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Dock Find: 1992 Piver Trimaran Multihull Sailboat
The auction ends soon for this donated oddball of a boat, known as a Piver Trimaran, a multihull creation from the mind of entrepreneur Arthur Piver. The company pioneered this novel design, and demonstrated its ability to perform cross-continental journeys via high-visibility competitive events. The founder also encouraged DIYers to buy boat “kits” for final assembly in their own garages and backyards, like any other Kelmark GT. This example is a donated vessel offered here on eBay with no reserve and bidding to $2,300 at the moment.
The auction is set to wrap up later today, so get your bids in soon if a Piver is on your list of boats to someday own. The history of the company behind this method of boat construction is almost entirely wrapped up in the founder, the aforementioned Arthur Piver. He started out building three-hulled plywood yachts and began sailing them extensively, venturing across the Atlantic Ocean and later wandering out to New Zealand via the Pacific in a different trimaran that he also built himself. This confidence in the boat’s abilities led him to sell his boat assembly plans to enterprising DIYers who wanted to build their own trimaran.
Unfortunately, it was this faith in self-built boats that led some in the community to question Piver’s concept. Just like a kit car, some of the boats were crudely finished, and certainly not over-engineered for open water passage. But those boats that were built to a high level time and again demonstrated the viability of the three-hulled design, with owners of “strong” boats heading out to warm Caribbean waters in vessels built using the plans Piver provided. The listing for this donated example is limited in background information, and understanding how the owner approached construction would be good info for the next caretaker to have.
Strangely, the Piver trimaran has a somewhat tragic history as it relates to boaters who struck out on extraordinary missions only to end in heartbreak. Piver was one of them, lost at sea after borrowing a customer’s boat to perform a qualification run for the prestigious “Observer Single Handed Trans Atlantic Race.” Other Piver boaters faced similar misfortune a short time later, with two attempts at cross-ocean ending in one wrecked boat and another that floated aimlessly after its captain disappeared, with the trimaran now a deteriorating wreck on Cayman Brac. A colorful history for a most unusual boat – should this one be restored and taken out into the vast, open ocean?
Auctions Ending Soon
Trans-oceanic? Yes. Intercontinental? Sure.
But not you’re not going “cross-continental” in a sailboat, unless it’s being towed.
this boat appears to be a Piver Lodestar. 35′ in length and 18′ wide. lived on it a few years in the florida keys. these boats are basically plywood with a skin of fiberglass, they handle well, don’t tack upwind too well but they sail fast off of the wind if you don’t overload them. plywood + fiberglass has advantages and disadvantages: reasonably easy and cheap to repair with handheld power tools, but being wood; they rot. you can cut out a rotted section with a sawsall in 15 minutes and create 2 weeks worth of work. you have to break this boat up to make it sink as it carries no ballast. I sank mine on purpose when I ran from hurricane Andrew in the 90’s and the boat was perfectly fine once I pumped her and dried her out. The boat I owned was the QueeQueg; built by a man named Quenten Cultra in the late 60’s in the Midwest. he motored down the Mississippi, went thru the panama canal and proceeded to sail around the world. I bought it in the late 80’s and had to rebuild her. sailed her to Mississippi in the 90’s and sold her in the early 2000’s; she was destroyed in hurricane Katrina..RIP Queequeg. buy this boat and expect a lot of work excising the wood worm. but it is worth it
Correction: I did NOT live on this particular boat! sorry for the typo!!!
This feels like the Donald Crowhurst story.
Exactly!!! He lied about his abilities, his progress in the race and eventually went crazy. This boat will make you crazy!!
I must be the only person never to have heard of Donald Crowhurst. Wow! In death he seems to have become the success that eluded him in life as the basis for a “Donald Crowhurst Industry” of stage, screen and literature. Crazy world!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Crowhurst
Fiberglass over plywood stitch ‘n glue, no doubt abandoned at the marina when the PO realized the fiberglass has water intrusion and so the plywood core is slowly rotting away….
Break Out Another Thousand
if it has a running engine it might be worth the price of admission
Where is this located? What country? If U.S., what marina, what State? Can it stayed docked where it is at? What is the dock fees?
