Union Polaris 36

[SimonV]

Hi all this is my first post on this site.
Q: Union Polaris 36, what do you personaly know about the pros and cons of this boat and its derivities.

[GordMay]

Some interesting history of the Union Polaris 36:
The Hans Christian 36 was built and may also been copied by other yards as the Union 36, Mariner Polaris 36, and EO 36.
See Terry's comments: Read Messages

[slow shoes]

I don't own a 36, but I've owned the Ted Brewer designed Union 32 for 20 years. (1985 model - I posted a few pics in the photo forum a while back). It has been a great boat - no blisters or any construction problems, very seaworthy and, at least to my eye, very pretty to boot. You can't beat the cutter rig for changing gears, so to speak, as the wind strenghth changes. I have roller furling with both the staysail and genoa to make it even easier. Though with no removable staysail stay, tacking is cumbersome.

[SimonV]

Gord May and shoes
Thanks for the imput.

[rebel heart]

I'm sure this a bit late now, but I have a Hans Christian 36, which is the exact same boat as the Union Polaris 36. On my blog site I copied the article where Perry discusses how the whole Hans Christian / Union Polaris / Whatever else 36 debacle played out.

My opinion, and this is now my second boat I've owned, is that it is one of the most seaworthy vessels I've ever been on. I'm not sure exactly what you're interested in knowing about them, but if you're looking for a general recommendation of "would you take it around the world through a storm?" I would answer yes.

The maintenance on these boats tends to be a bit high, because of the insane amount of brightwork. Each HC/UP owner is probably responsible for 1% of the rain forests getting slashed and burned; there is a lot of wood.

[senormechanico]

All of the Union 36's I've seen have NO water tank access in case of a leak, unless you count a chain saw as access.

There is only a very small hatch to get to the fill and vent hose connections.

Steve B.

[SimonV]

Thanks guys, a post is never to late. I am still looking for the right boat.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

All of the Union 36's I've seen have NO water tank access in case of a leak, unless you count a chain saw as access.

There is only a very small hatch to get to the fill and vent hose connections.

Steve B.

All of my floorboards come up, and I can stare down at the water tank (aluminum, 150 gallons) without issue. It's not easy to yank the thing out of there, but I'm not aware of anyone with a 150 gallon water tank, and 90 gallon diesel tank, that would say either is "easy" to put in or out.

[senormechanico]

rebel heart,
I'm glad to hear of at least one boat which has that capability.
Is your hull number an early one or a late one?
I don't know if the factory decided to improve things or go cheap, but I'm still glad for you.

Steve B.

[Vasco]

I think Rebel Heart's boat is a Hans Christian which was built by a different outfit than the Unions.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Vasco

I think Rebel Heart's boat is a Hans Christian which was built by a different outfit than the Unions.

It's a Hans Christian 36, which is the same boat as a Union 36. It's an interesting walk down yacht history lane, if you haven't read the story before. Especially if you have Union Polaris 36, Hans Christian 36, Mao Ta 36, Mariner Polaris 36, or EO 36.

Rebel Heart - The boat and her crew - History of HC 36's

The name of the boat yard that built the HC and the UP was the "Union Yacht Company". So when they stopped branding them as Hans Christians, they created the "Polaris" model, hence the "Union Polaris".

[senormechanico]

Sorry, I got lost in the thread. Senior moment and all.
That probably means what I've seen of the lack of water tank access on the Union may still hold true.

Simon V, take a look at one of these if you get a chance.

Lord Nelson - Nelson Yacht Sales/1986 Lord Nelson 35

Our previous boat was hull#6 and was a great offshore boat.

Steve B.

[Triton318]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Simon V, take a look at one of these if you get a chance. Lord Nelson - Nelson Yacht Sales/1986 Lord Nelson 35

Wow!! If I didn't have three teenagers and a mortgage, I'd be on the first flight to Michigan to look at THAT boat. Even though I know my Pearson Triton will eventually take me around the world, I'd rather go in something like that.

[senormechanico]

The way we did it was we built our house a stick at a time (before kids) with no mortgage. Then when the kids were in their late teens and out of the nest, we bought the boat, sold the house and everything in it and left.

Steve B.

[Jimbo UP36]

Hello, I just removed the fuel tank from my Union and am replacing it with three aluminum tanks to keep the same gallons, and be able to put them back in the boat. Original tank was built arount the fuel and water tanks.
So I had ot spend 4 hrs using a sawzall to remove it.

By doing this it allows me several advantages using 3 tanks. Don't have to keep a full tank (90 gallons) to keep oxidization down. Can carry as little as one tank full (30 gallons) for coastal cruising with the other two in reserve for offshore cruising. Can isolate new fuel taken on in different ports, and if dirty can run it through my dual racor filter system to clean it up before using it. And finally and most important to get them in they have to go back in a sort of jigsaw puzzle manner. So 3 was the magic number.

After removing the tank I cut a 4"X4" hole in the fiberglass floor below the tank and the 7800 lb. Cast Iron keel was directly below and completely accessable for taping a 5/16 bolt into it and connecting a couple of 2" copper foil leads to the SSB transmitter as a ground and a second to the tuner as a counterpoise. This also needs to be isolated from any other grounding system on your boat (DC, AC, and Lightning).

Question: (finally) has anyone had any experience in using a full keel (cast iron or lead) as a RF ground/counterpoise? How did it work? What kind of SSB are you using? Are you also a ham operator? I am call sign is K1JRL.

To any Union Polaris owners or would be owners I gave set up a website specifically for UnionPolaris 36ers. Just google UnionPlaris.

Look forward to some feed back if you can.
Thank you,
Jim