What to do with my parts

Discussion in 'Multihulls' started by Bigfork, Feb 26, 2020.

  1. Bigfork
    Joined: Dec 2009
    Posts: 76
    Likes: 9, Points: 8, Legacy Rep: 17
    Location: Montana, USA

    Bigfork Junior Member

    Greetings Forum... so I've posted several times before regarding my multihulls and the mono lead sled. I always appreciate the feedback!

    So I've got a set of H18 hulls and a Frankenstein SolCat 18 with a 10'beam and a freakish 34'mast that's been diy-ed out of 3 sections, has diamond wires. The SolCat came with the 10'beams, mast/rigging, sail, curved traveler/traveler track, rudders, dagger boards, 5-1 main sheet... With some tlc, it could have sailed before I took it to pieces for storage.

    For two years now I've daydreamed about what I'm to do...and now I'm getting pressure from the Mrs regarding the hulls stacked under the garage eve, so it's time to do something ;)

    Here's what I think my options and daydreams are:
    1. I used to have fantasies about building a Pacific Proa. I'd cut the Hobie 18 hulls 7' or so from the bow, discard the other 10', spin one and make a double ended ama, stitch and glue ply a center hull, use as much of the parts from the SolCat 18 to finish it out. I'm leaning away from this because of the oddness of the Proa approach. I like the idea, but I'm not sure how pleasant it would be in Flathead lake MT, without steady trade winds, and the work involved in shunting often, potential re-sail, etc.

    2. Use one of the Hobie 18 hulls and build a ripping solo trimaran. Build my own beams and amas, use as much of the SolCat parts as I can.
    but... Would an 18 hull work for a center hull? Does it have enough volume for a 200lb person and some overnight gear? Could I cut in a cockpit sol for my feet?

    3. Use the SolCat 18 to make a Strike 18 or 20 or something similar. This would give me the best use of my existing parts. This option would allow my to use the SolCat's beams (they are just oval mast extrusions with a luff track) by cutting the now 10' beams in half, likely standing rigging, sail, maybe mast, and main sheet system as well as jib cars, tracks and such.
    Are a SolCat 18 hulls to small for a Strike 20? If the idea is a larger tri (like the strike 20), I want to be able to sleep in it coffin style. The Strike 18 is mostly an open cockpit, no birth. The Strike 20 has potential to nest one person below.

    Option 3 seems like the best use of the bits and bobs I have lying around (the mostly whole SolCat 18 w 10' beams)

    Or... am I better off landfilling the Hobie and SolCat hulls in favor of building my own everything at a likely lighter overall weight(?). Then using the SolCat bits to finish it out. With 4 hulls lying around, It seems silly not to use them.

    So many ideas:) But I have the space and I don't mind if it takes a couple years.

    What would "you" do? Thoughts?
    thank you.
     
  2. trip the light fandango
    Joined: Apr 2018
    Posts: 505
    Likes: 104, Points: 43
    Location: Rhyll Phillip Island Victoria Australia

    trip the light fandango Senior Member

    It's all about the cash,the moula, how much you enjoy building boats versus using them, resale, and of course the missus. Cutting a tremolino down the middle adding and 6 inches is another slightly hairbrained but interesting [I think] idea. A standard glass tremolino would suit your parts, building a new centre hull means at some stage making new bigger amas will definitely become a rational decision to battle with. A clearly bias opinion of course. If the hulls are in good enough condition I like your hobie main hull idea you can easily[ha] cut a foot well and reinforce by adding a skin from the second hull and bits an pieces grafted on to make it work, or cut both hobie not down the middle and make a wider version, that way the beam locators will work,.. voice trails of with mumbling[like use polyester, it's easier and of course the bows could just be joined , beginning the wedge shape..] accompanied by the occasional hand gesture.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2020
  3. aussiebushman
    Joined: Oct 2009
    Posts: 283
    Likes: 33, Points: 28, Legacy Rep: 132
    Location: Taralga NSW

    aussiebushman Innovator

    2014_refurb1.jpg beams_adjusted1 (600 x 399).jpg

    "Fandango" is quite right - what you do will largely be a balance between budget and practicality.
    Yes, you could cut the H18 hulls length-ways but I can't quite see what you gain. It seems like a lot of work for little benefit.
    The solution I think I would use (like last time) would be to build a new Vaka (centre) hull and use H18s as amas. The challenge would be how to deploy the beams to tie them together, especially if you want to fold for trailering.
    My own attempt was quite successful but the articulation was hampered by the fixings to the Vaka not being dead square - I know how that could be solved if you are interested.
    The bad news as I reported some time back is that my Tri came to a sad end when it was stripped and torched.
     

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  4. trip the light fandango
    Joined: Apr 2018
    Posts: 505
    Likes: 104, Points: 43
    Location: Rhyll Phillip Island Victoria Australia

    trip the light fandango Senior Member

    If you were to consider rebuilding Aussiebushman perhaps your floats would be suitable for a Buccaneer 24,it's a great boat from all reports, and thread, and they do come up in NSW , hard to tell the condition though from adds, nothing like the accommodation in your old tri though. Solcat and H18 hulls are a little small unfortunately. Bigfork, using a single H18 as a centre hull and solcats as the floats will take your weight pretty easily, it's a good way to use the parts , could be a keeper and probably has a resale value greater than the sum of its parts..build quality, condition dependant, I reckon.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  5. Bigfork
    Joined: Dec 2009
    Posts: 76
    Likes: 9, Points: 8, Legacy Rep: 17
    Location: Montana, USA

    Bigfork Junior Member

    Hello again!
    So Aussiebushman, I wouldn't cut the H18 hulls down the middle, but simply cut 7' off each bow, spin one and sister to the other bow creating a double-ender (if I was to go the western proa route). Again, the bows from each H18 to make the outrigger for a proa, stitch and glue a center hull. I'm aware of the "bang for buck" of the proa: fast, only building two hulls, but with the odd particularities of a proa. The H18 bows as an ama would have lots of volume. I imagine something between the Team Pure and Wild western proa that was in the R2AK couple years back and CLC's Madness.

