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n the 70s and 80s there were two boating
revolutions which ran simultaneously. The first
was the trailer-sailer revolution which promised
an affordable way to get the family out sailing in
comfort. The other revolution was the beachcat
one. It offered high speed, fluorescent sails and
get-wet fun and was championed by a surfer and thumbed its nose
at the yachting establishment.
It has taken until now to blend the best of the two into a small
trailerable trimaran which is starting a revolution of its own. The
French company Astus is one of a handful of companies that has
developed quality trailerable trimarans that are fun and affordable.
With the Astus 16.5 Sport it has combined production nous
with the design excellence of VPLP Naval architecture which is at
the forefront of modern MOD70 Multihull design. The result is a
stylish and simple family fun machine that’s easy to transport and is
exciting to sail.CONSTRUCTION
Astus has been in the business of building production trailerable
trimarans since 2004. Both the main hull and the floats are laid up
in a female mould as hull and deck units. While the standard hulls
are polyester resin there is an option for a lighter, racer Sport+ model
which uses the infusion process to achieve a lighter finish weight.
There are plenty of ring frames and reinforcement around beam,
daggerboard case and mast step areas, and the hull and decks are
joined down the distinctive reverse sheerline to the wave-piercing
bows. The attention to detail means that the finish on the hulls isI