W17 Trimaran

Product Description

This fast, efficient, comfortable and trailerable trimaran was designed by Canadian naval architect Mike Waters. Quite a few have been built around the world. Plans have been shipped to 32 countries.

Kits include all of the plywood parts cut on our CNC machine. For shipping, the parts are left tabbed-in to the plywood sheets (18 sheets in total). Epoxy, fibreglass and solid timber is available separately. The instructions will walk you through acquiring and assembling the mast, rigging and sails and include an option for an optional 195-square-foot racing rig.

You will need to order the detailed plans and instructions from the Small Trimaran Design website. Mike Waters will be providing all technical support for builders. Contact him here with any questions.

Read more about design and construction on the official W17 page.

Many sailors are intrigued or already bitten by the multihull bug, but not everyone is ready to put thousands of hours into building a boat, or piles of cash into buying boats now on the market. For those seeking to experience the pleasures of sailing flat and fast, a beach cat has been the usual way. But though exciting, those designs do tend to be very wet, have almost no storage, are often uncomfortable and have a tendency to flip with little warning.

Today, from racing around the globe to the prestigious America's Cup, winning boats are often trimarans. A small trimaran like the W17 is an attractive alternative. The W17 has been designed not only for home construction at relatively low cost, but also to improve significantly on the attributes of a beach cat without many of the disadvantages.

With my own designs I am looking for overall performance. By that I mean a blend of features that makes my boats a real pleasure to own and sail. First of all, I want the boats to perform efficiently. I also want them cost effective, comfortable and drier than their competitors and to provide a sailing satisfaction that brings the lucky owners home with big smiles on their faces. I am confident that the W17 is such a boat. Whether daysailing 3-4 or enjoying ultra-fast sailing for 1-2, this boat will change the way you think about small boat sailing.

This boat folds easily to only 7′ 3″ (2.2 m) – less than most day catamarans – and can be trailed on a flat-bed trailer or parked on the sand. She is stable and roomy yet still moves with the ease and feel of a thoroughbred. She is designed with a rotating wingmast in mind; one that can be homebuilt with plans available as a free bonus to those who build the W17. And I'd wager that the W17 plans and build manual are more detailed than any previous 17-footer out there on the market! So take a read through my website and give a small trimaran a try. There is something extremely satisfying about building your own boat, as so many have learned. There are not many new designs out there that use marine plywood really efficiently. The combination of plywood, epoxy and fibreglass has proven itself as light, strong and durable.

Mike Waters, W17 designer

Plywood-only kit

We do not supply a complete kit of this boat, only the pre-cut plywood panels. The plans are required to build the boat – these are available from the designer, Mike Waters.