Harris 33' Trimaran

[thefirstone]

Hello all. This is my first post as I am the new owner of a 74 33' Harris Eclipse Trimaran. It was the boat for sale up in Gabriola Island BC. I am new to sailing (not boating) and new to tri's. I will be rebuilding her slowly and look forward to asking questions to some seasoned veterans

[Training Wheels]

Looks like a fun boat. Enjoy!


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[Redreuben]

A pot belly stove and tiled hearth, OMG that just looks so wrong to me ! Do boats like that use coal for ballast ? Sorry not meaning to belittle your boat, just something totally alien to me. Must totally kill the payload ?

[jdazey]

Harris designed some very nice boats. Hopefully that bulkhead heater is diesel fueled. If not, you might want to swap it out. Otherwise it looks like a fun project with a lot of potential.

Cheers,

[thefirstone]

Yes it is a diesel heater. The previous owner lived on the boat up in Vancouver Island. I am going to remove it and fiberglass in a box for a refrigerator.

[Cavalier MK2]

Geez Red, that adds maybe 50 pounds. I'm guessing you haven't year round sailed in Canada. Of course I tossed mine out because defrosting is funner on shore but......

[jdazey]

You might just hold off dumping that heater. It will greatly extend your sailing season. You do have to watch the draft. On my 31'er it would backdraft on one tack It was sure nice at anchor though.

Cheers,

[thefirstone]

All options are on the table as I am not going to start rebuilding her till the winter. I wish the boat was 2' longer so I could add the refrigerator to the galley but there is no room. I already temporally added a Raritan electro scan sanitation system for US waters and it took up the entire port seating storage area.

[Cat nap2]

I had a 33built by Jack Turner editor of Soundings magazine named Foxey (after the bar in the islands) for about 10yrs. We sailed the boat in New England waters and enjoyed the boat emensley. It ended up going to the Great Lakes , we needed more room and I now have a cat.
Happy sailing!!!
I have what may be a complete set of drawings well used and in tatters but could probably be taped together if you would like them.

[thefirstone]

It is nice to find other boats out there. I agree with the room, I will be adding a sugar scoop and converting the inboard area to a aft cabin. Plans sound great as I have had no luck finding any. Let me know what you need.

[Cat nap2]

E-Mail me your address and I'll mail you the dwgs
Cat Nap.

[thefirstone]

I am getting ready to start the rebuild and am having trouble finding a place to take it out of the water. I am wondering if I take off the amas and akas and take down the mast will the center hull be stable enough to motor 20 miles to the nearest lift and ship yard?

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by thefirstone

I am getting ready to start the rebuild and am having trouble finding a place to take it out of the water. I am wondering if I take off the amas and akas and take down the mast will the center hull be stable enough to motor 20 miles to the nearest lift and ship yard?

No it would not be stable enough and would capsize. Hire a crane and sling it only from the center hull. Make sure it's tied so it can't rotate in the slings, because it will be top heavy!

Edit: PS- if it has lifting eyes near the beam attachment points it might also be an option to use 4 lifting straps in leue of 2 slings. Slings are a more conservative approach, but again -- only if you make sure it can't rotate. You can hire a mobile crane to meet you at almost any boatyard.

[SailFastTri]

Also, if you use a travelift, sling only the center hull and tie so it can't rotate. The mast will make it top heavy. On the hard, support the centerline of the main hull and place stands under the amas only for lateral stability (not for support of the main hull).

Any weight bearing supports must not be placed under unframed panel positions. Make sure you study the structure so you know where the strong points are. The centerboard area and beam bases in the main hull will be strong points. So would the transom and centerline near the bow.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by thefirstone

Yes it is a diesel heater. The previous owner lived on the boat up in Vancouver Island. I am going to remove it and fiberglass in a box for a refrigerator.

I'd keep the heater and change out the tile for something that saves weight.
As for the adding refrigeration, that's a slippery slope. Even a small Danfoss powered unit will draw about 3A when cooling. If you assume 50% duty cycle, that's 36 AH per day, not to mention any other lights/instruments plus AP. So you start adding batteries and charge capability, and it gets expensive and heavy. Thousands $$

If you sail in areas where you can get ice in marinas every few days, think about a well insulated ice box instead. I use about $2-3 per day in ice, and my box isn't very well insulated. A complete 200-300w solar installation will cost at least $1500 by the time you're through, bigger/heavier house batteries. That's a lot of ice.