Is it worth it to buy a damaged boat?

[mydauphin]

Originally Posted by Ramona

Epoxy will become soft when heated but regains its strength when returned to normal temperatures. Obviously there is an upper limit to how much this applies.

I have a friend whose 48 foot yacht was still in the mould when a bush fire ripped through the area, destroyed the factory building etc. The mould was 2 foot from the building wall on the outside. The insurance paid the boat building company out for the damages but when it came to this hull they made the company do core samples to check for any effect of the fire. This was a fibreglass resin hull and very thick. It was found to be in excellent condition, the company doing the tests actually made the statement that the hull had cured better than normal.

Epoxy will take the Heat, Regular Fiberglass Resin Wont. I believe the idea of taking a few core samples is a good one. We did on a burnt fiberglass boat and the results where not good. The cloth was left with no resin, it crumbled like particle board. Unfortunately, the boat, a Luhrs, was fixed and sold to a poorer sucker.

[geedee69]

Hi there,
There is an old but rather ture formula for repairing boats thats has always followed me... the job will usually take TWICE as long as you estimate and cost THREE times as much as you originally think... best of luck geedee
geedee70@yahoo.com.au

[Gramp34]

I think good advice has been posted here.

I'll add a couple places to find price information. First, to see what the completed boat would be worth, go to the BUC site at http://www.bucvalue.com/ Hit the "Consumers sign up for free" button and you can look up the book value for this boat.

Second, watch the sailboat listings at eBay (http://motors.listings.ebay.com/Boat...stingItemList). There's an option for seeing the completed listings for the previous two weeks. You can get an idea for what people are paying for boats in comparable condition.

Also, don't fall in love. Stay pragmatic. There's a very small market for project boats. Every time the seller says "this is easy to fix" or "this is cheap to fix", ask why he hasn't fixed it himself. I talked to one seller who described his hurricane dismasted boat as "just needing a thorough cleaning", and another who's "rebuilt engine" was the old engine with a new coat of spray paint (covering rust, oil and dirt). Just because the seller thinks it's valuable, doesn't mean it is.

If you get it, look into professional ozone generators (not the "air purifiers" sold to consumers) for eliminating smoke odors.

Good luck,

Tim

[Spirketting]

Agree with stonebreaker--if you love fixing stuff up, it may well be worth it. Even if that is the case, make sure the price truly reflects the cost to fix it. Lots of people have no desire to fix up broken stuff and you should be able to leverage that if if you do like doing that (I do, fwiw and always look for stuff that's broken in some way).

[mxsailor]

I recently purchased a 43' Nelson-Merek designed Morgan sloop, 1987 with a gutted interior. No motor, most bulkheads gone, but a complete rig, dbl spreader mast, winches... I paid $1000 for the boat and $11K to move it to Mexico where I live. Labor is cheap here, though most of the work I will do myself, and because of climate, can work year-round. The PO (previous owner) rebuilt decks and cabin, but they're rotting away so will need to replace. I would like to redesign this boat to a pilothouse cruiser and open up the interior some. Any ideas where to start?

[keith66]

I have worked on many burnt out boats, i have often found the damage to be quite localised but expect to get filthier and itchier than you can ever imagine, there will be loads of grinding fibreglass and sweating inside a respirator and itching more and more.
I would buy a boat that was up and running and eat steak!

[Kaptin-Jer]

You have to start at the deck to make it water tight or you will loose even more ground in the interior. (I had to replace every toerail bolt) Once the topside is water proof wire in the shore power the add a small A/C unit. You'll need it working down there in Mexico. After that it's up to you. You can fair and paint the hull and then put it in the water, or work on the interior and leave the hull for last, but remember that the boat will change shape when you put it in the water and if you are adding bulkheads and doors they might not fit correctly after you get it in the water.

Good luck, and have fun!

[bart streb]

I am not sure about the currency exchange rate where you are, but $11,000 can buy a really nice boat that has not been fired up in most places (of course it would be older, with typical appeal of an older boat). My first 30 footer was a 72 Plastrend, and it serviced me for years, crappy old Atomic 4 engine and all! There is a Morgan 34 fixer upper near me with an uninstalled brand new diesel engine for I think $6-$7K. That is one I would look into if I was looking to pour money into the hole!

[mxsailor]

Bart,
Thanks for the lead, but I already have a Morgan 33 OI I bought in 1994 and sailed to Mexico in '97. I love the boat and will continue to use it until the N/M is ready. I felt that it was time to step up in size. I'll be retiring in a few years and want to do some long distance voyaging. The 33 would do it, but it's a bit small, and slow. I've had a lot of success in restoring stuff.
And since my last post, the boat has been delivered to a lot nearby. Fencing is now up and scaffolding is being constructed, trailers with generators, tools and materials are onsite. Water will soon be piped in... and this week the temps have dropped from the hundreds to 75-80, and in a few days the mosquitos will be gone. I understand that the boat will change shape when in the water. Thinking of building the interior framing, splash the boat, wait 3 days and then tab in with it in the water. Then pull it out when cured and add decks, rig, etc. Any thoughts?

[bart streb]

Wow, you are way above my ability! Other guys here will be able to tell you how much you are going to put into replacing the deck, and whatever get's replaced in the interior. I met Bruce Marek once, he used to live on the coast of NC. The boat should be much faster than your Morgan, you will enjoy that (if you enjoy that sort of thing!). You have a nice, blank canvas to start with and create what you want. You will save $ by doing it yourself.

[Kaptin-Jer]

quote "I understand that the boat will change shape when in the water. Thinking of building the interior framing, splash the boat, wait 3 days and then tab in with it in the water. Then pull it out when cured and add decks, rig, etc. Any thoughts?"

Pretty Boat, With a lot less problems then I had when I started. My hull was cracked from the toe rail to the keel. It's been 3 years and I'm still finding dried mud in the Headliner.

I still recommend that you get the boat water tight, finish the hull then put it in the water and do everything else in the water. The attached picture is my Benny. Still 2 more years to go, but it's floating, the A/C is cranking and I can pull my wires and do my varnish work in relative comfort. My hull is only primed not even painted yet - waiting for the Christmas bonus.

[delmarrey]

There are a lot of fairly good 30' boats out there for 11K that would not require so much work/sanding. I'd be looking around a bit more.

Patients and determination is the key to finding a prize. Search the marinas and the web daily and you'll learn the average values of boats. After a while you'll know when you have found a good buy. And the chances are it'll be right in your neighbor hood. Moving and shipping cost usually out weigh the savings on a boat, unless your really into big money boat$.

It took me two years before I found one that I was willing to put labor and money into. And it should last me the rest of my life because I've re-built it just the way I like a boat to be.

[Kaptin-Jer]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

It took me two years before I found one that I was willing to put labor and money into. And it should last me the rest of my life because I've re-built it just the way I like a boat to be.

That is the real key. You will spend 3 to 6 years working on restoring a 30' boat. It had better be one you want to put that much sweat equity into. Also, you have to believe that it is going to be a "keeper" if you have sale in the back of your mind you will start to take short cuts (like - nobody will be able to see that under there so I'll use duct tape instead of a clamp, or I'll use Easy Poxy instead of Awl Grip, because it will look good until it's sold.) Build it for yourself, to your specifications and you can't go wrong. You will end up with the boat you always dreamed of owning.