Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

[smj]

Good to hear you are recovering well from your accident Mark.


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[Capt.Timbo]

Thought you might enjoy the transformation process.

[Roy M]

Hi Mark! Welcome back. Will you be releasing the book in hardcopy? I really like having a book in my hands when it is as full of great material as yours looks to be. I'm sorry to hear about the motorcycle accident. I send my wishes for your speedy recovery. You are a terrific writer. Hopefully you can use this opportunity to continue sharing your thoughts. How about a book just on construction and maintenance. I know you have so much material just on that more limited aspect that would be a great resource to folks looking to purchase and upgrade their multihulls.

I'm finding that retirement is a pretty exciting thing, not what I'd quite expected it to be. I have been waking before the dawn, laying in bed (in a house, not the boat) drinking a cup of strong, black coffee and just thinking about what is in store for each day. The first couple weeks have been chaotic, making decisions, making orders, finding my tools and putting them into a different order than they were when I worked on other people's boats. I have had time to experiment more. My new favorite technique/material is PeelPly, that silk-like fabric that gets placed atop fresh epoxy and glass to make it more planar after squeegeeing. I'm using it now to make my honeycomb floorboards.

I also seem to have more irons in the fire at one time than ever before, which could threaten the completion of any single project. But it's a lot of fun at the moment. I'll update you later, when I have something to show for it. In the meantime, heal and write. Your health and security are uppermost at the moment. Take care, my friend.

[Roy M]

In the meantime, I'll be reading your book from my Android, thanks to Amazon.

[slowbat]

Hello,
I'm working on replacing my steering cables. I'm not sure what material to use for the Nicopress (s) and how to spec the cable? Also what I removed did not have thimble(s), should I add them?

I do not know much about galvanic corrosion. the only area where the cable will see the elements would be in the aft steering locker. The area under the cockpit will be totally sealed up. should I heatshrink over anything? Grease?
Thanks for all of the super advise,
Dan

[Roy M]

I have an Edson steering system, using 1/4" Amsteel Blue synthetic cable, with terminal ends made up in eyes. At the steering tiller arm of the rudder, I use turnbuckles to adjust the cable tension. From the pedestal to the tiller arm, I use Edson needle bearing sheaves to lead the cables aft. They are large diameter (I can't recall exactly how large, but they are the largest Edson makes) to reduce steering friction. My boat is a 40 footer, so the loads are much higher than on a 25 footer, but, trust me, the Amsteel (or Dux, or whatever) is superior to stainless cable. It's stronger, lighter, you can make your own eye splices, and it's about the same price, if not cheaper than stainless cable. In the earlier incarnation of my boat, I used a single cable Morse system. The Edson is superior, but you are probably using a tiller, so consider using a synthetic cable instead of stainless. The 25 is a very cool boat.

[md7a]

I haven't tried this myself, but it seems like spectra or similar high modulus line with locked brummel splice eyes might be lighter, stretch less and avoid rust. My steering cables are a little long in the tooth, and I have been thinking synthetic target than steel.

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[Mark Johnson]

Wow Roy, Thanks for the kind words.
It was a helluva crash! (Motorcyclist "0", Farm Tractor "1"). The photo below was taken a week or so later about from the point of impact, where I presumably took flight. After a 143' long... fly, bounce, roll, & slide, I came to rest in a ditch, next to where you see me standing in this picture.

In a year or so I will know how much, if not the total use of my right hand & arm, that will be coming back. For now I am learning to be better at being left handed.
The surgeon says I have made remarkable progress, so I am quite optimistic. Each day looks better...

Other than writing, my days now revolve around physical therapy and exercise, so I HOPE this E book takes off. The physical part of my business and my own projects are on hold for the rest of the year.

WRITING:
The thing about making "Anchoring and Mooring the Cruising Multihull" available in hard copy as well, is that until it has sold enough copies to make financial sense, the considerable expense can not be warranted by the publisher.

