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Going to convert my Snipe sailing dinghy into a trimaran- Need advice f

14K views 39 replies 13 participants last post by  Curtisfromcarlsbad 
#1 ·
I want to be able to singlehand without fear of capsize and go out of the bay into the ocean but stay swimming distance to the coast. The Snipe capsizes easily and singlehanded would be a major chore to right. Also I can increase my load by 450 pounds and carry more than two people aboard if I do this. I will use two "Hydrobike" plastic pontoons 10 feet long, 10 inches wide and 30lbs. apiece. I want to use two "akas", 1 1/2 inch steel conduit about 16 guage (feels extremely strong: I was unable to bend it with all my might at Home Depot) by 12 feet. Home Depot does not carry this length only 10 foot so this week I will try to obtain it elsewhere. The Snipe is 15'6" long, 5' beam and 400 lbs give or take. Is 12 foot the ideal width of my new beam or should I go wider or narrower and why ? Thanks.
 
#29 · (Edited)
I'll be swimming distance from shore-Gonna take Monday off work. Been working too much anyway. Want to get an earlier start.Today ended up being a terrific family day! Here are some pics of the pontoon assembly that will fit onto the top of the Snipe. It will bring the beam to 10'3". More on the water pics after tomorrow. The Snipe will fit underneath this "Thing".Where you see the yellow rubber cushions that are zip tied to the akas represents the width of the Snipe. If I need more forward rise on the akas I can add another layer of 1/2 " rubber just on the forward aka. So you can get an idea of how much more beam I am gaining. Any input is still graciously accepted ! Thanks guys !
 

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#30 ·
I just want to reference a statement in one of your early posts. You stated that you moved down from a MacGregor 26 to a Snipe. You might have gotten a smaller boat, but that is certainly not a move down-- not until you ruin your Snipe with the proposed changes.
Please Youtube your experiment so the skeptics among us can either have a good chuckle or eat crow.
 
#31 · (Edited)
If I have enough time to figure out how to do that I will definitely get pictures. I drive a taxi 90 hours a week.
 

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#32 · (Edited)
I also added some pictures of the Snipe and the last two pics represent my proposed attachment points on the deck/gunwales.The last pic might put the pontoons too far forward. I also need to be forward or aft of the daggerboard for beaching and ease of sliding back onto trailer without removing assembly in water or at waters edge. Please look at page 3 of this thread to see pictures of the pontoon assembly. I just added them.
 
#33 ·
Would you like the crow deep fried or grilled ?

The first trial run at Mission Bay San Diego today was a great success ! I was able to point close to the wind and achieve speeds of 4.5 MPH (GPS from a vehicle -Allow for vertical error) and tacking downwind/broad and beam reach at 5.9 MPH ! Very little drag on pontoons ( only one side at a time,sometimes both pontoons out of water at the same time depending on my body positioning). Drag on each side rarely exceeded about 1/12 of the volume of the pontoon- just a snippet! The akas seemed strong enough even during jibes. They will work for the bay and light near shore ocean sailing. I will upgrade to thicker aluminum ones at some point as I take on windier conditions and deploy the jib- today I didn't and still tacked well and got impressive speeds ! Wind speed in the bay today was 4-11 mph. Seemed to be around 6 mph most of the time. Check out the pics !:laugher:D
 

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#34 ·
More pics. I can still trailer at 6' wide with this arrangement. Once I put in the bolts through the gunwales it will only take about 5-6 extra minutes to rig/derig ,stow/unstow the pontoon assembly. I think it will be worth it. The boat was much more fun to sail this way and I even stood up in various areas in the center hull while sailing without any threat of capsize. I don't want the challenge of trying to right the boat if it capsizes- I'm 42 now. I want to stay relatively dry and still get good speed. The boat never heeled more than about 5-7 degrees today so I could change sides at my leisure without having to time it with the turn. I even took and dispatched taxi phone calls during the sail. I will have to get new venturi valves put in the bottom of the Snipe as these leak. Or I may cancel them out entirely. This was really my only problem today about 1-2 inches of water in the floor all day. I will wait to try the jib after another couple of trial runs and practice my docking etc....... Here are some more pics of the trailering package.
 

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#36 ·
Congrats Curtis. Looks like your trial run was a success in low winds. Glad to hear it.
I still submit that it will be harder to right on overturned (even homemade trimaran) once you do turn it over.
You have got to follow your dreams.
Have fun with it.
 
#37 ·
My salute to you, Carl. I'll nibble a little on some BBQd crow wings for now. I think you'll have some issues arise as the wind/waves pick up, but you're doing OK. It doesn't even look as funky as I imagined it would. Keep us posted as the design evolves.
 
#38 · (Edited)
I agree with both of you. I will have to face these issues as I move forward. I will still have to be ready to quickly spill wind. I will be watching the forward part of the leeward ama in higher winds/waves. I will have to eventually put on thicker ,stronger akas. These are pretty strong and should work in most bay conditions. The boat really had a tame yet very high performance feel. I really liked it with the amas. I will also have an adjustable rise on the forward aka to raise when the waves are higher. It was setup nicely yesterday for the conditions. If the rig were to break suddenly I have mentally rehearsed a plan. I would try to bungee the affected pontoon or aka and limp the boat to shore. It really did appear to be very solid though. I have a wetsuit onboard easy to grab even if turtled and always am wearing a lifejacket. I could don it while in the water and that would buy me some time to try to lash the floating broken parts to the main hull . The main hull could sink but has two side watertight bulkheads that could save it depending on the break. the pontoons themslves are very durable and much thicker than the plastic on a sit on top kayak. They can float about 250lbs apiece. Thanks for the help and I will continue to provide more pics as I continue sailing this thing. It was superb.
:)
 
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