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The original design parameter was to create the smallest seagoing
trimaran that could accommodate a family of four with two teenage boys - our
family - and which I could build myself. Another requirement was demountability.
I was not alone among those who, during the back yard builder's "multihull
hysteria" of the 1960's and 70's, needed to build in one location and launch
somewhere else. Consequently she has the "A-Frame" crossbeams, which
are welded aluminum trusses that permit the three hulls to be separated. The
boat is not "trailerable" as such, for it is difficult to get all
three hulls on one trailer, but demountability allowed us to build the boat
at our canyon home where the only vehicular access was via a steep logging road.
Also in the original A-Frame concept was the desire to minimize
the pounding of wave tops underneath the wings, which is the Achilles Heel of
most cruising multihulls. In SCRIMSHAW the outboard two-thirds of each wing,
for their full length, exposes only open netting and the A-Frame tubing to the
waves - no fixed solid surfaces - and this virtually eliminates underwing pounding.
It took some three and a half years for me to build this boat.
I didn't have a lot of time to work on her for the first two years because I
had clients building all four of the initial Searunner sizes before I had finished
the plans for any of them. The guys were building themselves out of drawings,
and I was spending months hunched over the drafting board trying to keep up
with them. By 1970 we had the hulls complete and the main hull's interior
roughed-in. With the help of friends we were able to move the hulls to Santa
Cruz for assembly near a launching ramp. Moved in pieces, this was perhaps the
most hazardous voyage she has ever made. Completion took nearly a year of almost
full-time work, but we finally had a great launching with friends. We moved
aboard the same day and made our lives around her for the next three years. Those years were probably the most challenging, yet fun and
fulfilling, years of our lives. We sailed from the Central California coast
in September of '72. Steven and Russell were eleven and twelve. Jo Anna and
I were kicking forty. We sold or gave away everything we had that did not belong
on the boat, and consigned our design business to friends Tom Freeman and John
Marples. We had little idea of where we were going but had no intention of returning
to California. The first lap of our voyage took us down the Western seaboard
of Mexico and Central America to Panama. But there was a sustained interruption
in Guatemala, where we moved ashore for eight months while I recuperated from
hepatitis. We moved up into the mountains to rent a very cool place in the old
colonial city of Antigua; the first Spanish capitol in the new world. We all
went to school to study Spanish, and bought an old panel truck to explore Guatemala
(still the most exotic country we have come to know). We left there feeling
like we had finally made it into "The Cruising Mode." From there, a Pacific crossing was considered, but I felt the
boat was not large enough to carry sufficient fresh water for the four of us
on extended open-water passages. So we transited the Canal, cruised the North
coast of Panama and Colombia to Cartagena (our favorite port), and then crossed
the Caribbean going northwest to returned to Guatemala on its Caribbean side
via the Rio Dulce. There we moved ashore again (into an old United Fruit crewshack
that was exquisitely located on the bank of this almost pristine waterway. We
were the only yacht in the area (now there are 400), and it was true Tarzan
territory. After another eight months we left reluctantly (to get the
boys back in school). We cruised Belize and Yucatan, and then passed around
the western end of Cuba to Key West. We slowly made our way up the Intracoastal
Waterway until July, 1975 when we fell off the horse in Tidewater Virginia.
We had outgrown the boat for sustained cruising with four in the crew. But we have kept SCRIMSHAW for 33 years almost as a family
heirloom. Since our "big trip" she has traveled from Nova Scotia to
Cuba, including lots of Chesapeaking and several trips to Maine. Unlike many
other SR-31's, SCRIMSHAW has never made a real ocean crossing, never been seriously
raced, and always had my personal maintenance attention. Performance… SCRIMSHAW has a deep (6'6" draft) kick-up centerboard,
and a very deep (3'11" draft) kick-up, outboard, skeg-type rudder. (The
main hull itself draws 28" empty, 33" loaded.) Both board and rudder
are controlled by lines to the cockpit; in the up position the rudder stows
dry. Sailing upwind, whether in protected water or in open sea,
SCRIMSHAW is comfortably faster and somewhat more close-winded than most 40-foot
monohull racer-cruisers. She is steered by a power-sipping tiller pilot (Autohelm
2000 (two spares carried) which holds a tight course. Sailing upwind in protected
water with about fifteen knots of wind, the boat averages seven knots (spurts
to nine) while making an honest 90°-to-100° between tacks over the bottom.
