The Haines-Hunter TRAMP

By Don Alexander

For the past few weeks the California coast has been battered by a series of strong Pacific storms, These have caused incredible amounts of property damage and a number of serious boating accidents. However, in true the show must go on tradition we managed to find one sunny day between storms, to conduct the test of the Haines-Hunter Tramp trimaran. Being gluttons for punishment, we chose Hurricane Gulch (at Cabrillo Beach) in Los Angeles Harbor as our test site. Fortunately, our sailing day wasn't too radical, with light variable winds in the morning and 14 to 18 knot winds in the afternoon. Inside the harbor, seas were relatively calm, but outside the entrance seas of 8 to 12 feet were running, left over from the preceding week's storms. The variety of conditions gave us the unusual opportunity to test the Tramp thoroughly in one day's sailing.

The first time I saw the Tramp was at the Long Beach Sailboat Show. While sitting on the display floor, her size was not particularly striking, however, upon seeing this tri on the trailer, her stature seemed awesome. The large-appearing main hull with its wide cockpit and full coaming, combined with the amas in the fold-up position, present a rather statuesque structure, when atop the trailer.

Once rigged and aboard, the spaciousness of the Tramp’s 19'6" overall length becomes quite apparent. Dry comfort and roominess while sailing were clearly among designer Ian Farrier's main objectives when he drew the lines for this boat. His ingenious concepts and attention to detail certainly make this the slickest, trailerable trimaran on today's market.

The Tramp is manufactured in Australia by Haines-Hunter. The hulls are of fiber glass and coremat-sandwich construction. All structural bulkheads are of fiber glass moldings and reinforced with unidirectional cloth. Beam saddle bolts and other mounting points utilize metal backing plates, molded into the glass- The overall length, of the Tramp is 19'6", maximum beam 14'9", while the trailering width is 8’.  Draft with board up is 4", displacement 1,400 lb.

The main hull is a compromise design between reasonable buoyancy and minimum wetted-surface area. The bow is a relatively fine entry design, while the transom is quite full. About two feet aft of the bow and six inches below the deck line begins a flare in the hull shape (as can be seen in the photos) which carries all the way to the stern. Its purpose is to increase storage capacity and comfort. especially in the cockpit where the flares actually becomes the seats. It also provides a very stable and wide structure for attaching the ama beams. The cockpit of the main hull is quite large, easily accommodating six adults for short sails. Four people can sail all day in complete comfort. The Tramp brochure claims overnight sleeping capacity for four adults in the cockpit, a roomy double on its floor and two berths, one along each seat. The seats work fine for single berths. but the roomy double on the floor is only "roomy" if you are very small. The floor space would, however, be quite adequate for one good-sized adult.

There is considerable storage area on the Tramp: an anchor locker on the foredeck which is self-draining: and a large storage locker just aft of that, for the anchor. This one is big enough to step into and stand up in. On our test boat it became home for a porta-potty. Surprisingly, there was ample room to use the potty while in this enclosure. There is another large stowage compartment aft of the cockpit on the starboard side of the main hull. In the same place but on the port side is the mounting location for an outboard. It swings out of position while sailing, and down while motoring. Its placement is ideal for keeping the prop in the water when powering over swells - a well-thought out and quite ingenious setup. The Tramp even features an icebox under the cockpit floor which is large enough to store food and beverages for trips of two or three days. There is also considerable storage in the cockpit, under its coaming and in front of the maststep. Items stored in this area stayed completely dry. Even in the 12-foot seas we encountered during the test.

The non-rotating mast is stepped on the cockpit floor, The forestay chainplate is through-bolted to the deck just forward of the anchor locker and is reinforced with a bulkhead inside the hull. The shrouds and baby stays attach to chainplates along the outside edges of the main hull. A bow pulpit is standard, as is an anchor chain roller on the bow. Jib lead blocks are mounted on, the forward portion of the cockpit coaming and spinnaker cleats are located on both port and starboard sides. The main traveler track traverses the main hull just aft of the cockpit, The centerboard control lines and cleats are mounted on the cockpit floorboards. just aft of the rnaststep. The cockpit coaming surrounds the mast on three sides, There is a pad-eye on each side of the opening in the coaming for the mast. When the mast is being put up, a pin slides through the pad-eyes. holding the mast in position. This unique feature makes it possible for it to be stepped by one person and with a pin inserted, attaching the shrouds and forestay is a leisurely task.

