Though work on the Seaclipper itself has not yet begun, I have been busy getting ready for it. I bought a Hobie 14 from which I will take the sail and mast. That boat came with a trailer that may be good enough to haul the new boat. I have been practising raising and lowering the mast. I know I am not going to get much stronger and I want to use this boat for years, so I need a secure way to raise and lower that 22' mast. So far, I have found there is a spur on the bottom aft of the boom that fits into a notch on the mast step. As long as that union is secure, the mast pivots there and can be rotated to vertical. I rigged up a jib halyard and use that block and line to secure a set of bracing lines to the outside corners of the front frame of the trampoline, which is in line with the mast step. With those lines tight, the mast has lateral support too. Last thing was to rig a block and tackle between the fore-stay and the post on the front of the trailer. Standing on the trampoline, I can help the mast a bit, and pulling on the tail of the tackle, raise the mast to vertical without any trauma. Once the fore-stay is secured to the bridle, I release the jib halyard and take off the lateral support lines. Lowering the mast is the reverse process. Seems like a lot of lines, but I would rather do that than worry and grunt it up.
I have decided to build this boat under a bit more cover than the last projects. My carports are separated by two store rooms which have been turned into workshops. Last week, I cleaned out a trailer load of old parts and left-overs. Then I tore down the wall separating the two shops. I now have one area big enough to build the main hull and the front door is wide enough to get it out. No insulation nor heat yet, but I do have four walls!

Opening the door

I have always loved the idea of multihulls. But I am not a sailor who loves to be on the edge, flying one hull of a catamaran. Five years ago, I bought the plans for John Marples Seaclipper 16 but instead of building it then, I followed the wisdom of the mono-hulls and built the Walkabout, rebuilt the National E and the Alacrity 19. All good boats, but I always looked over their shoulder as I danced with them, thinking of a sleek trimaran.
I want a boat that is first of all, trailerable. Then I want it to be safe. After that, I want it to feel like a motorcycle swooping through the turns. I want to sheet in the sails and 'go for it', not at all worried that I am going to flip the boat in the middle of the freezing ocean.
After dealing on a few sailing dinghies early this spring (Wayfarer, Lightning, Davidson 17) I 'woke up' and realized these were not boats that I really wanted to sail. It was then I brought out the Seaclipper plans from under the bed and again examined the details. I also found youtube has a number of videos of small sailing trimarans, Windrider 17, which helped me follow the dream. This time, the stars were aligned!
So, I have begun. Seizing the opportunity of 'low' petroleum prices, I bought five gallons of epoxy. Gasp at the prices!
I found a Hobie 14 with a new main sail, perfect for the project! It is on a home-built trailer, which will also serve very well for the new boat!
I have a number of house/yard projects lined up in front of this one, and I have a summer of playing with my other boats too. Including the Hobie before I pirate its parts.
The next entries may be a few weeks from appearing.