Tristar 36' hull

There is a 36' hull only for sale about 2 hours from me on ebay, cost $15,000. The problems are the owner has no info on the materials used , he knows only it was marine ply. The bulkheads are installed the whole hull 36'x20' is complete. I dont see the hull being floated down the river at it,s build stage, whats the pros and cons of cutting it up to transport? I already have the material to build a tristar 31 so I would have alot of material left over to sell. Is the labor already in the 36' hull worth the cost of transport, labor in cutting it up and rebuilding the bulkheads and putting it back together, lost money in left over material, and all the unknowns of the home built hull? thanks, rick

 

In truth he would have a hard time giving that project away so it seems very high price wise. You would have to survey it to check out the materials used and build quality to make an evaluation. I'd think about sheathing the hull and floating it down the river to avoid the disassembly scenario , then the labor savings start to add up. It is easier to sell off unused materials than a unfinished boat so things might work in your favor.

 

Cavalier has covered it basically it would be better to sheath it (or maybe have it floated down on a barge if possible) than cut it up and rejoin it. All of that is contingent on you being happy with the way its assembled and having the boat professionally surveyed. The price does seem quite high too does it come with any extra fittings or is it just the bare assembled hulls?

 

It's just the bare assembled hulls, and looks like the dagger boards as well. He bought the house and the hulls with it, he said if he cant sell it he may burn it , it has to go. It, s just a shame that a project that far along gets wasted. The 36' would give me a bigger boat but it may be more work and cost than starting a 36 from scratch. It is also a clipper bow with no flare and I plan on the long bow version with the flare. Thanks for the advice it,s about what I was thinking. Rick

 

Free removal can sometimes work wonders..... There are those out there though who would rather watch something rot or burn it rather than give anyone a good deal. Keeping emotions out of the loop and a clear head are important parts of boat buying. Getting caught up in boat "rescuing" can be hard on the wallet. The original bows work well, if you wanted the newer plumb stem I'd think about a foam crash bow in front of the planking and stem The flare step could still be added if you approach it the right way.

 

Just wait him out. A simple business move on your part. Clearly his price places the project out of reach, so he'll be forced to accept a much lower price or burn it. The day before the burn, offer him a few thousand. Of course this assumes you make friends with the guy, with understanding you're interested, but the price is ridiculously high. Keep in touch with him, and strike at the appropriate moment. I'll bet you he'd rather accept a huge lose (in his eyes) then burn it, knowing it's going to a good home and will eventually get finished, especially if you promise rides, maybe launching day mentioning and special treatment, from his new found buddy, etc.

 

Diplomacy is important, when he bought the property the boat may have been used as an added value point. As PAR points out any money is better than nothing when reality comes around. When you survey be really detailed to make sure it is worth the trouble and have the transportation and costs figured out so you can present them, sharing the challenge helps the reality process. Going the buddy route might open up using the site to prep the hulls/shell for the float home. Doing the Huck Finn route with an outboard would save money and add adventure. I always check out the sites and moving/ launch routes for practicality before making any offer. When I parted out the Searunner (for free) we launched the amas down a 60 foot bank (think toboggan with brake lines) and made a cat to carry the gear home on the beach.. The mast was deck cargo on the Nicol which was the tow boat and really saved over the land route.

 

That hull was previously for sale on eBay, and sold, but then came back up for auction. Perhaps the first buyer got cold feet after actually inspecting the goods?

 

All good advice so far, the original ebay buyer may have been scared off by the logistics of moving it rather than the boat itself, also the seller almost certainly did not pay extra for the property because of the boat, more likely he was able to negotiate the price down so i doubt he needs $15000 for it, i would survey it carefully then if it seems well built with decent materials make him a REASONABLE offer, dont try to steal it, that just pisses people off and it has value. I dont think you need a professional survey,you are planning to build a boat yourself without some outside party surveying it so you must have enough confidence in your own abilities. You will be able to see quite easily if it was competently built or done by a hack as its not all covered up by paint and filler. The most important thing for me would be to verify what plywood was used and that epoxy was used. There will likely be plywood scraps around etc. BTW,since you already have a lot of materials on hand there is no reason whatsoever not to do foam core decks on a cold molded hull. This could save you a lot of work if everything checks out ok.
Steve.

