New to me 73'

[mainstreamer]

Hi all, hope everyone is wintering well. I just brought home my new boat, a 1973 Mainstreamer tri hull. It's 15' 1" long with a Evinrude 50. Like many others on here, a new boat purchase was out of the question. I did tons of research and read many posts on here about buying used boats. After looking at many boats i fell in love with this old tri hull, its history and the gentleman i purchased it from. He bought it in 75 from the original owner and used it 2-3 times a year on Lake Cumberland here in Ky. Always garaged and well maintained. I feel that i have found a gem in this old classic. I'm sure i'll have many questions, that's why i chose the ?'s forum. Many lakes close to home are horse power restricted and my transom won't allow for a kicker. I'm thinking of adding a second trolling battery to the boat. My first question is about the placement of the second battery. Will it add too much weight having two batteries in the bow?

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: New to me 73'

Congrats mainstreamer my third boat was actually a meticulously maintained trihull that had been garage kept most of its life we had a lot of fun with it had it for about three years before deciding to upgrade, as a matter of fact I have owned three trihulls just remember to take it easy in the waves as they will certainly beat you to death. We have a pontoon but have owned three trihulls and they will always have a special place in my heart. Just be ready because in about three years or so you will want to upgrade.

This thread is worthless without pics though.

 

[southkogs]

Re: New to me 73'

...My first question is about the placement of the second battery. Will it add too much weight having two batteries in the bow?

Probably not. I prefer mine in the stern, but it shouldn't effect a 15' that much. Add 3 people in the bowrider and that'll change the game though.

I'm a tri-hull guy too. Hope it's a good one for ya'.

Welcome aboard.

 

[brnschoneck]

Re: New to me 73'

we want pics we want pics lol !!!

 

[Texasmark]

Re: New to me 73'

Most batteries are in the transom area. Less pounding there. On the comment by southkogs concerning 3 in the bow, take him at his word. Neighbor lost his boat in a lake of about 5000 acres one windy day trying to tie up to an old tree. There were 3 adult males (non-drinkers) and gear in the boat, (a sizeable load for a 15' tri-hull) one in the bow trying to tie up and one in either seat. On that boat, at 15' the seat is pretty close to the bow. Anyway, a big wave came over the bow and swamped the boat. I was home when he came home with an empty trailer and had to go over and ask what was going on.......at least he came home. The boat was never found, course the lake was notorious for attracting the wrong crowd.

In the early '70's the 15' tri-hull was popular with the new OMC loopers, being 50 two cylinders or 60-70 triples, all loop charged. The loop charged fuel efficiency word got out quickly and that was the mfgr of choice. Several friends had them and we would boat together. I had a large family so I was up at 18' and 125 hp.

They are nice and stable at rest but tends to dig in to the windward side when quartering sizeable waves with corresponding wind. This is annoying as it puts the person on the windward side right into the spray that the wind is blowing in your face. The way I used to handle it was to zig-zag whereby I would turn almost parallel to the waves and with about a 15 degree heading into the wind, go for a bit and when I saw a small wave coming, do a quick 180 and go at it in the other direction. Took awhile to get back in, but it worked. Here in this part of TX. the wind blows all the time. It's said that Dallas is windier than the windy city (Chicago). You couldn't take them head on as it would beat you to death.

HTH,
Mark

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: New to me 73'

sounds like a fun boat!

I think I'd put the main battery in the stern; they typically are on the starboard to keep wiring together and short.

then I'd put the trolling battery under one of the consoles amidships, unless you plan to hook them together for charging.

Carry jumper cables (everyone should) so one battery can back up the other, if they are not hooked together.

 

[mainstreamer]

Re: New to me 73'

Thanks for the replies! I will post some pics when the weather clears up, now it's jammed in the garage and can't get a descent pic. I'm more of a fisherman than a boater so i think the tri hull will perform well for me. I've been told it's a very stable platform to fish from, which is most important to me as i'm teaching my young boys to fish. Back to the battery ?, i'm concerned about fishing limited hp lakes and running out of trolling battery. Can the cranking battery be used as backup or should i get a second troll battery? I guess i'll just have to learn how long a charged battery will last.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: New to me 73'

When I was young to the art of using a trolling motor, I only had a cranking battery and ran it down. The engine was a Chrysler 85 hp. and I started it with the crank rope they conveniently put in the hood. It wasn't too bad but I was in calm water. Said I'd never do that again.

The thrust of your motor determines the amperage to run it. The run down profile of lead-acid storage batteries is exponential meaning that at full current, you can run your battery (given size) down in say 1 hour of continuous running. But if you reduce your current to 1/4th that value, the battery will last 16 hours. Intermittent operation allows the chemical solution to stabilize and make more of it available meaning that you can run longer at a given current intermittently than continuously. The operating current vs time profile I mentioned was printed on a decal on top of my trolling motor.

You are on the right track by running a test. Heck, for the limited hp lake test, just get it rigged so that you can use it but not in the circuit and run your test then use your cranking battery as your reserve to get home.....since I am assuming that you cannot use your 50 hp engine on the lake so the fact that it won't start your engine is a moot point.

HTH,
Mark