Restoring a 1971 Nottingham 40'

[snowyegret222]

You can find pictures and references to my trimaran in the thread Is this a Piver.

This poor old girl has been sadly neglected and plundered for everything on and in her. She has no interior at all, just a shell now, no mast, boom, rigging, wheel, engine, even the roof over the main cabin was cut off. She's a project but we are game. Here she is.

Pamela Williamson | Facebook

I have a few questions for you experts out there. First, the roof over the main cabin. It was cut off to raise the roof because the previous owner was 6'4" and was constantly hitting his head. The roof is gone so we figure we might as well raise it which is no problem for my husband who fiberglasses for Westport Yachts. We also want to put on a hard dodger much like the one below on the Searunner 50'

SEARUNNER 50 Hardtop Charter Catamaran

I'm sure you are all familiar with John Marples. What we don't know is how to build the form the hard dodger. Any ideas?

The other question has to do with engines and fuel. This trimaran used to have a diesel inboard but that is long gone. Right now it has a 20HP Johnson outboard which is fine for now. I really like the outboard on the lowering pontoon that Jim Brown did on his boat Scrimshaw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx5Nzq4XV88

I would like to have this separate pontoon for the outboard as one alternative to cruising (so I can spin on my own axis) but I want to also look into electric motors. Even though there are probably thousands and thousands of people who run with diesel/gas, LP/Alocohol/Canned fuel for cooking/refrigeration, all that fuel makes me nervous. Not just having it aboard but we plan to do quite alot of sailing in the South Pacific where these fuels are usually sold but have to be shipped in and may not always be actually there when we are.

I've had a few people suggest going all electric using a type electric motor that actually spins the prop and recharges the battery while you are under sail. It is said I could have electric stove/oven, refrigerator, motor, everything. I really like the idea of electric motors from the point of view of no smell, no noise and since I'm not racing, I'm in no hurry at all.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Pamela

[snowyegret222]

Amending the above message, I wrote to John Marples never expecting a reply and he wrote back this morning with a note that he can send the plans for the hard dodger from his Searunner. That issue is taken care of. Thanks John if you read this.