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Old 07-01-2014, 11:02   #2611
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

These are as easy to build as a Piver and better boats. They were among Norm's last designs, he sadly passed away before getting to the Encore size models.
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Old 07-01-2014, 13:07   #2612
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

To the question of: "What else has been improved in more modern Searunners"?
And this is just for those folks building a Searunner, thinking about it, or in one of those huge renovations. Bear in mind that ALL designs have weaknesses...

For one thing, most of the early Searunners were under glassed in some small but very critical areas, the bottom, keel, foils, seams, chines, radii, and hard spots. They had a single layer of 4 oz fabric over about 90% of the structure (that was above the waterline), with just double overlaps at the seams and radii. This was fine on the broad flat areas, as long as the ply was pre-epoxied and sanded FLAT to remove the heavy Douglas Fir wood grain, then glassed lean, and after the initial kicking... had numerous epoxy topcoats applied over it so when sanded, NO glass fiber gets exposed, anywhere. With this thin a fabric, being careful NOT to go through when sanding, is even more important. I'd say that ALL age related zippers in flat areas on Searunners, are from failures to do the above properly.

It could also be done properly (without skin failure) in the old recorsinol glue and polyester resin days, but you had to put plenty of resin over the fabric, for something to sand on.
So... done properly, that 4 oz cloth most everywhere was not the issue.

WHAT IS?
These boats have hundreds of feet of seams, chines and radii to hold together & protect, like your elbows. The glass schedule I got from John in '91 was like this...

First... I made hundreds of feet of my own bias cut glass tapes in 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6" widths. I used a pizza cutter type fabric cutter for this. Mariam and I laid out the 10 oz fabric on a huge table covered with Masonite, used a long aluminum flatbar as a straight edge, laid it on a diagonal to the weave, and went to town cutting tapes. In two days, we had enough glass tapes to make an entire boat, all rolled up individually in rubber banded paper cylinders, and labeled as to length.

These glass tapes had the advantage that they would roll over edges easily, and compound bend around a corner like at the end of a run where the front of the cabin, meets the sides. The other huge advantage over the commercial selvage edge tapes, is that unlike them, with my homemade tapes ALL of the fibers go across the joint or seam, making them twice as strong. @ 10 oz, they were thicker too.

In a staggered fashion, I applied a 3 then 4, then 5" tape to EVERY cabin radius above deck, around the gunnels, over platform extension edges, around transoms edges, etc.

The seams in the ply got a similar treatment above deck, but with wider tapes. These would be done in sections. All three staggered layers would be applied in a day, and get 3 topcoats as well. The next day I would sand that area to a fair surface, removing 50% but leaving full thickness only over the joint. Then it got 4 more coats of epoxy in a single day, and sanded again. ALL of this taping was AFTER the double overlaps in the 4 oz fabric where cabin sides meet their tops for example.

Under the wings and on the hull chines got a similar 3 layered tape treatment, but here I used VERY heavy biaxial glass and burred it in Micro Lite to fair it out.

The end result, is that while adding very little weight to the boat, I have added about 1,000% more strength to the relatively small, isolated areas that needed it. In 18 years, I have never gotten a zipper anywhere, except a couple of times next to a fastener that had failed.

Based on countless communications from clients over the decades, these were the refinements to the glass schedule that John came up with. New builders or "striped to the bones" renovators, might see what does or does not apply from this schedule, in glassing their project. Nothing is etched in stone here, but you get the drift.

Btw, THE most important seams to really overglass, is the middle ply seam going longitudinally down the underwing. It is a hard spot caused by the frame inside, and a classic Searunner Achilles heal.

Below the real WL, I have a minimum of two layers of 10 oz everywhere, plus the thick stacked tapes on the transoms & chines. On the three stems (from top to bottom), the tapes are staggered out for fairing, but about 8 or 10 layers of them, (= 3/16" thick in the middle), tapering out to "0" extra tapes about 8" down the hull sides. DELPHYS IS TOUGH in impact zones!

