Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

[Cavalier MK2]

I'm not going to try that because I use hard dinghies. My canoe is easy to dive from but I have suspicions about the skiff, better practice.

[sassarassa]

Hi All,

Just a quick update, we have sold Pegasos (our searunner 37`) which was originally Arthur Moots boat. Built in in California circa 1979.

Funny how the world works ... the week I summoned the courage to advertise happened to be the same week a couple from South Africa were here with a 2 week window to buy a yacht ... their dream boat being a searunner but they didn't believe they would find one!

The new owners are heading north up the QLD Australia coast then to parts unknown in SE Asia. If you see them around say hello, they are really nice people. They left Brisbane last week.

They have a blog here

http://duecoursenow.blogspot.com.au

Luckily we got to have one last sail with them on their maiden voyage - Rob is the one in the video wearing the new searunner owner grin. No music just the sounds of the wind and waves. Its hard for us not to have sellers remorse watching this!! Comforting to know she is being used and loved by her new owner though.

https://youtu.be/-jQZA4JgeHg

The searunners just move so nicely through the water dont they ...

Cheers and happy sailing and thanks to all here who helped us along the way.

Jon

[buoyracer]

Hey good one owly-
srry i been absent- busy thrashin the poopy out of this sr 34 while still breathing. My other tub is a mono, flat-arsed freestanding wishbone wraparound rag. Brother’s same but bigger, bit over 34,’ & ketch. Could do 190 nm days full cruise gear compressors & dive gear. Killed the benetoes in rum races.
I loathe string held sticks.
& when designers have a hissy, ignore them & build own like bro did. A freestanding ketch rig 34? Perfect. 1st thing u do is rip out that great gaping trunk & stitch the hull up tight with a dagger board. Huge benefit of free-standing rig is way it de-powers. [Wots reefing?] Not quite so helpful in tri o course. Other benefit, weight aloft. Inertia. Resists knockdown & dampens movement. Would slow motion on tri nicely. Reckon I still near turned our 34 over, & stresses with an unstayed rig bit spooky yeh o course. But manageable.
I half pitchpoled rolled my wee mono coming down big stuff, minute trisl up towing drogue. String held stik... Ha. b all over. A huge beam, flat arsed centreboarder... But fat stick wrong way up got lot buoyancy too- & that, speed, & conditions just drove her back up. Ok, not too relevant. I not toooo keen on junk- lotta strings, but benefits too. Guy up my way thrashed a sr 37 back & forth x tasman, & islands- & while has a soft spot for them & eying up mine- what did he build to take daughter up to islands on?
Junk rig.
Try david.thatcher@xtra.co.nz
Auckland, nz
Have fun, mark

[rossad]

Nice Sunset after a day sail. But winter is coming and its getting a bit chilly

[rossad]

Its a changing world in NZ cleaning the bottom is not allowed anymore and reported if you are doing so sometimes.

[slowbat]

Any advice on sailing a cutter as a sloop? Running the inner as the head sail or just the genoa? I tried running just the gen, wont point or tack so good.

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by slowbat

Any advice on sailing a cutter as a sloop? Running the inner as the head sail or just the genoa? I tried running just the gen, wont point or tack so good.

The pros will have lots to say about this, but given my own limited experience, I would say that Tris will have a difficult time pointing to wind in most conditions under most sail patterns - at least, compared to monos.

Mine does 60 degrees at best, and with adverse wind AND tide movement going against us, using our sails is sometimes a relatively useless proposition.

Given the windage that our three hulls are subject to, even motoring with our small, 3 banger makes it sometimes difficult to gain any sort of headway.

That said, now it's time for the pros to step in.

Best of luck : )

G2L

[slowbat]

Sail combos and reefs vs. wind speed? What are people doing?

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by slowbat

Sail combos and reefs vs. wind speed? What are people doing?

