More Sailing Benefits of Small Trimarans

A lot has been written about the benefits of sailing and owning a small trimaran sailboat, but there are always more benefits to talk about. If you want a great day boat, then you'll want to look into a few of the production tri models on the market, as well as many other models of these boats available in plan form for a home builder.

The sailing qualities of small trimarans make them appealing for new and experienced sailors alike. It's a good bet that a newbie will be able to learn how to sail more easily, including how to tack and jibe, on a small tri. While a seasoned vet would be able to get into the very same boat and enjoy a speedy, high performance ride that most monohull sailors rarely experience.

Some small tri models are very forgiving, meaning that a sailing mistake such as over-correcting a rudder, will not cause the sailor to be thrown into the water. Similar miscues on monohulls cause excessive heeling, and catamarans often just tip right over. But the stability inherently found within a trimaran is well documented.

I recently spoke to one sailing expert who said he thought trimarans are an ideal design model ... one that is most suited to what he called the "art of sailing." Their 3-hull configuration, center of gravity and size allows them to do the things sailboats are supposed to do ... and far more efficiently than either monohulls or catamarans. Even though beach cat riding is fun, and can be extremely fast, especially when the sailor raises the cat up on one hull, catamarans don't offer the ability to tack or jibe the way a trimaran does.

Small trimarans can also save owners a lot of money when it comes to shelling out more dollars for their recreational pastime. High gas prices mean that if you're a small tri owner, you're going to be able to ride waves at thrilling speeds without paying a lot for either the huge motor ... or the expensive gas used to fill it. While many small trimarans have motors on them, they're used mostly to get the boat out of the launch ramp area. As soon as there is room on the water, the motor can be shut off. In general, a small trimaran can move along just fine from that point onward, even when the airs are light.

A small trimaran will also open up the door for you to experience exotic and out-of-the-ordinary adventures ... without having to go off in search of them somewhere around the world. You can view rivers, bays, or coastal areas in ways most of the people you know never get to see them. If you go sailing in the ocean, you'll be able to get close to beautiful creatures, such as dolphins, on a regular basis. And then after sightseeing, you can pull your boat up into a quiet inlet, or secluded beach spot, for a private picnic afterwards.

A small trimaran will also allow you get the boat out onto the water more often. For various reasons, it seems like most people who have big boats don't use them a lot. But those who have smaller boats that are easy to bring to the water get more use out of their sailing craft.

The best thing about sailing a small trimaran though, is that you'll know what it means to frequently fly outdoors without a need for wings. If you crave the feeling of freedom, then you can leave temporal cares on land for a few hours ... while you get on your sailboat and feel the wind on your face out on the water.


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Joe Farinaccio blogs about small trimarans. He recently posted pictures of a famous small trimaran named Magic Hempel, which was actually the forerunner to the modern Dragonfly trimarans at http://www.smalltrimarans.com/Magic-Hempel-Small-Trimaran.html For more information, and sometimes free downloads, visit SmallTrimarans.com.