It is so hard for an author to make a profit in writing, because he/she only receive a fraction of the money charged for each copy, unless they self publish and sell them out of the trunk of their car. This cuts out other middlemen, sure, but seldom works. I can't afford the thousands of bucks required to "self publish", and the break even point in doing so is probably something over 1,000 books. Since hard copy books cost so much more for a publisher to get out there, it is even more difficult for all concerned to do OK, unless it really sells in large numbers...

I agree that it would be useful on a boat's bookshelf in hard copy, and I hope it sells well enough to end up that way. I REALLY hope so!

OTHER WRITING PROJECTS:
I wrote a memoir a couple of years back with about 400 photos, and it took all my time for a year. It gets exhausting! That one was not picked up by anyone, so still sits in my computer.

YET ANOTHER PROJECT:
I also spent over a month and lot's of $ having all of my 8 mm camera's tapes digitized and carefully edited into a 4 hour long (2 DVD set) of a 2 year cruise of the East Coast, Chesapeake, Bahamas, and entire Eastern Caribbean. For multihullers, especially Searunner types, it was really cool. This project also never saw the light of day. Seems that the small volume production cost per 2 disc copy would require that I charge over $35 for each movie, and unless I market it myself, there is nothing left for marketing. I'm not sure that they would even sell for that?

FUTURE PROJECT?
I also have over 1,000 pages of information contributed here and on other web sites, that "only" needs to be edited and indexed. (A HUGE job)...

So far, the three items I have on OutRig is all that's seen the light of day. For writing to be profitable, one needs a well known website, a publisher, and preferably a subject matter that will sell thousands.

MOST USEFUL?
I think a book on multihull boatbuilding/renovation, outfitting it in a RELIABLE energy efficient way, and maintaining it for the long haul, would be really really useful. It would be such a monumental project though, and it would have to have universal appeal to a reading public that all too often values mediocrity and instant gratification, over paying the up front price and aspiring to excellence. A LOT of what I have written here, IS that book, but in a totally chopped up form.

Like I said, it is hard to make a living writing, but I am still trying. Thanks again for your encouragement...

Roy, your "retirement" life sounds great now. You can put all of your extra resources into getting on with your renovation, getting her done, and doing some serious cruising. You deserve it man! You have done such beautiful work and it shows.

PEEL PLY:
Yep, Peel Ply is such a huge time saver. It smooths out edges of glass fabric and glass tapes, making far less feathering necessary. It also makes the glass lay down without those resin rich overload pimples that can get sanded through. The big advantage is that it leaves a surface underneath that is ready to epoxy over the next day or next year, WITHOUT SANDING FIRST. The real Peel Ply is great, but there is a cheaper option. At any fabric store, you can get very tight weave polyester dress lining material. It is essentially the same thing. (Thanks, John Marples).
I used a LOT of this stuff on our project, and a cheap source for it saved a lot.

It brings to mind... Do use those round disc razor sharp "pizza cutters" for cutting your glass fabric? They too come from that standard fabric store. These things work best on a flat table covered with an outer layer of 1/4" press board. Using one of these tables and a round disc fabric cutter, we cut over 1,000 glass tapes in a couple of days, using mass production techniques.

OOPS... I have rattled on for too long, again.
Keep those photos of your progress coming, they are always interesting.

Thanks again for the encouragement regarding my health as well,
Mark

[Roy M]

Mark, please put together a package of your digital output (other than the two publications that are currently available), and send me a bill. I would love to read this stuff, and as an aside, feel like a patron of the literary and creative arts. I'll forward them to Jeff and Jose, with your permission.

[Roy M]

Mark, at the moment, I am deep into the final stages of creating a landing platform for the 10'6" AB Navigo RIB that I just purchased. It uses a 15 hp Lehr propane outboard. Today I was experimenting with using Amsteel 1/4" line for dinghy slings to bring the scout boat aboard. I am using trailer boat rollers to guide the hull up and on to the portside quarter deck. It requires changing out the aftermost stanchion (also fitting it out with vertical rollers) and fitting a couple deck rollers as well. I need to get this straightened out first because I am also prepping to replace all of the non-skid decks, rebedding the remaining stanchions in the process. All of this stuff is like a moon-shot, so many simultaneous and inter dependent details that have to arrive together at the same time. I am shooting for departure next year about this time. There is so much to do, yet I am thrilled to be able, finally, to get underway with all of it. All those years of waking at three AM with fantastic ideas and dreams, now seem to be getting to fruition. We'll see.........

