Building the dream (again)

I have been doing some research into boat building techniques. The stealth 8M and the trimarans have inspired me to spend my winter in a barn sniffing epoxy hunched over what appears to be a ribcage of a large and long extinct Loch Ness Monster. The more I think about it the more I believe a trimaran is the way to go. I already have a monohull, why not go with something different?

Again, the wish list.

Good performer
can race it single handed (up hill and downhill)
standing head room.
sleeps the family for the long weekends ... up to a week?

I was thinking the center hull would be like the TC 6.6, but with a bunk under the cockpit and 5'11" standing headroom. The sail plan would include a furling jib and a furling screecher. I would want slugs on the main so I could raise it and lower it alone.

I have been playing with some boat design software; I'm hoping to have something done by the end of the weekend.

The next big step would be construction. I was hoping to shape the foam core over a very light and disposeable framework designed just to keep the foam shaped. Then add the skin and epoxy and vacuum bag the crazy mess! I have a lot of reading to do before I even try any of this. Obviously I'll first focus on the design.... I hope to start construction next winter; by then in my world I'll have a barn...