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 Post subject: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride...
PostPosted: 20 Mar 2012 14:17 
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Rail Meat

Joined: 16 Mar 2012 16:28
Posts: 5
Hi all,
After 5 years of living aboard in Baltimore on a Pearson Vanguard, it's time to move up or move off. So I'm moving up and the the boat at the top of the list is a T37. I was thinking about a Bristol 40 or an Alberg 37, but this will be my third large boat and I'm looking for performance beyond the full-keel experience.

When I first started looking at photos of T37s , I thought that getting rid of the starboard pilot berth and putting in a deeper settee with cabinets might be a good upgrade. Then I looked at a couple of T37s in Annapolis last weekend and I found the steel bars just inside the cabinetry that I'm guessing transfers the load from the deck to the hull. I've seen photos of a late model T37 (1987?) that doesn't have the pilot berth. They must have repositioned the bar to run at the same angle as the standing rigging. Is that a possible modification for an earlier model T37? I would prefer cabinets and a deeper starboard side settee, but maybe not if it's a major rig-threatening up (down) grade. Anybody ever had that done or heard of it being done? Flash of brilliance or insanely bad idea?

Lastly, I would like to get a feel for how a T37 sails before doing the broker/survey dance. So I'd like to hitch a ride on a T37 this summer. I'll trade a few hours of time on the water for a few hours of boat work. Got a job that requires another set of hands? I can pull wires, haul hoses and crawl into tight spaces with the best of them. You do the cranking, I'll go up the mast. Or, I'll spring for a nice lunch for you and your significant other. Traveling a few hundred miles is not a problem for a chance to go sailing.

Thanks,

Lance


 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 20 Mar 2012 17:11 
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Skipper

Joined: 10 Nov 2006 22:56
Posts: 171
Location: Portland, Oregon
Hi Lance -

If you're talking about the stainless bars at the foot of the pilot berth, those are the starboard chainplates that are attached to the bulkhead between the pilot berth and the aft hanging locker. I've seen photos of several boats that have converted he pilot berth to cabinets. I would never do that myself, as on Betty Lou the pilot berth is the most used berth on the boat. We spend a fair amount of time offshore, and the pilot berth, port and starboard settees are all rigged with lee cloths. They are the best offshore berths on the boat. When offshore, the v-berth and quarter berth are storage for us.

I also spend a night or two each week aboard Betty Lou by myself (she's my man-cave on the river), and I always sleep in the pilot berth. That leaves the v-berth available as a sail locker. The v-berth only get use for sleeping when the 1st mate is aboard, and then only when at anchor or tied up to a dock.

Another mod I've seen for that area is moving the house bank batteries to the space below the pilot berth. As much as I'd like more room for my house bank, I'd hate to lose those storage lockers.

It's more than a few hundred miles, but if you're ever in Portland give us a holler. We'll get you out on the river!

_________________
Jay and Muki Kerr
Tartan 37 Betty Lou (formerly Rainbow)
Hull # 118, fin keel
St. Helens, OR
Betty Lou's Blog


 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 20 Mar 2012 19:37 
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Skipper

Joined: 05 Nov 2006 11:10
Posts: 321
Location: Chesapeake Bay
We're on Rock Creek so a ride is possible, but it all depends on when we get the boat in the water...lots to do before that happens! Smile

_________________
Hull #358 "Windgeist"
Chesapeake Bay


 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 20 Mar 2012 20:49 
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Midshipman

Joined: 02 Jan 2011 15:51
Posts: 53
I've been doing a lot of work on Kiwi over the past 18 months. I know the bar you are talking about, and of all the things I've tweaked and modified...I'm leaving that one alone. Still, your boat has to be YOUR boat. We intended for her to be our forever boat, but the Marine Corps may have some "other" plans (possible overseas orders). If you like the way Tartans ride, let me know and I can send you some information about her. There are some things that I really wish I had known before I threw down my cold hard cash. I would have offered about $5-7k less. Instead, I'm into her by at least twice that. Still, I'm in no rush to sell (but for the right price...), as everyone on this forum can tell you they are great boats. If I am not mistaken, I think Yachtworld lists a T37 in Deale, MD, which is not too far from Baltimore. She may be on the hard, though. I haven't looked for a long time.

As much as I like being on the water, there is a very odd sense of accomplishment gained from figuring something out or completing a project with some of the forum's guidance. I enjoy the maintenance/refit almost as much as I do getting her underway. Almost.

Either way, you will not go wrong with a Tartan. This forum is a great place to post questions and search for previous posts regarding those questions. It has been invaluable over the past few projects. My next one...refrigeration. The Grunert finally died an ignominious death. Now all I have to do is decide between Seafrost and Adler Barbour...but that is a question for another forum topic.