    Trip, I hadn't thought about using the H18 as a center, the SolCat hulls as amas. I think the Solcat is actually closer to 19' long. Probably shouldn't have the center hull shorter than the amas.... hmmm.

    My current train of thought is to go the Strike 20 route or something similar. Because I have the beams from the SolCat (as well as all the other bits and bobs), it would likely be the appropriate donor. The Strike 20 folds up in such a way that a curved beam (H18) might not work as well as the straight extrusion the SolCat uses. And besides, I only have the H18 hulls, nothing else.

    Thanks for the food for thought gang. Suppose I should message the Strike 18/20 guy if I really want to go nuts. :)

    cheers!

    The pics are what I've got to work with. IMG_1310.JPG IMG_0290.JPG
     
  6. luckystrike
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 251
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    Location: Germany

    luckystrike Power Kraut

  7. peterbike
    Joined: Dec 2017
    Posts: 74
    Likes: 25, Points: 18
    Location: melbourne

    peterbike Junior Member

    Bigfork, you haven't yet mentioned how you will deal with storage when not in use.
    If the boat is to stay in the water, then design is wide open.
    If it is to come out of the water after each use - it changes things a lot.
    Things that must be considered.
    1. max. legal trailing width
    2. max. length of storage avail. (undercover ?)
    3. ease of set up, when you get to the water.

    I'm guessing you will trailer it, so...
    a bi plane cat using the hobie hulls with the solcat beams set at the max. trailerable/storage width - 9' ? + solcat rudders
    2 large windsurfer masts (maybe made bigger ?) dropped into holes - sails were wrapped around the mast. Use the wishbones.
    & a central pod.
    ie. pull the boat up onto the trailer , lift masts out of holes, lay on deck either side of the pod & you are ready to travel ;):cool:

    The pod ;
    1. could extend from deck level only, ie 600mm high/deep
    2. you could use 2 x solcat bows joined proa style (finished length ?)
    set to ? depth..... (same depth as hobie hulls ? less ?)

    summary of pod option 2 above; pod hull 14' long, double ender - forms storage + foot well, bugger all drag.
    with pod 900mm high from deck level, rounded profile (slippery) enough width for a double berth.

    Sell off all the other bits to finance the purchase of 2 x large windsurfer masts .
     
  8. rberrey
    Joined: Oct 2010
    Posts: 554
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    Location: AL gulf coast

    rberrey Senior Member

    Hi Bigfork , is the 23' tri up for sale in Bigfork also yours. If so could you give us a little insight into the design . Thank You Sir .
     
  9. Bigfork
    Joined: Dec 2009
    Posts: 76
    Likes: 9, Points: 8, Legacy Rep: 17
    Location: Montana, USA

    Bigfork Junior Member

    Greetings folks! So rberrey, no, I'm not listing a tri in the Bigfork area. I've only seen one F36 (i think) at our local NFYC (north valley yacht club) in my time crewing there and it's not mine $$$$ :)

    Peterbike, the Solcat is now a parts pile. I did acquire it for 200$, then sold the tilt trailer for 200$ so the whole lot is cream on top. I'm gonna save the Solcat hulls, 10' beams, etc for another someday project, ie Strike 18 or something similar with a bigger cutty. Decided to stay away from the wester proa idea...for now.

    During the lockdown, I pulled the trigger on a diy with what I had. If it fails, I'll take a saws-all to the lot and toss it in the bin.
    There's a thread started over in the boat building vein of this forum... "hobie 18 tri" I think.

    Following picture is the aft well just before dropping in the sol. Grade is aprox 4" above water line and sloping towards the transom. Might install cockpit drains out sides if needed. Also visible is 1/2 of the "integrated box bulkhead" which will present a 24" x 4" wide surface for mounting cross beams (which I'm leaning towards hinging ply box beams). Guessing the H18 vaca will tip in around 150-160 lbs tops...trying hard to keep it light. Factory hulls can range from 110-135. I have the tendency to overbuild/over-engineer :) There's lots of encapsulated 1" foam backed with door skin, all glassed...makes for a light reinforced panel.

    I know I should be using fancy marine grade. I know I have just enough savvy to get in over my head. I know there's no hope of re-sale, everything is healthily glassed, it will not float on a mooring, it will trailer and be stored inside. I'm doing lots of 'learning as I go' :) The blue Gougeon bible and youtube help.

    Here's a question...when tabbing a bh to the hobie hull, I was warned to soften or displace the 'hard point' that is formed at the bond...feathering out layers of tape to displace the stress. Say I use 3 layers of tabbing of various widths. After filleting, do I start with narrow tape and work to the wider one? or the other way around?...wider first working to narrow?

    Thanks for all the advice! You guys are priceless. cheers.
    cockpit 3.jpg
     

  10. BlueBell
    Joined: May 2017
    Posts: 2,684
    Likes: 959, Points: 113
    Location: Victoria BC Canada

    BlueBell . . . _ _ _ . . . _ _ _

    Generally, smaller to larger.
     
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