran is aimed at a more economical solution to performance trimaran cruising while still offering workable payload and cruising comfort.  As the length of the boat decreases the cost of build tracks down in accordance.  It will be available as plans/pre cut duflex kit or to fully constructed sail away stage by one of their nominated builders.

TR36 Basic Specifications:

 LOA 11m 36'
Beam OA 8.26m 27"
Beam CL-CL 3.9m 12'10"
Beam Main Hull 3.059m 10,
Height of Main Hull 2.191m 7'3"
Main Hull B:L 1 : 10.24
Disp DWL 2946kg 6481lb
Mainsail 46.95sq.m. 505sq.ft
Solent 26.12sq.m. 281sq.ft
Code Zero 45.8sq.m. 493sq.ft
Gennaker (MH) 102.4sq.m. 1102sq.ft
Mast Length 14.608m. 48'8"
Air Draft 16.4m. 53'10"ft.
Mast Position 50% LOA from bow


more details here:

   

Phaedo team compete in the Artemis Challenge onboard the MOD70 Phaedo3

The Phaedo Team have competed in the Artemis Challenge they were set to duel with the MOD70 Concise 10 but some technical problems prevented the Concise Team from competing.  As it turned out the conditions were not favorable in terms of completing the challenge in record time and the record is retained by Michel Desjoyeaux on the MOD70 Foncia which competed in the 2012 edition of the Artemis Challenge.

There is a more detailed article on the Artemis Challenge website here:



Phaedo³ - Artemis Challenge 2016 from Ocean Images on Vimeo.

I'm back but more focused on trimaran news this time.

Hi all,
         I got a stack of nice emails commenting on me reactivating the news section.  I'm going to be more focused now on the trimaran side of things from now on because that's where I observe there is more of a gap in news.  I'm also going to keep an eye on the proa build and design side of things which once again is more of niche interest.  The catamaran news is very well covered by excellent commercial blogs like Catamaran Racing, News and Design so probably wont be putting up much content along those lines except on rare occasions.

Videos of final assembly, launch and first promotional video of the new 60' Rapido trimaran

Ian Holt's foiling RC trimaran models

Ian Holt has been developing a number of foiling RC trimarans and experimenting with different lifting foil profiles and designs.  A range of videos of his boats in action are below.  One of his designs the Boxster is a 1metre x 1 metre trimaran which can be fitted with a range of modular foil solutions in float mounted cases.  It's now available as a limited production boat constructed to various levels of completion upon request. 

Ian's contact email is iholtkss AT gmail.com

 

Kurt Hughes 40' racing trimaran concept for Phil Stegall

Noted multihull ocean racer Phil Steggall was looking at one stage to build a 40' racing trimaran and commissioned Kurt Hughes to draw him a concept.  A more modern take on Kurt's F40 racing trimaran it enclosed a more commodious interior with more stowage while still keeping the racing edge. Construction was to be cored carbon with the platform to be square 40' x 40'.  Float foils were drawn as straight daggerboards but could be lifting foils if requested.

http://multihulldesigns.com/

New Shuttleworth 40' racer/cruiser trimaran design

Well I wasn't planning on doing more updates here but sometimes I see some projects come over my desk that are so beautiful and worthy that they demand sharing.  One of these is a new trimaran design by the Shuttleworth design team for a UK client.  Intended to compete in the Round Britain and Ireland race but also provide reasonably comfortable accommodation for the crew whilst racing or cruising.

 It's in the early build stages in Asia construction method is foam/carbon.

Shuttleworth design can be contacted here:

The specs:
racer/fast cruiser...
39x32
target race weight w crew 2300k-2500kg
designed with 18.6m mast
floats 300% buoyancy
straight boards in the floats
rudders on the floats
VPP 14+ knots at 85 deg
downwind 25+ knots
Sail area: Main 75sqm Jib 35 sqm
Canting rig

double berth aft w 600mm ''turning over height"
double for'd
single cots either side in saloon