Bang (and knots) for your buck
We do not need to be sold on the abilities and advantages of the well-designed and built pocket performance tri... this one will even leave you with enough change for lunch
Founded in 2015, Libertist Yachts based in Poland has been making a big impression in the multihull world following the launch of the first in its range of new racer/cruisers. Over the last decade, multihulls have attracted plenty of attention. In the high-octane grand prix multihull world, hydrofoiling cats with their complex, multi-section, articulating wing sails and blistering speeds have stolen the show. Yet while their outstanding performance has drawn big crowds and huge interest, there is little doubt that this is the leading edge of the sport and difficult to exploit for all but the world’s top professionals.
At the other end of the scale in the multihull cruising arena, much of the recent development has been based around maximising internal volume to achieve cruising cats that offer more accommodation than a city apartment within a multi-storey superstructure that towers above the water’s surface.
For those that want to enjoy the performance benefits of a light and nimble modern racer/cruiser multihull that has some simple yet practical accommodation, neither end of the scale fits the bill. But a new
80 SEAHORSE
range of high-quality performance trimarans from Libertist Yachts could help to change all of that. Built by Rega Yachts in the southeast of Poland, the impressive, modern facilities that include full CNC machining for hulls and decks, are well-known within the boatbuilding industry having been used to produce boats for some of the world’s top brands for 20 years. Tapping into this longstanding reputation for affordable, high quality boatbuilding, Libertist Yachts have been able to create a new brand that is Polish from front to back. Adding further pedigree to the new marque, the range is designed by one of the world’s leading multihull designers, Frenchman Erik Lerouge. The first of this new and exciting range of sport trimarans is the Libertist 853.
At just 28ft LOA she is a modestly sized boat, yet one that has been created to be highly versatile and easily transportable within European towing regulations that set a maximum beam of 2.55m. For Lerouge, the Libertist 853 is the latest iteration of his popular cruiser/racer concept that began with a 26ft trailer-sailer trimaran
Above: the Libertist 853 is a nimble and modern racer-cruiser trimaran with a powerful but still easily managed rig, a practical interior layout and sensible offshore passage making potential. Hull number one, pictured above, has a rotating carbon wing mast and a generous square-top mainsail
that has not only proved popular over several decades, but set a benchmark in the multihull world. So, while the core objectives remain the same in providing an affordable and easily managed performance trimaran, the application of modern design and technology aboard the Libertist 853 has raised the game once again.
On the face of it the 853 is a modest looking racer/cruiser; however the introduction of fixed foils in the sponsons represents a big step forward.
‘Having experimented with foils for quite a long time, I am obviously very much aware of their advantages and limits,’ says Lerouge. ‘A cruiser/ racer needs all-round performance and its power to weight ratio would achieve full foiling in a very limited range of wind speeds and angles. In addition, the cost of a fully foiling package would kill all chance of selling the boat.
‘Our choice has been to add fixed minifoils to an otherwise
conventional trimaran configuration. They will not need to be adjusted, they will provide lift at speed and should significantly reduce pitching and nose-diving. This also has a
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122