While beauty is always in the eye of the beholder this thing is a floating Quonset Hut. As Mr. Robbins notes above…
As a life-long boater, I remember Piver’s boats when they were new. It is my opinion multi-hull boats are not suitable for ocean-crossing. They are fast sailboats but the compromises make the interior cramped and the light-weight construction make them venerable to various risks. As to restoring any old boat, often the cost involved exceeds what a well maintained boat can be purchased for. Like cars, boats have gotten much better over the years. There is no cheap way to get into boating.
Great points Mark.
There is one way to get into boating that is not too expensive. Get a good deal on a used trailer and boat that is in pretty good shape, and learn to be proficient in performing maintenance, minor repairs, and upgrades. As long as you have a place to store it for free, such as your driveway or yard, then the costs can be kept in control.
Boating is the best thing, ever.
I owned a ’74 25′ Piver for several years. Was pro built in a yard in the North East. Overall, a pretty nice boat. Added a 10′ x 2′ keel to it. Made a world of difference in the way it tracked.
I once owned a Piver 36′ ketch rig which was one of the high end ones, professionally built, in the Oakland Shipyards…like a “dixie cup in the wind. A strong enough boat, and i had no problems with it. The one main engineering flaw was the tendency to “pitch pole” in heavy seas which could be disastrous to say the least…This sloop, especially from the standpoint of windage, appears to be rather sloppily built and it’s use should be confined to inland waters ..the helm in the basement is interesting…
When I logged in last night I had to check the URL. I thought I found Boat Finds! I mean where’s the engine? An old speed boat with a Hemi, yea I could see that but a sailboat?
A definite near coastal boat. I find the catamarans very comfortable for coastal excursions, depending on the length, the shorter the less favorable. Kind of like sailing a cinder block, bigger is better with these. That being said, I’ve seen too many news clips of these floating upside down in remote seas to make me want to leave sight of land on one.
Ended:Oct 13, 2020 , 4:00PM Winning bid: US $3,450.00 [ 62 bids ]
14 comments, 1 hits the nail.
It seems in every field the good points are also the bad. ANY multy-hull is inferior to the mono as once upside dwn – dwn side up is too difficult to achieve ∴ life’n limb R @ jepordy…
650 mi out to sea we survived the huracan in our 30 ft yawl simply due to being itself (not cat, tri or any other).
Its a Piver Nimble it was built by Contour Craft LTD in England and sold by Cox Marine. Still has the original name plate on the main bulkhead. It was first registered in the USA in 1992. It was Sailed from England spent 8 years off the coast of California. It was Sailed to Hawaii 2 times and Asia once. Its Old Name Was Trisum and the second owner still owns a sailing School named after the boat. Trisum Sailing out of Texas. I bought the boat for 3500. from E-Bay. It does not leak and has no dry rot but needs a lot of work. My Family and I are very happy with the boat. it has a hole for an outboard motor which I will glass over and install an electric motor. The inside helm is weird, will relocate it outside on the back of the cabin. Of course the list goes on. But i will say I will not be Sailing it to Hawaii or England. Whoever did that on this boat is much braver than me.
Hi Fred, please give me a call about your Piver Nimble ASAP when u can. I have a Nugget and desperately need to get some expertise from you. 530-440-3893. Today is July 25th, 2021
My uncle Alex Grimes with his crewmate Roy Garside in 1963 sailed a Piver Nimble built by Contour Craft, from England to New Zealand. You can read the story at https://grimesinc.neocities.org/ That’s something like 13,000 nautical miles with only an old sextant for navigation! The trimaran survived (with a few repairs) and was sold after reaching New Zealand.
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- Sailboat Guide
Arthur Piver
Arthur Piver played a large role in the growth in popularity of the cruising trimaran through his various marine plywood designs aimed at the amateur builder using lumberyard and hardware store materials. He launched his first trimaran, the 16 ft (4.9 m) FROLIC, in 1958. His best known designs include the NUGGET 25, NIMBLE 30, LODESTAR 35 and VICTRESS 40. Piver created an entire industry of the amateur built trimaran during the 1960’s with ads that appeared in ‘Popular Mechanics’ and other publications. Thousands of Piver designed trimarans have been built around the world by amateurs and professionals alike. Additionally, Piver conducted extensive research in this field and published four books: ‘Trans-Atlantic Trimaran’, ‘Trans-Pacific Trimaran’, ‘Trimaran Third Book’, and ‘Navigation by Simulous’. Adding validity to his yacht designs, Piver crossed the Atlantic twice and the Pacific once in boats of his design. In 1968, Piver disappeared off the California coast while testing a new trimaran. A collection of his drawings is available at the Mariner’s Museum, Newport News, VA, USA.