One of the most interesting options on the Tramp is the vinyl cabin with an aluminum frame which fits around the cockpit and snaps to its coaming. at the base. The windows and aft doorway are fully screened and can be left open for ventilation or closed for privacy. The roof can stay intact while the rest of the canopy is removed, providing an excellent sunshade. The Tramp can be sailed with just the roof canopy or with the entire vinyl cabin in place. This option turns her into a full-fledged camper which is excellent for overnight or longer cruising trips.

The amas are relatively large and of symmetrical design. The bows are comparatively full, while the transoms are rather narrow. The deck lip is quite small, but adequate for reducing spray while sailing. A pad-eye is provided on each bow, for docking lines, The crossbeams are permanently attached to the outriggers. Each of the four crossarms is through-bolted with two bolts, onto the molded ama deck. A longitudinal track runs along the center of each ama (between the two crossbeams) providing a mounting point for the mesh trampoline that fills the space between outer hulls and the main hull.

Easily the most impressive feature of the Tramp is the fold-up system for the amas. As mentioned, the crossbeam bolts permanently to the outer hulls. The beams are extremely strong, tubular structures, and each outrigger is supported by two of these. A linkage system, quite similar to A-arm-suspension types on automobiles, controls the swinging motions of the amas. Each beam has two of these linkages which are attached very near its center. and pivot points are separated by about six inches. The outer arm attaches to the edge of the cockpit on the main hull, at the base of the flare- The inner arm attaches in board just below deck level. The forward beams mount just ahead of the cockpit coaming and the rear ones just aft of the cockpit. The geometry of the arms allows the amas to swing through nearly 90 degrees. When folded, they tuck under the floor of the main hull. This reduces the overall beam to a "highway legal" 8 feet. To extend the outer hulls you simply grab the end of one of the beams and pull down. The geometry and the leverage make lifting the amas a simple one-man operation. When the beams have bottomed in their molded locations on the deck, two bolts are installed in each one for both outriggers. Everything lines up perfectly and the operation takes less than five minutes for one person to complete. The amas can be lifted whether on the trailer or after the boat is launched.

One of the interesting aspects of the fold-up design of this boat is the ingenuity utilized by Ian Farrier. I seriously doubt that it would be possible to design a more rigid structure that is simpler to operate for folding amas. The design of the beams cause all forces created by the outrigger to be transferred to the beams as a compression load, This load is led into the main hull, which is very stiff in the area of the crossbeam attachments. Often, the loads on the ama are fed into the main hull as tension or sheer loads. It is much more difficult to control those, so the fact that the Tramp feeds loads in compression is a definite plus from an aspect of safety and reliability. Farrier deserves tremendous credit for putting the time and the energy into perfecting this now-patented design.

The extruded mast is 29 feet tall (above the waterline). Spreader bars are used for the shrouds, as are baby stays. The mainsail, jib, and spinnaker halyards are internal. They exit the aft section of the mast just below the cockpit coaming, Cleats are provided on brackets that attach to the mast. Halyard winches are not necessary, although a small winch or a multi-purchase system for the main halyard would be a nice addition.

Tramp's rig is a three-quarter fractional. The jib is 71 sq. ft., while the mainsail is 137 sq. ft. An optional spinnaker is 345 sq. ft. The jib is a standard 100% working type. The mainsail features moderate roach and uses a boom along the foot, provided with an outhaul control, it is equipped with two reef points for slab reefing. The I-beam traveler track uses a tandem roller-bearing traveler car and a 2:1 purchase control line with a central cleat. The single rudder is transom-mounted on the main hull. It is a high aspect ratio design as is the centerboard blade, allowing excellent steering control and minimum drag. Both the centerboard and the rudder kick up, allowing the Tramp to be beached easily.

Even the trailer for the boat is well thought out. It is designed to support the main hull and the amas in a folded position. The rear mast support utilizes a roller to allow quick and easy mast-stepping. The Tramp, and its trailer are both designed for launching the tri with the outer hulls folded. The entire rigging operation, prior to launching, takes about 15 minutes for one person. Once water two people can hoist the sails and unfold the amas in about five minutes.

