Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

[slowbat]

My forestay chainplate was starting to pull aft and buckle the 5200. I thought it was from the weight of the new furler racking in big seas. I discovered the Searunner stem rot issue. I also discoved the bolts on my chainplate were not SS. I removed the stem (compost) from the top-down, epoxied the crap out of the unaffected wood. I made the new solid gumwood stem "7" shaped to lock into the deck king plank. The new stem was installed using thickened west systems and fastened down the sides of the bow. I made a 4-foot long syringe to fill in any gaps from the inside. The new chainplate, backing plate, and fasteners are 316 SS. Thought I would share and post for anyone in the future that might have a similar repair.
Now let's get back to sailing!

[snort]

I bet that took a lot of sanding!
Just wondering what that dark mix is the second to last photo? Epoxy and..?

[thatguyrob]

Originally Posted by slowbat

My forestay chainplate was starting to pull aft and buckle the 5200. I thought it was from the weight of the new furler racking in big seas. I discovered the Searunner stem rot issue. I also discoved the bolts on my chainplate were not SS. I removed the stem (compost) from the top-down, epoxied the crap out of the unaffected wood. I made the new solid gumwood stem "7" shaped to lock into the deck king plank. The new stem was installed using thickened west systems and fastened down the sides of the bow. I made a 4-foot long syringe to fill in any gaps from the inside. The new chainplate, backing plate, and fasteners are 316 SS. Thought I would share and post for anyone in the future that might have a similar repair.

Now let's get back to sailing!

Similar to my issues, thanks for the pictures. I will post some as soon as I am allowed to travel within Canada!

[thatguyrob]

Originally Posted by thatguyrob

Need details for the starboard ama bow and back about 4 feet. My blueprints are stuck in the mail in Montreal and I have a carpenter working on it but he is unsure of some details any help would be appreciated. It is a Searunner 37. Thanks all this thread has been helpful

The blueprints have arrived of course with no explanation of why they sat in Montreal for over a week but work is progressing

[Roy M]

Originally Posted by snort

I bet that took a lot of sanding!
Just wondering what that dark mix is the second to last photo? Epoxy and..?

West System 407 filler, AKA phenolic microballoons.

[slowbat]

Originally Posted by snort

I bet that took a lot of sanding!
Just wondering what that dark mix is the second to last photo? Epoxy and..?

Phenolic Microballoons filler for epoxy.

I used it over every fastener and over-size-drilled and refilled all through-hulls for hardware on the boat and it has held up well.

I use MAS brand # 25-007 mixed with West Systems 105 resin and 205 hardener (two teaspoons per pump #300 mini pump set) It sands easily with an 80grit orbital sander if you get after it within a day or two. One trick is to place some newspaper over it on vertical surfaces to keep it from running out of the void.

For the stem install, I used West Systems 105 & 205 thickened with West Systems 406

For the good wood still in the bow and new gumwood, I thinned West Systems with acetone (for better penetration), sanded with 80 grit, and washed with soap and water before using the 406 mix.

After fairing, I use Awlgrip two-part epoxy high build primer D8002 then Pettit EZ Poxy topside paint. 3 coats ea.


My Searunner is the 25' and by design is only glassed under the water. All other areas are coated with saturating epoxy.

[Roy M]

Update for July:. It's been a busy time lately. Mostly sanding and painting the cockpit, cabinsides and cabintop, but my new Selden mast and boom have arrived and are calling for attention. This week I also replaced the house bank batteries (L16, 6 volts series parallel, 740 amp hours), and painting the start battery locker in the cockpit. Found most of the replacement gauges, alarm lights and buzzers and other toys for the cockpit electrical panel (photos when I get things done), brought the refinished Edison steering pedestal and engine controls back from storage (because I gutted the cockpit prior to repainting). The Edson pedestal comes with aluminum bolts and washers to reduce the chances of electrolysis, but I lost the nuts while in storage. Edson kindly is sending me new nuts after I promised not to lose them again (Great Folks at Edson!). I'm currently painting the cockpit locker hatched, polishing the chainplates to mirror finishes, in prep for replacing the rigging and mast next month.

