Arthur Piver

Arthur Piver played a large role in the growth in popularity of the cruising trimaran through his various marine plywood designs aimed at the amateur builder using lumberyard and hardware store materials. He launched his first trimaran, the 16 ft (4.9 m) FROLIC, in 1958. His best known designs include the NUGGET 25, NIMBLE 30, LODESTAR 35 and VICTRESS 40. Piver created an entire industry of the amateur built trimaran during the 1960’s with ads that appeared in ‘Popular Mechanics’ and other publications. Thousands of Piver designed trimarans have been built around the world by amateurs and professionals alike. Additionally, Piver conducted extensive research in this field and published four books: ‘Trans-Atlantic Trimaran’, ‘Trans-Pacific Trimaran’, ‘Trimaran Third Book’, and ‘Navigation by Simulous’. Adding validity to his yacht designs, Piver crossed the Atlantic twice and the Pacific once in boats of his design. In 1968, Piver disappeared off the California coast while testing a new trimaran. A collection of his drawings is available at the Mariner’s Museum, Newport News, VA, USA.