Tahiti Tacker

With advertising or not, everything just seems prettier in Tahiti.  Note the stout forward crossbeam and the slim flexible one aft.

Comments

  1. What is your evaluation of the springy aft aka in these designs?

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  2. Other than the fun of watching the ama attitude follow the wave surface, I suspect it's just another way to relieve stress on the ama connectives.
    The Gougeon brothers used it on their racing tri Adrenalin and they were unbeatable until outlawed.

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  3. Gary, I'm new to sailing in general and multi-hulls in particular. I would think that the front aka should flex with wave impact and the rear aka remain rigid. I would think that would soften the ride and keep the amas afloat. What is the error with my logic?

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  4. The forward beam takes by far the most stress during sailing. If the forward beam were the flexible one, I think the ama would "knuckle under" when driven into a wave face.

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  5. Thanks, Gary! I am researching sailing and multi-hulls with the intention of building one. Your Wa'apa is my favorite at this point. Mostly I have access to small lakes and rivers. It is highly unlikely that I will make any ocean voyages. The boat will also be my first. Simplicity of construction and stability are my primary concerns. Convertability of the Wa'apa is certainly an added attraction.

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  6. also the more rigid the forward lever is, the more it can assist the bow of the main hull to lift over seas coming from the forward parts of the boat...generally speaking a similar action in a quartering sea is going to be less beneficial...

    if the quartering seas are big enough to be a concern, then having the aft ama transfer its buoyancy to the aft sections of the main hull via a very rigid lever *right before* the same seas hit it directly could cause all manner of control issues.

    From the opposite end, it will effectively add buoyancy to the bow of the boat as a whole.

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