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Patricio Chapa
A Few Words About The Captain
Originally from Brownsville, Texas, Captain Chapa spent ten years in San Diego, California as a sailing instructor, avid racer and charter captain.
He is a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed 100 Ton Master, with Sailing and Towing endorsements and is also a US Sailing Certified Sailing Instructor. Now settled in San Antonio, Texas, Captain Chapa is sharing his experience and introducing the sport of sailing to the Texas community.
The commitment to introduce others to sailing came long ago, with a promise made to Cpt. Steven G. Shawver. The opportunity to serve as crew for the captain offered a chance to gain more experience at sea and improve sailing skills. This in exchange for a promise to always pass on the torch of seamanship knowledge. Captain Chapa has tried to fulfill his commitment by starting the Trisum Sailing school in Texas and offering everyone the chance to “Trisum Sailing”.
The idea for Trisum Sailing was conceived in 2006, after the purchase of a 30’ Piver Nimble Trimaran, the “H.M.S.V. Trisum”. This vessel represented freedom and adventure through sailing. It provided many years of memorable experiences on the water and the means to share the experience with others. After 8 years sailing up and down the Southern California coast and Channel Islands, It was time to retire the vessel, but not the idea. The H.M.S.V. Trisum was the inspiration for the Texas sailing school, dedicated to sharing the knowledge of sailing, to promoting the sailing lifestyle and ensure the future of the sport.
His career as a sailing instructor began with an invitation to the Chula Vista Yacht Club to help the growing volume of interest in sailing. The need for volunteers for the Junior Sailing Program offered an opportunity to work with the club Senior Instructor, Cpt. Glenn Burns, an “Old Salt” with over 40 years of experience in sailing instruction . After several months of volunteering, he became hired on as an assistant instructor and continued teaching for several years until being offered the position of Senior Sailing Instructor. Along with Junior Sailing, Capt. Chapa helped organize and run fundraisers for the Chula Vista Yacht Club and provided sailing lessons for new club members, non- member adults, and new boat owners at neighboring marinas.
Although Capt. Chapa participated in several beer can and yacht club’s sailing races with a variety of skippers, he did not become a dedicated sailboat racer until crewing for the Chula Vista Yacht Club’s racing chair, Cpt. Mark Clements. Now the President of the Cortez Racing Association, Cpt. Mark Clements spent over seven years with Capt. Chapa, and together, participated in and won over 200 sailboat races, both in the San Diego bay and off shore. The experience of racing on many different sailboats and rigs, working all crew and racing positions, along with 8 years of living aboard, all help make Capt. Chapa a well rounded sailor. Now back in Texas, he is able to share this knowledge and experience with the Texas community. Trisum Sailing is available to offer a memorable sailing experience to anyone with the curiosity to try it. The wind is truly a clean, free source of energy…and there is no shortage of it. Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy it.
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Norman Cross Trimaran
Discussion in ' Multihulls ' started by Jerry_Lincoln , Mar 26, 2005 .
kelldog Junior Member
Hello Jemstruct; In 2007 I had contacted Jeff about my Cross 28. He came down and brought me some drawings for a repair I needed to do on the mast step. I have not had any further contact with him and now I am residing in Florida. I sold my Cross 28 to a friend and he is sailing quite abit. I miss that Tri! I hope Jeff surfaces again because he has most of the plans for Norm Cross Trimarans. Before I got the Cross, I had a Piver Nimble with a Cross Keel. That was a great sailing Trimaran...A lot of Piver Trimarans have added the Keel addition and it really makes a difference I think. (based on my experience with my Nimble of course.) Kelly.
