1975 Norman Cross 46' Trimaran Sailboat

Price: Contact seller
Make: Norman Cross
Model: Trimaran
Type: Trimaran
Year: 1975
Location: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, United States

Description

If you've been searching for a solid, large vessel for a cruising family and have been waiting for the right bargain to come along, then look no further. Those who have been shopping for a vessel in this size class will recognize that this is a rare opportunity.
For a limited time, this amazing deal is available to prospective new owners. Life circumstances and timing issues make an immediate sale necessary, preferably while we remain in Florida for the remainder of July and the first few days of August. Please note that after we leave Florida and return to our land based home, this vessel will be listed with a local broker at a significantly higher price than is posted here and listed on Yachtworld to reach a much larger potential market. To be honest, I'm not sure what my bottom dollar is at this point, but the right non-ridiculous cash offer will likely take her home.
You are looking at a 46' long Norman Cross trimaran that has been our home on the water for nearly two years. Alas, a return to land has become something that we cannot avoid.
She is best suited for a large family who wants to cruise safely and comfortably on a budget, or if someone is into flipping boats there is SIGNIFICANT profit to be had in the renovation of this vessel. I simply do not have the time available to do so myself.
I have a much longer writeup about the boat on our blog, but ebay will not allow me to post a link to it here. Send me a message and I will direct you to our blog for a more comprehensive writeup.
She is currently located in West Palm Beach, Fla, at anchor in Lake Worth.
Features and Specs:
- 46' LOA, 24'6" Beam, Draft of 5 Feet
- Average cruising speed of 10-12 knots under settled conditions. She sails at 2 knots for every three knots of wind, even when fully loaded as a cruising vessel. I have never sailed her unladen, but expect that it would be a thorough adrenaline rush. Our best speed was 17.3 knots in 28 knots of wind.
- Five separate staterooms, four with double beds and one single in the v-berth. Each of the four doubles includes a sink and vanity. All five staterooms have hanging closets and very ample cabinets and storage space.
- More storage space on board than a large family could possibly need. Six VERY large deck hatches that open into huge spaces that are big enough to stand up in and long enough to lay down in. Fair warning - it is entirely too easy to load this boat down with WAY too much 'stuff' (as we have now proved in unloading the boat).
- Two full heads, one shared between the rear staterooms and the other off the main salon. Rear head is currently not flushing due to a clogged intake pipe that will need to be addressed when the vessel is next out of the water. Forward head is electric and functions properly.
- Perkins 4.236 inboard diesel motor (in need of service - see below)
- New (July 2017) 14′ inflatable dinghy with good running Yamaha 5HP outboard. Motor needs a new recoil spring for the pull starter, but we've been using it daily by hand winding a pull cord. Motor starts on the first pull every time. If you prefer to supply your own dinghy and motor I will sell this separately and reduce the sale price of the boat accordingly.
- 750 Watts of solar generation capacity, in three separate 250W arrays coupled to two independent MPPT solar charge controllers and one PWM controller for redundancy.
- 400 Watt wind generator.
- New (February 2016) 450 amp hour house battery bank comprised of four 225 Amp Hour 6-volt batteries wired in series/parallel.
- Brand new independent starting battery.
- Xantrex 2000 watt inverter/charger
- Large, heavy duty manual windlass
- 65lb Delta anchor
- 80lb Bruce anchor
- 120 Ft of chain
- Stainless rigging with Sta-Locks
- Pressurized 12V water system throughout serving two showers and six sinks.
- Fresh water storage in four separate tanks comprising almost 200 gallons of water storage. Four people can live aboard for nearly two months without needing to refill the tanks.
- Separate exterior propane locker with two standard propane tanks. We cook on board almost every day and can go for months at a time without running out of propane.
- Roller furling jib
- Mainsail Lazy jacks with stack-pack and sunbrella sail bag
- Sunbrella Mizzen cover
- Ample stock of bumpers and dock lines
- Teak rub rail
- 2000 watt stereo system that provides audio independently to either the salon or outside in the pilot house
- 27" LCD TV
- 12V lighting throughout, a combination of LED, Fluorescent, and Incandescent
- 12V fans in all cabins and the salon
- 110V Ice maker that spits out ice all day long
- Newly rebuilt (2017) mizzen mast and mizzen mast step. The previous inadequate design resulted in the fall of the mizzen between Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic. The newly built design is far superior to the previous version.
While we continued to live aboard and travel in her, access to materials and service providers has led to some deferred maintenance that will need to be addressed. While she is not completely a 'project boat', there are definitely some things that a new owner will need to consider as necessary checklist items.
Here are the known issues as of the time of this writing, in no particular order. An experienced person could easily purchase this vessel in as-is condition and build in a large amount of additional value in the form of sweat equity. It is because of the following list that she is available for less than $100,000. My estimate is that a $20,000 investment in cosmetics and engine maintenance would result in a $100,000+ vessel.
