# Tri hull boats so popular????



## ROBALO23 (Jul 7, 2011)

Back in the 70s and 80s seem like you saw tri hulls sitting everywhere espeacially around the middle coast. I grew up on one. So why were they so popular ?


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

I never figured that out myself. Ugly as sin and they rode BADLY.


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## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)

Yep...they'll beat the filling out of your teeth in the bays. Good, stable platforms when the water is smooth though...and great for drifting, no rocking at all.


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## I Fall In (Sep 18, 2011)

I think the stability was the selling point back then. We had an 18 ft. Winner when I was young. The kids always rode in front and got soaked every time we took one over the bow. Back then it was fun. Now it just hurts.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

I owned a trihull from 1978 till 1992. It was a 16 Caravelle. Absolutely the most "floaty" boat I've ever had. It stayed on top of the incoming waves, was an absolute dry ride and has as stable as a pier. First thing I did when I bought it was take out the cushions in the front and bolt in a casting deck. MANY time I have wished I still had that boat. Frickin' awesome!!

Yep...the ol "Triple Tails" was a fishing machine!!! (it did weigh a ton, though)


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## TOOEXTREME (Jun 23, 2004)

*Power Cat*

I wish they still made the old Power Cat boat that they made in Victoria Tx.

http://www.powercatboat.com/


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## Salty Dog (Jan 29, 2005)

I think the popularity had alot to do with what was available at the time. You really had about 3 main choices of hull styles that were popular. Flat bottom aluminum boats, V hull glass boats and tri-hulls. The tri-hull was popular because it had alot of room, was very stable and had a moderate draft. 

I use to use a Falcon Cougar with an 88 Johnson some and at the time I thought it was a heck of a good boat. Coming from an aluminum flatbottom it rode great. We didn't have all the good bay boat designs we have now and at the time compared to the other options we all thought they were great. Unless you could afford one of those super high end Whalers. Dang things were over $20k new. Who could afford that?


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## Tunnel-Runner (Jan 17, 2012)

isnt the shallow sport the same concept just a quadrahedral*sp? hull?


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## Won Mo Kasst (Mar 27, 2008)

TOOEXTREME said:


> I wish they still made the old Power Cat boat that they made in Victoria Tx.
> 
> http://www.powercatboat.com/


i wish i had one of those 18Vs...


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## capt. david (Dec 29, 2004)

falcon and lamars were the most popular of the tri-hull designs. thunderbird boats were the first tri hull on the market.


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## 61Bubbletop (Apr 29, 2011)

Grew up fishing in my dad's 18ft Lamar trihull, bought from Redwing in the late 60's. It had a huge 85hp Evinrude, with no trim or tilt. Needless to say, couldn't get into very shallow water and got stuck quite a few times. Overall, a good boat for it's time though.


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## patwilson (Jan 13, 2006)

My dad had a Falcon Skipjack when I was young. That thing was a battle wagon! Caught lots of fish off the old sled....


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## letsgofishin (Sep 28, 2009)

*My first fiberglass boat*



Bocephus said:


> Yep...they'll beat the filling out of your teeth in the bays. Good, stable platforms when the water is smooth though...and great for drifting, no rocking at all.


I bought one in the early 70's a 16 foot trihull with a 55 HP OB. It was a step up from the aluminum flat bottom. Everthing you said about it is true but we ran all over the bay caught lots of fish and had a good safe time doing it.
:texasflag


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

I ran a 15-foot Thunderbird with Johnson 70 from 1974-82. Took it 27 miles offshore every trip, if seas were 3 feet or less. Used two six gallon tanks, and a 2 1/2 gallon spare. Gas was a dollar or so. Dang, $15 bucks for a fill-up. Gave the summer trout and tripletail plenty of grief, too. We never could fix the left windshield, somebody was always hanging on and pulling it down. I put a metal grip handle on the left dash in 1980. We took out the left seats and people had to sit on the big fishbox, which freed up tons of deck space. 

I notice Robbie Gregory's kids, and Robbie, in POC, all guide with those big Falcon boats, they must be 23 feet at least. They always have 4-6 customers in them. Tons of deck space. His boats must have been built in the 1970s and refurbished a time or two. Single outboard.


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## capt. david (Dec 29, 2004)

this goes way back, the tv series flipper, park rangers boat was a thunderbird.


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## Jeff SATX (Jan 18, 2011)

me and my buddy bought a 1975 15' tri-hull boat when we were 16. put a 1988 johnson 90hp on it and we were flying all over the coast and local lakes all through out high school. he, my dad and my self were caught back in turtle pens when a storm blew through copano bay, and had some 4-5 foot swells, a compass and a few dozen prayers to get us back to the dock. my dad ripped down the left windshield that trip, kissed the ground when we docked and never got back on that boat. we blew a power head the next year and scrapped the boat idea until we were done with college. that boat was a lot of fun.


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## sun burn (Jun 12, 2008)

My dad had a 23 ft falcon Malibu with two 115 envenrudes on it. 
It want very fast but we caught plenty of snapper on it. Thing was a barge once you got to the fishing hole though..


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## cruss (Aug 31, 2005)

*trihull*

think Glastron, made in Austin, sold more trihulls than anybody.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Looks like mind didn't even have a compass yet, when the picture above was taken. We got in a hard shower 20 miles offshore, couldn't see 100 yards, and realized we needed a compass. That boat was solid. We towed it from Port Arthur to Key West in 1977 and stayed a month, went out 21 days in a row. Speared a lot of fish, caught a lot of snapper at night for the fish market.


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## Dgeddings (Sep 16, 2010)

I had a thundercraft tri-hull and I think the only reason I bought it was cause it's what I could afford, switched from that to a 22' jet bay, then to my current robalo 

I do miss that 75hp johnson's fuel mileage sometimes though


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

My FIL still has a 1977 Falcon.....bought brand new back then.
He gets his monies worth from his boat.


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## Waymore (Jul 6, 2011)

TOOEXTREME said:


> I wish they still made the old Power Cat boat that they made in Victoria Tx.
> 
> http://www.powercatboat.com/


I still have a 16T, it's white with a 150 black max on it. I loved that boat, but would sell it... Waymore


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## shallowgal (Jun 11, 2004)

Willis Hudson designed the first Fiberglass Falcon in 1952, the first Thunderbird was 1956.


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## Dgeddings (Sep 16, 2010)

its not the same falcon boats that are still being built over by texoma are they? I know the newer ones are deep vee but just curious if its the same company


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