Jemstruct Junior Member
Jeff Turner has resurfaced - received email from him yesterday stating that the problems that he has been having have been resolved. Thanks everyone for your support. John
That is great news indeed!
oldsailor7 Senior Member
kelldog said: ↑ That is great news indeed! Click to expand...
cavalier mk2 Senior Member
I was able to contact Jeff earlier this year and late last year and get some study plans. There are a couple plan sets I want down the road. I reached him finally by connecting with Don Sandstrom whose family owns the Cross 40 Anduril that has been all over the world. Don is a Cruising Forum member. Jeff had a couple different emails so if the official channels don't work send me a PM and I'll PM back the last one that worked for me. And give Jeff time, it can take awhile.
Sleepingsadhu Junior Member
Has there been any updates re; Jeff?
traveler22 New Member
Inspected Norman Cross trimarans Does anyone have any information on whether any of the Norman Cross Trimarans were inspected to carry passengers? We have a Norman Cross tri built by South Bay Multihulls and are converting to a passenger carrying vessel and any information is appreciated. I understand there was a vessel in Hawaii but having a hard time trying to find info. Thank you
Any more information from anybody concerning Cross Trimarans, or Jeff Turner ?
jj111155 New Member
28' cross tri in florida kelldog said: ↑ Hi Braam; My Cross has a centerboard in the main hull on the starboard side. I raise and lower it from the cockpit. Are you looking at a Cross? I think 99.9% of them will have a cross keel. I know of several 38 ft's out there and I did see one Cross 28 in Florida i think but have no info on it except it was for sale several years ago. it would be awesome to find the owner to compare notes. Anyway, hope this helps. Kelly. Click to expand...
speaking of cross tri's I just bought a 26' cross in Nassau, sight unseen, and know very little about her bought on west coast of florida last year and sailed to Nassau where she is slipped now name is zane, built in 94, registered in new jersey, blue hulls and white deck anyone know anything about her please call me at 941 735 5330 or email [email protected] thanks
I had a Piver Nugget and put a 24ft Cross LAR keel on it. It transformed the boats performance to windward and also enabled a fold down double berth where the daggerboard box had been. Any further news of Jeff Turner?
hippiclimber New Member
Contact information requested The http://www.crossmultihulls.com website no longer works. Can someone tell me how to get a hold of Jeff Turner, so that I can order plans for the N. Cross designs.
Hello Hippi, welcome to the forum. I've asked a friend of Jeff Turner to try and find out what is going on but even he has only had sporadic communication with Jeff recently. Hopefully this will get sorted out soon.
I think Jeff Turner has just given it away. There as been no contact since 2014. As of September 30, 2014, the Verizon Site Builder tool has been decommissioned and all online Personal Web Space pages have been deleted.
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(The word "trimaran" was coined by Viktor Tchetchet, a Ukrainian emigrant to the US who tested his boats on Long Island sound in the late 1940s.) Piver crossed the Atlantic on his first ocean-going boat, the demountable 30 foot Nimble, departing from Swansee, Mass, stopping in the Azores, and successfully reaching Plymouth, England.
Arthur Piver played a large role in the growth in popularity of the cruising trimaran through his various marine plywood designs aimed at the amateur builder using lumberyard and hardware store materials. He launched his first trimaran, the 16 ft (4.9 m) FROLIC, in 1958. His best known designs include the NUGGET 25, NIMBLE 30, LODESTAR 35 and VICTRESS 40. Piver created an entire industry of ...
The auction ends soon for this donated oddball of a boat, known as a Piver Trimaran, a multihull creation from the mind of entrepreneur Arthur Piver. The company pioneered this novel design, and demonstrated its ability to perform cross-continental journeys via high-visibility competitive events. The founder also encouraged DIYers to buy boat "kits" for final...
Arthur Piver: Pioneer Trimaran Designer-Sailor. Arthur Piver (1910-1968) was a World War II pilot, and a legendary sailor, author, and boat builder who lived in Mill Valley on San Francisco Bay. In the late 1950s, Piver (rhymes with "diver") owned a print shop, and designed and built a series of simple three-hulled, plywood yachts in his ...
Posts: 95. Trimarans - All Piver Trimarans. i want to start this thread for Piver Trimarans, their owners. I own a Piver Encore that was professionally billy and splashed in 1975 in Santa Cruz California. This is my second Encore and I've owned 3 other Pivers over the years. I also own a Searunner 31. We should be trying to save as may of Piver ...