The ama bottom chine is glassed almost as thick as the stems, and the entire bottom plank of the main hull is about 5 layers of 10 oz thick except the keel and its fillets, which is more like 10, including the inside trunk radii as well. (There are 2 well epoxy buried layers of 10 oz, inside the trunk too).

The only mistake I might mention, is that the purely cosmetic 2" fillets (over the glass) where the wing bottom meets all three of the hulls, had originally only gotten 5 coats of epoxy. These 4' sections developed cracks after 8 years, up near the bows. I ground out and filled them, and then covered these areas with two layers of heavy bi-axial.

Fillets in high pounding areas like this, just have to be glassed over. Epoxy is not enough.
15,000 miles later, and no more problems...

The next issue is the boats foils, but that is another subject.

Hope this helps prevent issues further down the line,
Mark

PS
Btw... John also suggested at the time, my modified tall rig, sailed as a sloop, and that I not have Searunner wing deck "rot boxes", but make them self draining wing lockers with dry hatches instead. This not only minimizes challenges to the structure over decades, but protects the lockers contents from rust, mold and mildew.
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Old 07-01-2014, 15:47   #2613
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

RUDDERS/SKEGS, CENTERBOARDS AND THEIR TRUNKS:

This subject comes up once in a while, so I thought I might make a few points here as well... AGAIN, this is only of interest to those in the building or re-building process.

Searunners are considered the sports cars of the older cruising trimarans for good reason, and the skeg rudder and large/deep centerboard are largely responsible for this tracking and windward performance. These, along with the trunk, are also problem areas with many of the remaining boats in the fleet, partly due to age, but primarily because of being underglassed in the first place.

They need to be glassed SO heavily in the impact zones, that in a collision it just takes out a chunk of glass, without exposing the wood inside. It has happened to me several times, in spite of my ALWAYS using a 1/8" fuse chord to hold the board's down line tight. Even after these dings, the wood inside the centerboard has always remained DRY!

CB WEIGHT:
Please forgive me if I'm stating the obvious here, but... Unlike a 300 lb tool box stored down in the hull, a 300 lb centerboard weighs nothing when mounted in the trunk. It adds NO weight to the boat... It is free floating in the trunk, and actually offers extra buoyancy to the boat. When it is in the raised position not so much, because some of the board is out of the water, but in the down position, it puts quite an upward pressure on that axle pin! SO, the issue is which one floats the best, which is of course determined by its immersed size and weight.

Plywood is an excellent core choice for our boats centerboard, (as designed), because it is readily available, cheap, easy to shape, has glue lines to act as a guide in sanding, and in the larger Searunner's board thickness, they are easily twice as strong as needed.

WARNING: Do NOT use inferior ply here, OR use pressure treated ply on a boat, anywhere!

"All lumber" centerboards can be stronger if they are really thin, but for our thickness, it's a moot point. Extra carbon fiber for reinforcing a Searunner's wooden core centerboard is not needed!

The one other option is a partially foam core board like my friend Roy's. His centerboard is a work of art in design and execution, and possibly the best centerboard of its kind ANYWHERE! It does take a LOT of skill in building, along with a carefully planned schedule of carbon fiber, Kevlar, and glass. The reason to go to the effort in my view, would be ease of shaping foam, and extra buoyancy it would offer. (Having a less rot prone core material is moot, because the board still would have an all wood cored "strike zone", and the entire board, even if 75% foam, must also be totally protected by very thick glass).

Having said that, my heavy wooden board might add just 100 lbs of buoyancy to Delphys (when it's down), but if it were built partially of foam like Roys, it might add 250 lbs of buoyancy... or more! That is a lot of extra beer indeed, and I can understand the interest.

