# San Juan 7.7



## survivor42cc22 (Sep 2, 2003)

I just acquired a San Juan 7.7, 1979.

Does anyone out there have a San Juan 7.7?

I am looking for technical specifications about the San Juan 7.7, or where to find it, and other helpful information. 

Thanks, Nicholas


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## mikehoyt (Nov 27, 2000)

Check BOATCHECK on sailnet.com Under "S" there is a listing for San Juan 7.7 with 4 entries and three owner reviews.

There may also be a San Juan email list in Sailnet. Check under TOOLS "Email Discussion Lists" on the left hand panel of this site.

Enjoy your boat ... it sounds like a good one!

Mike


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Here is a website for you - I think it has the owners manual on there too.

http://www.trpeople.com/SJ26/SJ.htm

I have a SJ28 and in my travels around the web I found a link to the other site. Hope that helps.

Jane
Strega
SJ 28


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## tsheie (Jun 4, 2012)

I've had a 7.7 for about 11 years now, many improvements and modifications..
fly a North Sails gennaker, race with a kevlar/mylar 155 genoa, roller furling on the bow.. added Origo alcohol stove to galley counter, modified steps into cabin, added door/drawer to storage area opposite head.. lazy jacks on the boom to manage the mainsail coming down... 

Let me know if you want pictures or more info... Mine is also a 1979, Hull#11

Tim
Anoka, MN


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## jeffzee (May 30, 2007)

i just got a 7.7 last fall and have been working on it a lot, making it looks good again! I love how it sails, very quick for its size. Ive put a new main and have a new 155 genoa. next sail will be a new 110. TSHEIE: I would love to see the drawers/door you did across from the head!


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## PacificSalt (Jun 4, 2013)

Just bought Hull # 5 a few weeks ago. Motor sailed (not much wind) yesterday 15 miles to the new marina. The boat felt great and responsive even in the light air...can't wait for the next day with 10-15 mph winds to see how she sails.


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## jeffzee (May 30, 2007)

what marine are you in Pacific Salt? My hull # is 28 i belive.


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## tsheie (Jun 4, 2012)

jeffzee: took a while to get back to you--we've tweaked our 7.7 about as much as possible, and happy to share ideas with you--opposite the head, that storage bin ends up being wasted space, so I glassed in two 1x1x15" wood strips inside the upper bin. Then I attached drawer slides and the wire drawer, and we use that for all the silverware and cooking utensils. The lower bin we use for our fan, heater, jacklines, and a PFD or two. *On another topic, if you're still using that dumb detachable ladder in the cabin entry, it takes up too much space and gets in the way when you have to remove it to get under the cockpit.. I cut up the ladder for parts, and made steps that I attached directly to the under-cockpit door. Put two barrel bolts to secure the door, and you're good to go. *We also cut out some counter space and added the Origo alcohol stove, which has really worked out well. I'll add pics, let me know what you think... 
- Tim (Restauration, San Juan 7.7, Lake Superior)
(PS: I made the cabinet door opposite the head--tried to match the cabinet door on the galley. And note that the under-cockpit door has twist locks in this pic--they were too loose, and I replaced them with barrel bolts..)


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## jeffzee (May 30, 2007)

Wow, very clever ideas, im going to have to get creative in mine. In a boat this size, it pays to be organized and have a good home for everything while keeping it accessible as possible. I think im going to do the opposite of you in terms of the stove, i have one in my counter (old 2 burner alcohol), going to make a new counter with no opening and just use a 1 burner portable butane stove as i BBQ most of my food.


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## brerrabbit (Sep 11, 2013)

tsheie, I really like your modifications. I might steal an idea or two from you. 

I'm a new sailor with a recently purchased SJ 7.7. I got a great deal on her, but she's definitely a project boat. I'll have to redo all the wiring, replace a lot of fixtures etc. Im not too sure about her past, but I get the impression that in a past life she got sent to a junkyard and was stripped of parts. 

So, i'm also trying to find an original owners manual, or diagrams / schematics etc but it looks like that TR people site no longer exists. 

Does anyone else know where I can them or any other info?

Thanks,
br


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## tsheie (Jun 4, 2012)

br: while I like the big Sailnet forum, we've also got a little group of SJ7.7 owners on Facebook, with lots of pictures, the original SJ owner's manual, a rigging/tuning tip sheet, the SJ7 sales brochure, and lots of good ideas and modifications-- please join us there! (Just search FB for the "San Juan 7.7/26" group.. join it, and Keith will approve your membership.

Where are you located? What did you pay for your 7.7? I got ours for $2K originally, and we've done lots of improvements. I'm on Lake Superior, out of Bayfield Wisconsin...


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## brerrabbit (Sep 11, 2013)

Hi tsheie,

Thanks! I just joined the FB page.

Im in Seattle and I paid $1600 for mine. She's in fairly rough to mediocre shape, I'd say a 4 or 5 out of 10. A good bit of mold, the wiring is a rats nest. Seacocks and through hulls that don't connect to anything...The sails are pretty stiff, but have a couple of worn spots. I've been watching the local market for a while and despite her warts I still feel like I got a good deal. A San Juan 28 was one of my top choices, but I think the 7.7 might be better for me with with my inexperience and budget. 

I might look into that keel attachment when I haul her out next week to patch and paint her.


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## brerrabbit (Sep 11, 2013)

Hahah, 

You already have a picture of my boat on your Facebook page. Not just my boat model...the actual boat that I own. It's the seattle craigslist ad posted by Keith Riner.


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## brerrabbit (Sep 11, 2013)

I jumped on it bought it the day he posted the ad.


