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Anyone else own a Seafarer?

42K views 32 replies 22 participants last post by  jjadventure 
#1 ·
My boat is an 1983 Seafarer 26 built by McCurdy & Rhodes and I've been looking for any information about it. I found a specs diagram and some very basic info. I don't have any original manuals and most of what I've learned about her I've done by physical exploration onboard. I found two metal name plates but have no idea where they belong. She has a Yanmar diesel engine in need of work. Anyone have any idea if there is a manual of some sort? I am looking to learn what is original and what is not, how what I have works, where to get replacements and such. M&R are no longer in business, so that's not an option.
 
#4 ·
Seafarer 30

I have a 1979 Seafarer 30. It has a Yanmar YSM12 diesel. I am in the process of rebuilding the engine. I have been able to find the parts I need from Yanmar. Yours may be the YSM 8, which is very similiar to the YSM12. I have a parts manual and rebuild manual for the engine that came with the boat. I would assume that you could still buy these books from Yanmar.

There has in the past been a pretty active Seafarer discussion community hosted by Sailnet. I'm not sure how the group is carrying on since the email list appears to have been shutdown.

I have only seen two Seafarers first hand. They don't seem to very common, but, the Seafarer 30 fits our sailing needs perfectly. I hope that I am successful with the engine rebuild so that I don't end up in a engine repowering process.
 
#5 ·
Seafaringal and Ridgerunner

My Seafarer has a 1974 Volvo MD6A. You are both fortunate to have Yanmars, if for nothing else the parts are much more available and affordable. I am about to attempt some engine work as well. I need to replace my exhaust, and I need to inspect the manifold and gaskets. I am hoping I don't need to replace too many major parts, since my list already includes gaskets, exhaust, air filter, and starter/generator. Where do have your boats?

Dan
 
#6 ·
Your boat is probably quite similar to mine. I have a 1982 Seafarer 26. Like you, I have had a difficult time finding detailed information about the boat. I found the McCurdy and Rhodes NA website and actually talked to Ian McCurdy, who says that a number of the original drawings are still in his archive. It would be great if this information could be made available to owners. Below is a link to M&R.
There are a few owners websites and photo albums out there but not many. Check out Todd's site if you haven't already seen it. Seafarer 26 Ker-Plunk
I bought my boat in March of 07 and have been replacing parts since then. So far I have replaced the sails, standing rigging, lifelines, fuel tank, hoses, thru-hulls,and other things. I have the old fixed ports removed and hope to replace them with opening ports. I am having a hard time finding exact size replacements for large ones though.
My boat has the Yanmar 1GM engine. I have the original manual and can send you copies if you have the same engine. You might try boatdiesel at the link below for additional information - there is a Yanmar forum.

Good luck, Dave

http://boatdiesel.com

McCurdy & Rhodes - Naval Architects
 
#9 · (Edited)
I recently bought a 22" 1968 Seafarer. I'm doing a complete resto on her.
I cut off the toerail wood and I'm replacing with look a like teak uv resistant plastic. I also cut off the thin strip that goes across cabin trunk on both sides because they're maintenance nightmares. The key here is a boat that is old styled but maintenance free.
I also reglassed all bulkheads to increase strength, holding power and to minimize twisting of hull under sail, and jacked up the cabin trunk 0ne inch that had sagged and installed uprights to handle mast load. It was a poor design having only shelf bracket designed half walls to hold up cabin trunk. I'm replacing the coamings with Starboard so as to cut down maintenance. First, though, I sanded all the non skid down and west systemed epoxied the entire deck to fill tiny voids and cracks that allowed seepage of water through gel coat. I also filled in the deck to hull joint where opened to stop all leaking. I will prime boat with petit prime coat and then paint with petit brightsides. To finish non skid, I'll add non skid additive and roll all non- kid. And by the way, I'm spraying the entire boat except for nonskid. All hardware has been upgraded, lifelines renewed, and interior has been sprayed with petit durawhite. When I'm done, boat should be like new, be low maintenance, and probably the most beautiful boat in the great south bay of long island where i live.... And yes, I'm a glutten for punsihment...ha..ha.