(All tacking angles stated here are "made good," assuming no current).
Offshore when beating against tradewind conditions (wind speeds
in the mid teens and seas of four-to-six feet) she is most comfortable when
sail is reduced to slow her down to less than five knots. At such times she
makes 110°-120° between tacks (again over the bottom). When threatened
by a lee shore and winds of, say, 35-to-40 knots and 7-to-10 foot white horses,
she will gain good ground to windward (about 135° between tacks). That's
a good thing, because in such conditions upwind her outboard motor is of little
use. In light airs she is nothing special unless the spinnaker is
flown; at times she can reach under spinnaker at almost wind speed. In strong
winds she will reach (no surfing) at 10 to 12 knots when pushed and lightly
loaded. In a blow, the boat will ride like a baby buggy to an 8-foot
parachute (two are carried) set on a bridle from the float sterns with the bridle
parts led to the primary winches for good control when crabbing downwind. Yes,
because of the central cockpit this boat can take seas from the stern while
restrained from surfing by a drogue or parachute. This stern-drogue tactic avoids
the chance of being thrown back against the rudder, always a possibility if
restrained by the bows. However, SCRIMSHAW has never been caught out in a major
storm, and the parachute has been used mainly to hold station while getting
some rest. Most cruisers are fitted with dodgers to protect the cabin
hatch, and many also have Bimini tops to shade the helmsperson. However, the
helmsperson is still left out in the wind and spray. By contrast, since 1995,
all sailing in SCRIMSHAW transpires with the helmsperson completely protected
from sun-and-wind, rain-and-spray. Furthermore the watchkeeper has access to
the mast without leaving the cockpit, and can have complete 360° visibility
unobstructed even by the dodger. Here's how: The dodger is unique; it is bungee-loaded to allow folding
down flat in seconds with one hand. This gives complete visibility when maneuvering
and provides access to the mast cleats from the cockpit. This allows the helmsperson
to handle the halyards while another goes on deck to deal with the sails. This dodger is coupled with a small, double thick, insulated
awning with side flaps. The awning has a central ridge pole and sets from the
gooseneck and shrouds to an after hoop, all beneath the boom so as not to encumber
sailing. The awning, with side flaps down, keeps the cockpit windless and stands
without flogging in 50-knot squalls, yet in case of extreme winds it can be
do handed fairly quickly. This combination of dodger and awning and flaps stops
all rain and spray (except driving rain from dead aft when only most of it is
stopped). A surround mosquito net zips to the awning to completely enclose the
cockpit while the dodger is either up or down. Thus the cockpit dwellers can
experience black shade with simultaneous bug protection plus moving air and
visibility on all sides. In short, two or three sailors, or a couple with two
kids, can take this boat anywhere in the fair season without getting wet or
cold or cooked or bugged. Spars, rigging and sails… SCRIMSHAW carries a robust double-spreader rig with a standing
backstay and headstay, upper and intermediate shrouds, after lowers and a baby
forestay. The shrouds attach to chainplates on the cabin sides; they support
the mast independently of the floats and A-Frames, and allow sheeting the headsails
outside the shrouds. The mast also carries a running forestay from the upper
spreaders to the stemhead, and running backstays from the upper spreaders to
the aft A-Frame outboard. These running backstays lead to Highfield levers that
can be reached from the cockpit. However, the runners are seldom used (see below).
