The free boat Phenomenon

[dannytoro]

But the real question is if bigger boobs creates better hull displacement.

[Paul No Boat]

yeah, and use her bikini top for a spiniker. hubba hubba Do I sound like a boater yet?

[Boston]

tits up for better hydrodynamics besides you can tie off to them if you have to
girls love that kind of twisted ****

[PAR]

Gives a whole new mental image to laminar flow, now don't it . . .

[Roy23]

Dannytoro, Par is so right as are the rest of the guys here. Most of the time you will spend much more restoring than buying a clean used one. The "free" ones worth restoring are very rare. The important thing to consider is.... DO YOU WANT YOUR HOBBY TO BE BOATING OR WORKING ON RESTORING AN OLD DERELICT? Before deciding tho, buy and use the hammer Par mentions.

[pasty63]

A week ago Sunday, I spotted a "free" boat on a side alley on my way out of the boat yard. It was a 25 foot or so Carver fly bridge with a fiberglass hull and plywood everything else. It still had the volvo 270 leg, but no motor, and the house, decks and framing was all rotten and shot. In the end - it's an effort that never pays back. In this case I could easily sink 20K, and then sell it for 5k on a good day. Better to find a running boat and low ball the offer than to fix a derelict. Every day a seller has a boat, it's costing them money they don't want to spend anymore. Take advantage of that mind set when you're looking to buy. BTW, somebody bit and the boat was gone last weekend. Poor SOB.

[Boston]

I can only lend my own thought process on this as Im in the middle of the same decision myself

Ive been looking into building a retirement yacht for a while now and am more convinced than ever that I am likely to spend a tad more on a new build than on just buying a decent used boat
( things do seem a bit on the cheap these days )
but
for me, as Roy pointed out ( although Im sure he meant it the other way around ) I want the experience of having built my own. Thats kinda rare, most folks just want to "hurry up" and get on the water, not my style at all. I want to relax and enjoy each element of the build process and not just the grand finally. Hell I might not even like living in the bastard once I get it done. Thing is I love building crazy stuff other builders tend to walk away from. My two cents is if your not really experienced as a woodwright you are making a big mistake starting with a boat as it seems to be about one of the most painstakingly detailed efforts your likely to ever engage in. If your not in in for the love of building but maybe instead for the desire to get on the water cheap, your only going to squish a perfectly good dream buy trying to save a few bucks up front on a crappy boat rather than just buy a decent one. Having been looking around at boats I have a pretty good idea what 40K will buy as apposed to what it might build from scratch, but trying to estimate what repairs are on a shot hull is way beyond me still and Ive been seriously looking into the particulars for over a year now

my take is build a new one or buy a nice used one but do not think you will be saving a dime by buying an old derelict and "fixing her up a little"

my kinda long
two cents

cheers
B

[Paul No Boat]

I see that, Boston. For me it would be as much about building a boat as sailing it.
especially for those of us in climates that put us indoors a good part of the year.
I am still thinking wood and a very simple design. maybe even recycled wood if possible. I am still drawn to Ted Brewer's Cape Cod Bay. a sweet little 18 foot catboat.

[Boston]

I can appreciate that
I really like Teds style of design

[JLIMA]

About the only thing I can think of for those free boats is they still might be full of useful parts fittings cleats, chocks, light fixtures, maybe and odd throttle linkage you might be able to use or some other hardware. I look for the old shitty wood ones that are so far beyond repair that I don't feel too bad in taking a chainsaw to them, strip them for all there worth then turn them into nice neat little 2' pieces and heating the workshop in the winter with them. (requirements, a large enough yard driveway to keep the boat while you do your thing to it, a way to get rid of the wood..bonfire anyone, and the most important a patient missus). By the way, if it weren't for those free boats I never would have been able to outfit any of the boats I've put together, just my thoughts on the matter. Also i would have to agree about Brewer's style.

[Paul No Boat]

agree jlima,

I am convinced a person could build an incredible boat for free given the time and resources to scrounge parts and materials. And of course it's easier for those in a marine environment.
I forget where I saw it but someone, (I believe in Port Townsend) built a real beauty from a reclaimed gymnasium floor.
The trick is to be in a position to get that great lumber. Run for school superintendant? lol