chris white trimaran

Professional BoatBuilder Magazine

Catching up with chris white.

By Dan Spurr , Jul 25, 2019

White’s Atlantic series of fast cruising catamarans, such as the 57’ (17.4m) shown here, have been his most popular designs; a trademark feature is a second cockpit between the cabin and the mast for superior viewing of sail trim.

It was 36 years ago, in 1983, that multihull designer Chris White hung the proverbial designer’s shingle, Chris White Designs , outside his Massachusetts home. He now boasts more than 80 custom cruising catamarans and trimarans under sail worldwide. In the 1970s, he apprenticed, as it were, with Jim “Trimaran” Brown at his shop in Virginia. Inspired, White built the 52 ‘ (15.8m) cold-molded trimaran Juniper on those grounds, and then sailed the heck out of her. She was an object of great beauty, with the Virginia cedar hull exposed inside. I first met White when he asked editors at Cruising World magazine if any would like to join him as he sailed along with the fleet of that summer’s Classic Yacht Regatta on Narragansett Bay. I jumped at the chance. That day, she fairly glided as if above the water, for at that length, there is zero hobbyhorsing in small chop. We stayed out of the way of the great wooden yachts circumnavigating Conanicut Island, reaching off at speeds unimaginable by the designers and builders of those ancient machines, then zooming back in to the fleet for a closer look.

Chris White and his wife, Kate, have run a successful small design business in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, since 1983.

Cockpit forward

Over the years White, now 65, has developed his own concepts, working more with catamaran hullforms, as they are more marketable than trimarans. His unique design stamp is a cockpit forward of the pilothouse and aft of the mast, which affords superior views of the sails. Performance is a feature of White’s designs, so he walks the fine line between speed and safety—many production cruising catamarans are under-rigged to discourage capsize. His designs range from the Discovery 21 (6.4m) trimaran daysailer, built by Aquidneck Custom Composites  in Bristol, Rhode Island, to the beautiful Atlantic 72 (22m), from the same builder. All White’s designs, including the popular Atlantic series, are built in epoxy/fiberglass/carbon composites for strength, rigidity, and light weight.

Mastfoil Rig

Because of the weight of fully battened large-multihull mainsails, the difficulty handling them, and the risks associated with jibing, White offers the MastFoil rig—two-masts with roller-furling staysails set on self-tending booms.

A somewhat recent development is White’s MastFoil rig featuring two rotating wing spars, each with staysails sheeted to booms to make the sail plan completely self-tending. Noting the inherent shortcomings of mainsails—inefficiency, risks associated with jibing, and time needed to douse in the event of a sudden squall—White asks: “Why not just get rid of the mainsail?” Conventional sloop rigs are, of course, also available and perhaps preferred by most customers, but the MastFoil offers an alternative for those daring to try something different, if not entirely new to the world of sail. White says he has noticed so many big boats in the West Indies setting just headsails, because the big, heavy mainsails are too much work to raise and douse. Rigged with what are in essence two jibs on electric furlers, one can be sailing moments after casting off a mooring. Light-air sails—spinnakers and screechers—are options.

Chile connection

Most of White’s recent builds, plus the spars, have been built at Alwoplast Marine in Chile. The patented MastFoils are carbon tubes inside a non-loadbearing ¼ “ /6mm-wall-thickness foam/carbon airfoil, supported by bushings. In the absence of an autoclave, the carbon spars are made with wet laminate. Hull construction is foam core/epoxy/glass with some carbon in high-stress areas. “They make everything there,” White says. Alwoplast has built eight Atlantic 57s during the seven years they’ve collaborated, this after an earlier builder in South Africa “imploded.” (Read Nigel Calder’s update on South Africa’s catamaran builders ).White says Alwoplast had enough jobs in the pipeline when the 2008 recession hit to get them through to 2010 and beyond.

Custom designs, lots of amenities

When we spoke last spring, White was heading to Bequia, a Grenadine island, with a customer on a 72 ‘ (22m) catamaran. The boat weighed 33,000 lbs (14,949 kg) when launched light and now weighs around 43,000 lbs (19,479 kg) fully loaded, which includes all the amenities designers are accustomed to adding during the build and fit-out—plus an ice cream maker. Yet, the skipper says, even with a fairly conservative rig, the boat routinely sails at 18 kts.

With its considerable beam, the Atlantic 47’s (14.3m) accommodation plan incorporates three doubleberth staterooms, a spacious saloon, and an inside steering station alternative to the outside helm in the forward cockpit.

