Plastic Classic Forum

Hi-

This is my first post, but I've been reading the many informative posts here for a very long time. This place is such a great resource, and I'll begin by thanking you for all I've learned by hanging around here and putting some ideas into practice.

I'm an Ensign owner, and will probably never get rid of her. The boat is just about perfect for family daysailing. Still, my wife and I are looking to eventually add a small cruising boat to the "fleet". It won't be this year, so I'm accumulating all the info I can, and taking time to digest it all.

We're looking for an easy to manage, seaworthy, and classic boat that'll comfortably handle us (and possibly another couple) for an overnight or weekend coastal cruise. Singlehanding ease is a must. I've spent lots of time looking at Tritons, and do love them and many of the Alberg designs. But another boat design that's really caught my eye is the Tripp 30, as well as its spitting image the Tripp Lentsch 29. It's also got killer lines, and seems to have been built to a high standard of quality.

Does anyone know the differences or similarities between these two boat designs? I believe they're both built by DeVries Lentsch yard, but I might be wrong. They sure do look similar in pictures.

Seafarer Tripp 30 (I don't think that appendage aft of the rudder is original, though). It's also got no inboard engine.

Tripp Lentsch

Thanks for your help with this...

Ed

Just what is that thing, anyway?



I'm a sucker for Tripp designs. There's just something about them that looks "right" to my eye (most of the time, anyway). Both of these boats are very attractive. The main difference I see between the two designs is the transom. The Lentch has what I would call a classic Tripp transom--long counter with abrubtly clipped vertical transom. (I happen to love this look, a'la Bermuda 40/Hinckley 48/Pearson Invicta.)

The transom on the Seafarer seems to have a bit more forward rake, and the cabin trunk bump seems taller and more defined, whereas on the Lentch it is somehow more rounded.

Of the two you indicated, I prefer the Seafarer, but some of that is because of individual details. The lack of a boottop on the dark-hulled Lentch in the listing makes the boat look dull and topheavy, without definition, and I prefer the more distinct cabin trunk on the Seafarer. I'd have to see both boats in person, though, to truly get a sense of the designs.




Offhand, I'd say one of these is a development of the other design--the boats are very similar overall, but there are definitely differences between them. They both look like nice boats, and offhand I don't see a clear reason to choose one over another if you like them both. It would come down to the individual boat in question.

I also doubt that the Lentch displaces 14,900 lb. as listed; it's likely much more in the 9600 range like the Seafarer.

Thanks, Tim. I said the same thing about the "growth" on the bottom of that Seafarer. Looks like a little too much "home grown" engineering gone wrong. Maybe it's doing something to offset the lack of inboard propulsion??? I dunno. Looks terrible, though.

Thanks for your input. I wasn't sure if the differences in the cabin trunk were from the perspective of the photos or from a real design difference. They're both attractive, that's for sure.

hebert01 wrote:Thanks, Tim. I said the same thing about the "growth" on the bottom of that Seafarer. Looks like a little too much "home grown" engineering gone wrong. Maybe it's doing something to offset the lack of inboard propulsion??? I dunno. Looks terrible, though.

Thanks for your input. I wasn't sure if the differences in the cabin trunk were from the perspective of the photos or from a real design difference. They're both attractive, that's for sure.

They sure are!

Being a trout/salmon fisherman from way back, I identified that ventral fin right away. Except that the head discharge is in the wrong spot.

It's (very) hard to imagine Tripp getting the balance wrong, but that fin might help with weather helm if the sail plan had been modified? It does look a step up from the worst of boatyard engineering, and it doesn't look like it would hurt much in any case?

Yeah, but why would one go through the trouble to add that fin, but not infill the prop aperture of the rudder? Silly.

"the head discharge is in the wrong place"
Wow that's funny. It would almost be worthwhile to reroute the head discharge just to complete the joke!

Two great boats, though I'd tend toward the Lentsch simply because I'm not a fan of outboard brackets on fine counter transoms.

Something is a bit off about the Lentsch too, though. For all the work of doing the spider-man job on that mainsail, why not just unbend it and stow it below???

Figment wrote:For all the work of doing the spider-man job on that mainsail, why not just unbend it and stow it below???

I've never understood why people wrap up their sails like that either. Just take it off if you're worried about wind. 10 minutes' work can save a lot of damage.

Figment wrote:I'd tend toward the Lentsch simply because I'm not a fan of outboard brackets on fine counter transoms.

