Tremolino - Dick, I need three hulls… can you help?

When the kids have grown out of their Hobie, what happens? And what if they now want to sail with their children? The brilliant Dick Newick designed them a central hull to fit their beach cat… Clever, eh?

In the early 1970s, John Ollins, a fan of lightweight multihulls, met Dick Newick - the designer of the proa “Cheers” and many other magical racers - in the British Virgin Islands. The pair immediately got along, and started work on an exciting project: designing a kit to allow Hobie 16 owners to sail a quick yet safe trimaran. The central hull, initially built in epoxy plywood - using the Goujeon Brothers’ West System process - is typical of Newick’s plans, with its very banana-shaped bow, U-shaped hull and rounded coachroof. The boat met with immediate success in the United States, and soon became available in polyester. The story might have ended in the States too, but then along came Jacques Dewez, who had gone from being a fighter pilot, to being owner of the trimaran Gordano Goose, then a racing driver, and in 1982 became a real estate developer: in southern Corsica he sold villas overlooking a bay, and offered every customer a yellow Tremolino! In all, 18 units were built in Corsica. Over the years the Tremolino filled out a little, to fit the floats and rig of the Hobie 18. Finally, Dick Newick designed the famous, much stronger, half-moon floats.

Thanks to its favo...