Working with a standard basic structure of amas, bridge, and pilothouse, each White design is custom. He works closely with the builder and owner, charging a percentage of the build cost. Owners of custom yachts are willing to pay to get what they want, and White’s customers get a handsome multihull yacht with sparkling performance. White is firm in his beliefs, and while he, like all designers, must bend to some customer demands, there are aesthetic and performance lines he won’t cross; if he did, the results wouldn’t showcase those beliefs.

Chris White Designs, 5 Smith’s Way, South Dartmouth, MA 02748 USA, tel. 508–287–6233,

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• Sailboat Guide

1995 Custom Chris White Hammerhead 54

• Description

Seller's Description

This is a remarkable performance cruising trimaran, from the highly regarded Chris White design firm. A strongly built boat, this design combines remarkable performance and sea kindliness, with a comfortable, practical interior layout. Having completed a successful circumnavigation, this boat brings a proven track record as a world cruiser. She is in good condition, and ready to take a new owner on her next adventure.

Equipment: www.morrellimelvin.com/brokerage/listings/avalanche/

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

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Chris White Designs Explorer 44

Used yachts for sale, sailing tris over 31ft,        chris white designs boats for sale.

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Edwards Yacht Sales

• 866.365.0706

1989 Chris White Juniper 2 Trimaran

• Fort Lauderdale/Exumas, FL, US

Yacht price

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This proven, safe, and fast ocean-cruising Trimaran, beautifully maintained and continually up-graded has now reluctantly been placed on the market by her knowledgeable owners!

The Chris White 55 is a great daysailor and able to make extended ocean passages as a very quick, safe and easily handled vessel. She is equipped with a very comfortable and seamanlike interior with attractive natural timber finishes, solar panels and a wind generator for electrical self-sufficiency and good ventilation. The designer commented that "she is long in order to provide comfort sailing in the ocean, wide for stability in extreme conditions, but simple in construction, accommodation and systems. She's an excellent performer, and has a very comfortable motion in waves". The concept of the Juniper 2 is a new design incorporating several refinements and improvements from her predecessor. She is wider overall, has a longer and finer bow, and uses a balanced spade rudder instead an outboard hung rudder. Aesthetic details such as the crossbeams and their fairings and the sheer line were refined. The hull underwater shape has less wetted surface than the original and the fin and rudder sections were refined for less drag. The interior layout was refined to increase elbow room and now incorporates a dedicated shower stall. Incorporating a ketch rig that is an absolute joy to handle, tacking is a matter of just turning the wheel. The crossbeams are very high above the water and there are no cabin projections beyond the hull sides. These features eliminate pounding in rough seas, contribute to her comfort underway, and was designed and built for safety and survivability offshore. Her interior and exterior finish is excellent. All systems and equipment were installed and have been carefully maintained and upgraded with an eye for simplicity, reliability and serviceability. 

Specifications

Descriptions, basic information, dimensions & weight, tank capacities.

Accommodations

• View Option

As you enter the cockpit area, you will find comfortable seating on both sides, and a sun-blocking custom hard bimini, and removable side curtains. The protected helm is well situated to the port side of the companionway which leads to the main cabin, where the accommodation spaces are attractively finished with varnished Alaska yellow cedar hull surfaces and wood trim throughout. The overhead and bulkheads are coated with polyurethane paint.

Entering the aft cabin through the aft crossbeam bulkhead, there is a navigation station on the port side equipped with a 50" x 25" varnished black walnut chart table with flat chart storage beneath. The electronics area is above the chart table. A wet gear locker is  also located on the Port side. Large windows to port and starboard provide excellent visibility and light. An aft double berth is located in the aft portion of the compartment. There is storage below and aft of the berth. Two electric fans are provided in the aft berth area.

Next on both port and starboard sides is the galley. The aft port portion of this section houses the head compartment. The head is fitted with a stainless steel sink, a vanity with laminate counter top and stowage under. A mirror and cabinet are provided over the sink. There is a manual marine head with "Y" valve for selectable discharge either overboard or to a 30 gallon holding tank. The holding tank is located in the aft portion of the port float, ensuring that no odor will reach the living area. 

Next, through the forward crossbeam bulkhead is the salon/dinette area. Settees are fitted on each side of a varnished black walnut drop leaf table. The settees are 7' long and also function as single berths. Ample stowage is provided beneath the seats and the cabin sole. 

Next, forward of the salon area is the master cabin fitted with a 7' long double berth with storage below, a large #10 hatch providing light and ventilation, (2) portlights, (2) reading lights, and fans.