- All three sails have good cloth in serviceable condition, but the jib and mizzen will need a trip to a sail loft. The jib needs restitched at both the top and bottom where it connects to the roller furler. The mizzen has one seam that the stitching has frayed.
- The entire structure would benefit from a new topside paint job. While the decks and structure are rock solid, cosmetically there are numerous places where the paint is chipped, faded, scratched, or stained. Frankly, she needed paint when we bought her but we were never that concerned with cosmetics.
- The main diesel is in need of attention. In January 2016 I rebuilt the entire motor due to a blown head gasket, spending nearly $5,500 on the rebuild. At that time I had the heads machined, new valves, valve train, and valve guides installed, professionally rebuilt the high pressure injector pump, professionally rebuilt the four injectors, new fresh water pump, new raw water pump, new starter, and new oil pump. All lines and hoses were taken to a service provider and acid washed. Hydraulic hoses were replaced as needed. It ran like a top. Unfortunately, due to a failed bilge pump and improper placement of the through-hull for said pump, the engine compartment filled partially with sea water while we were underway. The compartment is sealed, so water ingress was limited to the engine compartment only, but it was enough to partially submerge the starter. This resulted in us being unable to start the motor until we reached a location to purchase a new starter, and once a new starter was installed the motor did fire right back up. It has since stopped running entirely, and I suspect a fuel problem.
- The running rigging is in need of an overhaul. There are numerous blocks that need to be replaced and some of the lines need to be replaced. The mizzen needs to have the rigging redesigned. When we purchased her the mizzen rigging had all been removed for reasons unknown, and I installed a makeshift functional rig. It needs to be redone properly. She is fresh off a sail from Dominican Republic to the US, so it is all serviceable as is, but is in need of attention.
- She is in need of a haul-out and bottom paint. We had her hauled and applied one barrier coat and two coats of bottom paint in Jan 2016, but the boat yard that sold us the paint provided incompatible types of paint to us. As a result, the bottom paint did not adhere properly to the barrier coat and in the year since application most of the bottom paint has come off.
- Included with the boat is an older Raymarine chart plotter, depth sounder, and ST6002 autopilot. As of the time of this writing none of these electronics are operable due to an electrical short that took out the system (entirely my fault while I was working on replacing the batteries). We have navigated nearly our entire journey using an iPad and Garmin BlueCharts as a chart plotter with multiple phones and computers serving as backups. A typical new owner will likely desire to have a new electronics suite installed, though the bones of a complete system (including the flux gate compass for the autopilot and transducer for depth sounder) are in place. It is my belief that the autopilot is easily recomissioned, though we have never once used it.
- The pumpout connection for the forward head holding tank needs to be redesigned and new hoses installed.
- The rear head is currently not pumping due to a clogged intake hose. This is easiest addressed when she is out of the water for bottom paint.
- Numerous minor cosmetic issues throughout the salon and cabins need to be addressed. Mostly paint and polish only, though the hinges on many of the cabinets are not stainless and as such are in need of replacement after many years of exposure to the marine air. They work, but they are not pretty.
- The wind generator really should be relocated from the top of the pilot house to the mizzen mast. It works just fine where it is, but it is low enough that it is a safety hazard and it creates a noisy environment in the cabin it is mounted above.
- The refrigerator is currently inoperable. Indeed, it has never worked since we purchased the boat. This will be left for the new owner to address so that they can make their own decisions regarding refrigeration types. The original design is an engine-driven compressor that cooled the cold-plate fridge. This compressor is seized and the belt has been removed. My recommendation would be to install a good 12V compressor.
- The sunbrella sail covers and pilot house walls are in need of replacement. They are functional as is, but most people will want to have new ones made (or make them themselves) for cosmetic reasons.
- The front starboard trampoline was damaged by the previous owner when he ran into a channel marker on the ICW. I have done the fiberglass repair from where the cross beam broke loose on the front but it is in need of paint. I also have a piece of a boom to replace it and the original undamaged trampoline.
I am continuing to make repairs/modifications for the duration of our stay in Florida, so some of these issues may be addressed by the time you read this.
As stated above, we are willing to take significantly less now than we will be in a week once we leave Florida and it is listed with a broker. She is best suited for a large family who wants to cruise safely and comfortably on a budget, or if someone is into flipping boats there is SIGNIFICANT profit to be had in the renovation of this vessel.

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