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## PacificSalt (Jun 4, 2013)

Yep...I posted it when I saw it on craigslist... looks like you got a great deal! Well worth the money! Great to have a new member for the facebook group! Although the group has only been around a few months, we've gotten good response and the members are really great! There is a Yahoo group but isn't very active...it's a great resource for info with the past posts and files though. There's not a lot of info on the net as there were only about 200 SJ7.7s made and fewer parts on the market. There is a gentleman that sells SJ parts, mostly SJ21 & SJ24 but will try and help on the SJ7.7s. I've had an email conversation with him and he too is a member of the FB group (Stephan). If you need anything he is more than willing to provide it or source out any items he doesn't carry or make.


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## midniterun911 (Sep 18, 2013)

Looks like I'm purchasing a San Juan 7.7. Hoping I can come aboard here if things continue to progress.


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## Stridersj77 (Nov 8, 2013)

I bought hull #16 delivered & launched her January 1980. Constantly upgraded "STRIDER" now enjoys (in no particular order of importance) Harken 00AL furling, TP10 tiller pilot, custom dodger, Rocna 6 anchor, Kenyon two burner propane stove fed by a 20 pound horizontal tank concealed in cockpit locker, Marinetics switch, Boomkicker, Victron battery monitor, solar panel, all Dr LED lighting, Standard Horizon VHF/AIS/SPLITTER, masthead antennae, LOWRANCE chart plotter/sounder, EPIRB, PLB, Full battens, spreader patches, 4:1 snap shackled vang/preventer, spinnaker, 153 genoa, 110 blade, tweaked mainsail, improved out haul, solid SS gooseneck, 23 US gallon fuel capacity - deck fillable & vented, Yamaha High Thrust long shaft 8HP, 20 US gallon water, keel shoe, and lots lots more. Enjoyed a 23 day circumnavigation of Vancouver Island this spring accompanied by a Beneteau Oceanis 351. STRIDER more than kept up with this much larger vessel especially in heavy open ocean conditions. I'm so glad I kept my little boat. Thanks to Don Clark and company for very fast and capable pocket cruiser. Proof? The GPS touched 12.93 knots on our run to Friendly Cove. Averaged just over 7 knots for six hours dead downwind - wing on wing under a prevented full main and poled/prevented blade. Never broached once!


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## jeffzee (May 30, 2007)

Hey Strider, that must have been a hell of a trip around Van island! I would love to see how your boomkicker is mounted, I just bought one and am planning out how to mount everything. Any chance of you perhaps emailing me a pic? Thanks!


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## Stridersj77 (Nov 8, 2013)

Yes, 'twas the trip of a lifetime ... lost 7 pounds in 23 days. Dawn starts everyday, no lunches, very intense planning, sailing, and motor sailing. Different harbour each night ... extreme exhilaration. Boomkicker was invaluable for the many fast reefs demanded by the sudden 25 - 35 knot "fairweather" wind blasts on the outside of VI and down Juan de Fuca. This gizmo mounts best on the gooseneck side of the factory supplied boom vang. Carefully measure twice then cut once. Pick rod diameters which are not too stiff - seem to recall mine were 500's. Tried the 750's no good - too stiff. Proper size rods are critical. End of the boom should pull down with just a few pounds load. Make it too stiff and your boom vang will not work. Think you'll enjoy single handing like never before.


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## NoQuarter79 (Mar 12, 2014)

My fiance and I bought our 1979 San Juan 7.7 in the summer of 2012 and have been living aboard every summer ever since. It is tight quarters, and being that it was a former racing boat it had no amenities in it but a porta-potty. So far it's been a pretty dry boat in the rain, but once it started to get cold condensation was a constant battle. We bought it for 1000 dollars and it was well worth the money, basically a steal. Our budget has inhibited us from doing a lot of the remodeling we would like to do, but we'd eventually like to set it up with all off the grid power. 

One thing that our boat came without is an owner's manual. It seems pretty hard to find out a lot about 7.7's online, and I can't find Clark Boat Company's contact information anywhere. If anyone knows how to obtain an owner's manual or has any information on the 7.7's they would like to share we would love to know!


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## Stridersj77 (Nov 8, 2013)

Best place in my experience for answers to your questions and much more .. Try FB San Juan 7.7/26 and ask Keith Riner to join. 33 members and growing. Maybe you're there already. Fair winds.


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## stovebolt (Jul 29, 2015)

Is the facebook 7.7 owners group still active? I can't find it. Just bought a mint 7.7, I take delivery next week. Stoked! Any and all information that's available, please provide links and what not.

Cheers,
SL


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## midniterun911 (Sep 18, 2013)

Ask and you shall receive...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/318616774937532/


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## posiden1 (Oct 14, 2015)

Just Got a 7,7 and it has no rudder , can anyone out there give me some pictures , or even specs on the rudder **


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## midniterun911 (Sep 18, 2013)

Join the Facebook page and you'll find as much information there as anywhere. Lots of rudder repair info and original 7.7 files.


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## ABrinz (Jul 5, 2017)

Anyone have the interior for a 7.7. Looking to restore the interior of our boat. Hull #3. Need complete interior.
Thanks


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## Trailer Sailor (May 20, 2021)

We just picked up a 1983 SJ 7.7.
It will be delivered this Saturday.
I have issues with the outboard hanging off the stern. Has anyone ever installed an inboard on one of these?


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

Trailer Sailor said:


> We just picked up a 1983 SJ 7.7.
> It will be delivered this Saturday.
> I have issues with the outboard hanging off the stern. Has anyone ever installed an inboard on one of these?


That is a big job that will likely cost more than the boat is worth. What's wrong with the outboard? It is very common on small keelboats like that one.

Sent from my SM-G981W using Tapatalk


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