My concern on Delphys would be the constant increased upward pressure being exerted on the axle pin when it's down, and when the board's raised... aft pressure as well as hard forward pressure on the CB trunk's end wall. Could be no big deal? There would also be vastly increased force required to crank the board down, which at times, is considerable on our boat. I have blown up THREE of the down line's turning blocks! (Remember... The load on the turning block itself is TWICE the load exerted by the winch to the down line).

In Roy's case, it is a very noble experiment for sure. As a Searunner old timer, he REALLY knows what he's doing, and has thought through all of these issues I'm sure. Also, I think that his board's different geometry and hardware, make it easier to crank down. Judging from old photos, his down line's turning block is massively strong as well, and attached through the trunk's end wall with a huge "U" bolt. I feel sure it will work for him.
The CB on the 40, btw, is WAY easier to remove or install than on the 34 too!

Hear that Roy? Get that final shaping done and get her installed, I'm waiting for a report.

IF you have the time, money, and skill for building a foam core, glass/carbon/Kevlar composite centerboard, Roy's is the perfect example, and the design work is done for you.
This sort of thing is not for everyone, but if you haven't got reasons not to make a more buoyant board, (such as the control issues I have on Delphys), then go for it. You could gain 150 lbs of buoyancy for beer!

For us mortals, I'd stick to the designed plywood core, and glass the **** out of it, (as with any other core material).
For my board, I shaped it thin at first, so that even at the top you have room for at LEAST 6 layers of 10 oz glass on the sides. I then glassed the top edge, leading edge, trailing edge, and bottom edge "strike zones", just like the stem... In the middle 1" of my board's leading edge it is about 3/8" thick with those staggered bias cut tapes! The bottom is glassed about 1/4" thick, and the sides are about 1/8" thick. This is a LOT of glassing, and re-shaping as you go.
Btw, PRIOR to the final layers of glass went on the sides, the all important trailing edge was glassed over it's radius where the board was still 1/2" thick, because you can't wrap a tighter radius. Then the board's trailing edge was extended further back about 1/2" with silica bog, sanded flat, and then glassed over again. Then it was only 1/4" wide on the trailing edge, slightly rounded over, and all plastic!

For final fairing of the board, rudder/skeg or an entire hull for that matter... You get some microballoon silica mix like from Systems Three, and trowel it all over the foil portion of the blade with a 1/4" deep notched trowel. Then after these stripes cure, you take your 3' long sanding block, (made from 36 grit floor sanding paper glued to a flat/straight 2X4), and you lightly sand these athwartship stripes with longitudinal strokes, using your teardrop shaped template as a guide to improve the shape. After it cures, bog it AGAIN, going WITH the stripes that are now just 1/8" tall, using a good rubber squeegee. When this cures, you have the entire blade surface covered with a 1/8" layer of bog, that is much closer to the shape you want. (Thanks to Don & Tamar Clark for that trick)!

NOW, with the long sanding block again... and your 1/2 template of the foil section, you tweak it to perfection, and when happy, apply about 6 more coats of epoxy. Nothing to it, right?

WHAT ABOUT THE CENTERBOARD'S SHAPE?
Go with the plans designed foil section. With cruising boats it is not about the best possible teardrop section, it's about having the right dimensions & thickness for strength. You should copy the foil section right off the plans.

Without getting into the rocket science of racing boats here...
On a backyard cruiser, you want a smooth/fair convex teardrop, with the widest point being about 2/3rds the way towards the leading edge. You want the leading edge to be a radius about like a quarter, and the trailing edge brought back to about 1/4" thick.
The important thing is to have it approximate the shape in the plans, with NO flatspots or hollows. You should be able to hold a yardstick's edge against the face of the blade, and "roll it" from front to back with NO stalls.

Although the dimension and shape varies with the rudder/skeg, which are shaped as one foil, the glass schedule is the same as the CB. Here, high quality lumber IS better than all ply, due to this being a much thinner blade. Also, making the skeg's concave aft edge closely mate to the rudder's round forward edge, is VERY important.

