Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

[Jimske]

Originally Posted by Mark Johnson

The separated front and back cabin on a Searunner, does have it's downsides. We've gotten around most of these with a full cockpit enclosure.

When unfortunately cooped up at a marina... We can heat or cool the boat as three separate but open cabins, (front/back/cockpit)... and at sea, going to windward in a gale, we can have in the forward/windward side only, and this blocks 95% of the spray!

As far as answering the "call to the head", which is in the front, and you're in the back... Most calls are obviously #1, right? We use a "Little John" urinal for all of these. It is a little red plastic whizz bottle. (West Marine) We have one in the front and one in the back. It holds 4 or 5 uses, and prevents male "spatters" around the head, frequent trips forward, vulnerable positions at the rail, and cuts the flush frequency of the head X 5 or more! The person in the back slides it to the person in the front, they flush it, and slide it back. Yep... Mariam uses it too, with the plastic female attachment. It is really not a problem!
M.

Yeah, I actually never pee in the head to cut the pump out frequency and use a bottle the rest of the time.

And the cockpit enclosure a real plus - even a must for long periods on the boat. If my 31 doesn't sell I am going to have to figure a way to enclose the cockpit - and easily too since I like more spartan and portable systems. First a dodger though. As you can see she in this pic I took yesterday she is bare bones. The more utilitarian the better from my point of view but certain amenities are nice!

Jim

[PatnKarl]

Ishmael is LOCKED in Lake Ontario. What would you do?

Just as our departure date arrives (Sept 10th) we discover that Hurricane Irene has messed with our plan. Our favoured route - the Erie Barge Canal - is closed at least until next spring. Plan B was from Montreal through various canals until we found out that our beam is too wide to fit through a 21' lock. We've heard several folks are trucking from the lake to Annapolis but again our beam precludes that.

So here we sit, contemplating our options. Karl & I retired last May to prep our 37' Searunner for the final retirement trip south. We have re-engined (our 34 year old Atomic 4 finally got the best of us), repainted etc. etc. This forum has been invaluble for ideas and motivation. We have cruised the east coast and Bahamas extensively off & on since 1992 and were looking forward to saying goodbye to the cold Canadian winters once again.

Here are the parameters of our predicament (although I'm really trying to see it as an opportunity for something different):

1. we must be warm - no housesitting in Canada
2. we have a budget of $1500 per month as we don't want to dip into savings
3. we have a dog - 5 year old Portuguese Water Dog, who is very flexible - as long as she is with us she is happy
4. we are free from Nov 1 til end of April

We would love to hear what you would do in this situation - we're open to any thoughts. Some we're considering - volunteering in a national park; trailering to Mexico; do a long 'mooch and march' through the southern states and visit all our cruiser friends who said 'Come and visit us'; fly to Portugal and sit on a cheap beach somewhere, boatsit...

We know Searunner folks are 'Out of the Box' thinkers so we can't wait to hear your ideas.

Pat and Karl

[wizard1_us]

read your predictament and here is the person I would call, Skipper Shipper, His name is Barney. He has trucked some pretty big stuff with enormous beams. I would think that is doable. He is located in Jensen beach Fl. Depends on how far you would want to truck. Give it a shot you might be surprised, if nothing else he might have another idea...Randy

[Boatguy30]

Take the route from Chicago to Mobile. Aim to make Chicago by mid-Oct. Can be very cold by late Oct. It's a great trip and you could also take the Mississippi vs the Tenn-Tomm. I've done both routes south from Cairo, IL. I would say the Miss would be better for the Searunner. The only downside is you won't see any other boats south of Memphis, plenty of places to stop every night. Memphis has a great "yacht club" with around 100 boat and you could hire a crane there to step the mast. Bridge clearance is over 70' at normal water levels from actually southern IL to the gulf, but no where to step the mast. You have to unstep in Chicago.

I have all the charts and if you stop in at Harbor Springs, MI I can loan them to you.

