Minette

LOA: 39 FT.

BEAM: 22.5 FT

SAIL AREA: 1000 SQ. FT. UPWIND
2000 SQ. FT. DOWNWIND

WEIGHT: 6000 LBS. FULLY RIGGED
W/ SAFETY GEAR AND MOTOR

Launched in 1984, Minette is a cold-molded (spruce veneer), demountable, racing/cruising catamaran that was designed by Craig Ashby and myself.

The demountable x-arm design was done by Skip Johnson who first used the tapered-socket concept on a trimaran of his own design.

In the early years we cruised Minette in the Bahamas and the Sea of Cortez by dismantling her, trailering her to a destination (Florida or San Felipe), putting her together on the beach, and sailing away.

We also raced her a lot and set a few course records.

These adventures later morphed into me becoming a dealer for Corsair Trimarans, whose trailerable multihulls post-date these events.

From 1996 to 2006 Minette was “abandoned”. It was dismantled and stored at my shop. When I couldn’t find any buyers for what was clearly a “project” boat, I decided to re-build her myself; this time with the addition of a center cabin, kick-up rudders, and a new rig. The end result was a boat that was more cruisable and, amazingly, faster than the earlier version.

The cabin weighs less than one crew member, the rudders are lighter than the original underslung ones, and in recent times we have twice won the Newport to Ensenada Race with her.

She is faster than an F-31R in lighter winds and with twin 15 hp outboards she can motor at 12 kts.