Thanks, Glenn
 
#21 · (Edited)
I am looking to purchase a very similar boat; 1968 Seafarer 23. From everything I have read, the Seafarer 23 is a solid built blue water boat. This would be my first sailboat and am looking for a trailerable sea worthy boat built like a tank and with enough space for the first mate and I, 2 young boy's and at times up to 4 more adults and 2 kids. I figure the kids could stay towards the bow on the deck while adults in the rear outside cabin area. Any owners of this era 23 opinions and suggestions would be much appreciated!!
 
#10 ·
Seafarer 26'

Hi and welcome to Sailnet.

I have a new to me 1985 Seafarer 26 with the 1gm diesel. I have 'some' stuff that came with the boat but it's mostly sales literature or user guides for the equipment the original owner put in. I'll look and see what all I have and let you know. There isn't a whole lot out there on the 'Net but some folks have already pointed you to what resources are available. I've found that most systems in boats are pretty much the same with very minor differences which can be worked by reading everything you can get your hands on that's even close. Sailnet is a great resource for that and you can usually find someone who's tackled that problem before and is willing to share.

You should be able to get any of the yanmar manuals, repair and parts, I did but they're not really cheap (about $40 each) but they do come in handy! Do a search on the 'Net for yanmar repair/parts manual. Right off the bat you'll want to replace the filters (oil and fuel) and check the air screen (mine doesn't have a filter, just a screen inside the housing) Yanmars want air and fuel but they want them separately! Change the oil and filter and change out the zinc. Other than that, I'd need more to go on than "it needs work".

I've found mine to be pretty responsive in all winds, though she seems to tip pretty good in stiff wind and I end up dumping a lot of air from the sails to keep her fairly flat. I bought it last spring and sailed it for the entire season without doing a whole lot to it but over the winter went through all of the major systems and repaired or replaced quite a lot.

prop shaft
prop
cutless bearing
shaft seal
cockpit drain hoses
fuel and oil filters
fuel lines
water pump
general clean and re-paint of engine
replaced plexi in both opening Bomar hatchs
replaced plexi in 4 opening portlights
teak oiled everything teak so many times I've lost count

The list continues . . . .

Good luck with your Seafarer! I think you'll like her.

jkimberly
 
#12 ·
In May we bought a '72 Seafarer 31-1 named "Eagle". She is a beautifully maintained boat that was restored by the previous owner, who sadly had to give her away because of health issues. The 31-1 is a Tripp design. Eagle is hull #241 with tall rig (there also is a yawl version) and has a 25hp Volvo Penta.

She sails great and is very forgiving - which is really good for us as she is the first larger boat we own...

After a waiting much too long for her to get into the water and an adventurous delivery trip (the masthead swivel of the old roller furler parted and it turned out it was what was holding the master upright on it's hinged deck-step. After some time the hailyard on the Genoa gave way too, sending the mast down on the stern of the boat. It landed right between us in the cockpit leaving a deep dent in the aft pulpit. All of that while we were two miles outside of Thatcher's island in the fog. VERY lucky, that no one got hurt), we are now enjoying sailing her around Boston.
 
#14 ·
Seafarer 26 info

I purchased a Seafarer 26 (1 GM Yanmar) mostly for day sailing on inland water (TN River)

It has been difficult finding information on the boat and replacement parts. Has anyone found a replacement for the forward hatch? Mine has portions of the frame broken where the latch should lock and where one of the supports connects to the frame. I'm hoping to find something to replace it without having to take on a major project.

I have also been looking at leading the mainsail halyard and other lines aft. Any experience with adding blocks/organizers to the deck?

Thanks!
 
#15 · (Edited)
November 9, 2009... 30' Seafarer 1972-great boat-funny I think the same part of may hatch broke-In RI there is everything and one to help you--take pictures etc.


Do you have a swing keel?? I need help there as well- keel slammed down
and cracked inside the boat..I am told this repair is done inside the boat..

Need help and guidance...
 
#17 ·
Seafarer Hatch

Thanks for the response. I haven't found the measurements for the hatch and wasn't sure whehter there were replacements available without cutting.

