Multihull performer

The 920 is beautifully styled with a sculpted deck that features a raised sheer-type design. This means there are no side decks outboard of the cabintrunk as on most boats. But with a tri, you have that vast trampoline to take the place of side decks. The Achilles' heel of this type of tri is a miniscule cockpit. The 920's cockpit is long and very close in size to a similar LOA monohull cockpit. I am tall and not particularly graceful so I like a spacious cockpit. The coamings are too narrow to sit on with much comfort. Face it, it's human nature and good seamanship to sit where you have the best view of the water ahead. The long bench seats have teak slat tops. There is a large lazarette-styled stowage locker access through the cockpit sole in addition to huge seat lockers. You can never have enough storage with deck access. From any angle, this is a very handsome design.

The hull features a full-length chine that will help keep spray down while it allows unimmersed beam to be introduced, helping with accommodation volume. This way, the BWL (beam at waterline) is kept low for speed, while the chine adds beam right at the level you need to make the berths and settees adequately wide. There is another chine about 8 inches below the sheer; I presume that this chine provides a convenient flat surface for mounting the aka (outrigger arms) hinges. Well-shaped chines can throw shadows that enhance the appearance of a boat. I would guess that the waterline length of this tri is 28.5 feet and, with a displacement of 4,000 pounds, we get a D/L of 77.1. There is a large centerboard to help going to weather.

The amas show a chine aft to give a very flat run. This may have been done in an attempt to clean up the flow off the immersed ama. When the tri heels, it lifts the weather ama clear and pushes the leeward ama into the water. Photos show that there is still a pretty good "bone in the tail" at the stern of the 920. Maximum stability in this type of boat is reached at about 11 degrees, which makes a less physically tiring sailing experience.

The accommodations of the 920 are simple. If you consider that the maximum beam of the center hull is about 7 feet, this is an impressive layout. There is a separate head with washbasin forward of the mast. The centerboard trunk intrudes into the main cabin but becomes the base for the drop-leaf table. The galley is tight but beautifully detailed. The teak joinerwork of the 920 gives the interior a warm look without making it appear dark.

The 920 comes with a carbon fiber mast that steps on deck for easy take-down when trailering. There are two diamond stays and running backstays that lead to the outboard end of the aft aka. The mainsheet traveler is short and limited by the width of the cockpit. Using all the roach area of the mainsail, the SA/D is 34. If we use 68 percent of the mainsail areas to approximate an E- and P-type mainsail area, we get an SA/D of 29.2. Either way, this is a high-powered boat with plenty of horsepower to overcome the light-air slows that plague many tris.

It would be fun to spend a few days on a boat like this. With a 9.9-horsepower outboard, you can power at 7.5 knots.