Tri cabin purchase advice

This forum is for comments and the exchange of information relating to Trojan Boats and boating. Please do not post used parts or boats For Sale in this area. For general, non-boating topics please use our "General Discussions" section.

Note: Negative or inflammatory postings will not be tolerated.

Moderators: BeaconMarineBob, Moderator, BeaconMarineDon

dab62
Registered user
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:12 pm

Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by dab62 »

Hello all. I am contemplating purchasing my first boat. I have done a bit of research on Trojan and like what I have read about the way they're constructed. I am considering a tri cabin and would like to know what you guys think about the differences between the rear and mid engine designs. It seems to me that the mid engine would be easier to service, as well as have a better center of gravity. Please let me know what you guys think on tho is on any other aspects that I have not considered.Any and all advice to this newby would be much appreciated. Thanks to all.
1987 F32
All Wrapt Up
Kent Narrows,Md.
User avatar
aaronbocknek
Ultimate User
Posts: 2080
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:19 am
Location: baltimore, md (alexandria, va and middle river,md) PARKSIDE MARINA

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by aaronbocknek »

this site is a good place to start. i grew up with the 'tri' and i'm happy to answer questions you may have. the mid engine vessels are newer and have a lot less exterior wood to rot and have repaired. the aft engine tri cabins were notorious for having aft deck, bridge deck, and aft cabin bulkhead issues. dad (we had a 1972) had the aft cabin bulkheads replaced twice by trojan in the late 70's and early 80's. in 2002 he had the entire aft deck rebuilt. each design has it's own unique properties, as this particular model in the trojan line went through several updates, culminating with the final run in late 1985 for the 1986 model year. the line ended in 1987.
the main difference in the 'end run' models is the relocation of the galley from aft port to forward port U shape design. the forward stateroom was more enclosed, containing a centerline berth as opposed to the V-berth, but, this stateroom is really tight and closed in. the aft stateroom in the end run models have a centerline aft berth that is higher than earlier models due to the increase in fuel capacity. the tank, in the aft island berth models is under the bunk. the capacity was increased fro 220 to 300 gallons. there is more storage in the aft stateroom too by virtue of the fact the aft head included a shower stall compared to the 'tub/shower' combo. the aft head in this model is much better configured than the earlier models in my opinion.

so.........let the questions begin..........and welcome to the forum.
aaron
1982 F-36 TRI CABIN ENTERPRISE
PARKSIDE MARINA IN MIDDLE RIVER, MD
aaronbocknek@gmail.com
User avatar
captainmaniac
2024 Gold Support
2024 Gold Support
Posts: 1917
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 10:26 pm
Location: Burlington, Ontario

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by captainmaniac »

I saw your post earlier today and was gonna say 'just wait for Aaron'.... but didn't bother. I knew he would be here before long. Dab .... Aaron is the expert on Tri Cabs. There are a bunch of is on the forum who know Trojan boats... but if you are looking for something specific to a Tri, odds are Aaron is the guy to listen to.
User avatar
aaronbocknek
Ultimate User
Posts: 2080
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:19 am
Location: baltimore, md (alexandria, va and middle river,md) PARKSIDE MARINA

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by aaronbocknek »

captainmaniac wrote:I saw your post earlier today and was gonna say 'just wait for Aaron'.... but didn't bother. I knew he would be here before long. Dab .... Aaron is the expert on Tri Cabs. There are a bunch of is on the forum who know Trojan boats... but if you are looking for something specific to a Tri, odds are Aaron is the guy to listen to.
why thank you for the compliment sir. much appreciated. made my morning and upcoming LONG day of flying just a little easier to take.
1982 F-36 TRI CABIN ENTERPRISE
PARKSIDE MARINA IN MIDDLE RIVER, MD
aaronbocknek@gmail.com
dab62
Registered user
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:12 pm

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by dab62 »

Thanks much for your input Aaron. I know I'm engaging in a bad practice by focusing on one boat,but I like the tri cabin's value combination of size, layout, and full glass hull for the price point.I think that I'd be looking at a mid engine from the late 70s to.early 80s. I'm not really a fan of v-berths, and would prefer the single large bed aft. Do you think it would be practical to convert the front cabin to a center, or offset queen if the rest of the boat is the right deal? I also would appreciate your thoughts on engines( Chrysler vs Marauders,etc. As I will be doing basics myself. Any other advice, or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Finally, a shout out to.a fellow Marylander! By the way, I will be using this on the Chesapeake bay if that has any impact on your advice. Just curious, which Enterprise is your boat named after? Thanks,Doug
1987 F32
All Wrapt Up
Kent Narrows,Md.
User avatar
P-Dogg
Active User
Posts: 959
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:15 pm
Location: Near Baltimorgue, Murderland, where they prove every day that gun control doesn't work.

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by P-Dogg »

Bad practice to focus on one boat? Hardly. I sought the tricab for all the reasons you listed. I looked 11 before buying one

Welcome to the forum. Where are you based?
I needed a less expensive hobby, so I bought a boat!
rickalan35
Moderate User
Posts: 790
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:37 pm
Location: smiths falls, ontario, canada

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by rickalan35 »

Hi Dab,

Just sold my Tricabin this spring. I had purchased it in 1999. Over the years, it was simply a great boat for my wife and I. We lavishly spent a lot of money and a lot of time modernizing it and found it to be very seaworthy and a dependable unit that never left us stranded. It was very suitable for the kind of boating we do (Thousand Islands region at the eastern end of Lake Ontario and northward into the Canadian Rideau Lakes System.)

