Today I Am A Forum Supporter!

[blair]

First post as a Supporter. I suppose it takes a day or two for the banner to appear beside my name.
Here is a picture of the Motor Vessel "Impulsive". The name was so appropriate, we decide there was no need to change it
[URL=http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/ ... .jpg[/img][/url]
Impulsive is a 1979 tricabin with twin 255 Mercruiser engines. Love the sound of that underwater exhaust!. The interior is a little "dated" but she runs nicely, with good manners. I spent most of last summer going back and forth, testing, having survey done, testing again, and THEN showing my wife, who loved everything but the interior. I don't think we're going to suffer twofootitis for some time. I looked at a few tricabins and really liked the older version with the rear cockpit, but didn't want to deal with rot under all that wood. I kind of prefer the walkthrough to the bridge rather than the stepladder up to it and I really like the midship engines, under the salon. Took me three weeks to figure out that the whole floor of the salon just comes up...makes working in the engine bay pretty easy. All in all, it's pretty much everything we were looking for in a boat and, best of all, my wife thinks it was HER idea to buy it
This picture was taken at her previous home port, Owen Sound, just before we brought her through the Trent Canal system in Ontario to her new home (for now) on Sturgeon Lake, in the Kawarthas area of southern Ontario.
By far the largest boat we have ever owned, we'll spend a good part of the Summer just getting used to all that boat.
I've posted a few questions here, but now that I'm a Supporter, I may just have to post a few more. I have already gleaned great value from this forum, having read many threads about the tricabin prior to pulling the trigger. Easily got my $15 dollars worth already. Thanks to all...Love the forum and looking forward to learning so much more about the tricabin...talking to you here Aaron

First official question...I'm installing new impeller and housings tomorrow. can someone tell me which engine rotates in which direction? I didn't mark the input/output hoses on removal.

[The Dog House]

Congratulations on the Tricabin! I love the layout of the Tri. If cost were no object I would definitely have a Tri.

[aaronbocknek]

well mazel tov and congratulations on the TRI. ahhhh those underwater exhausts..... an interesting set up to be sure, but, i'm sure you have already discovered how the underwater jets 'lift' the boat out of the water to assist in getting the boat to plane faster. and you cannot beat that stable tri cabin ride either, even in some chop. mike (mike kulp on here) and kathy of trojan international delta conic hull design even complimented the nice ride on my tri last season.
i see that your tri cabin has the aft cabin port lights too (as you may or may not know, that design changed in late 1979 for the 1980 model year to sliding plexiglass windows.---- personally, i'd have preferred that they kept the portlight set up. i think that is more water tight as long as the seals are intact.)
so, since you gave me the shout out, i'm here to assist. what can i do for ya? and of course, we LOVE pictures, so, when you can, post a few of her interior. and yes, the engine bay access is second to none. i love that i can really work on things when i need to, save for the genset. it's a little tight where it is.
so, again, welcome and let the questions come forth.

[blair]

Hey thanks for the official welcome!
The tri rides nicely. We don't go fast, but we do go in comfort. We did get up to about 25 miles per hour in sea trials and also when we were trying to make the last lock through on our trip home last September. If you miss the last lockthrough you have to wait til 9:00 AM.The wake behind the tri was HUGE when we were on the plane...have to watch that in some areas of the Trent system...shoreline owners will shake their fists at you
The port windows are very nicely sealed, when the hatches are closed.
Speaking of hatches, is there a easy way to get that worn out couch out of the hold, without taking the salon hatch off? I've read that resealing it is a PITA. I'm leaning towards tearing it apart, much like we did with those barrel chairs.
I'll post some pictures later tonight. I'm just getting ready to head up to the marina to start getting things ready for launch...new impeller assemblys, plugs, new stereo, inverter,etc... Had the V-Berth all re=done with new cushions and my wife has gutted the interior of the salon.The interior was like a 1970's time machine! We are the third owners. First owner bought it and used it in Lake Michigan for 10 seasons and then his wife became ill and it saw very little use for about 10 years. Second owner used it off and on for about 10 seasons and then upkeep became too much. Engines have just under 900 hrs on them and still seem to be in good shape but have not seen much PM in the last few years, so I have to do a full maintenance cycle on them.I'm curious about installing electronic ignition, but I'll post that question later. Controls all seem smooth and the survey was very positive, with a value almost double what we paid for her. I realize a boat is only worth what a potential buyer might pay for it, but we're not looking at re-sale value right now...we plan on living on her during the Summer, after I retire from the fire dept. in about three years. Winters in Panama and Summers on the boat is our master plan at this point. I'd like to get a sailbooat and moor in the Bay of Panama, but my wife is not very well coordinated and she doesn't take orders very well, so we'll be landlubbers down south
Gotta run...the temps here today are just starting to get above freezing and it's probably going to be ready to launch in about two weeks...gotta get ready because we were last boat out, so we'll be the first boat in...getting very excited about our first season on "Impulsive"!

