Trimarans are finicky to build. There really aren't too many ways to simplify the highly loaded crossbeam structure, particularly when (as in our case) it has to be able to fold for trailering.

Our Starwind 860's aft crossbeams are now sitting partially assembled in the garage. The webs, the strut blocks and the centre blocks are in place, and it is now time to start closing them up.

The Starwind 860 trimaran's crossbeams are joined on the boat's centreline by a massive hinge pin. This mechanism ensures that the two outriggers fold in sync. The peak load on the centre bearing could be up to 41 kN (about four tons) port-starboard or 11 kN up-down, and the structures around it need to reflect that.

It's been a while since we kept you folks posted on the Starwind 860 project. Don't worry, it hasn't died – we've just been busy!