The forepeak houses the shower area including an on-demand hot water system. The water-maker is also installed in this compartment

Galley Equipment

• Laminate counter top
• Flush mounted double sink
• Fresh and salt water supplied by Whale Gusher foot pumps
• Pressure water supplied by in-line pressure pump
• Multiple drawers, cabinets and storage bins beneath the counter areas
• Shipmate stainless steel 4-burner propane stove/oven/broiler
• 2 x 10 lb. aluminum propane storage bottles in ventilated locker with solenoid shutoff
• Well insulated super-efficient top-opening refrigerator with Adler Barbour 12 volt compressor and holding plate

Design and Construction

• Open wing design with (2) crossbeams
• Low aspect keel on main hull
• Balanced hydrofoil section spade rudder operated by Edson pull-pull cable steering system with stainless steel wheel
• Sterling paint on hull and topsides
• Hulls and decks are vacuum bagged triple diagonal Alaska Yellow Cedar using WEST System® epoxy resin with glass/epoxy exterior skin
• Crossbeams are epoxy laminated Douglas Fir and marine plywood
• Sterling® polyurethane exterior finish with contrasting boot top.
• Epoxy/glass composite rudder blade with solid marine grade stainless steel stock turning in low friction bushings
• 3 x coats Micron 66 antifouling paint.

Sails and Rig

• Freestanding ketch rig provides effortless tacking and superb offshore reliability
• Tapered hollow wood/carbon fiber epoxy masts
• Custom Lazy Jacks
• Innovative sleeve luff sails are efficient and allow conventional slab reefing
• Custom gooseneck fittings allow the sails to be luffed on any point of sail to reef or lower sails
• Mainsail (450 sq ft) by Haarstick Sails, 2008, Dacron cloth. 3 x reef points, fiberglass battens, rugged construction details, sleeve luff
• Mizzen (450 sq ft) by Haarstick Sails 2008 Dacron cloth. 3 x reef points, fiberglass battens, rugged construction details, sleeve luff
• Mizzen staysail (500 sq ft)
• Mainsail and mizzen covers in Sunbrella fabric 2014
• New main halyards 2015

Deck and Hull Equipment

• (2) Lewmar Ocean Series # 43 CST (chrome self-tailing) main sheet and mizzen sheet winches
• Lewmar #30 CST dedicated vang/preventer winch
• (1) Lewmar #40 CST halyard winches
• New Lewmar 46 EST electric winch 2014
• Custom Atlantic tower arch amidships
• Dyneema netting -all trampolines 2011
• Custom stainless steel bow pulpit
• (2) 12" mooring cleats
• (6) 10" dock cleats
• Bulkhead mounted Edson wheel with wheel brake, adjacent engine controls, compass and sailing instruments
• (4) Lewmar deck hatches over the main hull, with screens
• Custom deck hatch in each float to access stowage space
• Opening port in head
• (2) opening ports in shower
• Aluminun dual anchor rollers
• Self-bailing deck lockers behind forward crossbeam for anchors and rode.
• (2) 35 lb. CQR Plow anchors, each with 20' chain and 150' x 3/4" nylon rode.
• (1) 40 lb. Danforth hi-tensile anchor
• (1) Fortress FX55 storm anchor
• 200' x 3/4" spare anchor rode
• (4) dock lines, 30' x 1/2" braided rope with spliced ends, 
• (5) Par 10" x 24" fenders
• Custom Bimini with removable clear side curtains
• Shade cloths (80% shade) for sides and back of Bimini for use at anchor
• Removable cockpit dining table
• Deck awning
• Stainless steel swim ladder
• Dinghy chocks, power winch lift
• In-line transmission with 2:1 reduction
• Vibration damping engine mounts
• PSS dripless shaft seal,
• Vibration damping Aquadrive® thrust bearing between transmission and stuffing box.
• Shaft coupling.
• Instrument panel with tachometer and engine monitoring gauges and alarms
• Primary and secondary fuel filters
• Raw water strainer
• Fiberglass "Aqualift" exhaust silencer
• Sound insulated engine room floor
• Single lever engine controls mounted at helm station
• Gori bronze 2 blade, folding propeller
• Spare 2 blade fixed prop
• Aquamet 22 propeller shaft
• PUR 80 12 volt water-maker, 3 GPH (requires new membrane)
• Wallas series 3000 forced hot air externally vented diesel heater

Electrical System

• 12 volt electrical panel with volt and amp meters and (8) circuit breakers
• Battery selector switch
• (2) 4D wet-cell house batteries 2014, (1) group 27 AGM Separated start battery
• (6) 80 watt solar panels (Total 480 Watts with Xantrex 35 amp auto control power regulator
• Heart Interface 750 watt Freedom 7 continuous output inverter/charger
• Aquasignal masthead Tri-color and anchor light
• Port and starboard navigation lights mounted on bow pulpit.

