Poked my finger through hull . . .

Hello,

I am looking at purchasing a beat up wooden sailboat, which is very cheap. I happened to stumble across this form and figured I would see if anyone has an opinion on the condition and amount of work this boat will need. The boat needs the entire deck refinished and some decking replaced, but what really worries me is that when i took a look at it there was about 1 inch of water in the bilge and the starboard side of the boat is rotting through where the hull and deck meets. There was one spot that I poked and my finger went all the way though the hull! Now the damage is limited to the top 6 inches of the hull and in one spot about 2 feet long maybe the top foot. You can see the damage in the pictures.

I checked everywhere I could reach inside the boat, feeling the wood for any soft spots. It felt decent everywhere except for one board towards the front of the boat which was just starting to get soft. Some of the through hull ports are not connected to anything so I think the water in the hull is from some wave action when the boat was moved last week. No water seemed to be coming into the hull besides what was already there, so I figure I could suck all the water out, dry it out and do some wood/fiberglass reinforcing in the bilge.

What do you guys think of the damage on the hull? It almost looks like he hit something and never repaired it or was beached for a while. The damage does seem to be limited to the top 6-10 inches of the hull, which is always 2-3 feet above the water. The rest of the hull and bottom seem to be in good condition.

How would you go about repairing this section? I assume I will have to cut out that whole section of the hull and rebuild it and then find some way to securely reattach the repaired hull to the deck. Any comments/advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

PS. Picture 4 is where you can stick your finger through the hull and the damage extends a few inches farther than the visible damage. The other pictures show an overview of the damage and the boat in general.

 

Looks like big headaches to me.

If PAR (ex-member of the forum) was here, he would have been able to quickly assess the state of your hull. Maybe someone here will know his phone number or e-mail, and can share it with you.
Richard (Apex1) might also be able to give you few hints, he is a professional wooden boatbuilder. If I am missing some other capable person, I beg for pardon.

In any case, good luck!

 

If you love the boat it will be worth every cent but you have to really love it. Nearly all wooden boats are a full time job and like a baby need a lot of care and attention through their hole life,What ever amount of money you intend to spend on her multiply it by 3 and your half way there.
She could be a great boat and if you enjoy doing the work anything is possible
There is no such thing as a cheep boat

 

Ashaman

Welcome here to start with!

I too wish PAR would be still around Daiquiri!

But lets try to come closer to the facts.

Are you sure she is a classical wooden built? In the last picture it seems there is some fairing putty (or twenty layers of paint?) which cracked. This can be a insufficient sheathing from her former life!?? If so, turn around and leave the scene! (or buy her for 300 and sell the lead for 2000)

If she is a true woody, she sure can be restored. A classical wooden built in fact is the easiest to restore ever and ever again until nothing from the original is left (after 120 years or so).

B U T......................

We need a lot more pictures and information before even a very rough estimation about the effort and cost can be placed.

Is it possible to provide that?

Regards
Richard

 

Do not pass go but spend 200 bucks or more for a Marine Surveyor. Whatever the costs its worth it at this stage. Ask around any of the Yacjt sales operations and see if they can recommend one. If its all wood, make sure that you get a seasoned wood guy! I am reasonally sure that the boat got caught on a piling or dock or maybe slammed in a cross wind too unattended.

 

Definitely concur, get it surveyed. Nothing matters unless you know the overall condition as some boats are worth less than zero even while they look pretty good. In other words, money is sometimes better spent on a better boat than on repairs to a can of worms.

 

...OK I will get my head shot off again (the Wooden Boat Forum just love me), sooooo here goes.

Just because the boat is old and is made from wood does NOT make it a restoration project, all it is in reality is a lot of work, a lot of time and money and then you end up with just another wooden boat that very few really want to own, even though they may say so.

Keeping a wooden boat in good condition IS a lot of time and effort, but not really a lot of money once it is in good condition, if you do all the work yourself.

There are good designs and bad designs, they both cost the same to build and look after. If the boat is of an exceptional good design or had special significance, such as owned by the Queen of England, or designed by a reputable, recognised designer, then she MAY be worth restoring....if not let the ******* sink and good riddence to her.....

This boat (and I did blow up the pics and have a good look), seems like the latter...let her go mate, as even if you were given the boat, she will cost you from day one till the day you get rid of it.

I am a qualified Shipwright, love wooden boats (believe it or not), so do have a little bit of knowledge regarding them, and this is my opinion. I have done many, many prepurchase surveys for potential buyers, and never charged them fir my time, as most were only 5 minute looks, that is all it really takes to determine if it is worth going any further.

If in doubt, DON"T...........

 

Thanks everyone for your input, its all great advice! I am no stranger to cheap boats, this one we are talking about now is 400 bucks. This boat was built in 1981 I believe and I dont know if it is just a ton of paint or if there is a layer of fiber glass over the wood but I doubt it is a classic. I would not hesitate to get her and fix her up if I had some place to store her, but I am not about to pay 400+ a month (more than she costs) in slip fees while I take a year making her pretty again and dealing with any problems I find. Especially if even after all that she may only last a few more years. But I may still buy her and just scrap the whole thing. The boat is packed full of old sails and equipment, and i am sure I could get some money for the keel and rigging. She also comes with a 25 hp electric start outboard which alone might fetch 500.

If I had my mooring it might be another story but I am a few months away from that. My current boat is a 25' I got for 900 and after a few months of repairs and struggling to keep her afloat she is in great shape now and a blast to sail, although she is still not the prettiest boat. Only took a few hundred bucks and a lot of time to get her into good shape, so cheap boats are possible! The amount you NEED to spend on your boat and the amount you want to is the difference =)

Also for future reference, how bad of a problem is rot? This isn't the first wooden boat I have looked at, but all the ones I have seen have had rotting problems. They have of coarse been really cheap (less than 1000), but is rot something that can be dealt with or is it best to just avoid a boat with any major signs of rot?

 

Here again,

if it is a true classical wooden built, some rot is not a major problem. If it is a sheathed hull (most probably not executed perfectly), then leave it for the landfill.
You always can bring a traditional built woody back to glory. If it makes sense is another question, but it is possible with some effort.

I made a survey (and the boat was finally bought) in December on a almost 50 year old wooden boat which was perfectly sheathed in the mid 90ies. There was not one single spot of rot, and the boat was sailed away straight to her new homeport. (in winter)
If there would have been rot or mold I would never have recommended to take her for free.

Did that answer the question?

Richard