Tri-Cabin?

[turtlem1969]

How many different layout configurations did they make of these? Mine has twin aft engines with v-drives located under the two bunks with an entrance from outside to a walkway between them, a bulkhead, then a walkway going to the head and to the salon,under the cockpit, under the salon floor thee is space where the genset and ac was located and 4 fuel tanks, an 80gal and a 40 gal, running down each side, then the forward cabin. thats the basic layout. I've heard of some with the engines under the salon and fuel in the aft area, some with access hatches above the salon and so forth. was just curious as to how many different configurations there was.

[aaronbocknek]

OH OH PICK ME PICK ME.... you've come to the right place my friend. i'm sort of the defacto tri cabin guy... heck, mom and dad had one for almost 40 years.... okay, the 'original' tri cabin was introduced in 1970 as the 36 SEA RAIDER. built on a fiberglass hull with a wood deckhouse, teak over marine ply cockpit and side decks, the transition to all fiberglass construction was made in 1972 (the year mom and dad bought our tri) and marketed as the F-36 tri cabin (for all fiberglass cabin and hull). three galley up layouts were offered over the years the latest introduced for the 1986 model year featured centerline double berths fore and aft and a u-shaped galley off the forward bulkhead and small L shaped setee directly behind the galley and against the aft salon wall to port, where the galleys were located in earlier designs (chris craft used this in their 38 double cabin). the original sea raider and early f-36 tri cabins (until 1977 model year) featured aft twin bunks with the engines under them running v-drives. after the aft cockpit design was changed to a 'flush deck' version, i believe towards the end of 1977 for the 1978 model year, the engines were relocated under the salon and the fuel tanks moved aft. underwater exhausts were also added to the design. with the queen size double in the aft stateroom, a single fuel tank was moved into this location under the queen berth. the model run ended at the end of 1987. the original f-36 (and sea raiders) had drop curtains on the command bridge side window frames but dad convinced the canadian plant to install plexiglass side windows because of us kids. they liked the design so much, they incorporated it from then on. also, on moms insistance, extra storage was made available under the original L-shaped sofa in the salon by having them cut a hatch inder the cushion. until this modification, this area was just 'dead' space. again, after that, storage areas were incorporated in this area as well. ours was one of the few that had a kohler genset installed, but not at the factory. dad had the seacocks installed at the factory for the reverse cycle a/c and genset and these were added at taylor yacht sales once we took delivery. the factory at first refused, but dad insisted or the sale would not go through. ours was also one of the few to have teak toe rail cover boards running forward to aft. for a fiberglass boat, ours sure had a ton of exterior teak!
dad is from toronto, and in february of 1972, we drove up to visit family for passover. we took a side trip to niagra on the lake to visit the factory and we arrived on the day her, BUBALA 3, hull was being pulled from the mold. so in essence, we watched her being born. i'll never forget that and sitting next to the little old guy building the teak swim platform for her. quite a site.

there was also a design called the 'tri fly' where there was a flying bridge over the main cabin and a lower helm station, but this was not as popular as the standard 'aft helm station' version. this one had the engines under the aft bunks too as well as the aft cockpit design. i think the model ran for only a few years. some f-36 tri cabins had forward cabin windows above the forward 'bow seat' but they were not very popular either as the windows constantly leaked.

hope this is not too long, but there you have it in a nut shell the history of the tri cabin.

aaron in baltimore, future tri cabin owner

[rooferdave]

WOW! Aaron you da man! thanks for the cool info!

[plansea]

Wow Wow Aaron i've never even seen a tri-cabin, but what a dissertation. Shucks I never even knew what the F stood for before. I read the forum nearly every day. The amount of info you guys share puts Google to shame. Many thanx to you all. Larry

[turtlem1969]

Thanks aaron, didn't know there were that many options, or configurations.

[k9th]

Great stuff as always Aaron. When I bought my tri-cabin a couple of years back, he gave me so much information that was not available anywhere else. No wonder he wants to switch to one.

In 1969 they apparently also built a 42' all wood "tri-cabin". I found this while just browsing one of my favorite websites, Bone Yard Boats.

Here are some photos of that particular boat.

http://www.boneyardboats.com/Archives/0 ... fault.aspx

This particular boat has apparently already been sold.

[aaronbocknek]

Great stuff as always Aaron. When I bought my tri-cabin a couple of years back, he gave me so much information that was not available anywhere else. No wonder he wants to switch to one.

In 1969 they apparently also built a 42' all wood "tri-cabin". I found this while just browsing one of my favorite websites, Bone Yard Boats.

