12.3kts with just the main.

Yup same boat. Redesigned main mast furling bearing and shaken the kinks out including foot steering. It's set up a bit different to how I would but per Bones ergonomic preference sitting a bit higher up and different foot controls but all works well.

I know this boat well. Amazing how it stayed the same distance behind my suncat so long and couldn't gain an inch on me!😀

Yes less sail definitely would. We were mostly just having fun and of course intentionally pushing the limits of the amas. The ama size is somewhat irrelevant because you can furl in as much sail as you like to suite the conditions. Bigger amas would allow full sail to be carried in higher winds but these amas were sized so that they don't float the entire vessel but instead sink if the boat capsizes so that you won't go turtle but just lay on your side. If you capsize with 100% amas you're sure to go turtle. These amas have about 200lbs buoyancy.

@@bandbyachtdesigns I didn't doubt you had a reason for your ama size. I built 19' with 110% and a 14' beam, but my amas fold for trailering and capsize recovery. Currently, I'm using a Hobie 16 mast. Would love to know where you sourced your mast and sail for that roller furling rig. I'd gladly give up a couple of kts on the top end if it saved me 30 minutes of rigging every time I took it off the trailer. If you gave up the jib, would you be able to avoid stays outright?

@@wisenber yeah the standing rigging is really just there to support the extra sail area of the jib otherwise you can't get enough luff tension. Also the mast and sail all rolled up ended up quite heavy and having shrouds and backstay made it a lot easier to hoist the mast. Or course if we didn't have a jib we wouldn't need the mast crane which would lighten it so it's a bit of a weight spiral there. Our mast is multi piece aluminum tubing glued up with fiberglass collar bushings and was designed to be free standing. The other reason for the crane was to have a topping lift to support the boom but on version 2 we just did slab (giffy reefing) and deleted the crane and used a boom kicker that allowed for the topping lift delete. pics of the second boat with non mast furling sail. photos.app.goo.gl/AvmAoWhsezGeo2bg7

@@bandbyachtdesigns Thanks for that! A Hobie 16 mast is a bit challenging to step from a Hobie 16. Trying to step one from a 26" wide cockpit using the same step is another level, and it makes lowering for bridges on the water even worse. I've even considered moving to a balanced lug from a GIS.

It depends on your goals. A wind surfer rig isn't a stayless rig either it just has the standing rigging (your arms) low down (at the boom connection). You'd need a much stronger mast if it was to be supported only at the bottom. On stayless vs stayed...short answer, stays win. You're really giving up a lot of free power with a stayless mast on even a small trimaran. Hull #2 of the Mini trimaran we changed to having shrouds and a sail track/halyard setup rather than the roller furling which while it worked was incredibly complicated with the headsail and prone to fouling up. Unless you really don't care about speed or going with a relatively narrow beam for a tri I would have shrouds and a forestay. I won't do another small trimaran with a roller furling mast. I've convinced myself it's not worth it. The hobie AI and TI get away with it but they don't have a boom so they're compromising on upwind ability and trading it for setup time. I'd rather be able to point well.

​@@bandbyachtdesigns thanks, the answer is exactly what i needed. Stayed it is then. Two more questions if i may? Is "tripod" (forestay + 2 swept back stays roughly 120 deg apart) going to cut it or would i absolutely need shrouds and a backstay? And another one - even though i was being able to point quite high, the amount of leeway made beating virtually senseless, despite sizeable leeboards. Is it a common thing for trimarans? Although i have to say my upwind speed was rather slow and leeboards were just that - boards.

yes shrouds and a forestay are plenty. it's common to split the shrouds at some point and have them to to each crossbeam to help stabilize the structure and spread out the load but not necessarily required. You don't need a backstay. Leeboards are always going to be less effective since they are surface piercing. A centerboard or dagger board will be more efficient and if they are just boards with no shape then you should put at least a rudimentary shape on them. Leeboards are fine if they're shaped well and have a decent aspect ratio. My UFC canoe had a long skinny air foil shaped leeboard and it goes to windward just fine.