I am considering building a Farrier folding tri. I realize I will not
save much money but boat building has gotten me so I just wanna do it.
My old 28' S2 monohull will allow me to sail while I am building.
Here are the questions for any tri sailors.

I plan to keep her out of the water. So, at what length of boat would
you consider it such a hassle to step the mast, unfold etc that you
would eventually put her in the water for good?

Do you take advantage of her extreme shoal draft much?

While cruising do you really notice increased speed over monohulls?

Is the limited amount of fuel you can carry for an outboard a problem?
(compared to the several day amount of fuel for a diesel in a monohull)

Plans are available for both standard width for trailering (8.5') and
the X version which is 9.5' wide folded. They say a simple permit is
needed for this wide load but I have not checked for FL. What is your
impression of this?

Possibilities include:

1. Buying an older F27 and refitting her with new standing rigging and
new sails and fixing any stress cracking. I estimate purchase price of
$55,000 with over $15000 for sails and rigging, etc. Problem is
getting the $55k together at one time.

2. Build either F-9 or F-9AX (31')

3. Build the newer F-32

Building would be done with the vertical foam strip method. The
folding parts can be purchased for about $15000 or built.

Any thoughts? I realize building does not save money (I know from
experience). I tend toward very spartan cruising where I consider a
porta-potti to be decadent so interior furnishings are not a major
issue for me. If I build, I will not worry about re-sale value.