We use the Genny, often alone. The main adds some speed, but not more than a knot or so under most conditions, so the added complexity, for my novice crew is not usually worth the effort. We use the stay sail for storm conditions, reefed as necessary.

Our boat will make 6knots using Genoa only in comparable wind, but it has reverse sheer, and no boxy cabin above. See some of my past posts for photos, etc.

G2L

[jdazey]

In the photo you're reaching. I hope that's not where you're trying to start your tack. I see the staysail is set as well, so hopefully that photo is not where we're starting.

In the breeze shown, I'd make sure the boom is centered, flatten the genoa, and check the sheeting angle. You may need to use some barber haulers to get things where you want them. Centerboard down? You should be able to tack through 90 apparent. To tack in light winds, crack off a touch from close hauled to get your speed up and, if necessary, back wind the genny slightly. Also, don't try to spin the boat around in it's board; you'll need to sail it around.

We never had any trouble pointing or tacking our Piver AA31/Cross keel & rudder, and the Brown 40 Seafire could out point us. Of course they had newer sails. That had to be the difference

Cheers,

[Cavalier MK2]

Wow G2L, Something isn't right there. We go to windward pretty quick and don't need to power into it.


slowbat, you should be able to sail to windward as a cutter or just with the genoa. Assuming your sheet leads are correct and the mast rake is where it is supposed to be, both essential parts of boat tuning. you need to make sure you centerboard can go all the way down because you need more area forward. Check the pendant length and slot clearance, put it down and swim under to see if it is more or less vertical.

Couple questions, How does the helm feel? Lee helm? neutral? slight weather helm? The last is where it should be. If the board is all the way down and forward and you still have the problem, try raking the mast aft a few degrees, This goes for you too G2L assuming the helm won't bring the bows closer to the wind.

[Cavalier MK2]

Yeah, I just saw the photo, doesn't show on my phone. The main should be sheeted in flat to center in that wind and the jibs flattened. Still the same centerboard advice. When you tack if it seems slow don't release the jib sheet until the front third is caught aback/luffing to push it around.

G2L what are you doing? Send a picture so we can help you dial in.

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by jdazey

In the photo you're reaching. I hope that's not where you're trying to start your tack. I see the staysail is set as well, so hopefully that photo is not where we're starting.

In the breeze shown, I'd make sure the boom is centered, flatten the genoa, and check the sheeting angle. You may need to use some barber haulers to get things where you want them. Centerboard down? You should be able to tack through 90 apparent. To tack in light winds, crack off a touch from close hauled to get your speed up and, if necessary, back wind the genny slightly. Also, don't try to spin the boat around in it's board; you'll need to sail it around.

We never had any trouble pointing or tacking our Piver AA31/Cross keel & rudder, and the Brown 40 Seafire could out point us. Of course they had newer sails. That had to be the difference

Cheers,

Sounds like the voice of experience. As per my post, I should add that my Tri is not a Searunner and has no boards whatsoever. That is probably what accounts for the poor pointing.

Regards to all,

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by Cavalier MK2

Yeah, I just saw the photo, doesn't show on my phone. The main should be sheeted in flat to center in that wind and the jibs flattened. Still the same centerboard advice. When you tack if it seems slow don't release the jib sheet until the front third is caught aback/luffing to push it around.

G2L what are you doing? Send a picture so we can help you dial in.

Thanks Cav. See my post above. I think that no dagger boards is at least part of our issue, lack of experience, the rest. If we tack at all, we have to backwind the genny, to get the boat around, but, I guess that such is par for the course.

All the best,

G2L

[Cavalier MK2]

The same question of helm balance applies to you, even with a Cross style keel we pointed and tacked well. The Nicols are pretty sensitive to mast rake in terms of balance. I think you said your keel on the main hull was a bit deeper than the stock 12" which should help. If not and/or you want better performance without adding a board you should put the ama fins on as they do the job for windward work. The boats were designed for them. Let me know, I can probably scare up the profile and location.