Here are some photos of that particular boat.

http://www.boneyardboats.com/Archives/0 ... fault.aspx

This particular boat has apparently already been sold.

this is actually a 'trojan branded' shepherd 42' motor yacht.... here is the sales brochure from 1969 showing her layout and cabin side design. the shepherd designs were unique as this brochure picture shows and the so called tri cabin that is advertised in boneyardboats. i believe that the sales staff on that site (boneyardboats) coined it as a tri cabin, but trojan never used that term except for the f-36, even though the '42' has 3 sleeping areas. ( this design, the shepherd/trojan 42 later morphed into the all fiberglass trojan F-42, and production moved to elkton, maryland.) the galley is in the exact same location as the 'shepherd' model and the steps leading up to the helm station and down to the aft stateroom are the same too. the 36 sea raider (which had opening ports) and the f-36 tri cabin were made at the shepherd plant, niagara on the lake, ontario, until the shepherd boat factory closed in february of 1978. the tri cabins were then made in either elkton, maryland or lancaster, pa. (here is a link to the actual 1969 SHEPHERD 42' MOTOR YACHT from the shepherdboats.com website. it should be on page 6 of the .pdf file brochure.)
http://www.shepherdboats.com/Boat_Model ... Colour.pdf

---more on the f-36 tri cabin------
when i was talking about the various designs yesterday, i neglected to mention that when the flush deck version was brought out, the aft stateroom had 3 opening port lights on either side of the cabin superstructure and the usual fixed/slanted plexiglass port lights in the hull.... two on the port side, and one on the starboard side. later, sliding aft cabin windows were incorporated, i believe it was 1979 and the two fixed port lights were eliminated in the forward stateroom, leaving just one for the forward head. later, this too was eliminated, thus leaving no portlights in the hull. underwater exhausts were added in the 1980/81 model year, with 'idle overflows'. at idle, the engine exhaust exited via through hull fittings, port and starboard. once the boat began to move forward, the exhaust was then dumped under the boat, and exited via bullet shaped pods. it was quite the trend setter as this system was incorporated in the 1979 f-40 and the larger 'international' series of boats. (the internationals had several side exhaust holes for use at idle)

enjoy...
aaron in baltimore

[aaronbocknek]

Wow Wow Aaron i've never even seen a tri-cabin, but what a dissertation. Shucks I never even knew what the F stood for before. I read the forum nearly every day. The amount of info you guys share puts Google to shame. Many thanx to you all. Larry

my mom and dad raised each one of us kids (3) to enjoy what we love and love what we enjoy. to be passionate about what you like and enjoy will bring years of pleasure in whatever you do. so, i love boating, boats in general, the tri cabin, anything mechanical, flying, airplanes, sci-fi and most of all, dogs. in case some of you were wondering why i settled on an f-32 instead of the tri cabin, well, i often ask myself the same question. at the point i bought the f-32, it was a matter of economics and to 'test my skills and knowledge' before i found my ''forever boat''. now i know what i can do, what i can handle, and, now i'm going for it. at least trying to anyway. i want something that i love, that i will have for a while, and a vessel with a dedicated aft stateroom and a real shower! my partner and i are not getting any younger and the lack of ladders on the tri cabin will be perfect. the wide decks will be easier for phil to walk on, after all, he's not the most sure footed on the boat, but he's learning. this is a guy that up until two years ago had no idea what a boat hook was or how to tie a knot on a cleat. he's now quite proficient at both, provide he listens to me, which he does not always do, but he's making the effort since he knows we are in this for the long haul. the wider decks and 'no ladder' will be easier on maccabee too , our unspoiled boston terrier.

[k9th]

Thanks for the clarification Aaron and the website for the Shepherd 42'.

When I looked at the pictures on Bone Yard Boats, the three cabins and the galley were almost identical to my tri-cabin. I wasn't aware that Trojan private-labeled some Shepherd boats.

I hope you find what you are looking for. I know we did with our '79.