All of this refitting is to avoid being one of those cruisers who take off without having finished their homework. Too many folks make the decision to leave their homeport and expecting to catch up on upgrades and repairs in some port in Paradise. Supply chains don't get better away from the mainland. So the present thrust is getting the steering and engine systems overhauled so I can drive to the yard to pull the stick, replace it and all its strings, hardware and wire do dad's reinstalled, then prepping for the haulouts in the Fall for underwater upgrades, shaft and prop inspection, installing the newly improved centerboard.

Things are getting shiny outside, and I'm planning on finishing the galley and interior cabinetwork this winter. Springtime will be busy with seatrials, new sails and learning new systems before sailing over the horizon. It's VERY exciting to wake up each morning to begin my to-do list for the day.

[Cavalier MK2]

I don't know Roy, when cruising locally on a time frame putting the bits together as you go is part of the fun. I always get a lot done under way because I'm already there versus just trying to make time to get to the boat. I've finally started getting things done again this year after being tied up with shore things ad infinum tedium nauseum for the previous several. The challenge is just trying to do things a day or 2 a week on the boat with some hilarious during the week moments of trying to get things ready. I'd like to be doing this stuff underway but a longer cruise won't probably happen till next year.

We should do a poll on strangest places we've done boatbuilding over the years. Mine involve fir trees, refrigerator tops, RV bathrooms, cars, houses, boats, beaches, garages, a few actual boat shops, places I'm trying to forget and places I have forgotten. It's all good fun but I'd rather be sailing, after all it is never finished but a work in progress so even better to take the progress somewhere. Enjoy your dedicated time, I'll try not to be envious.

[aquavitae]

Two Questions for the Searunner community.

I was fortunate to recently acquire the venerable SR 37, "Moon" in Culebra this year. She was formerly owned by John Patterson of "Buddy" fame and prior to that she was cruised for 10 years by the very able husband and wife team of Brian and Jennifer Nelson. Built in 1971 in Ventura, Calif. to a high standard, she has roamed the Pacific as far as Vietnam and been on this side of the Canal since the 1990's? Prior names were "Strider" and "Exodus". She was built without a mini keel or skeg in front of the rudder and has a deep, kick up rudder.

1. Can anyone on this forum shed any light on her early years?

My other issue is a sticky repair job. The starboard centerboard 5/8 mounting pin thru hull fitting (plastic) cracked off and fell into the boat after a hard sail . It admitted a good bit of water into the boat before I caught it and I have a temporary fix in place but the boat will need to be hauled out this fall (If the BVI ever opens up fully). I envision dropping the centerboard, breaking or chiseling off the mushroom end of the thru hull by reaching up into the 3-inch wide slot and installing a new Bronze thru hull.

2. Has anyone on this forum ever had to do this repair before and any tips , tricks or pitfalls would be welcome.

Thanks in advance,
Bob Petersen
St. Thomas

[Roy M]

The centerboard axle gland replacement is relatively simple. Bandsaw two wooden bung so that the widest diameter is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the thruhull. Cut off the threaded portion on each side of the centerboard trunk exterior. Hammer one in each outermost side. Measure the widest diameter of the replacement thruhull fitting. Plastic is fine, or use bronze. Select a holesaw larger in diameter than the replacement thruhull. Drill a 1/4" pilot hole PRECISELY in the center of the bung. Use that to drill through the centerboard on each side. Sand and epoxy the raw edges of the hole, and sand nice radii on the innermost sides. Cut a square piece of plywood, a half inch in thickness, about two inches larger than the width of the thruhull penetrating piece. Sand an epoxy all sides and edges, a couple times, then insert the thruhull on each square, using 5200 sealant, and install the fastening nut securely.

Now, from inside the boat, NOT THE CENTER BOARD TRUNK, center the square so that the mushroom head of the thruhull is centered, then drill starter holes to hold the square in position. Then epoxy one square in position and clamp with temporary screws. Insert the centerboard axle (mine is a bronze dowel, slightly smaller than the diameter of the thruhull inside) and use this as a guide to ensure alignment of the axle, then drill pilot holes as before and epoxy and screw in place. The screws DO NOT PENETRATE THROUGH THE CENTERBOARD TRUNK, only enough to anchor until the epoxy sets. This ensures a bit of "wiggle room" for the centerboard and mushroom head of the thruhull.