The 35-foot "unbreakable" aluminum mast is stepped
on deck in a tabernacle and can be raised or lowered using the boom as a gin
pole and the sheet winches for power - no crane required. Small, very streamlined
mast steps lead to the top; the spreaders are strong enough to stand or sit
on. This mast sets a full-battened, high-hatted mainsail with three
reefs. The battens overlap the backstay but do not inhibit tacking (the sail
has chafe guards and the backstay has a roller). This type of sail offers the
least expensive means to significantly improve performance, and best of all
it can be feathered in strong winds without flogging.) When triple reefed, the
mainsail's headboard and leech both fly beneath the running backstays, thus
in blowey weather the mast can be doubly supported by the running stays without
conflicting with the mainsail when tacking or running. Again, this arrangement
is seldom used but is very comforting when needed. The mainsail is fitted with 1" internal nylon slides so
that when the mast track is lubricated with silicone spray, the sail hoists
very easily and, more important, drops like a ton of bricks. The boom is fitted
with lazy jacks to facilitate furling and gasketing the mainsail, whereupon
the lazy jacks can be carried forward to stow at the gooseneck. Thus stowed,
installing the sail cover is much easier. (Sail covers should be double thick
on their upper parts for maximum sun blocking on expensive mainsails.) More
important, stowing the lazy jacks makes it possible to hoist and hand the mainsail
without motoring dead into the wind (what if the motor is out?). The boom has a power outhaul controlled from the gooseneck,
but the gooseneck is fixed on the mast; no downhaul (the sail is small enough
to adjust luff tension with the halyard winch). There is a standing topping
lift (never tended) and the boom end can be secured absolutely by hooking it
to a wire pigtail that hangs from the backstay bridle junction. This junction
also mounts the radar reflector plus the VHF and GPS antennae. There is only one working headsail, a 140% Genoa that is strong
enough for both roller furling and reefing even down to stormsail size. It has
a sunstrip, and is both rolled and sheeted from within the shelter of the cockpit/dodger/awning.
The boat has no travelers or sheeting tracks, but in fair weather
the sheets are either vanged, Barber-hauled or led directly outboard to snatchblocks
on the docking cleats or stanchion bases. Both primary and secondary sheet winches
permit full control of the sheets on all points of sailing. There is a standby "slutter" staysail (never yet
used) to be hanked on a running forestay in event of damage to the Genoa or
malfunction of its roller furler (never happened yet). A very large, flat-headed
spinnaker is usually set with no spinnaker pole. However, a 20-foot pole is
carried (hidden under one running board) for booming-out the big Genoa when
running wing-on-wing. SCRIMSHAW is power-driven by a 9.9 hp. Yamaha "sailor
model" four stroke outboard motor mounted on a sled-type bracket; this
sled has pronounced deadrise on its bottom to avoid pounding in chop. The motor
will maintain steerageway against a 30-knot wind and 3' chop. She makes seven
knots in calms at full throttle when empty, 5 ½ when loaded, and five
with two-thirds throttle burning 1/3 gallon per hour. The sled is raised and
lowered from the cockpit to adjust for motor-sailing on opposite tacks, retracts
level with the underwing, and the motor can be further tilt ed up for high clearance
of the prop and lower unit when at sea. Starting, throttle and shifting are
controlled from the cockpit. Anchoring… The boat carries three anchors always ready to deploy. The
bower anchor, a large but lightweight Fortress with custom mud palms, stows
on a bow roller. This anchor will bite instantly into all soft bottoms free
of weed. The secondary anchor, a folding Northill for hard bottoms, stows in
the self-bailing foredeck anchor well, and the stern hook, a small Danforth,
lives in the self-bailing lazerette. All are ready to deploy with chain leaders
and rode made up. When at sea, the storm drogue and its bridle are stowed ready
to deploy in the lazerette. Hauling up the bower anchor is done by hand, but the sailor
sits down on the foredeck hatch and braces his or her feet against the pulpit
stanchions. When combined with the bow roller and good gloves, this ergonomic
is very powerful and easy on the back. The rode and chain are draped directly
into the anchor well located between one's knees. There are four large anchor
cleats and a robust bollard on the foredeck for handling lots of big lines,
and the bollard is topped by a hand winch for breaking out anchors when there
is no room to maneuver. There are strongpoints on the float bows and sterns
for hanging snatchblocks to lead anchor and drogue bridles. Most anchoring is done with the bower set on just one boatlength
of chain and a double rode. On the boat's end of the chain there is a good swivel,
and the two rodes run all the way from the swivel to the float bows, through
snatchblocks and then inboard to the foredeck cleats. This bridle system totally
eliminates chafing the rodes and absolutely stops sailing at anchor even in
very hard winds. In addition, this bridle - when combined with the retractable
centerboard and rudder - permits the sailor to decide whether he wants the vessel
to lay at anchor facing the current or the wind. When in a crowded anchorage
with keel monohulls, it is necessary to lay with the current to avoid conflict
with neighbors. This is done by lowering both board and rudder and tying the
tiller at whatever angle to the current seems best. Otherwise, lying to the
wind (both rudder and board retracted) is often more comfortable… no rolling!