In the photos: #1 was a pre glass trial fit. The copper colored stuff in the other photos, was CopperPoxy. Another good idea that just didn't work!

Again, hope this helps...
Mark
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Old 07-01-2014, 16:45   #2614
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

These photos are of:

The infernal CopperPoxy which was applied 20 mills thick, sanded down to 10, and polished like a new penny. It not only didn't work, it was an expensive disaster!

The 34s 1.5" off center, quickly removable pedestal, which is highly recommended if your's is not WAY off to the side like Roy's. That would not work for us...

The copper plate wormshoe's replacement, which is now made of a 1' X 8' plank of solid fiberglass, that I laid up on that table. That was easy... Cutting it out took 20 saber saw blades!

Wormshoe Installed...

The final incarnation of the now successful rubber fairing flap. It fairs in the front half of of the board nicely, and closes the front 40% of the trunk when the board is raised. The aft 60% of the trunk remains open, as more rubber flap here tended to jam the board when raising it! Now, the board works perfectly, smoothly, and without a peep.

This is my CB trunk turning block "final solution"! The other 3 blocks that failed were all 1,700 lb W.L. Ronstan baseplate types, with a riveted axle to the baseplate. This was always the failure point, when lowering the board. Corrosion was not the cause, it was poor block design.
I replaced both control blocks with Harken ESP footblocks rated at a 5,000 lb breaking strength! They have a 3/8" through bolt axle this time, and on the other side of the trunk's wall, these large bolts WITH fender washers, are backed up with a glued on 3" X 6" solid glass backing plate, 3/8" thick.
(A left over from the worm shoe's inside glass cutout).
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Old 08-01-2014, 09:31   #2615
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

WHEN IT COMES TO ONE'S RIGGING... HOW OLD IS TOO OLD?

Roy,
You recently posted about meeting the proud new owner of a SR 34 in San Diego. His new (to him) boat was 37 years old, and the rig presumably was too. Without knowing otherwise, in the name of prudence, the rig would HAVE to be presumed so...
You wisely suggested that the rig probably needed a complete re-build. This was indeed the voice of experience talking, and I hope he took it to heart!

It got me to pondering about my own rigging: "How old is too old"?

To my fellow trimariners...
These are some points I can pass along, although many of them you will already know, especially the ol timers.

Our boats stand up to the wind FAR better than monohulls, they hobbyhorse more quickly, and most of our older boats had huge headsails as well. The rigs are therefore FAR more stressed than equivalent length monohulls. Age takes its toll too!
These older rigs, therefore, need to be watched like a hawk and maintained, just like one would a small airplane. Unfortunately, the opposite is usually true. Many a rig has failed, and many a rotten deck or failed chainplate was caused primarily from the failure to re-caulk the moats of our through the deck chainplates on an every few year basis.

I suggest we all should! Our ideal rig imo... would be made of correctly sized 316 SS, taking into account that you may need to move up a size from the stronger 304 SS that was originally specified. It would have all StaLocs as well, that were packed properly with 5200 and the threads locktited. The open barrel turnbuckles' threads, clevis pins, their perfectly matched holes, and SS mating surfaces, would all get slathered with TefGel on assembly. Then clean off any excess only.

My 18 year old rig was put together this way, so I have no worries about excessive wear, meat hooks, or crevice corrosion, only about "work hardening" of the 316 SS wire.

I have stressed the hell out of it on ocasion each season, and know it is still strong, but the symptom of work hardening, is sudden catastrophic failure! So, it is on my "to do" list...

Our use over the 18 years and > 20,000 sea miles, has been about 33% tropical, 33% sub tropical, and 33% in our NC moderate latitudes. This last third has no longer been full time, but only seasonal, and we sit in brackish water for much of the year. I have pushed Delphys REALLY hard at times, but it has only been about about 1% of her life. I MAY just wait a couple more years until I pull the stick to paint it, for changing out the wires. It is so much easier than doing it from a bosun's chair!

