Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

[Dsanduril]

Roy, you almost made me cry. I love some of the things about our production boat, but I miss the old one a great deal. Looking good.

[Roy M]

Thank you Don! I'm still trying to figure the best way to mount the solar panels. [emoji3]

[DreamBig]

Work has finally started. For those that wanted to follow along..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvdMrGAi2gc&t=204s

[snort]

Originally Posted by DreamBig

Work has finally started. For those that wanted to follow along..

Good luck with your rebuild!
I'm more than familiar with what you're doing.
Some day I might actually be able to sail the thing I've been reconstructing.

[DreamBig]

Originally Posted by snort

Good luck with your rebuild!
I'm more than familiar with what you're doing.
Some day I might actually be able to sail the thing I've been reconstructing.

Thank you, it's all about the journey... and someday She will be sailing,,, hopefully. ;-)

Cheers,

James

[Roy M]

Today was very long and productive. I got all the windows (except the one next to my current bunk, port forward) removed. It's pretty strange having all this ventilation and light. My normal situation is VERY DARK tint, because sunlight is so powerful on the water. The only clear window panes are for the future stained glass features in the sterncastle. There used to be a Searunner 40 sailing on Lake Tahoe which had stained glass in the sterncastle. Its name was WOODWIND. My glass guy will becoming soon so i can order the 5/16" glass. The cabinsides are 3/8", so the glass is slightly thinner to allow sealant (3M 4000UV) to fill the space between the inner and outer finish rims. Right now I'm focussing on the cosmetics, so I'll have some pretty pictures to share. Pictures of the previous plexi windows are buried deep in the earlier pages of this old and interesting series. I think the Searunner thread is one of the longest running on CF.

[snort]

Does anyone know of a "production" bimini that would work for a Searunner 31?

[DreamBig]

What are people's thoughts on dropping a mast on a boat that is a float? I need to drop the 30' mizzen, and was wondering what things I should look out for? Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

James

[Proafan]

Originally Posted by Mark Johnson

Having followed the modern multihull movement since "back in the day", the thinking about amas changed over time, in many ways. I read hundreds of books, and many thousands of boat building trade publications, to keep "juiced" on my projects, but the best source of information BY FAR, was Multihulls Magazine. The articles were by ALL of us, designers, boatbuilders, and cruisers. Up until a few years ago, I had the entire 30+ year collection, ever since Vol#1. (Lost a bunch of them in Hurricane Ivan in '04 though).

They, (Gougeons among others), tried low buoyancy amas for a while, thinking that they could just slice THROUGH the waves, and in racing, it worked, but these lost favor due to a higher risk of capsize.

Then ama buoyancy went up and up, depending on whether it was a cruiser, or a racer, with a huge rig to counteract. My boat is 100%, but a racer might be 150% or higher!

With Searunners, Jim & John really tweeked the proportions, to get them just right on the 34. (less wing area, a vent hole in it, deeper/narrower hulls, more wing clearance, smaller mini keel, sealed wing voids, stronger scantlings, etc)

I did a major refit, sailed on, and later cruised a SR 37, hull #1 (La Una), back in the 70s. Being a "hot rodder", I felt that it pounded too much. (We pushed her hard)... They later upped the wing clearance a bit.

In answer... I don't really know if "longer" would've been the way to go, VS just more buoyancy in the amas, and more wing clearance. Longer would possibly help the hobbyhorsing a bit, but not like on a racer, where the weight shifts a LOT to the amas from being so hard pressed.

Searunner amas are pretty brilliant in ways, especially for their day. Look at how chesty they are up front, with proportionately decreasing buoyancy as one moves aft, and the ama is more and more depressed. This makes it where the more you press the ama downward, the more the amas try to raise the entire boat's bows, preventing stubbing ones toe! It really was a brilliant combination. I have surfed some mighty huge waves, and still felt confident.

In many ways, ones taste change with age and experience. As a MUCH younger man... I loved my last boat, with its open wings, and just net out there. I got her up to 19 knots a couple of times, and one "warp speed event" was late at night, hard to windward, crossing the Gulf Stream, in 30 + knots of N wind & 20' seas! I was in the "observation bubble", and after flying off of a big wave, we went down and "through" the next. The bubble was UNDER for 4 or 5 seconds. Like I've said before, "a man's gotta know his limitations"! At the time, I had not yet learned mine. (This was my girlfriend's, now wife's, FIRST cruise).

Now, I prefer solid wings under foot, and the "vent wing" 34 is a good compromise between open and winged tris. She pounds a tad less, but I have decks to walk around on. I can't drive her to windward with impunity, like on the SC28, but the pounding serves a good purpose.

I know really well when to reef, or go on the defensive. When she just slaps once in a while, that's just a good 9 knot to windward kinda day. If she starts to pound REALLY HARD, and pump the mast, I go to the staysail & double reefed main. At this point, with the 100% buoyancy amas half way depressed, I have backed off already, and never got more than half way toward capsize! You couldn't POSSIBLY, not know when to reef!

On ONE occasion, we were hit by about 60 knots, suddenly, with FULL sail up. The ama decks actually went under, just a bit. Being so heavily loaded, she just popped back up.

There is a lot to be said for clunky ol solid wing trimarans... They're more civilized. Now that I live in fear of a 6 month repair from "being stupid", I sail with reserve, and have just as much fun.

M.

OK I am replying to a very old post that I just happen to find. Seeing a reference by Mark Johnson about SR37 sail#1. I happen to have grown up on that boat my father built it. I last saw it in Fiji 1975 where we dropped it off to the new owner. I know Mark said that he sailed it in the 70s, but never found out what happened to that boat after we sold it. Anyone has a clue a morsel or fingerprint. Let me know I’m curious. In that same post Mark referenced a Seaclipper 28 which is the first trimaran I owned in 1999. Kinda In my blood.
If any one has any info on “LaUna” email me. My dad launched his Piver nugget a month before I was born, trimarans are in the blood.

[DreamBig]

Looking for some advice around minute mark 4:00. Starboard ama station midship was cut out to have a larger whole for crawling access. Should this be replaced back to spec in the plans or is it ok as is?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niV0MJ90MIw

[Max.Jester]

Love my searunner40!
I replaced the yanmar when I got it. Put a psychedelic color on it, to be different. Super ecstatic. It was in need of resurrection. I'm happy this vessel chose me. "Novacaine" ~cause when I'm on it, I dont feel a thing.

[Buzzman]

"Novacaine" - LOL - Pay that one!!

[Max.Jester]

Lol!!! Thanks Buzzman!! Cheers

Originally Posted by Buzzman

"Novacaine" - LOL - Pay that one!!

[Max.Jester]

Tinted windows now and close up of the color. Random kitty interior photos.
I miss my kitty. She was the best companion I ever knew. Fair winds my friends!

[Max.Jester]

My Favorite photo of Novacaine, I think it might be like camo on an open ocean. What do you think? It's a bold choice. But I do make those.