Funny...that never crossed my mind as a downfall since I guess to my way of thinking any abhorrence like that would simply be removed and replaced with a diesel...never even considered that it could possibly stay.

Silly me.

Tim wrote: any abhorrence like that would simply be removed and replaced with a diesel

As a minor diversion of the thread, I got a bit of joshing last summer about the 'wasp' chasing my little Eastwind:


(it was a stopgap measure pending re-installation of the diesel)

As a further diversion, the dark hulls are a Pearson 35 Ketch, and a 38' Invicta yawl, so it was easy to deflect discussion of the "wasp" over to the other boats.

I know the owner of Mwingo, and if I see him I will ask about the fin thing. I do know that he has lived aboard that boat most summers, and occasionally a winter down south. He sails her all over the place by himself. For a while there was no engine at all, but he finally went with the outboard. I don't like the looks of it either...

She's a really pretty boat under sail, but the cockpit is too small for my taste. Good for one person out at sea, and maybe another cruising and hanging out but more than that and it looks tight.

Noah

I agree with a previous responder that it's unlikely that Tripp got the balance wrong. Besides alterations to the rig, or wrong choices of sails, it's pretty easy to change the balance with sail set or shape.

Another small Tripp design is the LeComte Medalist 33. One is available in Annap.

Is the Medalist for sale by a private party/locally? I couldn't find any info on it online. There are two Lecomte NE 38s moored in the same harbor as me, and those boats are absolutely gorgeous...

The Medalist.... http://www.triton381.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1817

As for that "anal fin" thingy, I can imagine some yahoo installing an inadequately-powered autopilot or tillerpilot, and then remedying the situation with the fin rather than upgrading the unit.
Plywood and epoxy is a pretty cheap fix for anything! =)

That fin... a couple of thoughts that spring to mind

Could be a remedy for inadequate longitudinal and course keeping stability. If the vessel tends to yaw or slew about under helm adding area as far aft as possible is a way to fix it. This supports the case of the inadequate windvane.

Rig imbalance - depending on where the center of effort of the rig is, this contrivance would tend to shift the center of effort of the underwater body aft. This would either reduce an over abundance of weather helm, or conversely add some weather helm back if there was not enough. If this is the case it would have made more sense to increase or reduce the area of the rudder!

thats about the only two things it could be hydrodynamically.

About the Medalist for sale:

It was current last week

Time capsule for sale
A special Medalist 33 Mk 1 sloop has come to our attention. A 1962 fiberglass model with a full keel, this Bill Tripp design is owned by Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB), a non-profit organization in Annapolis. Executive Director Don Backe called Good Old Boat to explain her special circumstances.

?This one?s been called ?a veritable time capsule,?? Don said. ?Everything is original, if somewhat tired.? Named Faith, this boat was owned by one family for all but one year since 1962 and has never been significantly modified. The boat, he told us, was built by A. LeComte in Holland as Hull #51. It has a flush deck and bubble top. It still has the original Atomic 4, not currently running, however, and original sails. The hull is white. It is sound with no dings or necessary repairs, Don told us, but nearly everything needs refinishing.

CRAB received the boat as a donation last year and will sell it in June 2006. Don?s hoping the right new owners ? someone who will care for this boat for another 40 years ? will emerge to buy the boat, valued around $9,000. CRAB will be the beneficiary of the sale. For more information on this worthwhile non-profit and the boat itself, visit the CRAB website at http://www.crab-sailing.org or call 410-626-0273.

I've just noticed another "fin" on a Tripp 30 (advertised for sale in Holland), so I thought I'd add it to the thread.



According to the ad, this particular Tripp 30 was built by van Lent (Holland) in 1976. This makes me wonder if this particular fin was added for a specific reason after the boat was sailed; or if it was put on by the builder hoping to "modernize" the underbody. 1976 would have been pretty late for a keel design like this on a boat so light, wouldn't it have? (I mean, vs. something like a Taiwan-built double-ender.)

The other views:











Here's a link to the ad (although I pasted all of the photos here already):

http://www.vaarkrant.nl/zeiljachten/588 ... _1976.html

Look at that coaming! Humina Humina!

Actually looks comfortable to lean against...

Zach wrote:Look at that coaming! Humina Humina!

Although I got the basic idea from context, I had to look that phrase up. When the first hit was for urbandictionary.com, I momentarily felt like an out-of-it oldster. Then I saw that it originated in the '30s and '40s. I feel like such a whippersnapper now.

