Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

[Roy M]

Maren, I borrowed the unit I used in the boatyard. I then went out and bought a new one for the guy who loaned it to me, in appreciation of what he had done for me. It was expensive, but it has allowed me to work on boats at the slip. This would be impossible in today's "clean and green" movement, especially on the water. It becomes advertising in its own way, and as such, means more work for me. Much appreciated in the current economy. I can't say the same for a lot of other products, but this one is in a class by itself. It was designed to this kind of work, not designed to have an attached vacuum. There is no 5% dust. Even that would be unacceptable to the marina and boatyard managers.

[Mark Johnson]

A very slight disagreement with you on one point Roy... I am renting our little house from a couple of doctor/master craftsmen, and I have access to their multimillion dollar workshop, with the finest vacuum assisted tools in the world. (Like a $28,000 table saw) Many similar vacuum assisted hand sanders are in their collection, and we use them INSIDE.

Besides my own work experience, with decades spent working in boatyards, I have seen and used tools here that I could NEVER afford to buy for myself.

While brands like Fein & FesTool are among the best made, and their design is state of the art, there is no cutting or sanding tool made in the world, that collects 100% of the dust. I only know this because of being a glasses wearer. I often use a tool that "appears" to collect ALL of the dust, but after 45 minutes of it's use near or over my face, my lenses are covered with dust.

If you use your sander overhead, on a VERY RARE windless day, I'm sure that you would find dust on whatever lenses you had over your eyes.

The dust collection bonnet of the Porter Cable RO sander, along with the holes in the soft pad and velcro paper, are the exact same concept that you describe, only RO sanders have it easier, because they sling less dust in the first place.

I don't doubt that the air channels of the Festool are a bit better designed, or that it has a world class vacuum cleaner, but if compared to a vacuum equipped Porter Cable 7336 (with the largest, most powerful shop vacuum cleaner available), the dust extraction of either tool would be excellent.

To define excellent: A wild guess is that collecting ALL of the dust "that you can see", is actually more like 95% efficient, at best.

Not trying to start an argument here, it's just that I also have boatbuilder friends that built a multimilloin dollar catamaran indoors. I have seen and used these very gold plated hand power tools. They are wonderful, but all of them sling just a bit of dust.

"Tenting" of a boat being sanded does too, btw... The tents leak.

Your FesTool is indeed world class, and probably slings the least. I was only trying to help other builders, with a little known GEM of information about the 7336. This is an affordable workhorse good for thousands of really efficient sanding hours. Like I said, I seldom use rotary sanders anymore. If you tried this Porter Cable RO sander yourself, I bet you'd agree with me.

Best regards,
Mark

[Roy M]

No problemo, Mark! That shop probably even has air conditioning. Tough conditions to work in. I'll bet you don't even get bugs in the epoxy these days. Sure is different than what we started out with.

[Mark Johnson]

Originally Posted by Roy M

No problemo, Mark! That shop probably even has air conditioning. Tough conditions to work in. I'll bet you don't even get bugs in the epoxy these days. Sure is different than what we started out with.

You've got that right, Roy... heat, AC, dehumidifiers, & stereo too.

I origionally built my boats in what I'd call... my deep woods boatyard. They were built with some shelter, especially from UVs, but they were temporary structures of the funkeyest order.

THE DELPHYS PROJECT:
After 5 years of work, @ 100 hrs/wk between us... we launched Delphys as a bare hull. We soon moved aboard the totally empty cabins, first part time, then as our ONLY home. All we had inside was a cooler, a box of groceries, a Coleman stove & flashlights. Why??? The Ocean was 3 hours drive away from our house & boatyard, and we launched prematurely because our route to the sea was being developed to the point of impassibility.

The first year was speant making it a home, the second year was standing the rig & completing it, and the third year was installing hardware, canvass, solar panels, and loading her up with cruising gear. Each year was in a different location, for logistical reasons.

We had sold our house in the country by now, for a cruising "kitty", and in each location we drug my tool trailer along. This meant that I was finishing the boat project from what ever marina or dock we happened to be tied too at the time, much of it in the Fl Keys... All other personal belongings went into a variety of storage buildings.

