Corsair/Farrier Anarchy
- Thread starter deminimis
- Start date
SailingTips.Ca
Feigns Knowledge
Here’s what I’m currently doing for power in our F-82R. Started with lead acid, then went to LiFePO4, then a Bluetti Portable Power Station. As the self-contained “outboard of the electrical world” there are lots of different models available.
I find it an interesting alternative to installing a bunch of separate components as has been the traditional approach, and is still likely the better solution for larger or fully-equipped cruising boats, but maybe this is better for smaller boats?
I find it an interesting alternative to installing a bunch of separate components as has been the traditional approach, and is still likely the better solution for larger or fully-equipped cruising boats, but maybe this is better for smaller boats?
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- Thread starter
- #403
I need to get home as I have a ton of work to do before we launch. Repower is job 1. Glad I'm doing it as the batt cables and fuel line were pretty suspect. Redoing more wiring. New deck/steaming, installing a backbone so I can integrate a MFD, and I need to figure out why our shower drain pump no workie. Flying home in a few days, so let the projects commence!
Sailabout
Super Anarchist
in France all the big tris are halyards to bungy to hold the dockside ama down.
Ama to dock bungy, halyard on bungy.
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blurocketsmate
Anarchist
I'm leaning toward one of these myself, for a 24' mono that needs everything redone.
There are dozens of these things on the market, but the Bluetti and maybe a couple of others are the only ones that seem suitable for sailors.
Great that you can just remove it and take it with you.
Nice YT channel!
Great thread here! I'd like to ask those of you who are in the know and own Corsair/Farrier trimarans with this particular folding system. I'm looking to buy one and have been offered docking space for one at the very end of a dock, as per the illustration below. It would allow me to keep the boat unfolded all season which would be great. I don't have the possibility to trailer-sail the boat currently so it needs to be in the for the entire season.
I went to look at it yesterday, it was quite windy (30 kts sustained) and I was struck by the fact that the ama and folding system on the "dock side" of the boat may be exposed to rather large "twisting" forces if the wind is coming from directly fore/aft of the boat.
I wanted to ask those of you with experience and in the know, is this an acceptable way to dock a Corsair/Farrier trimaran, i.e. are the folding system and ama attachment points built for these kinds of loads over long periods of time?
The thought occurred to me that this should be exactly the forces the boat experiences when beating into waves but I didn't want to assume anything. I checked the manual but it mostly spoke about stability when folded.
Thank you!
I went to look at it yesterday, it was quite windy (30 kts sustained) and I was struck by the fact that the ama and folding system on the "dock side" of the boat may be exposed to rather large "twisting" forces if the wind is coming from directly fore/aft of the boat.
I wanted to ask those of you with experience and in the know, is this an acceptable way to dock a Corsair/Farrier trimaran, i.e. are the folding system and ama attachment points built for these kinds of loads over long periods of time?
The thought occurred to me that this should be exactly the forces the boat experiences when beating into waves but I didn't want to assume anything. I checked the manual but it mostly spoke about stability when folded.
Thank you!
Wess
Super Anarchist
It’s no problem at all.
Thank you! That makes me a lot more confident.
It's a shame we have almost no floating docks here, only the poled ones. Add to that a serious lack of multihulls and it's almost impossible to find a spot suitable for a wide boat.
SailingTips.Ca
Feigns Knowledge
Thanks! I just did a race last weekend on a Cheetah 30 sport mono and we took the new Bluetti AC60 with us, which happens to be water resistant! This is the smallest Bluetti that can use expansion packs, but unfortunately our B80 expansion pack didn't arrive until after the race...
MultiThom
Super Anarchist
I don't need much power and some folks probably need about the same as me for their Corsair. I bought a couple emergency car start batteries. One to run the autohelm, one to run the bilge pump/radio/lights. Under a hundred bucks each. 18 Amphour. Plenty for a daysailor. Not completely immersable, but you can easily waterproof with some weather caulk. Good enough and cheap and only weighs a pound or so.
SolGato
Member
- 70
- 47
Shouldn’t be a problem, but I would caution anyone buying an older Farrier/Corsair or one that has been in the water for a long time to pay close attention to and periodically inspect the pivots and mounting points of the folding system.
If there is any slop or movement or seizing, the system can fail during folding/opening.