Many well known riggers will say to change out your wire as often as every 8 years! I'd say sure, that may be required... if you are circumnavigating or are a hard core racer that pushes the hell out of your boat. This is especially true, if it is all in the tropics. You will be replacing sails too!

For most folks, it is a different combination of circumstances. IF your boat has just sat there at the dock in your moderate latitude marina, in brackish water, and is seldom used, it is probably still fine after 25 years. This is, however, IF it has StaLocs, and you know the boats entire history, AND those pesky through the deck chainplats always got the re-caulks I mentioned. Not many buyers of these old boats know their history, other than what's obvious... decades of neglect!

In that case, REBUILD IT before seriously setting out to sea on a voyage. Look for elongated clevis pin holes, and if you see them, change out the chainplate too. The 304s may be OK on the cabin sides IF they pass a dye inspection for cracks. The same is true for the through the deck ones too but ONLY if you know that that caulk moat seal has been maintained. The real bugger, is the forestay chainplate, because it gets worked from side to side as well as pulled on, HARD! Mine lets me know when to re-caulk it, because I see a bit of brown water stain around the base. Then, after removing the headstay, I cut down at an angle into the caulked moat, 3/8" with a razor knife. Then I re-do it with 4000 UV, and build it up as a fillet on my second pass. (Do not paint over the caulk later).

IF you are not fortunate enough to be able to really trust that forward 3 through deck chainplates, (another Searunner Achilles heal), then you need to change them out. At least do the forestay one, which is of coarse, the most difficult. Because of the potential for crevice corrosion issues here, 316 SS would be better than 304, although 304 is also fine IF it always got maintained like mine have. Having said that, since this replacement is such a huge undertaking, DO IT FOR KEEPS! I would try hard to get them made of Titanium, unless it turns out to be unobtainium. Then I would get the best highly polished 316 I could find.

My clevis pin holes look like new, and I'm NOT changing the chainplates out preemptively, but I will watch them like a hawk for movement. For boats of questionable lineage... Well, you be the judge.

WHAT ABOUT SYNTHETICS:?
I love having DUX on my runners, because I have those quick adjust turnbuckles. I also plan to use it on my new lifelines. (A job coming up)...

On the rest of the rig, NO WAY! My runners are currently adjusted to be BAR tight at about 100 degrees F. I mean "twang" like a banjo, such that I could fly the staysail in a gail. At 70 degrees, they hang totally slack so I can flop them back & forth about 8". At 50 degrees F, I can flop them back and forth more like a foot at head level! (This is with just two fingers & no pressure).

The thing is that synthetic rigging expands and contracts VERY little, compared to my 48' aluminum extrusion. The mast's aluminum extrusion goes up and down as much as 5/8" over the 90 degree temperature range it lives in. (Here in Eastern NC, it often varies 50 degrees from day to day). My current 316 SS wire, expands and contracts just a bit less than the extrusion does, (like to only 1/2" of variance in length, over that same 90 degree F temperature variation), so the two materials are quite close in their coefficient of expansion. This is why I never noticed a seasonal difference with my wire rig, which I only tightened up a turn once in 18 years! Also, heavily preloaded wire rigging springs back instantly after a puff, unlike synthetic rigging that takes a bit to recover. With synthetics, the tune on Delphys would vary by > 100%!

I think that synthetics are great for some boats, like those with carbon or wood masts, or that have huge extrusions with triangular rigs that hang slack on the leeward side. Just not for our extremely tune sensitive Searunners.

Notable exceptions might be for folks like Dale Dagger, who is now in the Sea of Cortez. He plans to sail his painstakingly re-built 34 home to Nicaragua, and do his cruising ONLY in the tropics. Then this expansion/contraction incompatibility may well be a moot point.