Mine is a fixed keel so I can't be much help with the swing keel issue.

I do have a manual (pdf) if that would help. Its pretty general.
 
#24 ·
I have a Seafarer 29' and sail out of St. Simons Island, GA. I've followed the various Seafarer groups on the internet for over 10 years. At one time the original Sailnet group was very active, but not so much since the email system was eliminated. You've already received some good information Seafarer Research Center .

Also, I am the administrator of the Seafarer Yacht group on Facebook. I started the group about a year ago to see if I could reach more Seafarer owners who preferred the social network web sites for move interaction. I think we have about 50 members so far.

I have also made a point of saving every document or old Seafarer advertisement I could locate. I have these in pdf format and can email to you if you're interested. Frankly, they are fairly generic, but there is some information that is helpful.

Welcome aboard as a Seafarer owner. They boats are well built and very reliable. With a little TLC & $$ you should enjoy many good years of sailing.
 
#25 ·
Seafarer 24 "Godot"

I have a 1973 Seafarer 24. I am generally satisfied with it; but I have my share of gripes. Mostly it looks like the gelcoat didn't bond properly in a lot of areas and I've found some sections of fiberglass that were not fully wet out. I pulled the boat a few years ago and fixed a few surface blisters (and one deep blister). They haven't returned. Otherwise, there are deck leaks and such; but they will likely be remedied when I get around to re-bedding all the deck fittings. And things generally look tired; which I am currently fixing piecemeal. Given her age and what I paid for her (a whopping $1,200), I guess I can't complain too much. :)

Comfort wise I think Seafarer crammed a little too much interior into the boat. The layout would be a lot better in a 26 or 27 foot boat. I find the v-berth a little short, for instance. Still, more comfortable than some other 24 footers I've been on.

Sailing wise, she moves fairly well if there is a reasonable amount of wind, and she is a blast up to 15 or 20 knots where she becomes a little overpowered. I added a second reef to the main; but she isn't balancing well right now and generates a fair bit of lee helm when the wind cranks up. I recently replaced the standing rigging, so it is quite possible (even probable) that I just don't have the rig tuned right. I'm learning as I go... Before re-rigging she was fingertip control up to the low 20 knots. I'm sure I'll figure it out. That's a lot of wind for a small boat, anyway; but I have some ambitious dreams (there may be an upgrade to a slightly bigger boat, first) which are encouraging me to keep tweaking.

I have yet to bury the rail and she is pretty dry generally, even in better than 30 knots of wind. Which, btw, she handles adequately so long as I don't want to point closer than 100* to the wind or so. Which is to say, at this time I can't make any headway to weather when the wind REALLY picks up. That's why I added the second reef. Maybe I should have added a third. And a reef in the jib. It's a work in progress (I like to play in the snotty stuff ... it's a sickness).

Esthetically, the "Futura" cabin top does a fair job of providing decent (not quite standing) headroom in the cabin without making things look too blocky. It's not really my preferred look; but given a cabin top that appeals to me visually would seriously impact the inside headroom, it is a compromise I am willing to live with.

My intent was to move up to something in the 30-32 foot range and move on-board. This stupid economy has put a lot of bargains on the market; but has at the same time severely limited my buying power. I will likely end up moving onto this little boat next spring in an effort to get finances under control so I can afford what I really want (maybe a Cal or something in the above size range). If not, hell, I might just take off for a year or two in this little bucket. It might be a little cramped; but I'm willing to bet it would be fun.
 
#26 ·
I have a 1973-4 Seafarer 38C TM. We have practically rebuilt her, but now she is as pretty as anything else I see, and probably the best equipped old boat in our marina. I think they are fine boats. My issues are almost all related to age rather than anything else (though a few manufacturer shortcuts are apparent, and now fixed.). I would buy another Seafarer in a second if she were up-kept.
 
#28 ·
Hi, I just joined SailNet and have been interested in the Seafarer Tripp 30' for years, (just missed one in Wisconsin) have always admired Tripp's designs many of which are Seafarers. Anyway hope someday to own one. Ig anyone knows of one that needs a good home on the Chesapeke please let me know. Thanks.
 
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