Tri Hull info wanted

[craigman]

Fellas,
hopefully i will be putting my first boat in the lake in the next month or so.
It's a 1971 Reinell Tri Hull.
What i'd like to know is, what are the differences between a V hull and a Tri hull?
Do they handle different? Is one more stable than the other?
I'm just a newbi trying to learn!
Thanks for any info shot my way!

Craig

 

[izoomie]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

I think the V hull will take bigger waves better but the tri hull will feel give less roll while turning in calmer water.

 

[mphy98]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

I have a 18' tri hull. It will pound you on the waves to a degree more than a deep vee. That said, it is more stable to fish off of and is a smoother ride on calm seas. You will get a great deal of debate on this subject as it has been beaten to death. See previous posts under a search of tri hull.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

On glassy water, you won't really notice a difference between the two. The tri-hull are more stable at rest which is good for fishing, but in reality it just lists a bit less from side to side as you move your weight around. Choppy water is where you'll see the main differences since the tri-hulls don't cut through the waves, but more or less bounce off of them. If you don't keep the bow up and speed down you'll be missing some teeth, lol.

V-hulls handle a bit better in general due to their ability to kind of "lean-in" to a turn, but it's not really a big advantage in most instances.

 

[SeanMcl]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

Tri-Hulls will fit up to 5 kids kneeling on the front seat cushion with huge smiles on their faces. That's the best reason to own a tri-hull.

The worst reason is that they ride rough when the chop gets above 6 inches, and if it's choppy enough to make you unhappy in a V hull, the tri-hull guys are getting spray up over the front and really getting pounded.

Everything else is pretty much the same. If you have several young kids, a tri-hull makes a great family boat.

 

[tboltmike]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

My Tri has a pronouned Vee all the way to the transom and does pretty well in a chop if trimmed bow up a little.

Bad are:
Big swells can break over the bow. Have to watch wave angle on the bow and speed.
Bow on waves hitting the hull can jet the water foreward and come back as spray. This isn't seen when on a good plane.
At anchor, waves slap between the main vee and sponsons and make a lot of noise.

 

[PaulsMarineSalvage]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

ONE fast simple answer......name a company that currently produces tri-hull boats.......as far as I know the answer is ZERO.

I owned one, never will again. But I do boat in very high traffic areas so seeing water like glass in uncommon. With that said they may be ok on a lake or something.......

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

Boston Whaler--not a true tri-hull but close enough as far as operation goes. Also the Carolina Skiff DL series is cut that way.

I spent decades mostly on flat bottom square bow boats and instinctively trim UP for rough water. Then I got a V and it's the opposite. Hard to get used to.

A smaller V like a Starcraft 16 bowrider will dig into a wave instead of bouncing over, so it can also beat you and spray you, and you can bury the bow. BTDT lots.

For boats under 20', I'd rather have a tri or flat or square in weather you shouldn't be out in. Still a rough wet ride, but I think safer.

Like everything with boating, it's a trade off. I think the tri-hull and similar are roomier b/c of the big bow area as someone said: a rectangle has more square area than a triangle of equal length! Also great for stand-up fishing.

If you're new to boating you'll never know the difference. PLus old tri-hulls are practically free these days.

 

[craigman]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

Thanks for the replys fellas!
Yes, mine is an older tri hull. And it is my first boat so i'm sure i won't know the differences yet!
It's only a 15 footer with a 85 horse Mercury on it. I'm shure by next year i'll want a bigger boat with more power, and probably an inboard.

Thanks again!
Craig

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

ONE fast simple answer......name a company that currently produces tri-hull boats.......as far as I know the answer is ZERO.

Well, nowadays they are referring to them as a Modified-V, but the majority of the deckboat designs are of a tri-hull variant. Tahoe, Monterrey, etc all make them. It's not a full tri-hull, but the resemblance is unmistakable.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

ONE fast simple answer......name a company that currently produces tri-hull boats.......as far as I know the answer is ZERO.

I owned one, never will again. But I do boat in very high traffic areas so seeing water like glass in uncommon. With that said they may be ok on a lake or something.......

looks alot like a trihull to me!

hurricane deckboats for one, probably others..

 

[Southern Appal]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

Crestliner Muskie 17 vintage 1970s is described as "stabilized vee wing." Was that before the term tri-hull came into use?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

Crestliner Muskie 17 vintage 1970s is described as "stabilized vee wing." Was that before the term tri-hull came into use?

or maybe after they were criticized. Change the spots to stripes and call the leopard a tiger.

I recall very few true tri-hulls where the 3 parts were almost equal in size. I remember one a friend had on the river growing up, I think it was a MFG. Great ski boat.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

Crestliner Muskie 17 vintage 1970s is described as "stabilized vee wing." Was that before the term tri-hull came into use?

Lol, well I know there ws a boat compay called Tri-Sonic back in the early 70's that pretty much had exclusively tri-hull runabouts and fishing platforms. Tri-hulls had their hayday in the 70's and early 80's.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

There were TONS back in the 60's. Whaler is one of the most famous. Look at one of their 60's boats- it's much different from their modern designs.

The tri-hull was one of the early attempts to utilize the properties of fiberglass to come up with new hull configurations that couldn't be done in wood. The Crosby Sea Sled was probably about as far as you could push the multi-hull configuration with wood in a small boat.

Given what it was (pioneering), it was a big advance- the stability of a flat-bottom boat with (at least some of) the wave-cutting abilities of a v-hull. Like everything else, it evolved and got much better as time went on. Nowadays most small pleasure boats have some sort of center V with stabilizing sponsons (not sure if that's the right terminology).

 

[superwooter]

Re: Tri Hull info wanted

someone else may have mentioned this, but it really depends on the style of tri-hull you are talking about. i have the kind that comes to a point at the bow, has a big v-type hull in the center and much smaller hulls on the sides. it rides better than my cousins aluminum v-hull in any water condition. it's kind of a low profile 16 footer (see avatar pic). i've read about the square front tri-hulls with the 3 hulls being essentially the same size. they say they are much more rough a ride but rock solid sitting still. i think the hull design of mine gets about the best of both worlds.