change roof to pop top on multihull..any advise?

Discussion in 'Wooden Boat Building and Restoration' started by tooclose, Jul 17, 2016.

  1. tooclose
    Joined: Jul 2016
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    Location: eastend

    tooclose Junior Member

    I realize that I posted in the wooden forum but while it is a glass hull the the cabin is wood.
    I have a 24 foot fiberglass piver deriviative.
    It is a texastri 24.
    I have a few things to do like rebuild the amas, make a keelboard and rudder as well as paint.
    I'm trying to tackle the amas and interior of the boat at this point.
    The seller was moving and just wanted to wash his hands of the project, he had already moved when I contacted him to buy it so I could not get much info on it. Most of my questions came later after I became a little more familiar with the boat. Produced sometime in the 60's or early 70's which is about when production ceased.
    Somebody built or maybe rebuilt the cabin to what I found on these forums called a 7 point. Maybe there was some decay removed and they did not want to completely rebuild or maybe it was built that way to begin with.
    The roof is just too low, I know my wife won't like having to crouch to use the potty or even sit and I just don't find it comfortable.
    So I'd like to raise the roof but since I have not had the mast up I'm not sure where the boom will be. It is a 29' mast and a 25' tall sail.
    I think at this point it would be best at this point to cut out the roof and convert to a pop top right now and maybe later after I see the lay out at sail and boom I would revisit raising the roof permanently.
    It is a wooden roof glassed over. The bracing inside is visable in the 2 pictures.
    I'm interested in any ideas of the best way to go about this from anyone with experience with this.
    I've been trying to get a plan worked out. I can see how wide I'd like to go but it is wider than any of the pictures I've seen online of other tri's. I blackened in the area I want to extend in the 3rd pic.
    I'm thinking to just cut out the area and then use it as the cabin top. There are DC hydraulic extenders I could probably mount to raise and lower so it would not be so difficult since the roof probably will be heavier than foam and glass. I don't think it would be too heavy but hydraulic would be easier than four of the normal twist lock/unlock rods that are found with pop top roofs.
    Like I mentioned if there is no interference of the boom when the roof would be extended while sailing then I will probably make the roof permanent with some sides at a height of about raised 18" or so. That would give me standing room. see in the cabin on the sole there is a little podium set up a few inches that must be where the portapotty was intended to be used because it works perfect.
    In case anybody wants to know there are two single births, the Vbirth and the bench seat on the left side there. Then it appears that the right side ridge above the podium would be an extension for the seat birth to become a tight double, maybe about the size of a full size bed.
    It is a pretty interesting little tri, the ama's are V shape and I'm wondering if I could modify them to the bucc24, they are around 22' long. I have been looking for a good defining picture of the bottom of the bucc24 but have not found one yet. Pictures I've seen it appears there is an inward slant on buc's ama's with the top of the slant being a couple inches higher and on the out side of the ama. I'm guessing that is what makes it so raved about so maybe I should try to copy it.
    Can some one please explain what a waterstay is I've looked it up a couple times but can get no good discription to know what to look for to identify waterstays.
     

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    Last edited: Jul 20, 2016
  2. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    gonzo Senior Member

    That cabin roof is structural. If you cut a big hole, it will need reinforcement.
     
  3. Petros
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    Location: Arlington, WA-USA

    Petros Senior Member

    cutting the roof out will weaken the main hull. What you want to do is possible, but it should be done in a way that will distribute the hull loads around the opening you cut out. might be better to just add opening skylights were you need the extra head room.

    not as convenient, but simpler than cutting off the roof and than trying to make it strong enough to be safe after the fact. you should get some professional guidance on how to reinforce it before you cut the roof off.
     
  4. tooclose
    Joined: Jul 2016
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    Location: eastend

    tooclose Junior Member

    In that case this 24x15 could be usefull for the seating area. I don't know how I would deal with the portapotty area since the hatch would slide into that area.
    http://greatlakesskipper.com/new-star-353-606-pure-white-24-x-15-marine-rv-boat-deck-access-hatch I presume that plastic will do and it does not need to be a metal hatch. I'm not fluent with the name brands and their quality.
    But since it is so critical I'll just put it on the back burner for a bit.
    Maybe later I'll get the guts to cut the rooftop on the sides and add four or five inches on the sides to make the whole thing higher if there is room under the boom to do so.

    Let me ask is it more common to glass over the entire inside wood items before painting the interior or does most everyone just paint over the wooded area? By glass I'm not referring to cloth but epoxy.
    I have not gotten very far reading the searunner construction manual but it should give some useful instruction if I need to glass inside.

    I'm looking for web pages that give good detail on building or rebuilding Amas.
     

  5. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    Location: Milwaukee, WI

    gonzo Senior Member

    These are well designed boats, that need to be really light to sail properly. Adding a lot of stuff, hacking into it and overall converting it into a frankenboat is a bad idea. If you need a boat that has the interior of a cabin cruiser, that may be the type of boat to buy instead.
     
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