Trimaran - Especially Searunner - Owners

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by drew23

why not...?

Stay with what works. Leave the R&D to the companies with deep pockets.

[Roy M]

drew23, PLEEEZE, listen to these guys, unless you are truly philanthropic and want to single-handedly spur on the economy through generous donations of cash to achieve the most basic needs. If so, disregard my comments and send me a PM immediately so I can be first in line to be funded with perfect solutions to your dreams.

[Sea Otter Jim]

Drew I had my chain plates for uppers ,both sides done here in La Paz for 60 dlls us out of 316 stainless .They were polished also for that price.How can you do anything cheaper?
TAKE CARE JIMMY

[Redreuben]

Drew23;
Very doable, do a search over at boat design.net Lots of info and certainly a more positive attitude !
You won't need a mould but I doubt it will be cheaper, depends how you value your time.

[rossad]

Catch up with you guys.
Yes Mark Johnson you made a great job of that Kayak. And your workshop is what we all really want. All my life i have wanted a workshop like that. We need to live longer so we can do all those jobs we wanted to do. Hope your health is improving lots. Nice pics cheers
Ross

[rossad]

OK Cavalier MKII
You got that right with Drumbeat and the new owners.. jezzz this is a small world. I must admit it went like a bullet very fast. But i dunno if i would go offshore in this one anyway. The new owners Fred and Terry (father and son) seem to want to go next year.
Amazing how the grapevine works on planet earth.

[rossad]

Having just returned on a cruise around the Hauraki Gulf on my favourite boat (my trimaran) I still think here is as good as anywhere to go cruising but i havent been anywhere so i wouldn't know if its true... if that makes sense.....
Couple of pics to wet the appetite. Great Barrier New Zealand.

[rossad]

Im starting to feel sorry for you Drew23, i believe that it could be a nightmare if one gets the painting wrong.
Go to the marine paint shops and they will deliver your best answers for painting.
And keep it simple simple stupid..... KISS

[rossad]

Megentawave
Thanks very much for that link.. it has so much to offer for us Trimaraners
Best read for some time.
S/T-18 Trimaran, Searunner | Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base

[Cavalier MK2]

Originally Posted by rossad

OK Cavalier MKII
You got that right with Drumbeat and the new owners.. jezzz this is a small world. I must admit it went like a bullet very fast. But i dunno if i would go offshore in this one anyway. The new owners Fred and Terry (father and son) seem to want to go next year.
Amazing how the grapevine works on planet earth.

Great pictures Rossad.

The Nicols are pretty succesful designs in terms of numbers and staying power. I've located about 7 of the Vagabond MK2 design still sailing in different locations. None of them are exactly alike, most of the differences are in cabins and layout. According to Gary Baigent who used to race on the boat, Drumbeat was built with the frames set a bit further apart for a stretch to 40 feet from the stock 36. Mine, like Hedley's, is 37' with more rake in the stem. They are quick for a wing deck boat as you've seen.

We've improved the strength of ours while keeping the weight down with some reconstruction and a new interior. The Vagabonds are built lighter than the Nicol Cavalier and Wanderer designs so shouldn't be overloaded. They handle really well in a wide range of conditions, if properly prepared and sailed they are a good fast cruiser. We got ours as a interem boat but after sailing it we stopped looking at Brown, Cross, Marples and Horstman designs as it worked at least as well for what we do.

[slowbat]

Rig Size Question:
My SR-25' has 5/16" or .3125" turnbuckles for the standing rigging. Any see any issue besides weight up sizing to 3/8" or .375" turnbuckles? It is only an increase of 0.0625 to the hole side in the chainplates and I plenty of space for the increase.
Thanks,
Dan

[slowbat]

Originally Posted by slowbat

Rig Size Question:
My SR-25' has 5/16" or .3125" turnbuckles for the standing rigging. Any see any issue besides weight up sizing to 3/8" or .375" turnbuckles? It is only an increase of 0.0625 to the hole side in the chainplates and I plenty of space for the increase.
Thanks,
Dan

John sent me this, thought I would post as a ref:

"The standing rigging on your SR25 is all 5/32" diameter, except for the lower shrouds, which are 3/16" diameter. Normally, turnbuckle thread diameter is twice the cable diameter, but some SS turnbuckles are one size smaller. 3/8" turnbuckles will not fit the pin size for 5/32" cable. If they do fit, I suspect that your cable size was increased to 3/16". There is no weight issue for components that low down in the rig. If it were at the top of the mast, we would want to justify the increase.

Cheers, John Marples"

[Cavalier MK2]

The old saying, "If you take care of the ounces the pounds take care of themselves." is especially apt for multihulls. Weight down low still comes off the payload.

[Roy M]

I am sooooo bored with boat work, right now. I have been finishing off the interminable details of getting the decks back together after the nonskid overhaul. For the last couple weeks I have been focussing on the wet hatches: polishing the piano hinges, redrilling and sealing the fastener holes to ensure their integrity, sanding (upside down, of course) the wet hatch interiors and sealing any plywood checks or eroded paint/epoxy, modifying the hatch covers (using tee nuts instead of nuts and washers), in short, way too many boring details that never seem to reach the end point. So, to read Rossad's adventures in the paradise he lives in, or to imagine myself sailing in the placid waters of the Pacific Northwest, these provide me with an alternative to the sound of the sander/vacuum, the feel of the nonskid chewing up my bare knees, and feeling the sweat pour off my forehead into the freshly sanded wet hatch. One of these days, I keep promising myself, the deck details will be done and I can go on to the next boring detail pit, repainting the cockpit, cabinsides and cabin top. My fantasies for getting the mast overhauled this summer are being destroyed by the enormity of shiny surfaces that loom ahead of me. The rigger is happy because he gets to install all my old electronics on his own boat, in time to go cruising to Catalina for the month of July. I just put my head down in the wet hatch and sand and paint and feel sorry for myself. I am reminded of Sisyphus, the mythological demi-god who was doomed to eternity to roll a very big rock uphill, then watch it roll back to the bottom, forever......

[Cavalier MK2]

Roy I'm going to try to help you but it involves a different mindset....getting a boat "finished" is impossible. There will always be something to improve or maintain. I understand how you feel as the other kids go off racing to Alaska while family and farm chores keep me close to home this year, my boat gets just a few things done this year.

So what to get done....the mindset means doing the things to be seaworthy and prioritizing everything including the cosmetic. The cosmetic is the biggest hurdle. Accepting the notion of wear and tear and of a boat in use is key to happy sailing. If the wood is protected it is fine. My boat fits into the rough and ready catagory. It often looks rough but it is often ready to go sailing. The times it isn't ready to go are when the improvements for the year are happening. By doing things in steps we get to reward ourselves by getting out there now instead of holding out for the big payoff. My son would have missed all those summers in BC if I waited to get finished. Do what you need to get where you want to go then do more when you've arrived is my suggestion. Hang in there, this stuff is mind numbing.