This is mainly with respect to early boats which can be as old as 40 years old now!
As thorough as the sailing manual is for his boats, I don’t believe maintenance of the folding system is a topic covered (maybe I missed it), but after decades of use, I would recommend disassembling the system, cleaning all pivots, and inspecting and servicing the bushings to ensure smooth operation and decades of continued trouble free use.
The great thing about his designs being trailerable is this process is easy enough to do.
Also pay close attention to the alignment of the system and look for signs of any damage, and avoid using the system as a strapping point.
That means if you’re buying a folding boat on the water, do a test fold and make sure everything works as it should.
In short, some of these boats have been in service and gone through the hands of numerous owners over the years, and the folding system is an important feature that is mechanical like anything else and deserving of inspection and periodic maintenance.
Thank you for a very informative post!
So far I haven't really seen any older models for sale around me, there aren't many multihulls here so the supply is a little short. I've been hoping for a Dash 750 MKII to come up for sale even though it seems most of the deck hardware is inaccessible from underneath without cutting up the liner?
MultiThom
Super Anarchist
I suggest springing the main hull (anchor cleat in bow, stern cleat in stern) in an X to minimize the twisting. The folding system is pretty well attached, but (for my F242) leaks began to develop at the lower connection to the main hull after trailer sailing a decade. It is possible the trailer float bunks were shock loading the main hull attachments, but just guessing.
SolGato
Member
- 70
- 47
MultiThom brings up another great point, the trailer. Make sure the trailer is setup properly. Bunks get replaced, winches swapped, rollers and brackets replaced, etc.. over the years.
I had difficulty at times getting my Farrier off the trailer and chalked it up the lack of volume in the stern and fall on our launch ramps, but then I compared a side photo I took of the boat on trailer with the drawings in the sailing manual and noticed the boat was positioned much further forward on the trailer than in Ian’s drawings. It was on the original trailer, but at some point the winch/bow support had been moved along the main rail. This put more stress on other supported areas and of course added tongue weight.
Now I’m not super familiar with the later Corsair trailers, but a bad center keel roller or improperly positioned ones could put more stress on the floats as they rest on their supports if they are set too high or bunk boards replaced with thicker, etc..
This kind of stuff above brings up something else to keep in mind, that some of these boats have been trailered as much as they have been sailed over the years, so make sure to inspect the trailers so as to avoid over stressing areas of the boat like the float sides and folding mechanism.
When I purchased my Farrier I discovered a few surprises unbeknownst to the owner/seller who had just purchased it out of Texas and had it trucked to CA and then shipped to Big Island Hawaii.
Upon inspection, I discovered the boat had been resting too heavily on one of its float support bunks and that the bunk had cracked the float hull. This was due to a collapsed roller, the boat being too far forward on the trailer, and it being poorly strapped down during its long transport, which may have been in part due to the collapse/busted roller.
The other thing I discovered was damage at the transom due to the weight of the rudder bouncing around during transport. The earlier boats rudders don’t swing up completely vertical, so even though the rudder was tied up, it still put a lot of force on the transom and gudgeons. If the rudder had simply been removed, the transom wouldn’t have been stressed during transport.
What happened is the original Trailerable Trimarans have a deck to hull seem that is stapled and “glued” and covered by a rub rail, and the top edge of the transom where it joined the deck just above the rudder had loosened up and the transom was deflecting along the top as force was applied.
Since I sail/surf in Hawaiian swell and over reefs, I wasn’t having any of that, so I fabricated an exterior plate to re-hang the rudder on with inner triangulated supports that tied into the underside of the rear trunk deck.
Standing on and sailing from the rear trunk is one of my favorite spots to helm from, and this mod really helped to strengthen the area which was also my swim step landing spot.
Again I only bring all this up because these boats are getting older and have often been used and enjoyed a great deal over the years, so it’s good to keep an eye on/out for this stuff as it’s better not to experience a failure on the water.
I had difficulty at times getting my Farrier off the trailer and chalked it up the lack of volume in the stern and fall on our launch ramps, but then I compared a side photo I took of the boat on trailer with the drawings in the sailing manual and noticed the boat was positioned much further forward on the trailer than in Ian’s drawings. It was on the original trailer, but at some point the winch/bow support had been moved along the main rail. This put more stress on other supported areas and of course added tongue weight.
