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Old 29-12-2011, 12:29   #976
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Location: St. Thomas, USVI
Boat: 1971 Searunner 37
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

I have a question about the Teleflex steering cable in my 37 Searunner here on St Thomas. The line that secures the rudder chafed through in the 25 knot winter trades and constant ferry traffic we have here in the rolly anchorage of Red Hook and the rudder banged away for a few days until I had time to check on the boat. My telefelx cable has what appears to be an aluminum (?) threaded fitting at the end of the cable sheath that is screwed onto a 1/2 pipe nipple. The nipple is held to an athwartships timber with a homemade brass brace that clamps onto the nipple and allows the ram to move the wiggler. THe brace broke in half and the threads in the fitting at the end of the cable are stripped out.

ANy suggestions for a repair? Do I need a whole new cable just to get the end fitting? ANy ideas on how better to brace this arrangement in the stern. The Brown Construction manual suggests a 20 degree offset wiggler so the ram can connect at a 90 degree angle and that is my plan but the weakest point seems to be how to secure the cable. I do not have a self steering tab on the rudder but have a belt driven autopilot at the wheel.

All help is gratefully received and appreciated.
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Old 29-12-2011, 16:19   #977
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

You will need a new cable. Teleflex makes a transom fitting with a ball joint that the cable attaches to. Then the bracket holding the balls bolts to the transom. My SR 34 had this and was OK I suppose, but fitting is not stainless but painted steel.

I would recommend removing the push pull system and replacing with either the SR 34 style wire cable system which I'm sure Mark has tons of photos of or hydraulic. The push pull is really underspec for the SR 37.

Jeff
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Old 29-12-2011, 18:28   #978
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

I concur that the best real fix is to switch to a pull pull cable system. (I used an Edson "power boat" bulkhead mount, steering wheel gear, on my homemade pedestal. It was the only expensive part. If, like me, you have no windvane, there is no need to disconnect the cable under autopilot.

I have covered well over 25,000 miles on electric autopilot, and consider them quite reliable. ESPECIALLY on a Searunner, because they are on a stable platform, and the CB with huge skeg rudder make them steer great, and "hunt" very little.

By using good alignment and all roller bearing blocks, (Cheep aircraft surplus of phenolic), the friction is SO minimal, that with the boat on blocks in the yard, a breeze can actually spin the wheel from lock to lock.

This makes for more fun steering, and over the day, far less energy consumption as well.

Best of luck... M.
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Old 30-12-2011, 07:58   #979
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Btw... If you want to see how easily an autopilot steers a Searunner that has pull pull cable steering, go to this You Tube: If the link is a dud for some reason, it is under "Sailing Lessons on Searunner 34 Delphys".



M.
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Old 12-01-2012, 17:59   #980
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

This came thru on the Yahoo multihull boatbuilder group. There is also a guy in MA selling a set of A-frames and a centerboard for a SR 31

I guess the front of the ama broke off in around 20 kts of wind and she pitchpoled. Something like this happened to the SR 40 off Costa Rica last year and may happen this year to the Miami SR37 that is supposedly headed to New England this spring. Certainly a prime prospect for it anyway. The point is a lot of these boats are really old and no longer safe. Most people don't know what to look for or ignore what they don't want to deal with. Be careful!



Jim Brown Searunner original name "Triton" USA Certificate of Registry 805 Evan
Howd and Flournoy Guenard Gull , Aspen Colorado . cutter rigged jim brown
searunner trimaran TRITON master carpenter certificate Dhahran Saudi Arabia june
9th 1979.
Renamed "Cajita" British SSR 139685 the boat sunk just north of the
lefkas canal , and west of Aktio -Aktion PVK Airport Preveza Greece July 4th
17:30 2011.

the bit you are after, the down wind front section of the amma broke off, crack
started at the wing to amma inner joint,then spread to the hatch opening, front
section of the amma broke away, boat turned upside down as per photos. Cleopatra
marina aktio sent a rescue boat, one of the crew had a mobile phone in there
pocket.
I was not on the boat at the time.
but a load more photos below

regard Don
<
https://picasaweb.google.com/1073824...06CajitaIonian
https://picasaweb.google.com/1073824...6IonianRegatta
https://picasaweb.google.com/1073824...831/2007Ionian
https://picasaweb.google.com/1073824...831/2009Ionian
https://picasaweb.google.com/1073824...831/2010Ionian
https://picasaweb.google.com/1073824...11IonianCajita
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Old 12-01-2012, 21:07   #981
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

...wow. just wow.

if I'm reading the story behind the photos correctly, basically they had a 1979 Searunner that they'd use once per year for a multi-week cruise... judging solely by the names of the photos, they'd work on it for a week, do the bare minimum amount of maintenance required to get her floating, slap on a coat of house paint (judging by the deterioration after a year) and go sailing?

