Re: trihulls? good or no good?
Thats not true Bomar, Huricane among others are building tri-hull boats. They call them different things nowadays (Deckboats, Etc), and the noses are more pointy, but when it comes right down to it, they are tri-hulls.<br /><br />In answer to your question Zuke, it really depends on the individual tri-hull design. I always use my own boat as an example of a tri-hull done right because it was done right. The center section of my hull has about 21 degrees of deadrise (click my link and look at any pics of the rear of the boat and you will see what I mean). Deadrise is the amount of V a hull has at the transom area. The flatter the hull, the harder it pounds. My boat, at planing speed and above, cuts through chop upwards of 2 feet like it isn't there. In larger swells and rough water, my hull performs better with more speed, to a point. When I do experience slamming, it is not much different than in a V hull. I have had this boat in horrible water, and it has always handled very well. I have never had a drop of spray, or breach into the boat regardless of conditions or my poor choice in helmsmanship at the time.<br /><br />Now, the Glastron hulls have a flatter bottom to it, so you will experience a more rough ride, but all you have to do is slow down. Really, this all depends on the kind of water you are using it in. If it is on a moderate lake without the rough water associated with larger bodies of water, then it won't matter.<br /><br />In the end, some have had bad experiences with certain brands of tri-hull, My personal experience has been 100 % positive, but like I said before, my hull design is superior to most designs of that era. i think part of it was that Silverline was a Minnesota builder, and their boats saw duty on the Great Lakes, so Silverline designed them accordingly.<br /><br />One major downside is they are heavy for their size, and require more power to achieve the same speed as a V hull of similar dimension.<br /><br />And yes you can get them dirt cheap...