Cheers,
Jeff

[wizard1_us]

Jeff is correct, just spoke with Krista, the other half of the Skipper Shipper team, and she said you would be looking at a tremendous cost to truck it with so many regulations and permits plus law enforcement to guide through it would probably be cost prohibitive. Go west!

[wizard1_us]

Jeff, how do they get from Monteral? through the Welland locks at Buffalo, then Lake Erie and then where? Just curious..

[PatnKarl]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Overland is impossible for us. We'll investigate the time required to get to Chicago but not sure we can make it. Not sure if we can do the Trent-Severn to get to Lake Huron faster. Again our beam might be a factor.

Appreciate any other ideas.

Pat

[rberrey]

We will be replaceing the 14 mi. swing bridge on the Mobile river with a lift bridge in oct. this year. The lift bridge will have only have a 60' clearence max. rick

[snort]

To PatnKarl,
I'm not sure how you get a dog to Portugal, but if that is an option for you, try out Madeira. If you like walking (trekking), you'll love walking the levadas (watercourses) there. Although it's a small island, you won't get bored. For a decent beach, you take a ferry to the nearby island of Porto Santo.

[FSMike]

PatnKarl -

If there's only one lock that's a problem is there any possibility of trucking Ishmael just the short distance around the lock?

[PatnKarl]

Definitely a thought but now the Champlain canal (taking you from Lake Champlain to the Hudson River) is closed due to high water. Don't know if or when it will open. With that uncertainty we don't feel we can leave Lake Ontario now only to find out we can't get through to New York and have nowhere to winter the boat.

I think we have accepted the fact that Ishmael will be snowbound for this winter and we'll start early next season accessing our options. If needs be we could sail down the St. Lawrence (after buying radar) or cross the Lakes to Chicago. We just have to leave much earlier for either adventure.

Thanks again to all for your suggestions or comments.

Pat & Karl

[Boo-Yay]

Jade Eve/ExMoxolar is know actively on the market and looking for a new owner. The boat is in South Florida.

Originally Posted by Boo-Yay

Searunner 41 coming back on the market!

The 1983 Searunner 40 Jade Eve/exMoxolar will be coming on the market very shortly. Jade Eve is currently sitting on her mooring in Southeast, FL.

The boat will be listed shortly. If there are any qualified Jim Brown Searunner buyers prepared close on this global cruising yacht before the boat is listed. Please contact mhallowel@aol.com today. Serious inquiries only please.

[bwickins]

Do you have any photos?

Originally Posted by Jmolan

Hey friends!

I have been out of the loop for a while, and it cheers my heart to see all the new interest in Searunners.

My wife and I have been through a million different scenarios about our life as it is, and have decided the 34' Searunner "Corazon" should go to someone who can use it and appreciate it for all the fine qualities it has.

This decision does not come easy, believe me. I know how rare the good ones are, and how special they are. I know boats, and these are the best combo you can find for a real boat. I feel blessed to have had all the great times we have had with our boat. We will be dealing with elderly parents for the near future. Corazon should not be sitting on a trailer.

The boat is located in San Carlos Sonora Mexico. 6 hours drive south of Tucson. A very together yard, on it's own trailer. They will launch and haul you for $13 last I checked. Cost $100 a month to store it in a very secure, very together yard. We are in the yard, and they are not accepting any new outside Tri's at last check. Having a trailer, and a slot in the yard, is a really big deal!
All Caterpillar equipment in the yard. Look back through this thread for pics. It is an ideal spot to "vacation" the boat if you so desire. You can have them put it in the water and spend any amount of time in the Sea of Cortez, and have them haul it and go home.

I will be in San Carlos in October through January. It is a very boat friendly and gringo friendly town. Do not be put off by the news. It is in very local spots, and far away from San Carlos. I cannot sell it before Oct. I want to be there to hand it over proper.

