Even if you find it difficult to accept the builder’s claim that this little folding trimaran is capable of 30 knots, the Catri 24 is an intriguing boat. Each ama sports a retractable curved daggerboard in its forward section and a fixed V-shaped foil aft. There is also a horizontal foil on the rudder.
Designer Aldis Eglajs, from Latvia, claims that the combined effect of these foils is to lift the hull and pontoons under sail to reduce drag and thereby increase speed. He also says that the V-foils on the amas act as stabilizers to reduce pitching and smooth out the ride.
The boat unfolds from a svelte 8-foot beam for trailering to a spidery 21 feet for sailing (3 feet wider than the Corsair 24). The excess beam provides plenty of stability, which in turn permits a tall rig; for those who insist on pushing their boats to the limit, the mainsheet releases automatically at a set angle of heel. Belowdecks there’s standing headroom and enough bunks for a family of five in an open-plan interior that’s devoid of the usual centerboard trunk. Eglajs says there is no need for a board because the foils resist leeway. Ahoy-Boats