D400 wind generator 2011

• Honda 2000 Generator

Electronics/Navigation

• ICOM 735 HAM/SSB radio with ICOM AT150 automatic antenna tuner
• Furuno Navnet Vx2 Cmap radar/chartplotter
• Icom VHF with Ram mic, arch mounted antenna
• Tacktick wind/temp/speed/depth & NEMA display system
• Iridium satellite phone w/ fixed antenna
• Autohelm 3000 autopilot
• XM radio w/ marine antenna
• Aquatic AV USB/IPOD Radio player
• AM/FM radio/tape player with Bose speakers
• Plastimo bulkhead mount view-through compass
• Ritchie compass in navigation station

Safety Equipment

• (6) life jackets
• (3) Kidde class ABC fire extinguishers
• (2) Survival Technologies safety harnesses
• Man overboard life ring and man overboard light
• Gale Rider drogue with new 300' x 5/8" braided line
• Flare gun and flares

Miscellaneous

• 10.5 Achilles rib dinghy with Yamaha 15 HP outboard
• 10' Walker Bay rowing and sailing dinghy w/ sail kit

Carisa was sailed for 12 years by her owner/builders in the Gulf of Mexico and the western Caribbean. They sailed her 6 months out of the year from their home in Tallahassee, FL.

 The second owner brought her north to Narraganset Bay, RI. He sailed her there for 6 years and took two trips north to Maine.  He day-sailed and the two summer vacations to Maine.  

We have owned Carisa for 9 years, having purchased her in Newport, RI and sailed her down the coast to Florida.  We kept her in Fernandina Beach. FL for 3 years and sailed her to the Bahamas twice a year for 2 months and 3 months. After that we kept her in George Town, Great Exuma, Bahamas for 4 years; sailing her 4 -5 months a year.  That brings us to the present.  

The sail plan is wonderful!  There is plenty of sail area and they really power up when the wind blows.  The obvious difference is "no jibs"! Setting the loose-footed mainsails is accomplished with vangs set well outboard to provide good leverage for the full range of the boom.  

Carisa easily sails 9-10 knots with wind speeds of 15-16 knots.  With decent sail conditions she will easily make 200+ mile days.  In a flotilla she will out sail every boat except performance catamarans and 65'+ racing mono-hulls.

Most Recent Upgrades and Additions

Sails from Haarstick Sails 2008

Furuno color chart plotter 2008

Achilles 10.5 RIB and 15 hp Yamaha OB 2008

Honda 2000 generator 2008

Air Line Hooka Dive System for 3 divers 2008

Walker Bay 10' rowing and sailing dinghy w/sail kit 2009

Sterling paint on hulls and top sides 2010

Lazy jacks, custom 2010

Atlantic Tower Arch amidships 2011

Tacktick wireless array for wind, depth, temperature, speed and NEMA 2011

Icom VHF M502 and RAM mic 2011

Dyneema netting for all trampolines 2011

Iridium satellite phone and fixed marine antenna 2011

Gori 2 blade folding propeller 2012

XM radio and marine antenna 2012

On Demand hot water shower 2014

2 new 4D wet-cell house batteries 2014

Mainsail covers 2014

Mattress covers in forward berth 2014

Lewmar 46 EST electric winch 2014

Main halyards 2015

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Discovery 21 Trimaran

Discovery is nimble and fast. Sailing performance is excellent. Her 15’ 9” beam and relatively large floats provide good stability for her modern, powerful rig. The self-tending jib makes for easy sail handling. Light wind performance is so good that an auxiliary motor, which can be fitted, is really not necessary. In stronger winds, moving out to the windward float will add lots of stability without having to hike out on a trapeze. She points well too, sailing upwind better than most beach cats, and tacks almost instantly.

The self-bailing cockpit features comfortable upright seating with your feet on the floor and a good backrest. There’s stowage in the hull forward and aft for boat and safety equipment as well as camping gear for the adventurous. The crossbeams fold upward for legal trailering width and the process of setting up and breaking down is straightforward.

Here’s the builder’s first report to the owner: “Hi- Quick report is awesome. The boat is balanced beautifully and slips along in light air. Did a little close reaching and built some apparent-- gps said 11 in under 10 knots true-- with main and jib…for a maiden voyage I give her an A+.  Best—Bill ”

Discovery 21 Information

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Current / Recent Projects

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• Discovery 21
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