tri hull dangers

[jarrpal001]

hello to everyone.

ive read and experienced how rough a trihull boat is on choppy water. i would like to know what are the dangers of having a trihull vs a vhull.

i have a 72 thunderbird shawnee open bow. ive ridden on my friends vhull so i know that the vhull cuts thru the water while the trihull rides on top but is there any danger on having a trihull?

 

[Bondo]

Re: tri hull dangers

i would like to know what are the dangers of having a trihull vs a vhull.

but is there any danger on having a trihull?

Huh,..??..??..??

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: tri hull dangers

Short of a little backache, I cant think of any.
Maybe spilling you soda pop.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: tri hull dangers

no there not dangerous at all just don't go out in big surf or waves now boat should be out there any ways in those conditons you just get a rough ride but when anchored you have have 5 people on one side and it wont tip. there very sturdy and give you a little more space then a vhull because the wide bow

 

[hibbert6]

Re: tri hull dangers

I have never felt "in danger" on my 15' trihull which I've owned for almost 15 years.

A couple of summers ago, I took my boat to visit a cousin who lives on a lake. After a day of tubing, we went back to her place and changed into "nice" clothes to go out to dinner. We left at 5pm to cross the lake (5 miles?) to go to a marina/restaurant. 3 adults, 2 kids. By the time we finished dinner and got back on the boat, the sun was setting, and a bit of wind came up. So, we were crossing the diameter of the lake, at night, and the water was "capping" - maybe 1-2' swells. We bounced and pounded across the lake. To me, it was an adventure. My passengers later told me they had been afraid we were going to capsize and die.

Dave

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: tri hull dangers

if you know what your boat can handle then dont worry about it i know my 14' tri hull boat can handle up to probally 3' waves at a low speed but it can handle 1to 1.5 waves easily with a little splash

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: tri hull dangers

With a trihull, you are trading off a good ride for stability. I've taken out my little whaler trihull in conditions that would get me branded as a moron, liar, or both on this forum. The boat did much better than the occupants......

 

[fisherguy123]

Re: tri hull dangers

I think the first Boston Whalers were tri-hulls and we all know that they have an excellent reputation for safety and many older ones are still in use today around the world. Here in Newfoundland we have lived off the ocean for centuries and many people have drowned.......a lot of them regretably did not take in to account the limitations of their vessels...remember even the Titanic sank off our waters . I always have a sea-anchor on my boat in case it gets too rough to operate and can`t get to shore immediately. I think you will be safe enough in your tri hull, just adjust to the conditions and get the feel of the capabilities of your boat.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: tri hull dangers

I did see a tri-hull flip once. It was in the mid 80s and we were walking on the pier in Grand Haven, MI. Suddenly, we heard this horrendous scream from a motor in the channel. I turned in time to see this old tri-hull pitch nose up and roll to port like an Orca. We watched, for what seemed like an eternity, as each of the three young men onboard popped back to the surface. One of them got stuck under the capsized boat and took a bit to get back to the surface.

It actually happened within eye/earshot of the USCG station, so the response was a couple of minutes.

It looked like they were cruising along in the no wake zone of the channel and decided they needed to do a quick U-turn. (Figured out they left the beer back in the truck). Full turn to port followed by application of full throttle to a drive that may have been trimmed up a bit...let the Orca roll begin.

 

[GLENN M]

Re: tri hull dangers

like bondo said"huh"

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: tri hull dangers

smallboat lover--if you do not take your boat out of the yard you might be ok.

 

[ziggy]

Re: tri hull dangers

when i was doin the tri hull thing, i found it to be a stable platform. 16' trisonic, 165HP L6 for power.
from various memories.

my tri hull experiences...

i had it flying once. out drive out of the water. have pics but can't find them. so no proof.
i was going north on a south flowing Missouri river once. almost contacted a wing dike, flowing north off the beach behind the dike. drive into the dike... didn't contact it. no consequence.
i got caught behind a wing dike after the river water level dropped overnight a foot. still got out of being trapped behind a sand bar off the tip of the wing dike.
had my tri hull shifting sideways while going up river w/ high winds to the south. very strange feeling to shift sideways w/o steering input.

i've got no beef with trihulls.... rough ride or not... i've found them pretty seaworthy all in all.. least the one i had/have was/is..

 

[DaNinja]

Re: tri hull dangers

The only hazard from our "dihedral" hulled, (Starcraft lingo for modern tri-hull) deckboat, would be malpractice on the part of the chiropractor.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: tri hull dangers

IMO that rough ride makes a tri hull safer than a V of equivalent size power and weight. You're not as likely to stuff the bow. I'd take my 13' whaler over my 16 adn 17' V's for safety any day.
But really, it mostly depends on the captain.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: tri hull dangers

my boat got out plenty this year i know three isnt that much but i just bought it and had to do some stuff to it like fix the hole that i put in it from a shallow boat ramp (first time) and then i took it for a ride with the bilge running ever half hour geting some water out and then another trip kinda fixed it and now its winter and all the resoration projets are geting done

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: tri hull dangers

my boat got out plenty this year i know three isnt that much but i just bought it and had to do some stuff to it like fix the hole that i put in it from a shallow boat ramp (first time) and then i took it for a ride with the bilge running ever half hour geting some water out and then another trip kinda fixed it and now its winter and all the resoration projets are geting done

I call BS!

 

[madman2021]

Re: tri hull dangers

I did see a tri-hull flip once. It was in the mid 80s and we were walking on the pier in Grand Haven, MI. Suddenly, we heard this horrendous scream from a motor in the channel. I turned in time to see this old tri-hull pitch nose up and roll to port like an Orca. We watched, for what seemed like an eternity, as each of the three young men onboard popped back to the surface. One of them got stuck under the capsized boat and took a bit to get back to the surface.

It actually happened within eye/earshot of the USCG station, so the response was a couple of minutes.

It looked like they were cruising along in the no wake zone of the channel and decided they needed to do a quick U-turn. (Figured out they left the beer back in the truck). Full turn to port followed by application of full throttle to a drive that may have been trimmed up a bit...let the Orca roll begin.

hold my beer and watch this sh1t!!!

 

[veritas honus]

Re: tri hull dangers

As a young diver years ago, I thought a trihull would make the perfect dive boat because of the stability while anchored. Couldn't understand why I'd never seen a trihull dive boat. Everything has it's compromises. The stability while afloat is of little importance as compared to a Vee or Deep Vee. The stability fails to overcome the profound lack of a smooth ride. In-so-far as safety issues... You're limited by your own ability, skills, knowledge, and level of confidence, not a tri-hull. They are not unsafe.

 

[tcgobucks]

Re: tri hull dangers

When I was young (and stupid) we had a 15 1/2' or 16' North American tri-hull. It was originally purchased with a 55hp Evinrude, was rated for 100hp, and by the time we got rid of it had a 125hp Johnson, rebuilt/bored out to around 135hp with the motor lifted a half-inch off the transom. LUCKILY it had power tilt only...not power trim or it would have been really fun....lol. Man, that thing would FLY....and yes, I mean FLY. It would run low 50's and when you'd hit a wave at that speed it was very common to have the prop out of the water. I know, I know, not a good idea, but to a 16 year old it sure was fun. I've heard the boat is still in our area, but haven't seen it for about 10 years. I'd buy it back in a second if it's still running.

 

[wbc1957]

Re: tri hull dangers

Tri-hull dangers? I would suggest a football mouth piece if you wish to ride in front on days with choppy water. It can also cause your kids to remain small, due to body compaction!