tri-hull boat handling

siberbro

Cadet
Joined
Nov 13, 2014
Messages
9
I have a 13 ft 6 in 1972 Sears fiberglass tri-hull and would like to know how it should handle and ride. bought the boat in October and had a few reservations that I needed to explore and our reservoir was so low I did not want to fight the extreme steep ramps. everything works as promised.
 

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
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Mar 8, 2009
Messages
42,568
Tri-hulls are a well handling boats, only issue I ever had was there rougher ridding then a deep Vee hull. When the waves kick up your going to slow down
 

Twidget

Commander
Joined
Jun 16, 2004
Messages
2,192
The tri hull handles well, as AllDodge said. It will be more stable at rest than an equivalent sized deep V also.
 

southkogs

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Jul 7, 2010
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14,971
I'm a fan of tri-hulls - for their weakness in terms of having a "bumpy" ride, they have some advantages of stability and planing.
 

scipper77

Commander
Joined
Sep 30, 2008
Messages
2,106
In a boat that size I would think you are going to get tossed around pretty good no matter the hull design. If you want to get from A to B quickly a V would be the better choice. Basically a tri-hull has the most advantage when you are stationary or at low speed. Very stable, shallower draft. The only high speed advantage would be in handling and I have never in my life thought about how well my boats handle at speed.

I'm not against Tri-hulls, but I have had boats with rough rides and trying to get anywhere when there is significant chop can be a nightmare.
 
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