Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

[Sea Otter Jim]

Mark have you or Roy heard of anyone with a 37 lowering the board out the bottom when on the hard .I friend of mine did on a 31 years ago in san diego.
Take Care Jim

[Roy M]

Sea Otter Jim, Bob and Cindy Perkins were building their boat a little earlier than I started. They were in the El Segundo part of Los Angeles, along with Jeff Allen (SR40, DINK'S SONG), Mark MacIntyre (37, SILVERHEELS), Dave Albinus (31), and several others building everything from 31s to 40 footers. I built mine from 1974-1978, launching in March of that year. My boat was built in Venice, just a short drive away from the others. We used to get together on Friday nights to enjoy a great dinner at Jeff and Judy's place, to share info, to make orders for equipment (Jeff was doing a marine supply biz on the side from his regular veterinary practice), and watch Kung **, a fun faux western on the tube.

Bob and Cindy are great folks, though I haven't heard anything of late regarding what they are doing, or where. The last boat I know of that they built was a gorgeous Kantola that was recently mentioned on this forum.

Jeff Allan was the one who convinced me to pay the extra money to build with West System. You have to remember that this was during the Arab oil embargo, which really made the prices skyrocket. Bob was using Shell Epon resin, which I used at the very beginning for my hull chines. It was not the easiest stuff to work with, being VERY temperature dependent. Bob went so far as to build plywood "ovens" to cure his planks before assembling. This may be why his boat weighed more than mine, as I switched to West Systems as soon as I could get it shipped from Michigan to LA. The smell of the Epon was very distinctive. I remember telling a dentist, who was building gold foil crowns for my teeth, in the days when gold was still $35 an ounce, that he was using such and such adhesive. He was impressed by my weird knowledge of epoxy resins. Here's a funny story about TRI ESSENSE: Right after Christmas, in 1974, Bob tossed the Christmas tree on top of the boat to support a tarp for an oncoming winter storm. He took his time removing the tree, leaving great quantities of pine needles in the bilge. He told us that he was removing those needles for years after.

[Roy M]

Yeah, Jim, you can do it, but you have to have the hulls high enough to clear the minikeel of the centerboard, or you have to dig a hole, in a yard that will let you do that. Raising the boat isn't that big a deal, though. I raised mine high enough to drive a low-boy heavy equipment trailer under it when I was ready to launch. I just kept jacking the minikeel and blocking, then using fifty gallon drums with blocking under the floats. It was slow, but secure. The entire weight of the boat was on four supports on the float keels. No problem, and the forty is a wee bit heavier than a 31.

[Sea Otter Jim]

Hi Roy thanks a lot for the history on my boat.I use to run a charter boat down here a Megregor 65 for a couple years and met Dave Albinus as he was chartering the boat .He was the first guy that told me that my boat was built next to his 31 by Bob.Thanks Again
Take Care Jim

[Boatguy30]

Roy

How far did you have to move your boat by road? I'm getting increasingly worried about the 1 mile or so I need to go down A1A. I'm concerned if I ask the police about an escort, they'll say: "you need one that will be $4,000" I saw sign for a place called "night moves" a home mover I guess across town. I may call them and see what they say. Hopefully this mile won't cost to much!

[Jimske]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Yeah, Jim, you can do it, but you have to have the hulls high enough to clear the minikeel of the centerboard, or you have to dig a hole, in a yard that will let you do that. Raising the boat isn't that big a deal, though. I raised mine high enough to drive a low-boy heavy equipment trailer under it when I was ready to launch. I just kept jacking the minikeel and blocking, then using fifty gallon drums with blocking under the floats. It was slow, but secure. The entire weight of the boat was on four supports on the float keels. No problem, and the forty is a wee bit heavier than a 31.

I don't get why the mini-keel is in the way. I have to raise it high enough for full extension? There's always the travel lift.

J

[Sea Otter Jim]

Roy do you know if Bob and Cindy sailed any distance in the boat.I can tell at one point it had a windvane installed as in top of the rudder. I could see bolt holes that were filled in and I have the wiggler.When Joe bought the boat in San Francisco she was just a weekend racer.
Take Care Jim

[Mark Johnson]

BOARD DROPPING THROUGH THE BOTTOM:
I never question what Roy says, he's "been there done that", but "I" don't know anyone who dropped their board through the bottom. It would be especially difficult if they have the split tube at the top like me, for a rattle free board. (Ours is SILENT)

As Roy said, the issue isn't blocking it up high enough, I've done that... But it's that many builders, like me, have as much as an extra 1/4" of glass all around the slot at the bottom, for strength, longevity, a quiet board, and a good bearing surface, (= a 1/2" narrower width at the bottom than at the top). I even made my tolerances tighter in the front, so when fully down, it is almost "0" tolerance. When diving on the boat with the board fully down... I can only move the tip of my board about 1/16" side to side, with NO clunk!

Mine would NEVER go out the bottom, not even close.
I don't know how other builders did it? Having said that, I have no doubt that what Roy says is correct for him and some others...


BOAT HAULS:
My haul of 75 miles by land and then a 75 mile water trek to the sea, through a series of 3' deep bass fishing lakes, locks, canals, and rivers... is the longest I know of.

The BIG issues are height. Can your boat, on a Brownell boat moving trailer, fit under EVERYTHING? This is the real expense deal breaker, whether the city needs to move lights.