And about weight compairisons... The rig's TOTAL sailing weight, includes the mast, EVERYTHING bolted to it, the boom, roller furling extrusion, turnbuckles, antennae, all running as well as standing rigging, AND the sails. We are talking about maybe 500 lbs or so, on a 34 or 37' tri.
So... if you DO knock 25 lbs off of that total "weight above decks" by using synthetics, then you have lightened the rig by only 5%. The old "50% weight savings" comparisons, were considering ONLY the wire or lines that hold her up, so paint a distorted picture of the synthetic's weight advantage.

Due to my tall mast... my new rigging needs to have less stretch (on the uppers only), so I plan to move up a size to 7/32, 316 SS compact strand wire on these. My other wires get replaced with like copies. Their StaLocs I can re-use, along with the cleaned up and carefully inspected turnbuckles. Maybe next year???

A LITTLE TIP:
One of these photos I ran across while scanning from my album, show how to keep your toping lift bungeed tight, even when sailing, when the lift is slackened. This keeps it from wrapping itself around the backstay, as they like to do...

Mark
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Old 08-01-2014, 10:02   #2616
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

That's it guys, got to go back to work now!
I hope you all had a nice holiday season, and may 2014 be kind to us all...

Mark
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Old 08-01-2014, 10:10   #2617
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

If someone is rebuilding parts of their boat and wants to get rid of the chainplate leak maintenance issue I suggest building in carbon fiber chainplates. Stronger, no crevice corrosion worries, bolts or caulking......there is plenty of info on the web as the newer designs moved in this direction.. Oh, and much lighter than stainless.......
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Old 08-01-2014, 10:10   #2618
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Johnson View Post
Blewett john...


REMEMBER:
Assuming that serious blue water cruising is the goal: EVEN with a 100% sound hull to start with, just painting it, replacing ports, running and standing rigging, lifelines, sails and some hardware, as well as repainting down below and replacing some upholstery, systems, etc... This could easily take years of full time work and perhaps, well over $20,000! This "other" stuff actually makes up about 3/4 of a boat project, NOT building the hulls. IF one has to rebuild the structure first as well, THEN it all becomes an amount of work and money more like starting on a slightly smaller & simpler boat from scratch. (Like my favorite small cruiser... the CC 35)

Things to think about...
Mark
Mark - very well said. I'm looking at a conundrum - there's a '89 CC 37 for sale in San Diego. I've done a couple refurbs on plastic boats (mono and multi) and the costs of refurb done well are high, even with $0 labor costs. Boat seems great structurally BUT quick walk through says new standing and running rigging, refinish mast. pull all deck gear, sand, glass over some wear damage, paint and non-skid.
rip out and replace the electrical system
same with plumbing (no holding tank and a water bladder)
fuel system (currently a 5 gallon container sitting on a non-functioning stove)
new, yet basic electronics
+++

Say $30k over a couple a years on the low end.


as a working stiff, even though I know a good guy who charges peanuts, we're talking a significant outlay to bring her back into shape. I figure the rig is a $10k project alone.

After all that, the boat likely won't sell for much more than it can be bought for today.

if I get a great 10 years of daysailing and coastal cruising, then the cost over time isn't that bad - but - I can charter a big Seawind for about $600/day. It won't sail the same, and I would lose the ability to go and dawdle, but when you add up the refurb cost + the ongoing operating costs, the charter might make more sense.
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Old 08-01-2014, 11:54   #2619
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

HapaPops,
Big projects are for the truly committed, with the open ended free time and the finances to see it through.

IF time and money are issues for you and you need to be working at your "day job", I suggest that you save both by buying the most perfect, complete, and carefully built tri you can. If it costs 3X more than an extreme fixer upper, it is money well spent! It might save your marriage AND sanity. Going smaller than you thought of is a good option too, IF it still serves your needs. The Searunner 31 is great, but there are VERY few good ones for sale. My favorite design, and what I would build if I lost my mind (again), is a Marples CC 35. They too are hard to find.

