A trimaran I know and love:
the Brown Searunner 37
By Charles E. Kanter
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A trimaran I know and love: By Charles E. Kanter |
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I write little about cruising trimarans because there are so few of them, especially on the U.S. East Coast. If you have plans to travel in areas in which the size especially the beam of your cruising vessel will not be a handicap, then consider a trimaran. Each boat is different, and each trimaran has its own characteristics, but the Jim Brown-designed trimarans hold a special place for me. I have surveyed four Jim Brown Searunner 37s and sailed aboard others. I can't help but marvel at the superior ergonomic layout of this vessel and its extraordinary seakeeping ability. In my opinion, it is the finest layout for ocean voyaging I have yet seen. The center cockpit, which in this execution is more like a command post, leaves the helmsman within reaching distance of everyone and almost every operating system on board. An incredible layout at sea. All the necessary requirements for vessel operation are right there in the cockpit. The helm station is just behind the mast, leaving
all sheets and halyards where you can handle them without a lot of heroics
or complex turning block systems. The Visibility is excellent. The cockpit deck is raised considerably in order to create a large engine room below it. You can see all six corners of the vessel from the helm station. Crew contact is also excellent. Berths are just forward of the central cockpit and the saloon, or great cabin as Jim Brown prefers to name it, is just aft of the cockpit. The galley is at the entrance to the cabin. Thus the people cooking, eating, laughing, or talking are a full cockpit length away from those sleeping, yet in full view and contact with the helm. Weight distribution is excellent. The centerboard trunk splits the central space under the cockpit sole, and the resulting structural member forms a solid base for the mast. The raised cockpit sole integrates into a major structural component and forms two large volume compartments exactly where the weight should be. With the engine installed on one side of the center board trunk and the water tank, fuel tank and batteries on the other side, you have what is termed natural ballast. This allows unfettered hull shape design optimization unlike many twin screw catamarans, which need extra buoyancy aft to handle the weight of engines, etc. |
On the other hand, for just plain cruising or living aboard, this arrangement has a few drawbacks. First, putting the cockpit in the center means it is more time consuming and difficult to load and unload your dinghy with provisions. It means that you must go through the cockpit to get from the forward berths and navigation station, and in some cases the galley, to get to the main saloon essentially going outside to get back inside. This is the classic objection to most center cockpit cruising boats. Even though the engine and batteries are strategically located for weight distribution, there is poor access to the mechanics. The centerboard splits the area, and the beam at the waterline is fairly narrow. The cockpit sole being the top of the compartment and the horizontal support member for the centerboard trunk mitigates against having access hatches on top of the engine. The mirror image compartment that houses the batteries is more easily accessed but still requires removal of floorboards and stairways. For ocean crossing the cutter rig is renowned. For inshore work, the inner jibstay is a headache when tacking. The center cockpit arrangement also creates a problem arranging a Bimini top without raising the boom to excessive heights, which cancels out some of the advantages of being in the cockpit. The original design featured a double chine. Construction was out of plywood sheathed in glass. This is a time-proven method of construction, but because of the myriad of small pieces, there are intricate details and lots of little corners to collect dust and trap water, creating an above average need for maintenance vigilance. The design has solid wing decks. To me, this is a distinct advantage as it gives enormous deck area and eliminates expensive and high maintenance trampolines. It also stops the spray, which is the particular trimaran vice of having the windward hull turn the tops of waves into spray that shoots back into the cockpit. Trimaran bunks on the bridgedeck always have limited headroom. They are sometimes so claustrophobic you cannot roll over without banging your hips. Normal human activity usually associated with beds is severely restricted. Like a monohull, having the head forward means walking through the boat past the bunks, a compromise endemic to narrow beam monohull boats. Years ago, wide beam was the kiss of death for the technology. However, it is becoming less and less of a problem as other boats are expanding their beams, thus coming ever closer to the trimaran beam. At 22 feet 6 inches, the Searunner 37 is not as wide as some modern catamarans in the size range. Also, I have hauled out a Searunner 37 in an ordinary travel lift without a problem. |
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Brown Searunner 37 Trimaran
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Classification and/or design intent: Blue water; Facilities/layout Summary: Eight bunks; Galley and Saloon in stern; cabin Visibility from interior better than most trimarans; Adequate rub rails (life lines optional); Cutter rig with running backstays; Fair storage not including amas (which should not be used for heavy items). |
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