And of course, the multihull advantage of anchoring in very shallow water, probably
in the most protected part of the harbor, cannot be overvalued when cruising. Swimstep… The swimstep stern, added in 1987, increases the main hull's
length by about three feet (to 34' overall) and was built primarily to accommodate
the outboard, kick-up rudder. The quadrant and steering cables interrupt the
middle step, but one may still board here from a dinghy. The rudder has a small
underwater step which is handy for swimmers and divers to climb out of the water
even while wearing tanks. Hatches… The foredeck hatch is made of ½" Plexiglas with
teak coamings, husky dogs and a vinyl gasket that does not leak even when the
deck is inundated. It hinges aft to lay securely open against the baby forestay.
The float hatches have teak coamings, robust turnpegs and vinyl gaskets that
do not leak even when the float is driven through crests. They hinge outboard
to lay securely open against the float bulwarks. The cockpit hatches are both of the companion type. The after
companion slides aft and the forward companion removes for stowage in keepers
on the cabin top. There are three drop boards for each; light enough to be managed
with one hand, they remove-replace easily into keystone openings with custom
stainless steel channels. The drop boards stow neatly behind a bungee keeper
against the port side cockpit seat front. Both companion hatches are fitted
with Sunbrella flaps with battens and footweights; they roll up or drop down
quickly to offer privacy and closure in the cabins, thereby eliminating most
usage of the dropboards. Wing decks… The open wings are fitted with a hand-laid nylon net having
4" squares. This netting is deemed sufficiently open to easily relieve
both air pressure and green water, but it is too open to be easily walked or
slept on. Therefore, the net's traffic area is covered with a piece of raw okoume
plywood (best for non-skid) that is lashed to the net with wide breather spaces
all around. This makes for secure walking on the netted areas yet the plywood
panel does not pound in steepest seas. Adjacent to the netting and fastened to the cabin side are
"running boards," long redwood planks 12" wide. They are located
at convenient height (passing through the A-Frames) for stepping in and out
of the cockpit and for accessing both the foredeck and sterndeck. They also
serve as benches for seating at least four passengers each side with their backs
against the cabin and their feet on the net. Lifelines and railings… The float decks are guarded with gated rope life lines set
on very robust aluminum stanchions. The stanchion bases are strong enough to
be used for headsail sheeting and dock lines. Because the way to fall overboard from these boats seems to
be over the leading or trailing edges of the wings, this boat has deck-level
rope lifelines strong enough to fall on stretched between the hulls at bow and
stern. Both the foredeck and sterndeck are protected with very robust
aluminum pulpit railings mounted on reinforced stanchions that pass through
the deck to fasten below. (Aluminum alloy 6061-T6 is deemed a superior railing
material to the usual 304 stainless steel because the aluminum is much stiffer
and lighter. It is not yachtsie-shiney, but if anodized it lasts for decades
with minimal corrosion.) These railings extend onto the cabin tops to serve
as handrails; they completely surround the crew when working on the foredeck
and sterndeck, and are strong enough to be used as diving boards. All junctions
are made with cast aluminum SpeedRail fittings; none have broken. One must step
over these railings to pass from the side decks to the hull decks, but the inconvenience
at anchor is readily accepted when one experiences the "grab anywhere"
security of these surrounding rails at sea. (The greatest single danger of seafaring
is falling overboard.) Cockpit… SCRIMSHAW'S cockpit is located dead amidships on top of the
centerboard trunk and just aft of the mast. The tiller swings between the seats
from a tiller head mounted way aft at sole level. The tiller pilot is mounted,
hard-wired and stowed permanently in a recess into the starboard seat front;
it swings out for quick connection to the tiller so that when the boat is being
steered by tiller pilot, both tiller and pilot operate at sole level. One must
step over this installation when passing through the cockpit, and reach down
for the pilot's keypad, but otherwise the cockpit is unobstructed. When hand
steering, the tiller elevates from its custom head and stays up with sufficient
resistance to comfortably support the weight of the helmsman's arm. Nevertheless