After our first "Western" Caribbean cruise, we went back to Pensacola Fl for a refit, and to get ready for round two! This was when we were hit by Huricane IVAN, "the terrible". I have described the story too many times, but I lost my trailer full of a lifetime's accumulation of tools. (It went TOTALLY under). I figure it was > a $30,000 loss there, plus my car and a cottage we'd rented for the refit, full of our temporary furnishings. ALL of these were uninsured loses of coarse. CACHHING!

Since Delphys was undamaged, we got our **** together and made another "flat broke style" Caribbean cruise. (The "Eastern" side this time). This was when we had just met Jeff & Jose in the Chesapeake, before heading out.

When we decided to come here, we had been told of these multihull slips in NC, by a friend we'd just met in Trinidad.

A couple of years after arrival and putting out my shingle, I became friends with our marina owner, (an ex DR), and soon moved into his funkey little rental house. This ended our 12 years as full time liveaboards, and started my RE-accumulation of tools, slowly...

This house we rent is in the woods on some incredible waterfront acreage, between the two Dr friends that CO-own the workshop. Beside the fact that these guys were now friends of ours... To become part of "the boys club" I put in serious amounts of free labor, hanging doors, doing trim, and finishing the greenhouse that's attached to the huge two story work shop.

This shop is not to be believed! It even has a freight elevator so that huge stacks of lumber can be moved upstairs for drying in the kiln! I don't have free run of the place, mind you. I still make an appointment for "shop time" if it is a big project like my kayak. Still, it is far nicer than anything I'LL ever own. Now if we could just get better health AND a cruising kitty together too, before we're too old...

I gather that you have been in San Diego for a very long time, a member of the "Yacht Club" and all that. I suppose you have set yourself up with a variety of nice work shops or work areas over the years too. You've just gotta have a place to work and store your tools, don't you?

What solutions have you come up with? Do you have your old construction photos digitized? It is a rare builder indeed, that can complete a SR40!

Mark

[Roy M]

Thanks, Mark. Yes, I have a friend and neighbor living next door to the Southwestern Yacht Club. He's the guy I built the 1922 Rolls Royce for. I still have all my big shop equipment in his workshop. The rest of the stuff I keep in a friend's garage or in my truck. That's a big problem for me because, besides the boat building work I do, I also install electronics, do light mechanical, electrical work and a bunch of other stuff. Each trade has its share of parts, tools, supplies, manuals, etc. I should have been an accountant. Then all I'd need is a sharp pencil, a calculator and a green eyeshade. The yacht club has been my primary home for about twenty years, although I'm off the boat right now while I remodel. Besides being cheaper than a marina, the club is a good resource for work. I'm hoping to retire one of these days, but not right now.

As for the pics of the boat under construction, I do have some, but they are in shoeboxes and albums, under something. Maybe someday.....

[silviris]

Maybe I can help you scan your old photos. I'm a computer nerd, so I know how to do all that kind of stuff. We're back from our vacation and will be moving on June 1. Looking forward to checking out your boat shortly after that!

[clockwork orange]

You don't need to spend a fortune on dust collection, my son, a cabinetmaker and myself, a boatbuilder have been through 3 Fein vacuums between us and he currently has a Festool vac as well as a Festool track saw. While they are decent tools they are very over priced. I now use a Rigid vac from Home Depot with the bag of course, I use the nice hose from the now defunct Fein and an automatic switching device from Sears, a whopping $19.95 that allows any vacuum to switch on and off with the sander. You can now buy dust shrouds for any sander but many years ago before you could, we made a fiberglass shroud with a brush around the edge which we also buy from HD, I use this setup on a Makita sander polisher and it is the most dust free I have used.

Steve

[rossad]

All very interesting exchanges......
Right now i have my 37 out on the hard.
Doing stuff like new anchor windless, refitting a Garmin GPS, bottom paint, new strut cutless bearing, prop problems with electrolysis, new placement of a transducer, lots of bits a bobs internally...
Maybe this year i can make it to Tonga.

