Libertist 853 - Folding Version

One standard marina slip please

Erik Lerouge is well known for his highly seaworthy, performance multihulls - undeniable qualities that the architect defends thanks to an uncompromising vision. The Libertist 853, for example, was launched in a first version with fixed linking arms - simpler, stiffer, lighter... However, Erik was well aware that customers would end up asking for “the same, but in a folding version”. Well, here is this long-awaited new version!

Folded, unfolded... you gain 4’7” (1.395 m) on each side by folding the floats in... but at the same time, the length increases from 28’ (8.53 m) to 35’7” (10.84 m).

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Practical info

Boat Test price5.00€ Inc. tax

Purchase

Boat Test price5.00€ Inc. tax

Purchase

Test location: Les Sables d’Olonne, France
Conditions: 8 to 12 knots of wind, slight chop

The problem of the lack of marina slips for multihulls in most of the world’s major yachting regions, and the explosion in prices as soon as the width of a slip starts to get anywhere near its length, logically revives the relevance of the variable-geometry trimaran inventions of pioneers Ian Farrier and Borge Quörning. In the 1980s/1990s, the main objective was to facilitate the transport and wintering of small, economical multihulls - the operation required a good half-day and two strong men to dismantle the floats of an Allegro (1976) or a Speed 770 (1980).
Nowadays, the #1 argument for folding trimarans is first and foremost to be able to access a berth - and at the same price as a monohull! Today, this multihull production sector is relatively prosperous (even if volumes remain low in relation to overall production). Manufacturing and selling folding trimarans within a sustainable economic model remains a complicated challenge, as the technique is costly to implement, and prices bear the brunt as a result.