[Mark Johnson]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Mark, at the moment, I am deep into the final stages of creating a landing platform for the 10'6" AB Navigo RIB that I just purchased. It uses a 15 hp Lehr propane outboard. Today I was experimenting with using Amsteel 1/4" line for dinghy slings to bring the scout boat aboard. I am using trailer boat rollers to guide the hull up and on to the portside quarter deck. It requires changing out the aftermost stanchion (also fitting it out with vertical rollers) and fitting a couple deck rollers as well. I need to get this straightened out first because I am also prepping to replace all of the non-skid decks, rebedding the remaining stanchions in the process. All of this stuff is like a moon-shot, so many simultaneous and inter dependent details that have to arrive together at the same time. I am shooting for departure next year about this time. There is so much to do, yet I am thrilled to be able, finally, to get underway with all of it. All those years of waking at three AM with fantastic ideas and dreams, now seem to be getting to fruition. We'll see.........

All very interesting projects Roy. A note about dinghy slings while you're at it.

Besides the "bringing it aboard" issue where synthetics would be fine, there is the "string it up along side" sling like we use. Here, ss lifeline wire might be better, for being harder to cut with a serrated knife...

We made ours an asymmetric triangle. The aft two wires connect to inside transom eyes, and the outer leg is longer. This keeps the dinghy level, even though it is strung up by the spinnaker halyard which angles in. Mariam cranks it up, while I push it out.

The bow's leg is the correct length to keep the bow up, so it will drain out the back through the transom drain. There is a 1' long extender for this one leg, that we clip in or out, depending on whether the OB motor is on there or not. Either way, even as the balance changes, we can keep the floor 6" bow up from level.
BE SURE TO PULL THE TRANSOM'S DRAIN PLUG WHEN IT'S STRUNG UP!!!

This solved the problem of theft (why we chose wire over synthetic, it's harder to cut)... It also solved the problem of the dinghy bumping the boat or getting under the wings if we left it trailing on its painter, (like in low wind and a weird aft current). In low theft areas with with high winds and no strong current, we do sometimes trail the dink on its painter. Then we use a bunji chord as a snubber on the painter, so that its constant jerking on the boat doesn't keep me up all night.

We string up the dinghy this way each night in about 3 minutes, and it solves the above two problems. We also string it up under way on a daysail up the ICW, or even offshore, to go to Cape Lookout. This is fine in 15-20 knots of wind and 4-5' seas, but if our conditions are likely to be worse, we bring it aboard before heading out, like smart people.

The dinghy stays strung up along side in our marina slip too... ALL WINTER LONG. RIBs don't take to being deflated for long periods, so this works great. Not meant for you Roy, but for crazy people like us who live in places with cold winters... In a snow load the dink can not drain this way, so keep it to no more than half way full if you can, by shoveling it out.

For pulling the dink on deck, we get it in position behind the roller, and deflate it half way to tie the sides together. This makes it fit on our side decks fine, although on the much wider 40, it is not as necessary. Only on a multi day rough passage do we fully deflate and pack it away. With those VERY rare deck sweeping waves, we have been glad we did this extra step!
Otherwise, we just pull it up on deck for 99% of our "normal" passages, half way deflated with the sides tied together. The padded aft wing roller makes pulling it up a one person affair. (note the "Starboard" rubbing strake that protects the aft part of the wing). Again... PULL THE DRAIN PLUG ONCE IT IS ON DECK!

For very controlled conditions on a daysail, like I said, we just string it up along side. We can go 7-8 knots this way, with just the headsail out... when we feel that lazy!

In VERY high dinghy theft areas, by EVERY NIGHT stringing it up along side and high up, (with ss wire), it makes it where the thieves go to another boat instead.

Roy, I know you may not be using a RIB at all, and having "been there done that", already have your dinghy situation all sussed out, but I thought I'd throw these tips out there anyway, in case you or someone else may benefit from pondering the solutions that we came up with.