From urbandictionary.com:

"Humina Humina"
An expression to imply sexual arousal. Often used when spotting a visually pleasing individual and actual words are lost.

Male cartoon characters of the 30s-40s would say this when seeing a particularly hot dame. This term is not exclusive to males, however.

The coamings are pretty hot :D

R.

Zach wrote:
Look at that coaming! Humina Humina!

....and look at the size of the hatch....could be used as a garage!

Ahh... Tripp and his wacky coamings.

They look really neat until you have to replace one... or two.

My medalist needs new ones and I'm having to enlist the aid of an actual shipwright (co-worker so no charge, woo hoo) to help me laminate ones up that will fit right.

The originals were a solid piece of teak 13 feet long that some enterprising dutchman carefully sawed the center out of for the first 2-3 feet. Then that section was laminated to make the sharp curve. A little half round cap and you would think that it was one giant steam bended piece.
Neat!
But then the glue gave up under the tutelage of the previous owner.
Should be a pretty fun project actually. Just need to get some nice teak or mahogany in lengths I can re-saw and then laminate.

This will be my first season sailing a '67 Seafarer 31 yawl. The two times I've had her out so far I have noticed a pronounced weather helm. Since I haven't had a chance to tune the rig, and I know the forestay isn't as tight as it should be, I marked the balance problem up to the rig not being right.

The pictures of these Tripp-Lentsch 30's and 31's with the add on skeg have me a little concerned, especially since the two boats are sloops rather than yawls - which presumably has a center of effort even further back along the hull.

Have any other Seafarer 31 owners had balance problems? Anybody have any suggestions SHORT of sticking an vorpal fin on aft of the rudder?

SURELY Bill Tripp didn't make that big of a miscalculation....

Rachel wrote:I've just noticed another "fin" on a Tripp 30 (advertised for sale in Holland), so I thought I'd add it to the thread.

Nice find, Rachel. My Seafarer is not alone in fininess!

I'm not so sure I like the addition of the wooden decking. The extra thickness of the decking spoils the looks a bit by coming up too close to the bottom of the ports. The traveler is also in an uncomfortable spot, although there's really not a good place for it on these boats. It's unquestionably more useful than mine will ever be since I've opted for end boom sheeting, past the cockpit, where it will have a very short track length. The addition of the fiddles on the galley table appears to be a nice feature though.

AJ

fusto wrote:Ahh... Tripp and his wacky coamings.

They look really neat until you have to replace one... or two.

My medalist needs new ones and I'm having to enlist the aid of an actual shipwright (co-worker so no charge, woo hoo) to help me laminate ones up that will fit right.

The originals were a solid piece of teak 13 feet long that some enterprising dutchman carefully sawed the center out of for the first 2-3 feet. Then that section was laminated to make the sharp curve. A little half round cap and you would think that it was one giant steam bended piece.

Interesting! I haven't looked too closely at how the Scots at Mechans built the coamings for my Tripp, but I've noticed they appear to have managed the corner by grafting together 2 separate pieces of mahogany which then attach to the long straight piece that runs behind the seats.

AJ

I agree with you on the teak decks, AJ. The decks themselves look nice, but they do "fill in" too much on the coach house.

R.

I came back to drool over that dark blue hull... got some observations.

Thoughts on the cleat mounting? No chocks! Sure does put them at a lovely position to keep from stubbing toes, and catching sheets. At first I thought they were actually mounted on the toe rail, but that stainless strip on the toe rail is the chafe protector.

Wonder how she lays at anchor, she's got an anchor roller on the bow, but I can't see a hoop to keep the rode trapped. Wheres the hawsepipe?

Wacky chainplates too, look like the extend a few feet above the deck. Must have a slick way of dropping that mast with the tabernacle using them.

Also looks like she has forward lower shrouds that are way forward... like even with the front of the coach roof! Jib track on the toe rail too... hmm.

Thanks,

Zach

Hey gang thought I'd chime in on this thread (this is my first post I've been lurking for a while) I just took delivery of my Tripp Lentsch 30 "Good Hope"

Like most of these old girls she needs some work. Top of the list is the old Atomic 4 which is dead. When I purchased her I had thought the ballast was internal/encapsulated but when we got her out of the water I was surprised to find that it's bolted on.


A little digging and out popped a whole lot of 5200 and the gap between hull/keel is at least a quarter inch.