[Rotten Ricky]

Originally Posted by joewvr12

To compound my delimma i just found a listing for a neglected seaclipper 34in la paz mexico which is where we will be based out of. My wife is from la paz. I am sending my family over to take pics and look. They are not boat people but can see rotten wood. 18k asking price seems way high but maybe its a real diamond! Lol

Yo Jo!

Just found this snippet. I don't now if it is the same boat but I visited a Seaclipper 34 for sale in La Paz about 14 years ago - and this might be the same one. However, since my visit, I was told that that same tri was picked up and thrown around by a hurricane and I thought had been destroyed, but it might have been repaired - for better or worse - so watch out. I found the 34 to be VERY cramped by comparison to the SC38 I later bought.

You should know that this design was for those who wanted to build a "budget cruiser", using some common - but sound - materials, but unfortunately "budget" for some builders meant going cheap and cutting corners that would later imperil the integrity of the hull and beams. Failure to encapsulate the wood to protect it is a common fault in all wooden boats. If well-built, this design would last as well as any other and it sails beautifully.

I was amused by your comment that your relatives "can see rotten wood". It was the rotten wood that was impossible to see, deep in the hull etc that has caused me so much grief. But even a surveyor cannot detect rot in areas DEEP in the wood that they have no access to, even with meters etc.

As others have said, wood is wonderful but it must be fanatically protected - both inside and out. Absolutely every little tiny crack or pathway leads to unprotected wood inside that boat. This will allow water and other liquids from weather, spilled coffee, wet weather gear, leaky hoses etc to get into the wood and once it is there - you cannot get it out!! Eventually, you could be in for a HUGE job to fix the rot.

The centre-board is a poor design with poor lift to windward from a very poor foil shape - it even made little difference whether it was up or down, no matter how I balanced the sails etc. After major repairs due to rot in the area, I removed the centre-board and I sail without one. Even while the centre-board was there, I think the lateral resistance of the boat was only as good as it was/is because of those old-fashioned, deep-V floats digging in to lee-ward, acting as low-aspect keels. Those deep-V floats also give it a really nice ride when impacting waves.

A dagger board is far more rugged and less problematic - even though there are drawbacks for daggers as well. I have wondered about having a smaller high-aspect dagger board in each float, which would allow better space usage in the main cabin, better hydrodynamic lift to windward, would be easier to build and operate. They would even stabilize the boat if sitting beached.

Be especially warned about the centre-board case in the area of the pin. The pin area of the case is under-strength, and it cannot maintain integrity - and is difficult to maintain and is extremely difficult to repair. On top of that, a deteriorating case will allow major damage to the surrounding hull area.

That being said, and after about 13 years of almost constant work and major (and expensive) rebuilding of my previously-surveyed SC38, it is a fabulous boat that is beautifully balanced and sails like a dream. Her sweeping lines turns heads wherever she goes. I think this somewhat-funky design is one of the most under-appreciated vessels available and it is a pity that they are not more popular. But like any wooden boat they must have been built by a fanatic to last.

Good luck!

RR.

[aquavitae]

Roy,
Thank you for your detailed reply. Forgive my ignorance and I am not a boatbuilder, but why can't I reuse the existing hole in the centerboard wall and just replace the broken thru hull. Do I need to replace the actual gland in the centerboard itself? That sounds like what you are proposing.
Please advise at your convenience.

[Doug Kuett]

After twenty years of sailing our Searunner 37 my wife and I are moving on. Anyone looking for a thoroughly modern and refined Searunner 37 please contact me. Here is the link to the listing: https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/92349

You may see someone familiar to most of us in our pictures.
Thanks,
Doug Kuett
Doug@dougkuett.com

[Roy M]

Status report on WILDERNESS: Work progresses steadily, if not linearly. I just learned that the rigger can't get a slot at pulling the mast until November, a sign of the demand on boatyards since the changes in the economy. I'm not unhappy since I have so many other tasks to complete before I can drive the boat over. I've serially pulled the lower shrouds, polished them to mirror-bright shine, reinstalled them and done the upper shroud chainplates, and now doing the final sanding and painting of the cabinsides and cabintop. I finished painting the cockpit and cockpit hatches last week, except for the nonskid. The shine is pretty overwhelming. Soon, I will be installing the last of the deck hardware (traveller, staysail winches and deck track).

