By Joe Farinaccio
Recently, I spoke to a distributor for Magnum trimarans. These small sailboats are made by VirusBoats in France, and often serve as "day boats" for sailors who love to either sail solo or with a small crew of guests.
I was impressed by many of the things he shared about these sailboats during our conversation, but one thing in particular surprised me. Apparently, there is a bit of a misconception among some prospective buyers about these boats. The purpose of this article is to address it.
It seems that because Magnum trimarans are multi-hulled craft, many sailors simply assume they handle much like double-hulled catamarans. But this couldn't be further from the truth. It's an assumption that should be quickly set aside.
You see, catamarans have a generally well-deserved reputation for being difficult to tack. Their 2 long slender double-hulls, combined with the fact they often glide along the water's surface on just one of them, make it hard for those boats to turn easily.
The Magnum trimaran sailboats, however, are very different.
When the Magnums first came on the boat scene several years back, they gave sailors a trimaran that handled much more like any other small boat that turns easily. In other words, they're easy to turn.
The stern of their vaka (main) hull is basically flat. This design, which combines with the a centerboard, allows the Magnums to swivel to and fro quite easily ... almost as if they were single-hulled dinghies.
Sailors who come back to shore after a sailing run for the first time often say they're amazed by how easy these trimarans are to maneuver and turn. Apparently, their design shape allows such handling to be possible, and was unique when the boats originally came out. A few other trimarans have now copied this feature in recent years.
The flat surface along the back of the boat's principle hull, combined with the centerboard, permit this fast boat to be nimble as well. And considering the fact they're stable on the water, such ease of handling is often a pleasant surprise for users.
More about the Magnum will be included in a forthcoming book by the author. The new book will be exclusively about small trimarans. And readers may fill out any short survey posted in exchange for a free trimaran-related information product in development.
Joe Farinaccio (a.k.a. "the small tri guy") writes about small trimarans, and offers info and resources about them at the website: http://www.SmallTrimarans.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Farinaccio
http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-a-Magnum-Trimaran-Owner-Will-Probably-Never-Convert-to-a-Catamaran&id=1493226
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