Product Description
Slingshot 16 Tandem Trimaran With 112 Sq. Ft. Vertical Batten Sail
Features:
- Top Speed (typical) = 14 mph
- # Of Occupants = TWO
- Length Overall = 15' 10"
- Beam Overall = 12'- (or 7' folded. For details about folding options, please email me.)
- Main Hull Beam = 24"
- Length Of Amas (outriggers / floats) = 14'
- Weight Of Main Hull (built with 3mm lauan ply) = 75 lbs (34 kg)
- Weight Fully Rigged = approx. 175 lbs
- Draft Fully Loaded = 5" max
- Sail Area = 112 sq. ff. vertical batten is "standard", but also works great with 85 sq ft to 128 sq ft, depending on your choice of sail rig.
- Sail Rig Type = leg o' mutton with boom (or full sloop rig).
- Mast = aluminum tubing, unstayed (or optionally stayed rig).
- And you get FREE EMAIL SUPPORT for your build - no matter how long it takes!
There have been so many requests for a 2-seater version of the Slingshot 16 Trimaran that I decided to build one for myself and take really good notes. The (very satisfying) result is the "Tandem" version of the Slingshot 16.
The Tandem Slingshot 16 looks and sails a lot like the single-seater version, but shares not a single panel. It has a much longer cockpit (7-1/2 feet) and a bit more beam and rocker, so it accommodates up to 400 lbs of passengers and still is quick and nimble.
And as a special and unique feature of the Slingshot 16 Tandem tri, you also get full constriction plans and photos for my new tilt-up mast step. Now you can just stand in front of the boat, insert the mast into the step at a convenient 45-degree aggle, stant ip up vertical, and lock it in place. Much easier on the back!
So if you're looking for a quick little 2-seater boat that's comfortable, nimble, ultra-stable, super-fast to rig, gets you sailing in just 10 minutes, and will run circles around most other sailboats - you have just found it! The "Slingshot 16" trimaran will hit 14 mph, points higher than 45 degrees, and turns on a dime - all while you (and one companion, if you wish) sit comfortably in your seat, facing forward, with both hands free thanks to foot-pedal steering. She can be launched in 5" of water and sailed away - upwind - in just 7".
Thanks to a special moveable main seat, you can sit in the middle of the cockpit to balance the boat when sailing solo. Or, you can move your seat to the forward position and have lots of room for someone else to sit very comfortably behind you.
Many of the Slingshot 16's benefits over "simpler" hull designs are the result of its hydrodynamically superior 5-panel hull with a flat-bottom center panel, which planes much more easily than ordinary 3- or 4-panel hulls.
And if you'd like to see just how nimble and quick this little trimaran really is, here's a short video of the Slingshot 16 going 10-13 mph, and another short video demonstrating the joys of hands-free tacking - changing direction a full 180 degrees without touching anything but the steering foot pedals.
NOTE: The videos show the single-seater version, but the Slingshot 16 Tandem sails virtually identically.
Video:
Although I have 4 trimarans ready to sail (two 16-footers, a 19-footer, and a 24-footer), it's the Slingshot 16 that I always seem to grab when the urge to sail hits me. Although all these little tris are quick, nimble, dry, stable, and a blast to sail, Slingshot 16 just seems to put it all together in the most irresistible way.
Plywood List:
NOTE: My Slingshot 16 is built from 3mm lauan "doorskin" ply costing about $12 a sheet, and from 6mm ply costing about $22 a sheet. Or, you can spend the extra $ for okoume or some other pricey species of plywood. As long as the glue is waterproof, you can use any ply you wish.
Main Hull 2 sheets of 3mm ply, one sheet of 6mm ply (decks).
Amas (outriggers): 2 sheets of 3mm ply, one sheet of 6mm ply (tops).
Plans Include:
- An extremely detailed construction manual including more than 280 photos detailing the complete building process, with over 70,000 words of explanatory text by Frank Smoot.
- A separate drawings manual with dozens of superbly detailed, multicolor CAD drawings by Jerome Delaunay showing every construction detail with crystal clarity.
- PLUS - I am always here at drfrank@coachfranksmoot.com to provide whatever email support you may need!
