Hartley 28'6 Trimaran (Lively 28 / Sparkle)
Description
The Hartley 28'6" Trimaran (officially the Lively 28 Cruising Trimaran, originally marketed as the Sparkle) is a classic, demountable plywood-epoxy cruising trimaran designed by New Zealand's Richard Hartley in the 1960s–1970s as a safe, unsinkable family multihull for amateur construction—proving so capable that one became the first trimaran to circumnavigate Australia. Plans remain available from hartley-boats.com (~$170–$355 USD full set; $30 study pack), with builds in plywood (or GRP mold) emphasizing ease, durability, and disassembly for trailering/storage—hull/amas bolt together, no folding beams. Rare (likely <100 built worldwide, mostly home completed), it's a cult favorite for "go small, go far" offshore on a budget,
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 36.25 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 12.50 ft |
| p | 30 ft |
| e | 12.25 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.25 ft | 12.50 ft | 30 ft | 12.25 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Hartley 28'6 Trimaran (Lively 28 / Sparkle) - MAINSAIL
| Luff | 30 ft - (9144 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 12.25 ft - (3734 mm) |
| Leech | * 31.85 ft - (9708 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.02 ° |
| Diagonal | * 32.01 ft - (9757 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 5.25 in - (133 mm) |
| Area | 183.53 ft² |
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Hartley 28'6 Trimaran (Lively 28 / Sparkle) - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 35 ft - (10668 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 15.5 ft - (4724 mm) |
| Leech | 31.17 ft - (9501 mm) |
| Length Perpendicular | 13.8 ft - (4206 mm) |
| Area | 241.55 ft² |
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Hartley 28'6 Trimaran (Lively 28 / Sparkle) - GENOA
| Luff | * 36.43 ft - (11104 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.37 ft - (6209 mm) |
| Leech | * 34.08 ft - (10388 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 18.75 ft - (5715 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 341.47 ft² |
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Hartley 28'6 Trimaran (Lively 28 / Sparkle) - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 36.43 ft - (11104 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 22.5 ft - (6858 mm) |
| Foot | * 22.5 ft - (6858 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 696.72 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.