You will need a permit first, = little or no money... (I needed 3 for 3 counties) This took weeks to run down all 3 head engineers EXACTLY at 6:00 AM! At the DOT, they originally refused, saying a 21' wide boat was TOO wide in SC. Then I pointed to photos of HUGE house moves on the wall. I eventually convinced them to CALL IT A HOUSE! Then they limited house moves in SC to 20 miles, so I asked for three consecutive house move permits! They laughed, but played along. See... To a degree, they are making up the rules as they go along. Getting a "private" escort service is flat easy, and you may also need a crane. That is the big expenses. I think about $700 each, plus a bit more for the truck and trailer, maybe $3,000 or $3,500 over all.

For all prior 5 years, I ran the 75 mile route with my truck every 6 months, (with a height stick & yellow light on top), and cut low limbs. The key was LOOK official!

For a mile or two transport on A1A, the issue will be height clearance. A boat mover with Brownell hydraulic trailer can pick up a cat with the trailer's pads, IF he can get back there. It might then sit about a foot off of the ground. Permits, escorts, etc. from then on are the easy part, for such a short move. Barring height issues, it should cost less than half what I paid.

Mark

[rossad]

Nice history lessons there Roy .. Even i find all that interesting way down in the South Pacific. ross

[Roy M]

Jim, my boat move was very simple: one mile. The boatmover took care of the permits, we moved the boat on city streets at 3 AM. Then ten days at the Harbor Police dock getting the boat ready, while waiting for a break in a long series of winter storms. Then off to San Diego, our new home, arriving 14 hours later while surfing (under power) the northwesterlies that pushed us south. I only got about four hours of seatrials. We were very lucky. All of the guys showed up for the launch, but I lost touch with them over the years. When Jeff Allen and his wife Jose got to San Diego, a couple years ago, searching for their next boat, they brought Dave Albinus along. Great times, great people, a lot of talent.

My CB trunk only has a small, 1/4" lip on the bottom edge, and the board had no split hose or anything at the top. I never bothered with pulling it through the bottom as it was so easy to do so from the top.

[Boatguy30]

$66 cost of police escort in St Augustine. It's a 2 hour min at $33/hr!

[Mark Johnson]

Roy,
I remember Kung **... Never missed it. I still occasionally refer to someone as "Grasshopper", and the younger person looks at me like... huh?

How fortunate you were to have had Jeff Allen as a friend and adviser in those early days! He was right about the epoxy, wasn't he? He was also the right kind of guy to listen to about a lot of things. A true, "Renaissance Man". Great that you could share more time during the renovation of "Stravaig", the trimaran as well.

For the rest of you... Several boat projects, a circumnavigation, and hurricane at sea later, he and lovely wife Jose are currently in Fiji on their TOTALLY renovated Cross. Jeff still helps friends out with boat work, (as does Jose), and occasionally helps out as a veterinarian as well. Talk about a life well lived!

Stravaig's Travels

[Sea Otter Jim]

Jeff Allen was down here in La Paz in 2008 in the spring.He was the one who told me he sold the epoxy to bob perkins who built my boat.He has a really nice cross He was buddy boating with another cross also at the time. We were telling stories all morning before they left .His wife had to kind of push him as he wanted to stay another day telling stories with myself and my good friend on flying fish a 44 cross built out of foam.Roy I bet you know terrible Ted .He use to come through here every now and then.The Last time he came through he was on a horstman called Mud Duck.This guy would buy and flip mutilhulls all the time.He had something like 25-30 different ones as of the last time I saw him which was like 16 years ago.His favorite he said was the modified searunner 40 built out of 1/4 in ply.Very fast boat but very lightly built.He called that boat Vanilla .He epoxied in a lot of extra stringers in the amas to help with the flexing.John Marples said she wasnt sea worthy which helped him get the boat cheap.This guy had more sea miles on more different multihulls than anyone I ever met.He was in a Hurricane in a big wharram cat and it was blowing over 100knots he had a bridle off the stern and had everything he could attach to it to slow the boat down.I remember him saying the worst of the storm was 80-90knots as over 100 the seas get blown flat.He allways had some great stories .
Take Care Jim

[Mark Johnson]

Thought I'd post a few pics of our little 5 day mini cruise out to Cape Lookout last week. It is such a cool destination, sort of like a Pacific atoll with sandy beaches to comb, wild horses, thick woods, paths to walk, and a lighthouse to climb.

It REALLY WAS like the cruising life... a little of everything. The sail out there was perfect at 9+ knots, but the temps were really hot. Then a cold front would cool it down, and bring a bit of rain. This was followed by absolutely perfect fall weather, to just hang out in and enjoy the place for days. The night before we left, it blew a gale ALL NIGHT, with us on the lee side of the anchorage taking the waves generated from a couple of miles of fetch. (I hate flapping halyards)! The next morning, once we were back in the Beaufort inlet, we motored half the day up Adam's Creek @ just over 3 knots (made good), into a stiff current and 26 knots of wind right on the nose. When we were FINALLY back in the WIDE Neuse River, we turned to take it on the beam, and sailed @ over 8 knots, all the way home.

To quote Jimmy Buffett, "It's been a looovely cruise"...
Mark

[rossad]

All Nice Nice Nice