Now I’m not super familiar with the later Corsair trailers, but a bad center keel roller or improperly positioned ones could put more stress on the floats as they rest on their supports if they are set too high or bunk boards replaced with thicker, etc..
This kind of stuff above brings up something else to keep in mind, that some of these boats have been trailered as much as they have been sailed over the years, so make sure to inspect the trailers so as to avoid over stressing areas of the boat like the float sides and folding mechanism.
When I purchased my Farrier I discovered a few surprises unbeknownst to the owner/seller who had just purchased it out of Texas and had it trucked to CA and then shipped to Big Island Hawaii.
Upon inspection, I discovered the boat had been resting too heavily on one of its float support bunks and that the bunk had cracked the float hull. This was due to a collapsed roller, the boat being too far forward on the trailer, and it being poorly strapped down during its long transport, which may have been in part due to the collapse/busted roller.
The other thing I discovered was damage at the transom due to the weight of the rudder bouncing around during transport. The earlier boats rudders don’t swing up completely vertical, so even though the rudder was tied up, it still put a lot of force on the transom and gudgeons. If the rudder had simply been removed, the transom wouldn’t have been stressed during transport.
What happened is the original Trailerable Trimarans have a deck to hull seem that is stapled and “glued” and covered by a rub rail, and the top edge of the transom where it joined the deck just above the rudder had loosened up and the transom was deflecting along the top as force was applied.
Since I sail/surf in Hawaiian swell and over reefs, I wasn’t having any of that, so I fabricated an exterior plate to re-hang the rudder on with inner triangulated supports that tied into the underside of the rear trunk deck.
Standing on and sailing from the rear trunk is one of my favorite spots to helm from, and this mod really helped to strengthen the area which was also my swim step landing spot.
Again I only bring all this up because these boats are getting older and have often been used and enjoyed a great deal over the years, so it’s good to keep an eye on/out for this stuff as it’s better not to experience a failure on the water.
Thank you for that tip, that's a good one. Just to double-check since English isn't my first language, something like this? With some other lines for redundancy of course.
These are fantastic tips, thank you!
I was hoping to rely on the bi-annual inspections required around here for trailers to tell me if it was okay or not but I've realized that they only really inspect the frame and the axle(s), lights etc. The actual structure that holds the boat is apparently not part of the trailer as far as the law is concerned here, it's part of the load. What I'm trying to say is that the points you raise are very valid; something may have broken and been repaired or replaced in a not-so-good way.
Thank you guys.
MultiThom
Super Anarchist
Yah, like that. Also, don't use non stretch (e.g., dyneema) lines for docklines.
Of course. As stretchy as possible with compensators. I've seen what I must say is a surprising amount of damage to boats just from the continuous tugging of a mooring line with little or no give in it.
On that note, I was at a boat show recently and a rope manufacturer had a really neat part of their exhibit where they had a number of different lines rigged up where you could test/feel how stretchy they were. I was surprised at the difference between a generic 3-strand polyester and their "special mooring polyester" lines. I always thought those were a bit of a gimmick but it felt a lot stretchier there.
Here's what it looked like, the lines were lead up through a pulley and down to the lever and then you pushed the lever down to feel how stretchy the line was:
MultiThom
Super Anarchist
That is a cool setup...always fun to get customers to try out stuff, half way to a sale. Speaking of surprising damage...I have seen lots of trailer-sail boats (or barely transportable) damaged by owners who strap everything down with ratchet straps. There doesn't seem to be much scientific analysis among boaters as to how much is enough or too much when it comes to trailers. I wonder, going further into it, how a trailer manufacturer decides how much spring should be used for loads as well as how you would even decide whether the floats should be separately sprung. I do know that I trailered a 100 pound kayak around and damaged it due to springs that were too stiff (ended up putting a boat seat under it).
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That's a very good point.
From the way it's looking for me, I'm most likely going to be trailering the boat I buy a rather long distance home so it's very relevant.
Is unloading and keeping the boat itself as light as possible the correct way of thinking, or is it desirable to have some weight in it?
And then perhaps straps securing it lightly forward, aft and down rather than just cranking it hard down is a winning concept. Should keep the boat secure on the trailer without the risk of damaging it just from the strap pressure alone. I've transported a couch in a similar manner where it was important not to damage the fabric or the foam - worked very well in that instance.
