Wilbur Hubbard wrote:

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
news:KU%vi.1542$jU4.1225@trnddc02...

Rosalie B. wrote:

cavelamb himself wrote:


So I'm reading the survey for one of the boats that I'm looking at.
It's a Catalina 36 = 1984 model

Moored in fresh water now, but has been in salt water.

Under Surveyer's Recommendations are a list of items that needed
attention.

It's not a long list but there is one item (C rated) that I'm
kinda concerned about.

It says "All items aloft (spars, rigging, fittings, hardware, etc)
should be visually inspected for condition by a qualified/experienced
yacht rigger or equivelent".

Is this normal for a professional survey?



Yes but it is more of a disclaimer than anything. When we had our
boat surveyed before purchase, we got Peter Hartoff
who several people recommended as the best around here. He did
everything except the rigging. He did an in water survey first and
then had us haul the boat, and did the hull, and then he took the boat
out for a sea trial. We had told him what use we intended to make of
the boat, so his survey was based on that. When the marina wanted
proof of insurance several years later, and the
insurance company wanted a survey first, we got another guy, and he
used the previous survey to check that we'd done the A list things and
the B list things and basically looked to see that nothing else had
gone terribly long in the interval. He did the survey with the boat
in the water - we didn't haul it for him.

And, like everything else on the list it it maked off, "done".
But I don't yet know who the equivelent was.



Who marked it 'done'. The only way to find out is to ask. Although
they may not tell you.


Bingo! That was my question as well.

Which has, so far, not been answered..

Which is why I'm pestering you nice people...

Yes, this is a previous survey - four years ago.
But I don't know the intended purpose yet.

If this deal goes further, I will have a pre-purchase survey done.

This is just the starting point.
And, of course, my first Big Boat Buy.

A boat this old, I don't expect to be in like new condition.
Most people just don't bother (sad).

There are a lot of things I can handle myself,
There are a lot of things I can't - and would have to hire out.

But I don't want to pay NEW prices for worn out stuff if I can
avoid it.

Richard


I'm afraid you're off on the wrong track, Richard. If you're buying a
fixer-upper it's going to end up costing you about the same as if you
bought a new boat is you pay somebody to do all the fixing up. Boat
yards charge outrageous hourly rates in case you've never partaken of
their services.

The only way paying somebody else to do the work is an economically
viable route is if you happen to be making very large amounts of money
yourself. In other words if you make 200 dollars an hour then it makes
sense to pay somebody 100 dollars an hour to do your fixer-upping work
for you.

If you buy the boat keep a log of any and all expenses. Initial cost,
taxes, registration fees, title fees, documentation fees, etc. Include
the survey fees. Include anything you spend money on directed at the
boat. This would include yard fees, parts, labor fees etc. It doesn't
take long before a boat you "thought" you were paying 50 grand for
becomes a boat you're paying a hundred grand for. You can almost buy a
new boat for that and spend your time sailing instead of fixing upping.

If you make low wages, then and only then does it become smart to buy a
cheap used boat and fix it up. Paying somebody else will end you up with
a cheap used boat that costs about the same as a cheap new boat. What's
Catalina get for a new 34-footer these days? Maybe last years model new
that hasn't sold yet?

Wilbur Hubbard

I've looked at a few "fixer-uppers" and completely agree with you about
winding up paying more than it might cost for one in better condition.

After the first hand experience of bringing my little eighteen back to
life I am absolutely sure I don't want to go through that with ne twice
the size!!! What was fun is moderation would be a money pit ordeal at
this scale.

That's the main reason I brought all this up here - where there are a
lot of people who have been through the process and have learned what's
what...

Mostly I've been looking in the 30 foot range. I have a pretty good
feel for the Catalina 30's - after a year on their list reading about
what others have to do to keep them going.

While I think the 30 would make a fine coastal boat, I'm not so
convinced it is really roomy enough to live aboard comfortably.

This particular 36 is looking better as we discuss it more.

I'm in touch with the owners, rather than an agent. And they are
answering my questions. It just takes time some times for the
lady to get data from hubby and reply.

I think we are going to have to go see this boat in person...

I can't quite prices on a 34. But a new 36 goes $180 to $200
(or more!) depending on how it is equipped. At this level it
seems like everything is "optional" and "custom".

You can probably guess what those catch words do to prices...


Richard