Welcome aboard!
ScottC


 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 20 Mar 2012 21:28 
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Skipper

Joined: 21 Jan 2010 12:57
Posts: 168
I would agree with "alpinista" that eliminating the starboard ( I do believe that the proper nomenclature is "transom") berth would not be prudent. The boat and I are in Deltaville, VA; come on down and you'll get what you're after. Douglong169@gmail.com


 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 21 Mar 2012 06:07 
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Skipper

Joined: 27 Oct 2006 10:32
Posts: 827
Lance,
I am actually in the process right now of converting the pilot berth to storage. It all started two summers ago here on the Chesapeake.....I remember it well, highs approaching 100 degrees for days,weeks on end. I bought a portable A/C unit, which did a fairly decent job of cooling the boat, but it was a pain to rig and then store. Last summer was about the same....after July 4th, the heat made it very uncomfortable to be down on the boat without the A/C running and judging by the very warm spring this year, this summer could be worse. All of this has convinced me to add a permanant central A/C and heating unit on Tortuga's Lie. I figured that the foot of the pilot berth would be the right spot for it is centrally located making the duct runs easier and more efficient plus the added weight on the starboard side would offset the listing to port.
For this project, I deepened the lower settee 5" making this a very comfortable lounge seat and will be our new sea berth with an added lee cloth. For the remaining pilot berth, I will have two added drawers and two large raised panel doors, one will house a TV/DVD and the other will be stoarge shelves.
As far as the tension rod is concerned, if you can leave it alone, I would do that. Certainly, a proper bulkhead would work taking it's place, but it has to allign with the chainplates anyway, so why mess with it?
Here's a picture of work in progress before I added any cabinetry but it does show the deepened settee (more pictures to follow):
Attachment:
Starboard renovation and Swans Nov 11 021.jpg

Starboard renovation and Swans Nov 11 021.jpg [ 2.07 MB | Viewed 0 times ]





 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 22 Mar 2012 11:23 
Offline
Skipper

Joined: 19 Mar 2007 16:40
Posts: 195
Hi lance,

My wife wasn't too thrilled with the pilot berth when we first aquired our T-37 and wanted to convert it to storage and a deeper settee. Like a lot of things on the to do list made up early in boat ownership it didn't get done. We find the pilot berth extremely useful. When messing about on flat water it serves as storage. My grand daughter has claimed it as her domain when overnighting with us. And as Alpinista has pointed out it's the only place to be in a seaway if you want to sleep. I would recommend living with the boat for a while and see how everthing fits you. That will free up your project list for things like plumbing and wiring upgrades, soggy deck repair and more batteries and charging system upgrades. Besides the space above the foot area of the pilot berth is a perfect out of the way spot for a sub woofer.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 22 Mar 2012 17:08 
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Skipper

Joined: 10 Nov 2006 22:56
Posts: 171
Location: Portland, Oregon
A few more reasons for keeping the pilot berth;

We have our HD TV / Computer monitor mounted on a swing arm mount at the nav station so that underway it faces the nav station for it's function as a chart plotter, but rotates to face forward for TV/movie watching. Sitting backwards in the pilot berth with a cushion against the foot cubby is a perfect TV watching position, especially for the little ones.

Our sea dog, Libby, claims the pilot berth as her official domain, where she can get head scratches from anyone sitting on the starboard settee, and also has a bird's eye view of any cooking activity in the galley. It keeps her nicely out from under foot.

Finally, I spend quite a few nights aboard in 20 - 30 degree weather. The pilot berth is up high enough that it is the warmest place on the boat. That might not be such an important issue once I get the diesel furnace installed this summer, but for now its 15 degrees warmer than the other berths.

Later --

JK

_________________
Jay and Muki Kerr
Tartan 37 Betty Lou (formerly Rainbow)
Hull # 118, fin keel
St. Helens, OR
Betty Lou's Blog


 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 24 Mar 2012 08:32 
Offline
Rail Meat

Joined: 18 Jun 2011 10:08
Posts: 15
Hello Lance,
We're in Charleston,SC and you're welcomed aboard any time. You want find a better sailing boat. Come spend a weekend on her and see what you think.
Jeff Coulter,
Bright Moments #108


 
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 Post subject: Re: Looking at Tartans,asking questions and thumbing a ride.
PostPosted: 25 Mar 2012 10:29 
Offline
Rail Meat

Joined: 16 Mar 2012 16:28
Posts: 5
Thanks for all the info. I'll live with the port side berth for a while before major changes. Really, all I want to do for the first few months is GO SAILING. For those of you who offered that ride I'm trying to thumb, I'll be in touch this spring. You can get a hold of me at artieTwelve@gmail.com. It's great to see that the owners group is this active. Always helpful to know that whatever job you are going to attempt, 10 people have done it before you.

Thanks again.

Lance Smith


 
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