I mean, sure, that's a nice sailing vacation, but I'm not at all shocked that the boat failed. The amount of rot is startling! I was scared to look at the photos, given that I'm out on the open ocean with my Searunner 37 currently, but if mine deteriorated to the condition that that Searunner was in, I'd never consider taking her out.

I'm new to all this - is it a common thing to do, to have a plywood boat in Greece, use it once a year and just leave her to rot the rest of the time??
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Old 16-01-2012, 23:59   #982
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Holy momma mia! Those are shots before it self destructed? That boat should have had a chainsaw taken to it long before then!

There is a boat bone yard here in San Carlos. The boats get abandoned by long gone owners. The storage place sends out he final notice, then dumps them on a trailer and drops them off in the desert. That is what these photos look like, one of the bone yard boats, one of the really bad ones.

I am dumbfounded someone could be this irresponsible! Unreal!!!!
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Old 17-01-2012, 08:55   #983
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Difficult to understand why anyone would take a derelict boat in that condition and try to restore it piecemeal, let alone go to sea in it. Whatever life that boat had was long over way before those guys got hold of it. Very luck there was no loss of life. Still, it's a great cautionary tale for the would-be sailor.
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Old 21-01-2012, 09:03   #984
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Anyone have any history on a Searunner 31, named Already Gone?
The most I can find, is she belonged to a Mr. Jim Schoonover
at one time.
I own her now, and any info would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 06-02-2012, 07:15   #985
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

This boat came up on the Yahoo "freesailboats" group. Does not sound very promising, but it might be worth looking at if you're in the area:

FREE Trimaran Sailboat

NO TITLE AS IS

REMOVE FROM PROPERTY

NO BOOM

PROJECT BOAT OR SALVAGE OR REEF

•Location: FT Myers
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Old 13-02-2012, 16:22   #986
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Quote:
Originally Posted by trisailer View Post
Anyone have any history on a Searunner 31, named Already Gone?
The most I can find, is she belonged to a Mr. Jim Schoonover
at one time.
I own her now, and any info would be greatly appreciated.
Isn't that the one that was in Napa? When I looked at it the price was too high considering I had to get it to the East Coast. How is it working out for you?

John B.
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Old 13-02-2012, 17:40   #987
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Hi John,
Yes, she is the one in NAPA, CA.
I bought her reasonable, but have not moved her yet.
I plan on moving her, back to Wisconsin, in April, or so.
I bought a boom truck and portable welder, so when spring comes, I'm ready to go full steam ahead.
Bought a trailer in NAPA, so I feel confinate in the undertaking.
I spent a week aboard her and John Marples came down one day and gave her the check over.
Then we went out sailing for the day, no wind so it was really motor sailing.
Had a great time and John is a fantastic person to know.
Now if I can find some of her history.
John did not know anything about her.
I'll follow your project at your link, interesting boat.
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Old 13-02-2012, 19:45   #988
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

My old 31 Searunner was transported by the previous owner on a single trailer from Florida to Washington state pulled by an old station wagon. I'm told the trick is to reverse the floats on top of the cabin which allows both to be moved on the same trailer. The old trailer was so decrepit that the main hull was chained to the trailer to reinforce it for the move. So, it can be done, just not by me.
The 31 is a great design, just too small for full time live aboard sailing. That's why we decided to build the new and improved CC searunner design. Good luck with the move.
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Old 14-02-2012, 06:08   #989
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Trisailer,
Congratulations!
We purchased our 31 last year. It was on the hard near Detroit when we moved it here to Kentucky--to our back yard. Hearing that you actually have been on yours in the water is exciting!! LOL. And even had Mr. Marples aboard!
Regarding the move. We had a neighber with a big trailer hall the main hull, and we followed with the amas on a small boat trailer. We are planning on designing a custom trailer to get her our of our yard and to the water. Phantom's idea of putting the amas on top sounds great. However, I'm worried about the height. I think the main hull was about 12.5 feet high alone, and isn't there some kind of restriction in the 13 foot range? Maybe it was just that particular route had a low bridge or something, I really can't remember. But putting the amas on top sounds awefully high. The trailer we used (see our pictures) was pretty high off the ground also.
We would love to see what you come up with, and how it works for you. And would love to see your boat sometime when you get it home!
Good luck!
Anna
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Old 14-02-2012, 18:41   #990
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Re: Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

Searunners are tough little boats, and can withstand trailering better than I originally expected. It's still the toughest thing that happens to them (except coral, I guess), but mine have gone the distance.

The A-frame 31 can definitely fit on a single trailer with the amas inverted underneath the wings. The construction manual has a basic photo of the cradle you need and the lifting points. Here are some photos on mine ready for the road.

They can also be lifted on the underwings, as evidenced by this photo of Time Machine in a refit barn.

Another Time Machine innovation was this canal+ditch+sled haulout. Kind of amazing.
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