I'm looking for some suggestions on how to deal with this new surprise. I'd love to torque up the keel bolts but they're below the glassed in water tank. I figure that I'll fair in the gap with some West system G-flex (it's supposed to be formulated for this application) but I've never used the stuff. Anyone have a suggestion?

Welcome, Steve'O,

Pretty boat! I think it's a Tripp-Lentsch 29 though - you might want to ask for some money back for that foot you didn't get ;)

Pardon me if you already know this, but this design came after the Tripp 30, and although it's similar in size and layout, the hull shape is somewhat different. I'm not that good at describing hull designs, but it's a tiny bit beamier and the bilges are less slack.

I don't have much to offer on the keel bolts, but Charlie J here on the forum has a Rhodes Meridian, and it was also built at DeVries-Lentsch in Vianen-on-Lek, Holland. The keel bolts on that boat are similarly covered up by fiberglass, but not in any sort of tanks (the boat is smaller so they are right under the sole). He did grind off the fiberglass to expose the bolts (and thus gain more headroom), and he also added some bolts. He might be able to shed a bit more light on the bolt configuration (if they did use similar technique).

I wonder if it might be good to start thread for your boat? You'll need someplace to post the MORE photos we will certainly need :D

I had this photo bookmarked and it must be your boat (?) It was captioned "Good Hope owned by Joe Maginiss, New York."



Again, welcome!

Rachel

Rachel thanks for your resposne. Yes it's a 29! I wasn't thinking straight. I'm very happy with her classic looks and Yes I bought the boat from Joe in March but have only been able to get her out of the water now. Where did you find that picture?

I have plenty of photo's and will start a new thread under the questions and answers section. I just need to figure out how to post the photo's here (the Picasa URL I used on my first post didn't work. Do you have any suggestions?)

Steve,

I was able to look at your photos by copying the link text and pasting it into another page, so perhaps it's something with how you've pasted it in here?

Edited to add: You can check to see how your photos will look on the forum by clicking on "preview" before you submit your post. However they look in "preview" is how they will look in your final post. So you can catch if there's a problem with a tag, etc. I have found that sometimes (not sure why) when I click on "Img" above to turn a URL into an image post, it will put one of the "img" brackets in a separate line from the photo. If I remember correctly this causes problems, so I manually maneuver things so that both of the "img" tags and the body of the link text are on the same line. Also, the image links always need to end in ".jpg" or ".gif" or something image-ey like that.

The photo was from a Dutch site for TL 29s. There is some good info there, although it's not updated much. I did have a Dutch friend translate one of the "construction details" pages for me (most of the site is in English already), which I could dig up for you.

http://macropipus.tripod.com/friendsoft ... index.html

Rachel

Rachel,
Yes I've seen the Dutch site and I agree not much info I'd be glad to get whatever you have in the way of translated construction pages

hebert01 wrote:Hi-

This is my first post, but I've been reading the many informative posts here for a very long time. This place is such a great resource, and I'll begin by thanking you for all I've learned by hanging around here and putting some ideas into practice.

I'm an Ensign owner, and will probably never get rid of her. The boat is just about perfect for family daysailing. Still, my wife and I are looking to eventually add a small cruising boat to the "fleet". It won't be this year, so I'm accumulating all the info I can, and taking time to digest it all.

We're looking for an easy to manage, seaworthy, and classic boat that'll comfortably handle us (and possibly another couple) for an overnight or weekend coastal cruise. Singlehanding ease is a must. I've spent lots of time looking at Tritons, and do love them and many of the Alberg designs. But another boat design that's really caught my eye is the Tripp 30, as well as its spitting image the Tripp Lentsch 29. It's also got killer lines, and seems to have been built to a high standard of quality.

Does anyone know the differences or similarities between these two boat designs? I believe they're both built by DeVries Lentsch yard, but I might be wrong. They sure do look similar in pictures.

Seafarer Tripp 30 (I don't think that appendage aft of the rudder is original, though). It's also got no inboard engine.

Tripp Lentsch

Thanks for your help with this...

Ed

I know this thread is little old, but wan't to chime in:
When I was a teenager my family chartered a TL 29 for a season and it was a terrific boat.
I BELIEVE the TRIPP 30 was a slightly earlier design which DID have a design flaw that made them difficult to steer. Wether this was caused by the almost extreme rake of the rudder post or something else, I'm not really qualified to tell. but 'changes to in the stern sections' apparently alleviated the problem on the later boat.

