About TimeMachine
Time Machine is a Jim Brown Searunner 31 A-frame built by Joe LaGuardia and launched in 1997 on Lake Tahoe. Originally designed to be a cutter, it is currently rigged as a sloop because who needs that sail area anyway. I much prefer to use the storage space in the ama for extra toilet paper.
An additional foot was added to the length when constructed, which makes the settee a bit roomier; the cabin top design was modified as well—the windows in the front and sterncastle are slightly different than original design.
When launched it weighed around 4500 pounds, I believe (Joe–correct me if you happen to read this). I don’t want to even think about how much weight we will be adding by the time we get all the water and books and bottles of gin aboard.
July 7th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
Hey:
Still happy with that porta-bote? Am in SFO and just sold my boat, picking up another back East. Found you when I yahoo’d for a used porta-bote. Many travels, similar to yours. Keep on sailin’
Tom
July 14th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Yep! We’re pretty happy with it (so ours isn’t for sale). I recommend keeping an eye out for one though. We’re very happy with the folding aspect since storage is always a pain on a small boat. The only things I would gripe about is that the new-style seats are black and heat up to about fifty berjillion degrees in the sun. Also, they are bulky (and not included in the website weight spec) due to the floatation, I guess. Also the aluminum oarlocks are a little flimsy, and the floatation foam around the edge is not coated in any sort of UV-resistant anything; it just degrades in the sun. One more thing is that the rivets that hold the rubrail on the rim of the boat tend to scratch whatever the boat is rubbing up against (so, the rubrail is not very efficient).
Overall, I recommend them. Try to get a good deal if you end up having to buy one new though; the listed price is really high. You are welcome to email if you would like more details or any other info I could give.
September 28th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
hey neighbors we belong to the silver thingy park beside you loon iii. we have recently become awary of the searunner 31 and would love to get a better look see. any chance you’ll still be in del sol by mid oct? if not are you heading south? if so we may see you done that away. cheers iain
September 29th, 2006 at 4:03 pm
Hey there Loon! We have been eyeing your boat as well. I would love to see the interior. We’re actually heading out the bar in the next few days (hopefully); however, we are in fact heading south and plan to spend considerable time in both Costa Rica and Panama. So, it seems we should meet up at some point. We try to update the site as to our whereabouts when we can; send us an email when you catch up with us!
cheyenne
April 18th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Any comments about quality of other searunners and problem areas to watch for as cruiser would be appreciated
April 19th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
A buddy of mine and I built a Brown 31 trimaran in my parents backyard back in the seventies while we were going to college. We sailed it all over SF Bay and the CA coast. It was a great boat for two young guys. Your boat is very nice. Make sure your A-Frames were welded right and keep the bolts on the forward main strength bulkhead tight.