Tri a little harder

There’s nothing new about trimarans with foils. Eric Tabarly’s 16.5m Paul Ricard in the 1970s, for example, was by no means the first. However, the implementation of the mini foils on the Libertist 853 make this one of the stand out boats of its generation.

The foils are positioned well forward, so also counter the tendency for the bows to dig in. They also offer potential to eliminate leeway. It’s therefore not intended as a boat that will fly clear of the water. Instead, the small foils beneath each ama contribute significantly to stability and also lift the bows, thus markedly reducing the potential for capsize when pushed very hard in strong winds. The amas have a substantial amount of buoyancy, but the big benefit is that the faster you go the more the foils contribute to lift. As well as boosting speed, this also has an obvious safety advantage.

The designers and builders have tried hard