Interesting info. I've been wondering about that ever since we saw the fins appear. Come to think of it, I think they were both on Tripp 30s. I can't look at the two designs side-by-side right now, but I believe the TL-29 (which is a later design than the 30) has just about the same "extreme" rake to its rudder post (in addition to the whole post being a bit further forward than on many other similar boats), so it must have been something else (hull shape or rig, perhaps).

Guess you don't need to add a fin, Steve :D

Rachel

The story I heard from a knowlegeable source is that Bill Tripp tended to rehash and reissue designs. Obviously, a designer would build on a successful previous work but there might be a point where that designer would be overboard. Certainly, there is a stong family resemblance in Tripp's contemporaneous designs as they developed over time, just like there is in S&S's. Successful answers to the requirements of a certain rule, in this case the CCA, are likely to be similar. Accepted style and custom would tend to lead to similarities.

I seem to recall that Tripp designed and was building and importing Seafarers on his own account. Here's one article: http://www.proboat-digital.com/proboat/20070203/?pg=59 There is at least one other, in Good Old Boat, by this fellow, Ted Jones. Suggests to me that, when he was left on his own he'd do things his own way. By contrast, compare the Block Island 40, the Hinckley B 40 and the LeComte NE 38. All three are obviously Tripp boats, not anybody elses'. The two 40s look more alike and the 38 has a much more pronounced sweep to the sheer; that sweep is, I think, due to Dolf LeComte's taste.

In general, I think add-on skegs are corrective to an unbalanced rig or undue squirrelyness in steering. I doubt that the angle of the rudderpost is predictive. Tripps' Columbia 57, one of which I've sailed, was pretty squirrely. Interestingly, that boat was sold and the owner bought a '68 Swan 43, by S&S. I' ve sailed it, too, and it is squirrely. S&S's design fix was a larger rudder a little further aft, which is expensive and was not done to this boat.

Quetzalsailor wrote:I seem to recall that Tripp designed and was building and importing Seafarers on his own account.

I believe that the Tripp 30 (Seafarer) was done in concert with Brian Acworth (sp?) who was the owner (or "the guy" anyway) of Seafarer Yachts, and who imported them (not Tripp himself). I think the Polaris was a similar alliance (not sure about the "sister" Sailmaster).

The story on the Tripp-Lentsch 29, as I understand it, was that Tripp wasn't happy with his relationship with Seafarer, so he went in with Mr. Lentsch of DeVries-Lentsch, where some of the Seafarers had been built prior to Seafarer moving production to the US in 1965.

Quetzalsailor wrote: Here's one article .... by Ted Jones. Suggests to me that, when he was left on his own he'd do things his own way. By contrast, compare the Block Island 40, the Hinckley B 40 and the LeComte NE 38. All three are obviously Tripp boats, not anybody elses'. The two 40s look more alike and the 38 has a much more pronounced sweep to the sheer; that sweep is, I think, due to Dolf LeComte's taste.

I'm interested in what you're saying above, but I'm not quite sure what you mean. The way I'm reading it, what you're saying contradicts your examples, so I must be misunderstanding. Could you clarify?

Rachel

Rachel, I think Tripps' designs tend strongly to have family resemblances, that he changed that 'look' both to suit himself and to stay in fashion over the 13 +/- years of his designing life, but that he would also ooch that look for the fellow who ordered a design.

I'd love to see a definitive book on him and his designs, as well as on other designers. Lots of Architects have 'em, why not more naval architects? I think Tripps' work is worth the effort, though it would certainly be a shorter book than for a Stevens or a Morgan. I particularly am curious about the hows and whys of the shapes of the underbodies. The NE 38 is, to my eye, very different from the others below the waterline even as it looks like a Tripp above; it's distinctly plumper forward and sleeker aft than other Tripps and other boats of its time.

I think that the three generations of Tripp designers would make an interesting read. (There were two Bill Tripps before the currently active Annapolis-based Bill Tripp, and I think they were at the leading edge of the art of their time.)

First post after a long absence.
I have a Seafarer 26 and it balances beautifully upwind or on a reach. I have sailed with main only in stiff winds with the tiller on the cockpit floor and me leaning against the mast. This went on for about twenty minuteswith no porblems!

With the small jib the helm is very light, with my Genoa there is only slight lee helm.

Down wind it gets rolley in waves.
What I'd like some thoughts on is the drift attitude. With bare poles she drifts 90 degrees to the wind. When at anchor she pulls , once again, 90 degrees to the wind. I don't understand why she doesn't point into the wind at anchor.