Hope this is of use,
Mark

[Mark Johnson]

My apologies if some of this post is a repeat, but when the previous posts get really old, they become "out of sight, out of mind". Now for the rest of the photos:
Mark

[Roy M]

Mark, I very much like your arrangement with the rubber ducky. I now have an AB 10'6" Navigo VS RIB. Several years ago I had a pure inflateable Zodiac Mark II Compact, also the same length, combined with a Honda four-stroke 9.9hp. I became totally addicted to being able to anchor, then zoom around in the ducky while scouting dive spots, visiting other boats, or ferrying stuff to and from shore. I realized I needed the larger outboard to get up on a plane when fully loaded, and the rigid bottom really made a big difference.

I especially like your chocks. I am going to build a pair of these to solidly lock the dink in position for passages. I need the rollers because the additional weight of the RIB, combined with the motor and full tank of fuel, makes it something that is a bit of a challenge to get to roll off the deck. I have made up some lifting slings, that I'll be sharing later. It's a design called a "Whoopie Sling" which is very adjustable and allows one to move the center of gravity anywhere wanted, in a heartbeat. Once adjusted and subjected to the slightest load, the line acts like a "Chinese Finger Puzzle" and binds securely. Heavy riggers use this technique for moving ships, bridges and other tremendously heavy items, as well as back packers who want to adjust the tie strap on their hammocks. YouTube has numerous examples of how to set up and use this neat system.

Your plan for emptying the tubes and stowing the dink and its gear compactly, really solves the issue of getting around the deck on a passage. That's another "takeaway" that you have shared. Thanks.

I have a bunch of ideas that I'm going to be trying out on my RIB in coming months. I'll share them as I get to them. In the meantime, I have to get back to finishing some projects before things get TOTALLY out of hand. The refrigerator is sooo close to chilling beer, the galley stove is forlornly waiting for its new parts, and the galley parts are strewn all over my shop needing to be replaced in the boat. Rigging hardware is slowly arriving, and too soon, the new electronics are going to show up and demand storage until they get installed. I like being busy, but this is bordering on total chaos.

[Mark Johnson]

STARBOARD, (PLASTIC LUMBER): Again, forgive me if this is a repeat.

For those unfamiliar with it, this is GREAT stuff. It replaces Teak for all of those small bits and pieces, not Rub Rail size, the small stuff. I say this because it is very heavy, expensive, and in long lengths it expands and contracts a lot. It will not glue AT ALL, but takes machine screws GREAT!

In the photo of connecting a base to our dinghy cradle, I used really close screw placement, and they were 2.5" long #12s. With this many screws, it becomes a structural connection. You need caulk in the interfaces everywhere, to keep water away from the holes and the screws. Bed the screws well too.

It can be bent to suite. The 1/4" will just bend, and thicker 3/4" stuff you have to heat with a heat gun to just before melting it. Then bend it +10% of what you want it to look like.

It shapes and cuts like wood, but if you sand out the edges, finish up with 220 grit or the scratches collect dirt. PLEASE... Keep all grindings and shavings out of the water, because they'll float and become lethal fish food.

Starboard is SO much better a material to use for those small things, and unlike Teak, it will never fall apart or need maintenance. It is also a fraction of the work of epoxy coated & painted wood pieces. In larger pieces like our dinghy cradle, cutting BIG holes in the part kept the weight down. Remember, it is really heavy stuff.

Its GREAT, in these applications:

Mark

[rossad]

Nice tri you got there Mark. All your efforts are easily seen. As yet i have not taken to much work load on with my tri. Not really looking forward to it. The dodger was already made for me when i bought the boat 7 years ago. Because installed a Webasco diesel heater system hot air is blown to both ends of the boat and it filters out to the centre. So really its T shirt weather all year round inside. Even the middle is warm with it all closed up. I must admit it works well. I have a bought a new main and new stack pack. Bits and bobs. There is always some money going into it somewhere.. i even got a new engine o boy that was a really tough job come to think of it. Thank goodness its behind me. i shall post some more photos when i take some more.. if these pics come through they are of the last trip