Chartering when you want to would be cheaper. It then boils down to whether or not you want to OWN, maintain, and love a boat, or just go sailing once in a while. We love Delphys like she was our child... It is not just about sailing for us.

Another thought... John plans on designing a new "trailerable" folding tri just for his local cruising in Maine. I don't know if he will put them in is portfolio? If so, however... This would be a project that most folks could do in < a year, and for beans. It would also be so neat to have your boat sitting in your yard during the off season, perhaps under a shed roof. It would be protected, and have NO marina fees too.

Just a thought,
Mark
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Old 09-01-2014, 20:36   #2620
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

But would it cost $20,000 to do what you described if you did all the work yourself?

And what is the best way to do epoxy fillets?

Thanks for taking the time to post all this great info!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Johnson View Post

REMEMBER:
Assuming that serious blue water cruising is the goal: EVEN with a 100% sound hull to start with, just painting it, replacing ports, running and standing rigging, lifelines, sails and some hardware, as well as repainting down below and replacing some upholstery, systems, etc... This could easily take years of full time work and perhaps, well over $20,000! This "other" stuff actually makes up about 3/4 of a boat project, NOT building the hulls. IF one has to rebuild the structure first as well, THEN it all becomes an amount of work and money more like starting on a slightly smaller & simpler boat from scratch. (Like my favorite small cruiser... the CC 35)

Things to think about...
Mark
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Old 09-01-2014, 21:11   #2621
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

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Originally Posted by magentawave View Post
But would it cost $20,000 to do what you described if you did all the work yourself?

And what is the best way to do epoxy fillets?

Thanks for taking the time to post all this great info!
Absolutely. Easily could spend $20k. Mast rigging, thousands, running rigging at $1+ per foot, hundreds of feet. Maybe a winch or 2. this specific boat needs new electrical wiring throughout, a replacement stove-top or oven, basic electronics, a deck repair, fair and paint, etc.

Easily $20k without paying for labor.

It is a Marples CC though and has really good bones.

As far as fillets - pick up Russell Browns latest little book on working cleanly with epoxy, basically think ziploc bag being used as a frosting bag. Put the bog in the bag, clip a corner of the bag, and squeeze through the corner. Works a trick.
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Old 09-01-2014, 22:43   #2622
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

I've been using ziploc bags for my fillets so its good to know I've been doing something right! Thanks for the top about Russell Browns book.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HapaPops View Post
As far as fillets - pick up Russell Browns latest little book on working cleanly with epoxy, basically think ziploc bag being used as a frosting bag. Put the bog in the bag, clip a corner of the bag, and squeeze through the corner. Works a trick.
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Old 10-01-2014, 00:24   #2623
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Looks like a big storm is going on in Vavau Tonga. A mates 37 SR called Searunner is over there... hope she makes it through.
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Old 10-01-2014, 05:47   #2624
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

I'm hauling SR 37 "Honeywind" in a few months and your info is very helpful. Thanks for your input Mark. You do bring a lot of useful info to the forum. Stu
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Old 10-01-2014, 08:30   #2625
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Quick observation for the used boat refit crowd. If you are coastal cruising you can spread the costs out over time and get some more use out of some things. Replace things with an eye towards safety first. Standing rigging trumps halyards for instance as the mast must stay up. Halyards are more vital than sheets, or at least more inconvenient to replace, sails can be patched until blown out etc.....anything structural is right up there with standing rigging. At the end of the list are things like freezers, watermakers and ranges unless you have a dangerous propane system which takes a priority etc.....Done this way as you sail locally the costs are spread over several years and you are getting to use your boat. Boat maintenance is an ongoing process, you are never there but always doing triage for the next priorities. It is a great way to get into the cycle of wear and tear and lets you use your boat sooner. Replacing things as they wear out one at a time avoids the sticker shock of having to do it all at once. Naturally everything should be in great shape before you go extended cruising offshore.
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