Senoir Reacher 34

[shanson 0]

Hi yall!

 

I'm currently looking at a wooden Don Senior Reacher 34, it looks like a large volume performance cruiser.

 

anyone here have one? Any one have any experiance with them?

 

With a near 2 meter fin keel with a bulb I would expect reasonable performance, but will she be easy enough to manage off shore?

 

Cheers

 

SHANE

[Atom Ant 0]

Hey Shane, the Reacher boats are good. I personally never liked the bow cockpits that alot of them came with, but others do, so different strokes for different folks. I think that at a draft of 2 metres it may not be the original keel design as bulbs were not being designed then. I looked at a Reacher 36 many years ago and I wanted it so badly, I just couldn't afford it. They're a well mannered boat Shane and like you said tons of room inside. They were designed for exactly what you propose, chewing up miles on a reach while being easy to sail. Not a planing hull shape but will get you there and all round they're pretty good. Best of luck with your quest.

[Guest]

Some family friends build one when I was young named Terahawk (or something like that), and about 4-5 years later they replaced the keel. The original keel design was a bit of a handful dead down wind and caused a number of moments . So at 2m sounds like one with a keel mod.

 

But as AA said always does good solid cruising numbers with the wind about the beam. And from memory they steam quite well too.

[shanson 0]

Thanks Guys

 

Thats all good to know, She was build late 90's so expect thats why the keel has been modified as I think the design is a bit older that that.

 

We're looking at eventually entering her in some of the CAT 3 races so it's good to know she has some pace.

 

Yea I don't much like the bow and can see that possibly changing in the future.

 

SHANE

[shanson 0]

Does anyone know if they were factory or home build? Are any of the builders still around?

 

We have concern around the Kahikatia (SP?) rotting does anyone have a similarly constructed boat?

 

SHANE

[Guest]

Just what AA said and yes knot too shabby a choice for a cruise up to the Islands.

 

Totally agree on the 2mt keel, sounds very non-original. Knot a bad thing though.

[shanson 0]

Thanks KM, any thoughts on the use of kahikatea as a wood? I heard it was prone to rotting?

 

SHANE

[wheels 543]

All timber rots, just a couple are very good at not doing so easily.

Kahikatea was used because it is a very stable timber. So is Kauri, but of course it is difficult to come by and expensive. Well at least it was till the Fijian timbers came on line.

First thing with timber and Rot is, Salt water does not rot timber. It will preserve it. It is fresh water that causes Rot. So you protect the timber. This can be done with Epoxy, Evedure Paint or just a simple preservitive.

It's a great timber to work with and I don't think anything other than Kauri is as good for boat biulding.

[shanson 0]

Thanks Wheels, Let me know when (if) you become a Jaffa! I must owe you about a dozen beers by now!

[Atom Ant 0]

Hmmm, I'm not so sure about kahikatea. I've heard that it isn't so good for boatbuilding but then again there's been quite a few boats built of it. My understanding was that it was used as an alternative to Kauri, but that there were sometimes adhesion issues with it. Having said that I'm not a boat builder and you'd be best to talk to a boat builder. I'd have a chat with Ray Beale if it were me.

 

Shoot me down if I'm wrong boys.

[Guest]

My understanding was that Kahikatea was used after the Kauri dried up.

My yacht was sold to me as Kahikatea, but is Kauri which is was a bonus.

It is more prone to rot apparently. K seems to be sold treated now when you see it.

Again, there are people here who know alot more than me on this subject.

[shanson 0]

So how can I tell if it was treated?

 

and can someone recommend a surveyor? Does Ray Beale do surveys?

 

SHANE

[Guest]

Yes, has a first class reputation but is constantly busy.

[smithy09 50]

Mike Menzies. email: http://inspections@mike-menzies-marine.co.nz He did a great job for me. I am in a similar position to you shanson. Been looking for a while.. It's a hard road mate!!!

[wheels 543]

I have seen just as much Rot with Kauri. There is a yacht being rebiult in Havelock right now that was double dai Kauri and most of the Hull has now been replaced.

In fact I tell people busily washing their boats are being out, "the fastest way to Rot a wooden boat is to wash it with Fresh water". Leave the Salt on it.

You can use treated K, but the problem with any timber that is treated it is harder to get epoxy to stick to it. In a nutshell, the treament stops Epoxy soaking into the timber and bonding. Now that is not saying it won't stick and the lighter treatments of bellow H3 tend to be not so bad. Personally, if you wnat to treat, I reckon it is better to do so after, but simply brushing on the treatment, which can bought from the M10 places and is called Metalex.

As I said above, K is stable timber. That means it stays straight and does not shrink. The timber is a naturaly clear product, as in it has very little defect like knots. It is easy to work with, as in cuts cleanly, and chisles nicely etc etc.

Macrocapa is another timber used today as it naturally resist Rot. But it is not a nice timber to work with. It can be knoty, it can twist, it does not cut cleanly and it splits easily. It is certainly strong though.

Now if this is helpful to anyone, I have a friend here that has a good quantity of Kahikatea very very cheap. It is in various sizes ruff sawn at the mo, but can be dressed at a cost. What happened was that he bought a tree and was going to mill it. It was cut at 5m. He went out to mill it and found the Farmer for some unknown reason had cut it in half. So he now has some 2 cubic metres of Kahikatea at 2.5 lenghts, which was pretty much useless for anyone wanting it. Every now and then he mumbles about turning it into Firewood, but I keep say hold on, we will surely find someone it will be OK for. All the boat biulders here that still use timber, all want K at 5m minimum. So even with freight to Auckland, I think this pile would still be a very good deal.

 

He also has some treated 6x1 ex weatherboard from houses and that stuff is all long lengths.

He also has second hand native timbers like Kauri, Matai and Rimu.

[Atom Ant 0]

For a wooden boat go to Ray Beale, Mike Menzies is a fibreglass specialist. Nice guy, but Ray built and designed boats out of wood.

[smithy09 50]

For a wooden boat go to Ray Beale, Mike Menzies is a fibreglass specialist. Nice guy, but Ray built and designed boats out of wood.

 

Good to know AA!

[JK 28]

I think you will find that MM will not survey wooden boats.

[Guest]

get in touch with Don Senior at Maritimo NZ, he designed them and built a few, and as a plus he is a no nonsense goodguy