Joe Farinaccio has asked me to review his new book, "Small Trimarans", which
I've just finished reading. I have to say I enjoyed every chapter. I've been
around multihulls since 1970 so have some knowledge of most of the boats and
designers, but still discovered a lot of new and interesting information.
Each chapter of the book is an interview with a designer or builder of small
trimarans, mainly boats about 23' or less. The format brings out a lot of
information from the designers and builders that will be useful for anyone
contemplating buying or building a small tri. The characteristics and
thinking behind each boat is discussed in a way that will help a sailor
understand what a particular boat is meant to do, and what it is not meant
to do. For instance, a boat that will win races may not make a good beach
cruiser. Another choice that needs to be made in this size range is whether
a boat can be cartopped or will need a trailer. Since all these small tris
are demountable, you'd want to know what the setup and breakdown times are.
If you are thinking of building your own boat, the comments on various
construction techniques will interest you. There is just a lot of thought
provoking ideas discussed by all these knowledgeable small tri sailors.

What I found fascinating about these interviews, something you won't find
elsewhere, is the personal information of each designer, how he got into
boats and designing or producing them, his sailing experiences, likes and
dislikes, etc. There are interviews with Dick Newick, Kurt Hughes, Bill
Kristofferson, and Chris White, four guys who have been into multihulls for
decades, and some more recent names, Ray Kendrick, Mike Leneman, Gary
Dieking, Chris Ostlind, and Ted Warren. A good chapter with Russ Brown
discusses the design, construction, and evolution of his donor tri, the
Trinado. Ted Dexter of Duckflat Wooden Boats in Australia talks about the
Marples Seaclipper 10 and 16 tris that he sells plans for. There are
chapters on three production small trimaran companies, the Magnum series,
the Windriders, and the Weta. And a very good interview about no nonsense
backyard boatbuilding philosophy with Chuck Leinweber of Duckworks.

Disclaimer: I have no monetary interest in the sale of this book. If you are
thinking of building or buying a small tri, it is a good place to start your
research. Joe's Small Tri blog is at

Joe Farinaccio has asked me to review his new book, "Small Trimarans", which
I've just finished reading. I have to say I enjoyed every chapter. I've been
around multihulls since 1970 so have some knowledge of most of the boats and
designers, but still discovered a lot of new and interesting information.
Each chapter of the book is an interview with a designer or builder of small
trimarans, mainly boats about 23' or less. The format brings out a lot of
information from the designers and builders that will be useful for anyone
contemplating buying or building a small tri. The characteristics and
thinking behind each boat is discussed in a way that will help a sailor
understand what a particular boat is meant to do, and what it is not meant
to do. For instance, a boat that will win races may not make a good beach
cruiser. Another choice that needs to be made in this size range is whether
a boat can be cartopped or will need a trailer. Since all these small tris
are demountable, you'd want to know what the setup and breakdown times are.
If you are thinking of building your own boat, the comments on various
construction techniques will interest you.

What I found fascinating about these interviews, something you won't find
elsewhere, is the personal information of each designer, how he got into
boats and designing or producing them. There are interviews with Dick
Newick, Kurt Hughes, Bill Kristofferson, and Chris White, four guys who have
been into multihulls for decades, and some more recent names, Ray Kendrick,
Mike Leneman, Gary Dieking, Chris Ostlind, and Ted Warren. A good chapter
with Russ Brown discusses the design, construction, and evolution of his
donor tri, the Trinado. Ted Dexter of Duckflat Wooden Boats in Australia
talks about the Marples Seaclipper 10 and 16 tris that he sells plans for.
There are chapters on three production small trimaran companies, the Magnum
series, the Windriders, and the Weta. And a very good interview about no
nonsense backyard boatbuilding philosophy with Chuck Leinweber of Duckworks.

Disclaimer: I have no monetary interest in the sale of this book. If you are
thinking of building or buying a small tri, it is a good place to start your
research. Joe's Small Tri blog is at http://smalltrimarans.com/blog/
www.smalltrimarans.com and the book can be ordered from there.

Gary


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