Conference vicki::boats

    ONE OF THE BIGGEST DISADAVANTAGES OF A TRI-HULL IS THERE NOT THAT
    GREAT IN ROUGH WATER THERES NOTHING LIKE A DEEP VEE TO CUT THE WAVES.
    BUT I HAVE A FRIEND UP HERE ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN WHO HAS A 16FT MFG
    TRI THAT CAN REALLY TAKE THE POUNDING THIS LAKE CAN GIVE.I THINK
    ALL THOSE OLDER TRI HULLS WERE BUILT WELL AND MADE TO LAST...
    IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A SOLID BOAT FOR A GOOD $$ GO FOR IT..

    I just sold my 83 Thundercraft 16' tri-hull, moved up to 18' v-hull.
    The tri-hulls are more stable than the v-hulls but boy do they run
    rough. When you hit those wakes, you STOP. We had it on Winni only
    once, across the BROADS, and thought I was in a fight with Mike
    Tyson.
    
    If you are planning to use it one a calm bodies of water, go for
    it, if not you may want to go with a v-hull. I personnally would
    not but another tri-hull.
    
    Good luck....

    Advantages of the Tri- Hull are that when at rest the boat has a wider
    area in the water giving more non-dynamic stability. Also you get more
    room onboard that is useable space.
    
    Disadvantage is that that same wider profile is subseptable to wind and
    waves underway. The hull does rise up on the center sponson to assume
    the operational carituristic of a mono hull, but is still a compromise.
    
    Why do you say it looks funny? Tri hulls are very common.
    
    Walt
    

Every boat is a compromise.  In the case of the tri-hull, the trade
off is stability for a smooth ride.  My first boat was a tri-hull, 
which I owned for four years, and took from Cape Cod and Narragansett
Bays to Lake Winnipesaukee and everywhere in between.  We had some 
pretty uncomfortable rides in choppy water. 

Trihulls make great "first" boats, because most first timers are on
a limited budget, will stay on protected waters, and want something
stable while they learn to handle a boat.  If you've ever noticed, 
many first timers buy tri-hulls, very few second timers do.

From the 60's up to the mid 70's tri-hulls were the rage.  With the
notable exception of Boston Whaler, almost nobody makes them any more.
There's a good reason for that.  Except on very protected waters, the
pounding you'll take just isn't worth the extra stability.

If a tri-hull is the only thing you've ever ridden in, you may never 
notice the difference.  Until you're chugging along at headway speed
in a chop trying to keep your fillings from falling out, and some guy
in a deep-v flies past you at 35 mph, while sipping his beer.

If you plan to stay on small lakes then a tri-hull may be all you'll
ever need.  Since you say you intend to use your boat at the Cape, you
really need the seaworthiness and comfort of a v-hull.  The seas for
the trip back in are almost always rougher than they were when you
headed out.


And RE: .1
>>ALL OF THOSE OLDER TRI HULLS WERE BUILT WELL AND MADE TO LAST...

This is like saying that all convertibles are built well.  Some tri-hulls
were built well, some weren't.  There were a lot of dis-reputable boat 
companies around in the 70's.  Many tri-hulls are entry level boats.  
Take an entry level boat from a dis-reputable company, add 10 years of 
pounding and abuse, and what do you have?  Like anything else, inspect
carefully before you buy.  If the boat still fits your needs, is in
good shape and priced right then go for it.

Rick W.

    
      I've got a tri-hull (Whaler), it behaves nicely in moderate
    chop, but once you add the swells with chop, the pounding begins.
    The boat can't cut through the swells the way a V-hull does, it
    rides over them.
    
      Then again, I've been out in rough seas in a 19 FT. V-hull and that
    was no picnic either.  When its rough...its rough.
    
    Jeanne
    

    
    My First Boat was a Tri-Hull also,  16ft with a 115 Merc.
    Like mentioned before it is more stable while at rest
    when you are up and walking around but the ride is a little
    rough wes the waves are large.  I had taken it from one end
    the Winni to the other during Labor day weekend and you basically
    just have to take your time and ride it out.  Think of the tri-hull
    as a boat the hits all waves 3 times instead of just once.
    Another advantage of the tri-hull that I had was that it had a 
    very flat bottom, which made it great for skiing, ie: small wake.
    Its all just a big list of trade-offs of price/preformance/style.
    
    Best of Luck,
    Mike
    

    
    I have a '76 Steury 16ft tri-hull and trailer it to Lake Champlain.
    
    I think it's solid and rides ok on the lake, but I don't let my kids
    ride up on the bow in rough water, (plain common sense).  It's too
    risky. 
    
    The hardest part of the day is getting the boat back on the trailer at 
    the boat ramp.  I have to get it perfectly straight while cranking it up
    over the keel rollers.  This is hard to do on a windy day as it pushes
    the stern away, which can be a nuisance sometimes.  And, it keeps others
    waiting., GR-R-R-R...  Fiberglass tri-hull is very difficult to
    manuever because it's just too heavy with the weigh of the motor.
    
    I'm putting it up for sale this summer.  Boat, 80hp Merc o/b and
    trailer pkg. I want to get a lighter weighed boat/motor/trailer that's
    easier to crank-pull the boat back on the trailer.  
    
    IMO...tri-hull boats are for people who can leave it in the water all  
    summer long.  Unless also, a noter knows a better boat trailer
    for this type.  Mine's a Holsclaw trailer.  
    
    John
      
                                         

    
    Re: -1
    
    Right, I have the same problem with loading the boat back onto the
    trailer.  Try having somebody hold the left or right side of the
    boat once you have it lined up and then start cranking.  This prevents
    the boat from sliding off the the right or left.
    
    Once the boat slides onto the rollers and is semi out of the water, its
    home from there.  I always have someone hold the boat in place
    while attaching the crank line.....otherwise, you have to be really
    fast.   
                                 
    
    jd/
    

    I had a big heavy tri_hull for 4 years and solved the recovery process
    with a trip to my local muffler shop.  I had them bend up two right
    angle pipes and then welded them to the rear of the trailer, forming
    guides to keep the boat in place as you cranked, drove or floated it
    on.  I remember it cost about 30 or 40 dollars total plus some time 
    and paint to make it look pretty, and the result was a no-sweat
    recovery everytime. 
    
    Now, I admit, I thought that my tri-hull was not exactly the sleekest
    craft on the water, but with those rear of trailer guides it looked
    alot more like one of those ski boats ( whaddaya call em..Ski-Boutique
    or something like that) while it was on its trailer.
    
        :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-) 
    
                                                  Tom

    
    RE: Trailering
    
    I forgot about that one, I think it's a characteristic of
    tri-hulls.  I had mine straight on the trailer once - when
    I jacked the boat up and slid the trailer under it just right.
                      
    

    re: .9

    There is a commercial product available that is the same idea
    as Tom mentioned.  The ones I have are 'L' shaped, and bolt
    to the trailer with 'U' bolts.  The bottom and the bend are
    steel, and the vertical part is plastic pipe.  They were ~$80
    extra when I bought the trailer.  One additional advantage is
    that you can mount your trailer lights up high and keep them
    dry.

    With a little work, I'm sure you could fabricate something
    out of plastic pipe.

    	- Lee

    
    RE: .11
    
    	I'm not sure plastic pipe would handle the boat bumping
    up against it too much...