it can be pushed down to engage the pilot. Or, the craft is often steered with
the feet with the tiller at sole level. There are two bulkhead-mounted compasses, one each side of
the forward companion hatch. Four small stowage bins, two behind each seat,
serve as protected sanctuaries for the cockpit stereo speakers and to stow winch
handles, idle sheets, flare gun, horn, sunscreen, bug dope, coffee cups, wine
glasses, small stuff… the usual cockpit clutter. Anything you can't find,
look there. The primary sheet winches are Barient 20's (single speed, smooth
drum, NOT self-tailing) and mount outboard of the after companion hatch. Sheets
lead from the winches directly to cam cleats for instant release. In addition,
these cleats are arranged to flip up for adjustable automatic sheet releasing
in squalls; this requires smooth winch drums. (I consider self tailing winches
with checkered drums for large headsails on multihulls to be dangerous especially
for family crews.) Handling the headsail sheets is done by one sailor while standing
in the after hatchway where releasing, hauling, cranking and tailing can all
be done by a single crew who is supported at the hips by the hatchway with his
upper body free to work both sides while also facing forward to see the sail.
This position also gives access to the main sheet winch (also not self-tailing)
and to the rudder and centerboard uphauls and downhauls. Secondary sheet winches
for vangs, Barber haulers and spinnaker sheets are mounted just outboard of
the cockpit coamings and are best accessed from the seats. The cockpit is short, only four feet long but seven feet wide.
The seats are not long enough to stretch out on (my only disappointment with
the boat) but they will seat two cozy people each side facing inboard, better
with one each side while maneuvering under sail A third, or perhaps a solo sailor,
is then standing in the after hatchway to handle sheets as described above).
The cockpit seat cushions are dense 2" closed-cell foam
covered with heavy vinyl and attached to removable, ventilated plywood pallets
that are slightly elevated above the boat's structural seat surface; this keeps
the foam from sitting in water and becoming soggy. The seats are wide enough
to curl up on for catnapping, but for serious relaxing, these seats will accommodate
one person each side facing forward or aft, feet up, reclined against a "Bag
Lady" marine-quality bean bag. This is the most comfortable seat in the
boat and by itself justifies the dodger/awning/bug net combination (described
below), for with the beanbags the cockpit becomes the boat's lay-around lounge
for a couple in most weather both under way and in harbor. There is an 18" X 36" cockpit table that mounts at
the forward companion and is supported aft by the tiller. This table turns the
cockpit into a generous dining area for up-to-four people, but its use is restricted
to dockside or secure anchorages because the tiller is inaccessible so long
as the table is set up. The table stows with the drop boards. The cockpit sole drains through eight cut-outs into a self-bailing
subdeck hold located a foot below the sole. This subdeck hold, used for stowing
portable fuel tanks, is located well above the waterline and is sealed from
the interior hull. It drains and vents via four scuppers through the hull topsides
and also via the huge centerboard trunk whose top is open to the subdeck. This
arrangement provides good ventilation for the fuel tanks and exceptionally rapid
self bailing for the cockpit. Even if the cockpit is filled to the brim by a
wave (yes, it has happened to Searunners but not to SCRIMSHAW), there is every
chance to purge the vessel of excess weight before the next big wave arrives.
The fuel line, with squeeze ball and see-thru filter, leads from the portable
plastic tanks to the motor without entering the cabins. (Portable tanks are
indicated for hauling fluids with the dinghy.) The cockpit sole itself hinges
up-outboard in two pieces to reveal the fuel hold located at subdeck level;
the open sole halves stand securely against the seat-fronts for working in the
hold. Up to six, 6-gallon tanks total are accommodated, either fresh water or
fuel. The fillpipe and vent for the belowdecks water tank (only 20
gallons) is also located in this compartment, where water jugs placed on the
cockpit seats will siphon quickly into the tank and spills will self bail. This compartment also contains the steering box which has a
see-through window for viewing the quadrant and steering cables. The outboard
motor's control cables and conductors are also accessible from the fuel hold.
