A gentleman named Tom Hutson, formerly of Westport, Connecticut, conceived the Tri Trainer. He was very much involved in the City of Norwalk's Youth Sailing Program, in which adults supervised youngsters in the process of learning the elements of small boat handling and sailing. Hutson felt that the right boat would be one that could be used for training youngsters how to sail and row, and how to handle a small boat urged along by an outboard engine of modest power. It was also assumed that the boats might be built by various parents and their children, working together as a learning experience. In response to Hutson's idea and requirements, I prepared the working drawings of Tri Trainer.
Tri Trainer's principal dimensions are 10 feet 10 inches overall by 10 feet on her waterline. She has a breadth of 4 feet 6 1/2 inches and a draft of only 6 inches with the board up. Freeboard forward is 1 foot 9 1/4 inches, with 1 foot 3 inches at the stern and an even 1 foot at the lowest point. She is a burdensome boat, quite capable of carrying three 80-pound youngsters or a crew of father and son in complete safety.
The hull is built from two 4-foot by 12-foot sheets of 1/4 inch-thick waterproof fir or Philippine mahogany plywood.
