convertible vs tricabin

[kevin babineau]

Well if you've been following my posts you guys know I have a sedan with bunks and a tricabin. which both of them need extensive work .. Now I don't mean to offend anyone and both boats are beautiful ..it seems when researching this is sedan convertible brings in more money. The tricabin is more yachtish with its 2 bedroom 2 baths .. I'm not going deep sea fishing . but I'm curious to what use guys think . how many tricabin guys wish they had the sedan .. and vise a versa.. as far as strength and structurally ..

[Commissionpoint]

I'm tru-blu Trojan to the bone and I've alwat been a Conv. guy. Solidly. That is until recently when guys like Aaron and Tim have shared so much about thier tri's.

Still a conv. guy, but developing a taste for the right tri's.

Also still looking for a 14m. I like the green and white in that one.

[k9th]

To me it all depends on what style boating you are going to do. My wife and I like to take off on weekends and for a couple of weeks on vacation in the summer and cruise to different destinations on Lake Michigan. We often entertain other friends and family members aboard also so the comfort and room that the tri-cabin affords is ideal for us.

I have mine set up to be able to do some trolling but it is really not a good boat to fish from IMO. I know Ron fishes from his all the time so I guess it depends on what type of fishing you are going to do also.

For our purposes, the tri-cabin is perfectly suited for us.

[prowlersfish]

First forget about what boat brings more money ,making money on project boats in these times is pretty hard , losing money on a boat is the norm .

I like the convertible myself has all the room we need . They tri is a nice boat but not my style . Its not about what boat is better .Its about what boat fits your needs better and what YOU like better .

[P-Dogg]

A tricabin is great for entertaining, but not for serious fishing. Which are you going to do more of? Consider the following points in favor of the tri:

- two widely separated staterooms.
- two separate, independent heads. Trust me, when your only toilet goes out, it takes the life out of the party.
- covered entertaining/seating area next to the skipper is the place to be at the dock or underway, in good weather or bad.
- only way in or out of the cabin is to go by the skipper -- makes it easy to keep track of where kids are, unlike a flybridge, where everyone comes and goes below and behind you.
- being closer to the boats center of gravity (lower I believe, compared to a convertible), the helm does not move from side-to-side so much in heavy seas.
- ladies really love the forward deck bench seating.
- on that same note, the area above the salon makes a great place for the ladies to work on their tan, and is conveniently located in direct view of the skipper!

[aaronbocknek]

i tend to agree with all the points p-dogg brought up. what i like the most about the tri is the salon area, even in the winter. what i would do is close off the fwd and aft cabin doors, turn on my ceramic marine space heater and within a matter of minutes, the cabin would warm up to a very comfortable temp. pop in a microwave snack, put on a dvd of battlestar galactica or dr. who and you could not hope for a better winter relaxation place. for me, being a dog owner, the fact that maccabee is no more than 3 steps away is perfect. he can safely navigate the decks too, although he did venture up to the forward deck on the f-32 when i was working up there one day. how he did that, i will never know, but he did. as for low center of gravity.... that is one of the selling points that swung mom and dad on the tri. it is a very stable boat, and you don't feel like you are going to tip over in a wake or heavy sea. they also liked that the boat had 3 distinct 'sleeping' areas for a family of 5. my brother and i up front, my sister in the salon and mom and dad aft. heck, one time we were anchored out and when it rained for two solid days, all of us had a place to go w/ out killing each other. my favorite spots were napping while underway up front on the fwd seat or in the v-berth area. cheryle, my sister caused more than a few canoes to capsize anchored out near the tidal basin in dc while she sunbathed in her string bikini on the cabin roof.... i like the tri because it's easy to move around on too.... and phil (when he ever shows up) likes the wide side decks as he is NOT the most surefooted individual god ever put on this planet. also, engine access is great on the tri. i found the f-32's engine compartment to be a bit cramped for me to work comfortably in.

the bottom line is what type of boating you like to do, what type of entertaining, if any, you like to do, and the amount of usable living space you want. remember, trojans crammed a ton of living space in a little footprint. they were masters of it.

hope this helps.
aaron

[jefflaw35]

convertible!!

[EM63]

trojans crammed a ton of living space in a little footprint. they were masters of it.

Doubble plus at this fact
--
Greetings - Heiner

[75 Tri Cabin]

I looked at a F36 conv and loved it. Still wish I bought it. We had a 34 Silverton conv. I liked the sliding door and we enclosed the cockpit with a full enclosure. That gave us so much more room to entertain. Then I looked at the 36 tri cabin loved it, bought it. We are planning in the very near future to move aboard her. We will be moving her to Jax, FL. After spending time on her here, I find I want the 36 conv. Climbing up and down the steps and not being able to get anything thru the entry ways is nothing but a pain in the you know what. Anyone want to trade?

[jimbo36]

We looked at a F32 and loved it. Great looking boat. I always liked the lines. Then we decided to look at tri's (never liked the "tri fly" model) and realized it was way more practical for our boating style. I like the look of our boat but the F32 is a better looking boat IMO. I also like the pre '77 tri with the cockpit for line handling, fish, if desired and the large entry to the aft cabin. I think it looks better as well. Bottom line, two great boats.