It's all about sequences, as I've said many times, but very true. Things go faster when done in their correct order. But the sanding and painting seems to go on forever. I've also decided, since the mast replacement, and subsequent haulout are now a couple months in the future, I might as well pull the engine out for a makeover and cosmetic repair of the engine room sound insulation. Though still somewhat distant (this winter, hopefully), I will be preparing for sea trials to test everything. We are fortunate to have an ideal testing environment in the Channel Islands just offshore of Santa Barbara. This location is immediately south of Point Conception, and experiences a daily range of wind and sea conditions that push boats and crews to extremes. It takes a couple of days to travel there from San Diego, and once on location, in one of many small, protected harbors on the islands, you can settle in and rest, prepare the boat and yourselves, for testing. It starts with motoring, or sailing, if Aeolus, the classic god of winds, is smiling in your favor, out into the Santa Barbara Channel, early in the morning. There may be some fog, so you begin with situational awareness testing. Lookouts, radar positioning, fog signals, AIS, everything you've got to help avoid collisions with fishing boats, commercial shipping and offshore oil platforms. About 10 AM the sun has started warming the mainland mountains and the islands, generating light winds in the Channel. Only a few miles to the north, around the corner of Point Conception, the winds and seas are something else, rarely peaceful, but given time and adequate heating of the land to the south, they stand ready for the testing phase.

So, about 11 AM, the skies have cleared, and the seabreeze deceptively lures you to put up your large sails, shed clothing, and sail northwesterly toward the Point expecting a glorious day in the geographic delineator of Southern
California from Northern.

After a couple hours of leisurely tacking in freshening breezes, perhaps practicing Man Overboard recovery drills, roller furling and reefing exercises, and enjoying a nice lunch underway you will be completely surprised by the transition to 25-30 knot gusts and very short 10-15 + seas barreling down the center of the Channel. This generally begins quickly as the cool ocean breezes are sucked on shore to chill the now-hot foothills on both sides of the Channel. After a couple hours of nasty tacking, you are ready to jibe, in rough conditions, and seek the nearest quiet cove on the islands, to rest, clean up the vomit, blood and broken glass that happens when you are reminded of reality. A couple good drinks in your harbor of refuge, dinner and an early night, get you ready (maybe) for another go. This time better prepared than yesterday. A couple more days of practice brings success, better stowage and sail handling practices, and confidence in the skipper and crew that nasty weather is survivable, and the boat is dependable. The lessons learned make this area great for preparedness training. And if things go south, doctors, boatyards and such are close by.

[Roy M]

I previously rebuilt my centerboard and am considering an alternative mounting system. In the past I used nylon parachute cord, 500# test, as a fuse to release the board when (NOT, IF) I hit something at speed. It worked okay, but it was a hassle resetting a new fuse. I'm hoping to create a self adjusting shock absorber that will take the hit, but give a bit so as to reduce the sudden impact of collision.

My current system has a nylon line, 1/2 inch diameter, leading from an aperture at the top, aft corner of the board when it's positioned at full vertical deep projection. The line proceeded aft toward the rear timber of the centerboard trunk, then passed through a loop of the parachute cord mounted through a 1/4 inch stainless bow eye that is oriented horizontally below the top of the trunk. Then, the line went to a halyard winch to position the board. Once in the desired position, the parachute cord "fuse" was secured to a cleat below the top of the trunk. When I would hit the bottom, in addition to a loud "bang!!" as the fuse parted, the board would recede into its natural horizontal floating position, adding a large splash of seawater coming upward from the trunk. It was dramatic and effective, but took too long to reset, especially if I was single handing.

I'm considering using one of those rubber dockline snubbers, with 1/4" Spectra as the control line, leading to a small self tailing winch at the mast base. I want enough "give" to keep from totally destroying the leading edge of the board, and allowing me to release and quickly reset the control line. Anyone have an easier arrangement?