The weakness of this model (including ours) was a poorly designed system for draining water off the topsides during a downpour. Massive amounts of water runoff drains back down both walkways into the rear cockpit (sole) and piles up there, before draining through the three transom drains. The result is a tendency to leak forward at both rear cockpit corners - directly onto both beds in the aft cabin. Wet legs will awaken even the hardiest boater. We finally sourced the problem to be in the corners and had a marine carpenter devise a waterproof enclosure to stop the leaking.

I have no experience with the later Tricabins that have engines amidships. But it seems like a good idea to me.

So all in all, I believe that this is a model with great upside due to the fact that it hasn't maintained a high resale value. If you can get one in good condition it might still be a lower than average price tag, when compared to other available boat choices. The hull is solid not composite as is the deck. Generally, everything works and they present a very good platform for modernization.

Make sure the teak isn't rotten, make sure it hasn't been deserted and left to the elements (rotten teak again) make sure the engines/transmissions and V-drives (older models) have a service history. There are so many bad ones out there that will end up costing you five times as much money to repair than simply searching out and buying a decent one.

Just sayin'

Rick
Trojan 1994 370 Express, 502 Bluewaters
dab62
Registered user
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:12 pm

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by dab62 »

P-dogg. I live n Silver Spring,MD. I will find a marina in the middle, or lower Chesapeake bay when the tike comes. Rickalan35, thanks for the advice. I hope to find one with the full cockpit enclosure. Do you think that would mitigate that water issue? I did see a nice one that claimed a $20k repair, plus it came with a hard top and full enclosure which was a big plus for me. Thanks for the tip. I will definitely have a survey done when I find one I like. Btw, why did you sell yours?
1987 F32
All Wrapt Up
Kent Narrows,Md.
rickalan35
Moderate User
Posts: 790
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:37 pm
Location: smiths falls, ontario, canada

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by rickalan35 »

Hi Dab,

Yes, I think that the later models with the raised, enclosed rear cockpit would be the way to go to avoid the leaking corners. Trojan probably received so many complaints that they changed the design. Aaron is the guy to touch base about this as he owns a Tricabin of this style. I think he recently mentioned that he was experiencing some salon window leakage.

IMO with these older boats, a survey will usually find a lot wrong which will definitely help in your negotiating. For some of us, especially on this Trojan forum a high percentage of the surveyor's findings will be issues you can repair yourself or hire repaired for a reasonable price. In other words, not deal breakers.

The solid hulls and Trojan's fine production techniques were a big part of the reason why these boats have stood the test of time, imo

Why we bought another boat? We bought another boat for no other reason that we decided, "We think we have another boat left in us before we call it quits." We're now in our mid sixties and as my wife likes to say, "It doesn't always have to make sense for us to do it." So we pulled the trigger on a 1994 Trojan 370 Express. Our Tricabin sold to the first person who answered our ad.

We realized that over all those years, we only had guests sleeping overnight once. From that perspective, we realized that we wouldn't be penalized by moving to what is essentially an open, one couple layout. The '94 also sports a solid hull as I definitely didn't want composite in a twenty year old boat, even if it's lighter. (Just personal preference)

Good luck in your search, Dab :)

Cheers

Rick
Trojan 1994 370 Express, 502 Bluewaters
dab62
Registered user
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:12 pm

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by dab62 »

Thanks for your info Rick. Hope you get many happy years from your new ride. I'm envious of your wife's attitude, mine still doesn't get it, but she'll still roll with it since she sees my newfound enthusiasm. :wink: Thanks again for you advice.

Doug
1987 F32
All Wrapt Up
Kent Narrows,Md.
rickalan35
Moderate User
Posts: 790
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:37 pm
Location: smiths falls, ontario, canada

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by rickalan35 »

Your welcome, Doug. Have fun searching and good luck with the results. Rick
Trojan 1994 370 Express, 502 Bluewaters
dab62
Registered user
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:12 pm

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by dab62 »

A couple of questions guys. Are these all raw water cooled? Do you think the overall serviceability is better on the rear, or mid engined models? As always, thanks for the help.
1987 F32
All Wrapt Up
Kent Narrows,Md.
rickalan35
Moderate User
Posts: 790
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:37 pm
Location: smiths falls, ontario, canada

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by rickalan35 »

Hi,

I would believe that all of the TriCabins were water cooled although I don't know that for certain. Mine was and any others that I came into contact with were as well. I enlarged the intakes in mine and installed strainers. The engines have oil coolers and sometimes weeds can get tangled in there. The intake strainers worked very well.

On the models with V-drives (like mine was), they are set up so that you can check the oil thru the side access doors without pulling off the mattresses and engine covers. When under way, I would have someone else drive while I went down into the aft cabin with a flashlight and opened up the side access doors between each bed and observed the engines running - just to make sure there was nothing amiss.

When doing any real engine work, the mattresses and cover boards come off easily and can be stored in the rear head. There is good access to the engines. Better than most imo. Others members of this forum can answer this question re: the mid engined models.

RD
Trojan 1994 370 Express, 502 Bluewaters
rickalan35
Moderate User
Posts: 790
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:37 pm
Location: smiths falls, ontario, canada

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by rickalan35 »

I would believe that all of the TriCabins were water cooled
Whoops, I meant ...............I would believe that all of the TriCabins were RAW water cooled
Trojan 1994 370 Express, 502 Bluewaters
horhay1946
Registered user
Posts: 54
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 11:24 am
Location: Panama City Beach

Re: Tri cabin purchase advice

Post by horhay1946 »

I have a 81 with the single burth in the aft cabin and the engines are fresh water cooled. I have good access with the hatches off but for engine replacement you have to either remove the hatch in the salon or disassemble the engine and take it out a piece at a time
1985 Mako 258 (One Owner)
1981 Trojan Tri Cabin

George
Post Reply