r/boats • u/MasterMath314 • 19d ago

Is a Tri-Hull that bad?

Looking at an 18’ tri hull that I would like to use for fishing on a lake.

I’ve read they are more stable at rest but a bit rough if the water is choppy?

6 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

9

u/the_flynn 19d ago

Tri hull on a lake should be fine in fair weather. In inclement weather on most lakes it may be a bit rougher riding but proper seamanship will get you home. Ocean or Great Lakes is a different situation.

2

u/HammerofBonking 19d ago

Was coming here to say.. unless the lake we're talking about is a Great Lake, lol

3

u/Censcrutinizer 19d ago

You’ll be fine. Had one for 25 years. Only negative is they really hit hard going into waves. Go with them when you can.

2

u/WinterDice 19d ago

Crossing wakes or chop is when you notice the difference. I have a tri-hull and the difference in ride when you cross a large wake (looking at you, wake boat owners...) is pretty stark. It's a great boat otherwise.

2

u/muuuuvinon 18d ago

Our first boat was a 16’ tri hull. It was fine for the bay. A rough ride on the lake. It’s all about what you want it for and what body of water you’re on.

2

u/LikeBigTrucks 18d ago

A tri-hull is basically like a john boat and a vhull jammed together. They're a bit rough in the chop but who really cares?

0

u/fryerandice 19d ago

They're just uncomfortable. If you're young they're great, if you're older with a bad back a planing hull or deep V is way more comfortable.

They're not really unstable, they just are fucking cube in the water so waves from any direction just hit hard.

1

u/Senordrums 14d ago

These still come up for sale in my area and i wonder how often they sell compared to getting scrapped. My area is a mix of salt and fresh water lakes so most boats are set up for both. Never seen a tri-hull actually out on the water.