I was out sourcing some parts today, (everything for a SolCat 18). The gentleman had a waterfront property, but a tough shoreline. We went out back as he asked me how I kept my Cats on modified seadoo lifts.
Turned out he had a Wave Trifoiler sitting on the lawn. His shore is not conducive to launch/recovery of a 400+ lb boat, & he expressed an interest in selling it.
From basic research it looks like you need 15+ to foil, & a bit of a dog in less than that.
Anyone have any hands on experience?

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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No direct hands on experience, but I did go to college in Melbourne FL where they originated and saw guys sailing them from time to time. You are correct, they are dogs when not foiling and to be honest, they seemed to spend more time off the foils than on. They seemed to be very complex, even moreso than the Hobie Trifoiler and not as refined of a design as the Hobie. They will get up and go once on the foils however. In fact I saw one pitchpole once and it had to be rescued.

I'm sure they can provide a very thrilling ride, but for my money, I will stick with Hobies and windsurfing.

sm

I sailed one of these a handful of times. Conditions had to be just right for it to be fun.

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Kenneth Purdy
Hobie 16
Nacra 5.2 (2)
Banshee
First Coast, Florida
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Again no direct experience, but I came very close to purchasing one. The seller basically told me it needed 20mph of wind to work. He also mentioned that he had not been able to right it after a capsize. Turned me off it it.

Thanks for the intel. A foiling multi was very tempting, & the price was right.
I had an idea for storing it on a lift, fully rigged, not as simple as my Cats, but it would have worked.
I did some more research, & it seems several people broke foils, & I think it would be very difficult to obtain spares.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

I've sailed them and they are not worth owning for me and an absolute dog upwind. On the other hand,I have a lot of time an the Hobie Trifoiler and it is a significantly better design. I have posted about the Hobie Trifoiler in the past. It's Nirvana downwind in a blow, and that's the only time its really any fun.

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Philip
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I hate to get picky about terminology, but there are two foiling boats out there, the Windrider Rave and the Hobie Trifoiler. I think you are talking about the Windrider Rave..

I have owned and sailed one and they are a blast down wind. I think you needed 8-10 knots to get the thing foiling and you had to have all three sails dialed in. It wasn't much fun upwind but the screecher helped. It was a pretty cool boat, but just too much work putting it together and then moving it around. I kept mine on a floating dock and it took up most of the dock.

The problem with the Raves is that they are plastic roto-molded boats. I just looked at one and it had a crack on the transom all the way around the bottom edge and up about 8 inches on either side. It might have been caused by water freezing in the hull or from stress. Regardless, the next time someone tried to fly the boat, it would have ripped the transom off. I walked away from that boat. There was one recently on eBay with the same exact problem.

I have some F18HT hulls and access to a single Stiletto 23 hull that could make a pretty cool tri. I was thinking I could take the workings off the Rave and build a pretty cool boat. The Stiletto hull is made of some extremely lightweight material and is stupid light. That and the HT hulls would be lighter than the Rave!

they are so much fun, the cracks are easy to fix with a glue gun and since the frame holds the rudder I don't see how it could fall off. I have owned 3 and love them, I only sold them to pay bills.,if you don't want the 23 hull can I have it?



Edited by MARCOE on Oct 02, 2015 - 04:11 PM.

If you want the hull, I can put you in touch with my friend who has it. It would save me the mental turmoil of taking on another project!! He doesn't want much for it, like $600.

email me at danberger@mindspring.com if you are interested. The hull is in Va Beach, VA.

The Rave has some fore/aft pitch problems due to the foil adjustment being at the foil itself. The Hobie Trifoiler puts the sensor out in front and adjusts the foil prior prior. It works exceptionally well and still holds the Class A speed sailing record at 50.4MPH. It rides dead level and can perform on any point of sail as the apparent wind is always forward.