The boat is listed under the old Searunner website list as "Slick" The builder built 3 Searunners, well....two Searunners and a CC 40. Aircraft grade spruce stringers and marine ply. All built to plan, nutz on. Great carpentry, light, all good joinery....... everything works as Jim and John designed it. Incredible combination of performance, solid stability, thin water capable, room, etc. I believe the 34' is the ultimate Searunner. Fore many reasons, higher armpits, wider beam, deeper main hull, narrower hulls, lighter, easy to handle (I always single hand)

It has a 9.9 HP Yamaha high thrust out board on a custom slide. It works really well, but so often I sail on and off the hook. When I sail into an anchorage, I will have the out board fired up, but use the self steering vane to guide the rudder, and not use the outboard, so easy at 34' length. Did I say I loved this boat? Lots of anchors, and one you will not believe, good for a 70' mono in a storm, all taken apart in the bilge. Along with the para anchor and 600' of rigging all ready to go.

Look back through all the thread and you will see the evolution of the fiber rigging. It is so well established now, it is almost history. I know Colligo Marine just rigged a 60' open boat, huge loads and a 1" back stay. Far and away different and larger than our little 34' cutter. The new rig, brings the boat alive, we lost 45 lbs. aloft with the change to fiber rigging. I can train anyone to splice and have replacements to keep on-board. All rigging and running rigging is lightweight Dynex Dux or better. The boat is new boat with the changes....just incredible all the differences. Light air, lack of hobby horsing, just take a track and goes in light air. Heavy going, not jumping around due to weight aloft. It is light light light....and all the good things that comes
from it!

Two years ago, I did a major overhaul on the outside. I stripped all the fiberglass from the edge of the deck into the cockpit. I had 3 guys professional (Mexican) fill and glass, sand and glass, fill and sand, sand and sand for 3 months. Total rebuild of the decks. every single fitting removed, everything oversize drilled and epoxied, and drilled again and bedded. All new, all re-bedded right, any soft wood (very little replaced. We sanded and filled any dips in the 3 hulls, and shot them with with both primer and top coat
The Baja desert climate is great for all this. Both the paint and the storage. I had two coats of Awlgrip primer, and two coats of Awlgrip top coat done. Looks like liquid plastic now, easy to keep clean. Took 3 months....will last 10 years at least.

That is about it! You can always email me. or PM me. I would like to get $39,000 for the boat. I know there are cheaper boats out there, but none that offer all the convenience, solid construction, finish as Corazon. Take a good look at wehat it will take you in time and money to get a boat to this level. Then add double at least in money and quadruple in time. Ask anyone who has done it. Just the reality of boat preparation.

It is a Gem believe me.

[bwickins]

JMolan - I found the photos . . . thanks . . . nice looking boat . . .
I am seriously considering building a Jim Brown designed CC40 . . .
Fairly recently, I came across a log of someone who has built this model (took ten years if I remember correctly) and is presently sailing . . . however, I cannot find it again. Would anybody know where I can find this? Also, any input from SeaRunner builders would be welcome. Many thanks . . .

[PhantomBoatwork]

There is a building blog about a Searunner 40 built near Portland,Oregon called Sergeant Lewis.
Sailing Vessel Sergeant Lewis. The pictures of the boat being craned over the house are incredible.
There is also a sailing blog about a Searunner 40 called Seafire. She was built near Seattle and sailed extensively on the west coast and around the Pacific.
Travels with Seafire Home Page.
My favorite is a building blog by Clark Wagaman for a Constant Camber 40 called Rikki-tikki-tavi. Absolutely beautiful build has pictures of his launch and several years sailing adventures. Not a true "Searunner" but an advancement of the design by John Marples
Rikki-tikki-tavi's Adventure
Finally, FWIW, I have a blog about my Constant Camber 44 that I am in the final stages of completion in Texas City. The design layout is pure Searunner with all of the great features like center cockpit, aft dinette, cutter rig, and so on. The design uses constant camber panels with many fewer hull stringers and an updated underwater profile. I have about ten years in it so far, and you might like to check out my progress to date. My personal opinion is that the CC44 incorporates the very best parts of the Searunner design mixed with the best of the constant camber panel designs.
http://phantomboatworks.shutterfly.com/