In addition, the centerboard and its control lines are easily reached in the
trunk from here. With the vessel lying afloat, the centerboard pivot pin can
be pulled from the forward cabin's stowage hold (only a quart of water is taken
before the centerboard gland can be closed). Now the board itself can be pushed
down and slid aft to emerge at the open trunk in the fuel hold. Using the main
halyard and its winch on the mast, the centerboard can now be lifted up through
the cockpit and lowered onto the wingdeck for service. This is done without
hauling out the vessel, and so makes beach haulouts possible; no crane, railway
or TraveLift are required, but they do make things easier. Forepeak… A large bin in the eyes of the hull serves to stow the staysail,
the garden sprayer shower, and miscellaneous items. Showering is done with a garden sprayer while seated on the
head's seat cover. In chilly weather the sprayer can be filled with warm water
from the kettle. The adjustable nozzle atomizes fresh water so economically
that four people can soap up and scrub down with a freshwater spray, dive overboard
to get rid of the soap, and then rinse off with fresh water… All on one
gallon of fresh! Also, one person can wash long hair on one gallon by the same
method. This head/shower compartment is sealed with epoxy and is easy to clean
with the shower nozzle. The sump is pumped out by hand with the bilge pump.
Sunbrella shower curtains guard the forepeak and the "dressing room"
giving privacy to the head/shower. Dressing Room… Note that there are no bunks in the bow, which makes this space
possible. There is standing headroom here, a vanity counter with lavatory sink
and foot pump, and ample stowage bins for all linens, towels, a hanging wardrobe
bag and vanity items. The large, translucent cabin-front window brings ample
light to this pleasant space. The sole in this compartment lifts out to reveal a deep bilge
capable of holding a 5-gallon water jug and a large supply of canned and bottled
stores contained on a palette isolated from the bilge itself. The scuttle plug
and retractable speed transducer are accessed from here. The dressing room serves together with the head compartment
in this way: After swimming or sailing in a gale, a crew member may drop down
through the forward hatch, strip and rinse in the head, and then step aft into
the dressing room to dry off and don dry clothing, all without passing through
the cabin while dripping wet. One can indeed keep clean and non-salty with a
minimum of fresh water. This feature has proven invaluable for a small boat
with a large crew on a long cruise. Sleeping Cabin… Taking two steps up going aft from the dressing room, one enters
the forward sleeping cabin where two narrow quarter berths are tucked part way
under the cockpit seats. These bunks have stowage for clothing beneath, are
located at the boat's minimal-motion point, are high and quiet above the waterline,
are easy to enter and hard to fall out of. There is no standing headroom here
but there is sitting headroom in the bunks, and sole level is correct for sitting
on the bunks with one's feet on the sole. Large windows are at eye level when
sitting in the bunks. These windows can be darkened for sleeping; like all the
boat's windows, removable Sunbrella shades are snapped-on from outside, and
the shades for these bunk windows are double-thick to really darken them for
daylight sleeping. The bunks are further secluded by thick Pullman curtains.
They make a dark, quiet place to rest even when the boat is romping and the
galley (in the aft cabin) is being used. Navigation discussions and radio communication
also occur apart from this sleeping cabin. Even further seclusion is achieved
by inserting the companion drop boards or closing the hatch flap, whereupon
the entire forward cabin, dressing room and head become a separate world from
the cockpit and after cabin. The centerpiece in this forward sleeping cabin is the mast
step support, a redwood column which delivers the downward thrust on the mast
step (the greatest single stress in the vessel) down to the centerboard trunk;
yes, the trunk extends forward from the cockpit under this cabin, too). The
column interrupts passage through this cabin but is very handy as a grab post
in heavy weather. The mast light switches are at the top of this column and
can be reached from the cockpit. There is also a fan and reading lights for
the bunks. The sole in this cabin swings open in two parts, secured open
with turnpegs, to give access to two levels of storage holds each .side of the
centerboard trunk. The trunk cap can be removed for access to the electric ground
and the centerboard controls. (The mast and all rigging chainplates are grounded
here with separate conductors, and the masthead has a sharpened spike to dissipate
the static charge that could otherwise attract a lightening strike; SCRIMSHAW
has never yet been struck by lightening but she has hit a power line, when the
thorough grounding was critical for throwing the breaker on the line.) The very simple electric panel (only six fused circuits) is
located in the portside bunk front. The entire panel is easily removed for access
to the wiring. The wiring harness has never perceptibly leaked current and never
blown a fuse! The panel is directly adjacent to the batteries. The boat's only batteries, two, 6-volt golf cart batteries
wired in series, are located here in the upper level of the main stowage hold.