[aaronbocknek]

when you look at the top view layout of the 'shepherd 42' it is almost a mirror image for the original 36 sea raider tri cabin. the difference is the smaller footprint, the cockpit design, the head is moved from the 42's starboard side to the 'sea raider/tri cabins' port side and the L-shaped pull out sofa is moved from port to starboard. the galley layout on the 36 is different, but, in later models, was configured almost the same as the 42 but on a smaller scale until the redesign in '86 when it was moved forward. shepherd had a proud history in canada as a quality boat builder and when they became a wholly owned subsidiary of trojan boats in 1966, it instantly gave trojan the ability to manufacture larger motor yachts for the growing U.S. and Canadian market. in 1969 they were both purchased by california based whittaker corporation which also owned bertram and columbia yachts. the 42 as well as the original wooden 'trojan' 46 is actually a trojan branded shepherd. i believe that the original 36' sea raider was the exclusive design from shepherd but only marketed under the trojan brand. i often wonder though if the 1967 37' chris craft cavalier was the over all inspiration for the 36 sea raider/F-36 tri cabin.


http://www.everyboat.com/boat/692-1967- ... t-cavalier

looking at the pictures, you can find many similarities in overall design and layout. popular by design, i'm curious why more boat builders do not recreate something like this. although, broom yachts in the U.K. does as this basic layout is very popular in europe.

i know, i have nothing better to do since my trip report is not until 1200 this afternoon. instead of being at the rendezvous, i'm working the new york/dc shuttle until 2100 this evening. hey, it's a living.

aaron in baltimore

[jon_e_quest]

What I find intruiging about Turtle's '72 model Tri-Cabin project is that it appears to have been ordered with no forward head! With that head not incorporated into the boat, the steps down to the forward cabin are located farther forward than other Tri-Cabins. You can see in his photos that the door for the storage area beneath the lounge is cut at an angle along it's bottom edge instead of being straight along the bottom as in other Tri-Cabins, a result of the stairs being moved forward.

Also, to add to Aaron's earlier post, a few more Tri-Cabin observations: Early so-called 'flush decks' initially continued with twin berths in the aft cabin. The single queen-sized bed apppears to have been intoduced later on. These early boats also used the foward salon stair design of the first generation Tri's. Later model 'flush-decks' had the forward salon stairs running transversally along the forward bulkhead. And the L-shaped lounge, which was moved from starboard to port with the intoduction of the 'flush deck' design, disappeared all together after awhile in favor of a sleeper sofa.

[turtlem1969]

jon_e_quest- your right no forward head, and just enough room to turn around when you close the door on the forward cabin, kind of wish they would have extended that a little. Also thinking about doing away with the twin bunks and putting a queen in the aft cabin and having the only entrance into the boat at the cock pit into the salon, and just incorporating a half door type escape hatch in the aft bulkhead.

[aaronbocknek]

jon_e_quest- your right no forward head, and just enough room to turn around when you close the door on the forward cabin, kind of wish they would have extended that a little. Also thinking about doing away with the twin bunks and putting a queen in the aft cabin and having the only entrance into the boat at the cock pit into the salon, and just incorporating a half door type escape hatch in the aft bulkhead.

where would you put the engines? if you plan on using the original configuration, they go under the aft bunks and use v-drives.
aaron in baltimore

[aaronbocknek]

What I find intruiging about Turtle's '72 model Tri-Cabin project is that it appears to have been ordered with no forward head! With that head not incorporated into the boat, the steps down to the forward cabin are located farther forward than other Tri-Cabins. You can see in his photos that the door for the storage area beneath the lounge is cut at an angle along it's bottom edge instead of being straight along the bottom as in other Tri-Cabins, a result of the stairs being moved forward.

Also, to add to Aaron's earlier post, a few more Tri-Cabin observations: Early so-called 'flush decks' initially continued with twin berths in the aft cabin. The single queen-sized bed apppears to have been intoduced later on. These early boats also used the foward salon stair design of the first generation Tri's. Later model 'flush-decks' had the forward salon stairs running transversally along the forward bulkhead. And the L-shaped lounge, which was moved from starboard to port with the intoduction of the 'flush deck' design, disappeared all together after awhile in favor of a sleeper sofa.

that's correct with the twin bunks and there was a small 'dresser' in between with a fold up ladder that actually rested on the dresser when in use. that was shortly after the 'flush deck' design was initiated then the sleeper sofa version was added a few months after that. the design changes really began to take place in late '79 for the 1980 model year. this shows how popular the tri cabin was and how they tried all sorts of layouts. to be honest though, i have never heard of one without the forward head compartment, but hey, you never know. i wonder if that was a previous owners way of moving the salon forward to gain more living space. if there are sea cocks (for the toilet) near the forward port side section of the bilge, chances are it was.

[turtlem1969]

aaron- the bed would still be over the engines in the same config, and it would be hinged to lift from for to aft. I haven't seen any sea cocks where the head would be, other then the one that was used for the ac hooked to a raw water strainer.