Performance
The performance of the Tramp is quite brisk and seems to fall in line quite well with that predicted relative to the sail area/displacement ratios. Her light-air performance is quite similar to some of the 20' range monohulls of similar displacement and sail area. The 1,400 lb. displacement of the Tramp, combined with an estimated 400 lb. crew and gear weight, and 208 sq. ft. of working sail. gives her a sail area/displacement ratio of 22.5. This compares to sail area/displacement ratios of 23.5 for the Holder 20 which is slightly lighter with a little less sail area, and 21.8 for the San Juan 21 which is slightly heavier with a bit less sail area. For the high-speed catamaran buffs these sail area/displacement ratios compare to the Tornado at 44.9 and the Supercat 19 at 48.2, assuming the same 400-lb crew and gear weights, The displacement/ length ratios point to the same relative performance. The Tramp's displacement/length rating is 126.9. The Holder 20 comes in at 110.8 and the San Juan at 150.0. The Tornado has a displacement/length ratio of 46.1,while the Supercat 19 comes in at 56.4. Generally, the lower the displacement/length ratio is, the better the performance of the boat.

One factor not accounted for in these figures is the initial stability. With a 14'9" beam, the Tramp is incredibly stable. In light-to-moderate winds, her performance is not significantly superior to monohulls in the same size range... but, when the wind begins to pick up, she comes into her own. While the monohulls will be reducing sail area, she is just beginning to get with the program. In reality, she could use a taller mast and more sail area forward for conditions in most parts of the U.S. Since the boat was designed and is built in Australia where the average wind speed is higher, the existing sail area was deemed to be appropriate for those conditions. One of the options for the Tramp is a taller mast and increased sail area, available as part of a racing package.

Tramp's stability and seaworthiness are superb. The sea state we encountered outside of Los Angeles Harbor was about as radical as you could ever want to sail in on any small boat. The 8 to 9-foot swells were quite powerful and often rolled right across the harbor's seawall. Mike Walker, Dan Ketterman and I decided to tackle these sea conditions. Wind velocity ranged from 15 to 18 knots; swells were 8 to l2 feet high, with 2 to 3 foot wind chop on top of that. When we exited the harbor we headed up to a close-hauled course under a working jib and full main.

Even in these conditions our close-hauled course was 45 degrees off the true wind direction, on both tacks. Nonetheless, we were able to sustain a speed of 6 to 7 knots. The leeward ama always maintained about six inches of freeboard except when driving through chop… then the stability was excellent and there was very little loss in boat speed. Despite the chop, only a minimal amount of spray reached the cockpit. Tacking was simple and straightforward, even in the severe weather. The jib required almost no back-winding as long as tacks were reasonably well-timed.

Since conditions were perfect, we had to try the spinnaker on the downwind run back to the harbor. Due to lack of time, we did not use the spinnaker pole or drop the jib. That proved to be a mistake, for it was difficult to surf the swells. We did, however, got some real bursts of speed which indicated the performance potential of the Tramp. In these conditions, we could have easily exceeded 15 knots downwind under spinnaker, if we had used a pole and done without the jib. While sliding down the face of waves, the bows of the amas (and the main hull's) always stayed well clear of the surface of the water. The remarkable stability of the Tramp would let her handle even more severe weather than we encountered, The designer claims that the amas have enough buoyancy to withstand 40 mph winds with full sail up, before submerging. Considering the wind conditions we sailed in, I would tend to think that this is a relatively accurate statement. I would also think it exceptionally prudent to reduce sail area long before 40-knot wind velocity is reached.

On the flat water surface Inside the harbor we were able to determine the exceptional pointing ability of the boat. In light, moderate and heavier winds we could sail Tramp on 40 degree tacking angles (consistently), with excellent boat speed. Tacking her is quick and incredibly easy, much more like tacking a keelboat.

We did notice a couple of things about performance. First, like most light-displacement boats, this tri is sensitive to weight. There is a good half-knot difference in boat speed when the crew is reduced from four people to three, We also noticed that at high wind velocities, if the heeling angle is reduced boat speed will increase. The Tramp could carry more sail area even in the 20-knot gusts we experienced at Hurricane Gulch. Her initial stability is so great that additional sail area would simply not be a problem in winds of up to 22 or 23 knots.

Sailing the Tramp is a comfortable and enjoyable experience. She is quite responsive, and has a light feel to the steering. Only slight weather helm is present, The roomy cockpit is very comfortable and remarkably dry. Beating into the giant swells was no problem for Tramp and she stayed relatively dry. Spray entered the cockpit, occasionally but the gear stored under the forward cockpit coaming remained dry throughout the test.

Credits: Multihulls Magazine on Boat Tests - March/April 1983