Charged by a single small solar panel on the cabin top and by a 10-amp dynamo
on the outboard motor, they are adequate for coastal cruising and for running
about 24 hours under tiller pilot steering in dark weather. Designed to be completely
discharged without damage, these batteries are easily accessed for maintenance
and are known to last at least ten years in this service. If completely discharged,
the motor can be pull-started to recharge. Other items like the toolbox, bosun's box and cockpit screen
are also stowed here for easy access, but these items must be removed for reaching
the lower level stowage hold. In this deep space, an abundance of heavy spares
stores and emergency fresh water in 5-gallon jugs are kept for infrequent access
when cruising foreign waters; their weight is advantageously located deep amidships.
The centerboard gland is in this hold, best reached by a tall person standing
in the dressing room. By taking one step up from the forward sleeping cabin, through
the companion hatch, and two steps aft through the cockpit, one then steps down
through the aft companion hatch into the galley - but that last step is a doozer!
Actually it is about three steps down, but we have found that a legitimate companion
ladder here is more nuisance than assistance. Instead we simply hop down or
place a foot into the open storage bins in the galley counter fronts; they are
strong enough to use as steps. The hatch coamings have robust hand holds for
assisting in this maneuver. The hatchway is large enough to allow two persons
to pass in the companionway, and it provides exceptional ventilation in the
galley below. Galley… This compartment, the most important space in the boat, has
counters on both sides of the hull. The stove is to port and sink is to starboard.
For a boat of her size, there is a very large area of counter space adjacent
to both the stove and the sink. The stove is just a two-burner propane, recessed
to counter level, with a portable stove-top oven that has done a lot of baking.
The sink is a deep single with fresh water coming from a two-phase foot pump,
and seawater coming through a 1" diameter spigot supplied by a diaphragm
pump reached through an opening directly under the spigot. This powerful seawater
pump is handy for "blast-rinsing" crusty pots and pans, and the sink
drain will swallow anything up to the size of a Mexican lime without plugging
up. Counter tops are Formica, well sealed around their edges and
sloped very slightly to drain inboard. Above the counters are copious storage
shelves and bins, two generous spice racks, and hangers for a teak cutting board
(that fits into the sink opening) and for the hot water kettle (which locks
snugly against the bulkhead even when filled with hot water). There is a window
over each galley counter, with lights and a fan overhead. Beneath the counters are two small drawers and more storage
bins; there are four long shelves with high fiddles. Beneath the galley sole is a shallow bilge containing the bladder
for collecting melt water from the built-in (but removable) ice box. Underneath the cockpit's fuel hold and accessible from the
galley are two really large, deep holds for long-term galley stores. Each hold
will accommodate a large Igloo (normally used to organize dry stores in bags
and boxes), and there is additional space for bulk grains held in 3-gallon plastic
buckets with snap-down lids. The boat's waterproof strongbox is secured by locked
chain in the port hold. Sterncastle… We're there! This is the juiciest space belowdecks, a compartment
so livable that one understands why so many classic sailing ships have the "great
cabin" in the stern. SCRIMSHAW'S sterncastle features a convertible dinette with
seats for two cozy diners on each side (one per side more comfortably). A slide-out,
cantilevered (no legs) redwood dining table between them is strong enough to
fall on. Beneath the aft window at the end of the table there is a deep,
full-width shelf that accommodates the radios, navigation instruments, books
and do-dads. Flat chart stowage is overhead, and much of the galley is reachable
while seated here. Large stowage bins for clothing and personal items are located
behind the seat backs, and beneath the sole are more bins and the 5-day ice
box. (When coastal cruising we have almost always been able to keep fresh food,