Piver Nimble 30' Trimaran. I have recently purchased a 1964 version of the Nimble that was beautifully built by an Engineer in Glass over Ply and is in fantastic condition throughout. I am looking at sailing it from New Zealand to Tonga and ports beyond following thorough checks of course. Has anyone done any offshore cruising in the same or ...
1910 — 1968. Arthur Piver played a large role in the growth in popularity of the cruising trimaran through his various marine plywood designs aimed at the amateur builder using lumberyard and hardware store materials. He launched his first trimaran, the 16 ft (4.9 m) FROLIC, in 1958. His best known designs include the NUGGET 25, NIMBLE 30 ...
A Victress trimaran, designed by Arthur Piver. Nigel Tetley sailed one of these around the world in the 1968-69 Golden Globe Race. Donald Crowhurst, who came to such a tragic end in the same race, sailed a variation of the same design. You still see some of these boats actively cruising today.
Arthur Piver designed and produced trimarans under the company name Pi-Craft during the 1950s and 1960s. Some of his more famous vessels include Lodestar, Trident, Banner, Chariot, Empress, Encore, Herald, Nimble, and Victress.
California. $15,000. Description: Fresh out of the yard, Ready to sail, Professionally built in England, Sailed it's way to San Diego. Solid Frame, dry hull, sturdy rigging and sails. Roomy and clean, makes a great liveaboard. Lots of deck space. Would b great for charters or sailing lessons....or maybe the trip of a lifetime south.
The Library at The Mariners' Museum has acquired the Arthur Piver Collection containing rare and sought after plans from Piver's company Pi-Craft, which designed trimarans in the 50s and 60s. Included in the collection are plans of the Lodestar, Trident, Banner, Chariot, Empress, Encore, Herald, Nimble and Victress.
Piver preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Piver used sailboats for sale by owner.
The idea for Trisum Sailing was conceived in 2006, after the purchase of a 30' Piver Nimble Trimaran, the "H.M.S.V. Trisum". This vessel represented freedom and adventure through sailing. It provided many years of memorable experiences on the water and the means to share the experience with others. After 8 years sailing up and down the ...
Location: Melourne, FL. Boat: Piver Nimble, 30'. Posts: 63. Re: Trimarans - All Piver Trimarans. the nimble has an outboard, and a aft cockpit. there's bunks on either side, and a "table" that lifts up from the port side settee that makes that bunk a double. But, you can't sit at it.
Details. Trimaran piver nimble, 30ft powered by a 3cylinder kubota diesel in as new condition transmission also in as new condition 270 hrs on both. Boat has a aluminum hard top with great view threw the windows, 2 x 100 ltr water bladders. Deckwash pump for anchor, headsail on roller furler with a spare head sail and main.
California. $15,000. Description: Fresh out of the yard! Proffesionally built in England and sailed its way over. Clean and comfortable to livaboard. Easy to sail single handed, fast and resonsive. Plenty of deck space and big clean cockpit and optional indoor helm.
Trimarans - All Piver Trimarans. - Page 8 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums Portal Forums
Before I got the Cross, I had a Piver Nimble with a Cross Keel. That was a great sailing Trimaran...A lot of Piver Trimarans have added the Keel addition and it really makes a difference I think. (based on my experience with my Nimble of course.)
1972. 60'. 30'. 5.5'. $120,000. Description: This trimaran has a 85 hp Detroit diesel that is old but has a top end overhaul including valve job,new injectors. Blower and all water pumps have approximately 400 hrs on them. Very reliable.
My new project is a Piver Lodestar 35' trimaran . My first multihull , and before all the critics come out, the price was very right. I have researched the Lodestar, and one of the big issues appears
Goodspeed is an original Piver Nimble trimaran, used as a commercial fishing vessel by John Baldwin. Baldwin is offshore for long periods of time and often heaves to the parachute for sea layovers.
I should point out, Piver had a 6 hp on the Lodestar they sailed from San Fran to Auckland . they also did the trip without a dinghy . They always left on passage with a full 3 gallon tank!