 

I, ve already talked to our tug captian about the river route , it would have to go though two locks and about 200 mi of river. I can get it down the river , the cost of getting it down to the river may be the an issue. The cost of material in the hull cant be more than $6,000 to $8,000, labor value may be another $6,000 to $7,000. Cost of transportation and hull cant be more than %30 of that for me to take a chance on a hull I know nothing about, there is also the question of a set of plans. I will use foam to finish out the build if I get the hull, but I will have a lot of foam and silvertip epoxy left over, not to mention glass, I may be able to sell excess material but I will take a loss. Tradeing out boat time at the beach would be no problem. Knowing what epoxy and ply used in the build would make me feel better. Good advice from all, and as I,m working 12 hour days it would save me alot of time. I may call Ed and ask if he knows anything about this build. Thanks, Rick

 

How far from the build site to the river? There is a lot more than $7000 labor value assuming a decent level of craftsmanship of course (how much time is it going to take you to get to that stage and whats that worth to you?). If you are working 12hr days at your job this could knock years off your build. Im sure you could sell off excess epoxy to Catbuilder. What happened to the builder? if hes not dead you may be able to track him down to answer some questions, (if he is perhaps a seance) If you decant off epoxy into gallons you can probably make money on it and give someone a good deal.
I would mostly be concerned about the plywood quality, assuming its epoxy glued and sheathed, someone mentioned sheathing it, it looked like its already done and primed, you sheath and prime the hulls while they are upside down before joining them to work with gravity on your side,thats the way its done so dropping it in the river should be no problemo. If i sound a little enthused its because im imagining all the work you are not going to need to do. Rick, you are going to know within minutes of walking into that shed what the builders attitude toward quality was like, these boats have frames cut out of plywood so if the inside edges are fair curves or lumpy bumpy that will tel you something, are the hulls fair, did he do a good job of spiling the planks? if the visible stuff is good chances are the hidden details will be too, and visa versa.
Steve.

 

I asked about the builder and wanting more info like how far from the river, he did,nt answer those questions. You might be right about the labor cost , I did a quick 350 man hrs at 20 per hr. When this job is over I,ll take at least 6mo,s off, as an old form carpenter and construction superintendent I dont plan on 350 man hr,s to get to that point in a build, unless you take the prep time I, ve already put in. I have all material needed, location for the build, lot,s of skilled help lined up, whinchs ready to in stall. The pictures of the hull look good, I understand how good this could be, problem is I also understand how bad it could be. I doubt there is another person with plans to build a tristar this close to this hull and with the ability to relocate it that I have. I,ll take Pars advice and wait it out, if someone buys it then I,ll be glad for buyer , seller, and hull. Rick

 

After years of looking at boats and unfinished projects the average has been that unfinished boats are worth less than the materials involved and labor isn't counted. A hull that size could easily be moved with a outboard boat lashed to the stern, locks and all. I pushed the Nicol with the Searunner ama/cat tide alongside over 60 miles with a borrowed Boston Whaler after our engine took a break on the move weekend. Check out your seller on ebay to see if he has been selling other gear for the boat too. For comparison check out the unfinished tris from the 70's on and you will find that most of them were eventually broken up. A used boat with gear can be a better value as the hulls represent 1/3rd of the cost. In any case checking the build out should be fun and give you an idea of what you are getting into. Would Ed take the 31 plans back as credit for the lease of the 36? Someone already paid for the rights to build that boat so maybe a deal could be struck though the Tristar plans are an excellent value. some project sellers are looking for dreamers to make easy money from, I saw one project boat that had been resold 3 times as each new buyer found out they were in over their heads and had to turn the boat back over to the yard for back rent. The logistics of a boat of that size require a very business like approach to succeed. Unanswered questions can be a bit of a warning sign

 

Cav, you are quite right about project boats having very little value but this one MAY be a little different in that it has never been out in the weather,this is not the case with most which usually have heaps of work involved just getting them back to the condition they should be in. I must look at things a little than most as to me a good deal is where it works for both parties, everyone else seems to take the opportunistic approach which i find unseamly, if i want something i figure out what it is worth TO ME and then if we can do a deal fine, if not i walk away but i dont try to steal it. That said, i have personally seen two Searunner 31s cut up and hauled to the landfill because the owners couldnt find buyers and didnt want to keep paying storage. I bought some gear from one of them.
Steve.

 

I'm not talking about stealing but of making all concerned aware of all the costs, money and effort involved. Many of those boats rotted because the sellers tended to value their boats based on completed examples without factoring in what it would take to move and finish the project. Finding a buyer willing to pay a high price takes time. A faster sale and removal are a definite value and must be considered. The "if I don't find a buyer it must be burned" approach injects emotion into a business transaction and encourages a buyer to purchase in a rush without factoring in all the costs, great for the seller but not wonderful to the guy who just acquired a huge amount of work. Our boat is this size so I really do have an idea about the logistics involved.. For any sale to conclude both parties must reach an agreement. When I make a purchase I too figure out all the costs and efforts involved honestly, lay my cards on the table and make an offer. It won't be what a seller wants to hear but it will make them aware of things they might not have considered. The old saying "let the buyer beware" really is true, my sympathies tend to be with the guy who actually wants to do something with the boat and the original builder who lost their dreams, but those guys usually will find happiness in seeing their boat be born and knowing they helped accomplish something.