even in the tropics.) This space also converts for sleeping; the table slides back,
the seats fold up and the mattress (with bedding) pulls out to make a tight
double bunk or a luxurious single. (Jo Anna and I slept here for two years,
quite secluded from our young sons in the forward cabin.) Dinghy… SCRIMSHAW'S original dinghy is a rigid fiberglass "JESTER"
class skiff having a very Herrishoffian shape; vertical stem, full bilges,and
wineglass transom. SCRIMSHANKER is only 7' 1" long for reasons explained
below. She has rugged washdecks, a longitudinal thwart with centerboard trunk
under (currently plugged but available for sailing) a sternseat, built-in buoyancy,
and two sets of rowlocks with one set of custom ash-shank oars having cupped
fiberglass blades. With one person aboard, using the aft rowlocks) she rows
like a dream, carrying well and straight between strokes. Her long-since worn
out sailing rig and rudder made her a hot boat for our boys to learn on. With
two adults aboard (using the forward rowlocks) she trims well but boggs down
in a chop. In dead flat water she has barely managed with two adults, two kids,
a block of ice and a bag of laundry. She sometimes tolerates a 38-pound outboard
motor and two adults, but she is nothing like a "deflatable" for commuting
around the harbor, diving or exploring; these are purposes for which we often
use the mother ship. The reasons for having such a small-but-rigid dinghy are as
follows; it cannot go pssssst. It has lasted heavy use and kid-abuse for almost
40 years (I built her way before SCRIMSHAW). It can be dragged aboard the mother
ship with one hand and so is never towed or left dangling by its painter overnight
to tempt thieves. It stows on the side deck without blocking access to the float
hatch. For seagoing, it stows lashed to the stern railings on top of the sterncastle.
I'd love to keep this beautiful little boat for my grandson Noah, but I'll let
her stay with SCRIMSHAW because they would really miss each other. One thing that amazes me is how long many of the Searunners,
including mine, have lasted. Considering that they were built by the hundreds
in back yards all over the world, often with economy materials by neophyte builders
- and, yes, designed by a neophyte designer - it is almost unreasonable that
there are apparently still hundreds of these boats in active service. Bob Wilson
currently has over 100 boats on his Searunner Owner's List website and it's
growing all the time. He has launched a newsletter at; http://www.trimariner.com/searunner/newsletter.html
My first submission is a Searunner Retrospective, and I plan to participate
regularly. If there's one thing that explains the longevity of some of
these craft but not others it is ventilation. And if there's another, its prompt,
meticulous mending - even band aid style - of any violation of the fiberglass
membrane that protects the wood from changes in moisture content. A full explanation
of how to ventilate and how to make the mends and band aids on a plywood multihull
appears on line at the Searunner Newsletter. Meanwhile, SCRIMSHAW is doing well, but my eyesight has declined
to the point that I can no longer trust myself to maintain or operate her safely.
I can't spot the dings and hairline cracks, and I can't read the compass or
the charts. Worst of all, I ran over a neighbor last fall. While anchored in
his little skiff, he was meditating on the end of a fishing pole. Being partly
deaf, he couldn't hear me coming, and being legally blind I didn't see him sitting.
SCRIMSHAW dragged him and his skiff through the starboard tunnel and it scared
the hell out of both of us. No blood and no damage, but it was a close thing.
My number one son Steven helped me spiff the boat in October
2004, and as far as we can tell there is not one spot of rot in her. She is
probably stable for the next ten years, and she's ready to go anywhere. However,
I must confront the prospect of someone else taking charge someday soon. No remorse! We've said our goodbyes more than once, and whoever
gets this boat is removing a kindly monkey from my back. I've come to love the
critter for where and how she's ridden me for all these years. I suspect there
is a certain someone somewhere who could come to feel the same about this oldie-but-goodie
woodie, and I hope she comes to feel the same about her new master-and-servant.
Fair Winds Jim |