[P-Dogg]

Welcome fellow tricabin owner and forum supporter! You will find a great wealth of information here, and a great bunch of guys and gals who are waiting to answer your inevitable questions. I just bought my 1985 tri (centerline double bed aft, bathtub in aft head, and kitchen aft in the salon) last June (from a Trojan forum member) and love it. Have you noticed any weeping around the underwater exhaust? There was some on mine when I bought it, and I've subsequently rebuilt my underwater exhaust, which now sports waterjet-cut fiberglass backing plates and double-hump silicone bellows. Look for a how-to thread on that soon (I promise Aaron, I promise). Great job getting the admiral to think she thought of buying it!

Aaron was conceived on a tricabin. Well almost. He did grow-up on one and went with his dad to see the boat pulled from the mold. Not many folks can say that, so he is somewhat of a legend in these parts. A genuine walking encyclopedia who is eager to share what he knows. He writes in bold because he can see it better. He is not raising his voice in text.

Speaking of raising. One thing that you might want to think about doing is raising your anchor light. It is supposed to be an all-around white light, and when the canvas is up, it can't be seen from behind. How a 3-decade-old boat cannot be in compliance with such a basic regulation is unkown to me, but that's they way mine came too. I solved that problem by buying an anchor-light-on-a-stick from We$t Marine that fits right into the factory tube.

My boat and Aaron's are shown in this thread.

http://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/viewt ... ous#p69022

Good luck with the new boat.

[blair]

Hi and thanks for all the insight.
I saw your pictures, back when I was just lurking. They look pretty impressive, side by each.
Yes, I do have some weeping action occurring near the bases of my exhausts and I look forward to seeing your write-up.Have been since I first noticed it. Doesn't look like anything major, but it's one thing I want to get on top of, for sure.
There are some features of the latter tricabins that look pretty cool and I looked at many pictures of different versions and checked out a couple of older ones, too. Some features, like the rear cockpit, I really liked. We have the twin beds in the rear cabin, which has the advantage of being large enough for brief periods, yet that second twin is close enough that I can then get a good nights sleep A bath tub seems really unique on a boat...does it get much use? I'm not even sure we'll use a shower and were considering converting it to a place for hanging clothing, as I need a place to keep a few uniforms so I can go right to the marina after shift, goof around for a day or two (or seven - depends on the shift cycle ), and then head back to work. We'll see how that works out this Summer. All the marinas we've been to have had really nice washrooms and showers, so it may just be extra space we can use.
I often wondered about Aaron's unique usage of bold. Thanks for the answer to that question. I've been following the epic adventures of Aaron...he really does deserve the Trojan Boater Of The Year award, mostly due to all the great information he has provided everyone here. Every time I needed answers to any questions I had, back when I was checking out different tricabins, I would always jump on this forum and he had usually already answered the same question for someone else. His knowledge and his personal history of the tricabin is truly informative and I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can.
Thanks for the tip on the anchor light! My surveyor caught the low-hanging fruit that is the rear-mounted white light, which is obscured by the swim ladder, but missed that one. I'm going to tell him about it, though. The only other issues noted were some missing bolts on the swim platform, a burned out starboard nav light and a non-crimped electrical connection in the engine bay. At one point during the survey I thought he and the P.O were going to come to blows, especially when the surveyor took out his hammer and started tapping all around the fiberglassed areas. Looks like I'll be getting a taller anchor light mast this week, too.
Quick question...I'm replacing all the engine and exhaust riser drain plugs, as they seem to be worn in the threads. My parts guy sold me some brass-coloured plugs, but they either seem too loose, or don't thread properly. Is there another option for this application? A marine mechanic co-worker mentioned a plastic/nylon isert for this application...any insight/comments?
Thanks,

[P-Dogg]

I have never taken a sit-down bath, but I did try it on for size. You could do it. Most boat showers are an especially tight squeeze, but since the tub determines the floor real estate, the shower is big enough for two, if you are so inclined. I think the tub will come in most useful as a wash basin for fenders and the like, or dogs for people who have them.

I would stay away from non-metallic drain plugs. I suppose the ones that you tried don't fit because the female threads have rusted, or been cross-threaded and have stripped-out. Do what you can to make the metal ones work. Two or three layers of teflon tape might do something to take-up the geometry difference between the make and female threads. Or you could try removable thread locker or the hardening form-a-gasket on the threads. If they still leak after you get them in, they probably won't for long (assuming that water is not shooting out). Sediment and what-not will soon come to your aid. Of course, keep an eye on them 'til they settle down.

The exhaust was straightforward, and could have probably gone along fine for a number of years. I looked at 11 1981 to 1985 models from New Jersey to Ohio to Tennessee before I bought this jewel that I have. Most were weeping, and most weren't jewels.