[Roy M]

Rossad, what is going on with the electrolysis? Is the problem from your own electrical system or are you in a "hot" neighborhood?

[dale d]

Dale D

It's time to introduce myself. I'm named dale and I live in Nicaragua. I was born and raised in San Diego and lived on Shelter Island in the "Free Anchorage" back when it was still free. (I lived on the other side of the tracks form the venerable SouthWestern Yacht Club) <grin>

I've been sailing multihulls since 1974. My first boat was a Piver Nugget built by Mile Eaton. I sailed that little boat to all the channel islands off California, and several short trips to Northern Baja. Sea Dragon might remember her, she was named Sola and was anchored under the Coronado bridge for awhile back in the free anchorage days.
My next boat was Norm Cross' 26 racer named PUFF. I sailed puff to Puerto Vallarta where I traded her for a motor home and cash.
My next two boats were both Wharrem 36 footers. I sailed both those boat to central america. I drove the last one ashore in Nicaragua to save a crew member who was cut very badly and we were too far from help to sail. I lost the boat and everything I owned. I was stuck in Nicaragua. Too poor to come home and too proud to ask for help.
I built an out-rigger canoe use local local light woods and strip planks. *I learned an appreciation for all the boat builders who went before me. *Building boats, what a cool thing to do.*

I recently bought a Brown Searunner 34 named Corazon. I am in San Carlos Sonora Mexico. I'm in a boat yard so I have no sailing stories to tell.

I've been in contact with both Boat Guy and Mark Johnson who advised me during my search for a boat.

The photo BoatGuy posted was taken by the previous owner. The bottom was taken down to bare glass and several coats of thickened epoxy were applied followed by barrier coats. The process is documented on this forum. All this work was done before i bought Corazon.

Thank you Mark for the informative post. In a previous post you described what the "cheater" coat was made with. Would you refresh our memories?

I'm currently painting the mast and boom with LP. It all comes back, kinda like riding a bicycle. It's been twenty years since I painted a mast. Roy will know the spot, Koehler Kraft. CF loaned me a spray guy. The old man Clarence could have brushed it and made it look the same.

I hope my next post is a sailing one. I bought an old wood boat but I honestly want to sail more hours than I work. Corazon is worth preserving.

I bought a '69 Honda Trail, I'm stuck in some kind of seventies time loop

[Roy M]

Welcome aboard dale d. I'm going to get hauled out next Friday at the old Knight & Carver yard in South Bay. I hope to meet you soon.

[Boatguy30]

Hey dale, thought that was you. Sorry for the mixup. anyhow, looks like the right boat at the right price. wonder how close it was to my suggested asking price 6 months ago..

cheers,
Jeff
BTW ORION SR 34 built by System 3 founder is for sale in Maui. Has a newer Yanmar 40!

[Boatguy30]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Rossad, what is going on with the electrolysis? Is the problem from your own electrical system or are you in a "hot" neighborhood?

Having worked as a mariner engineer in NZ, I can say it seems to be a bigger problem there. I believe it has to do with the minerals in the water or parhaps the salinity. Maybe just all the cow ****. It can be really bad on the fresh water side also if you use tap water not distilled as the water eventually evaporates and all the minerals are left clogging things up.

[Mark Johnson]

Dale,
You will have to refresh my memory as to which "previous posts" that you refer too...

Welcome to the SR thread, btw. You have gotten a very fine example of one of the best designed boats out there, IMO. She needs some work, but like I said: "I think the bones are good".

I'm sure Jack will be pleased that she lives on, in such experienced hands.


Roy,
GOOD LUCK on your haulout! All of mine, unfortunately, were a sphincter factor of 8 or above...
Before you meet Dale D... Google him. He has had an interesting life!

Mark

[Boatguy30]

dale

What type of primer and paint are you using on your mast? I may paint my mast before launching as it has most the old original paint falling off. I was using some Gliden gripper home primer the other day and the can said "good for priming aluminum" made me think.

Planing to paint the top 10 feet orange and the rest white maybe with an orange strip. Only disadvantage of this is hard not to be scene if you don't want to be.