Ft.Myers Searunner 37 Project

[scuba066]

Hello, new member here. Does anyone have any information on the Searunner 37 project located around Fort Meyers? I saw it listed on Craigslist.
Thanks,

[Randy]

It looks like a ton of work & money. The question is can you do it & can you afford to. Boats cost a lot more to put back together than they initially seem like they might.

[Maren]

Originally Posted by scuba066

Hello, new member here. Does anyone have any information on the Searunner 37 project located around Fort Meyers? I saw it listed on Craigslist.
Thanks,

Well, I guess the first question is are you near there? You won't be able to transport this easily. Trust me on this.

The second question is how good are you with your hands?

The second thing is how committed are you to this in particular? That is, are you just looking for a cheap boat or are you looking for an excellent value -- they aren't always the same thing.

You will need a set a plans if they don't come with the boat. But that's pretty cheap overall I think 10-15 dollars a sheet so something like $200 for the set.

That should get you started. Let us know what you are thinking and we can be of a bit more help.

[scuba066]

Thanks for the information. Yes, plans are still available, $900 for the 37. The boat is 617 miles from my home in Pensacola. I was thinking about sawing the amas off to transport to a boatyard here. But, I have received no response from the owner.

[Maren]

Originally Posted by scuba066

Thanks for the information. Yes, plans are still available, $900 for the 37. The boat is 617 miles from my home in Pensacola. I was thinking about sawing the amas off to transport to a boatyard here. But, I have received no response from the owner.

Cost of Plans. No, it shouldn't be that much; I think you are looking at the cost of plans for building a new one, not repairing. The additional cost is for the support John gives his clients.

Cutting the Amas Off. Check out page 22 of the Trimaran (esp Searunner) owners thread if you haven't already. This will take quite a bit work. I can suggest a good mover in FL.

[scuba066]

Thanks for the link. Very interesting. No word from the Searunner owner so, I guess it is no longer available. I am not in a huge hurry, about two years before I have every thing lined up for some extended cruising.

[Roy M]

The Searunner 37 is, what, 22 feet wide? It's almost 12 feet wide at the cabinside. That's a pretty wide load for any road, even if you cut the decks and floats off, and devise a good way to rebond the mainstrength bulkheads afterward. Can it be towed by sea? Chopping it up is going to be an expensive endeavor in cash and time, and will definitly compromise the strength of the boat and add a big chunk of useless weight.

[Randy]

Nice points Roy,
I wasn't sure if there had been a design for re-establishing structural integrity well after such a dismantling.
Seems to me like an outrageous expense. I think there are other quality Searunner 37's on the East coast.

[Maren]

Originally Posted by Randy

I wasn't sure if there had been a design for re-establishing structural integrity well after such a dismantling.
Seems to me like an outrageous expense.

There is a bulletproof method and it's been done by John Marples himself, possible others. John has the plans for how to do so but I outlined them in the post I referred you to.

If you made your living repairing, renovating, and upgrading boats this might be a very good deal. In your case though, it is a lot tougher to make this work. You need to get an accurate assessment of the time and money needed to get this up to speed. You need to make the appropriate repairs to standard and I suspect while learning to do so -- more time off the water and money spent. Is there a DIY boatyard near you or will you have to hire out for everything?

But in terms of moving, Roy really has the way to do it: make appropriate patches/repairs and tow it. Even that won't be easy because it isn't as simple as throwing a few 150' foot lines from the towing to the towed, cleating them off and motoring home. Do that and you'll rip your cleats out of the boat(s). A delivery captain probably will not take it as the boat isn’t up to spec and a safety risk. If you tow it yourself you need a boat or a friend’s boat 600 miles at 3 MPH is about 200 hours – a bit under 2 weeks of straight motoring; get it all the way up to 6MPH and you are still at 6 days straight.

I am not trying to dissuade you from this but it is really important to know exactly what you might be getting yourself into. It might also be possible to have the repairs made down there by either yourself or others and just sail it back.

[Roy M]

Here's the site: TRIMARAN 37 BROWN SEARUNNER.

I think this will resolve the issue for everyone except the completely delusional.