Thanks Roger.

In our searches; most boats the size we want;we can't afford out of pocket.
I've looked at some "inexpensive" fiberglass boats; but they were so abused, I
could find soft spots & delamination in fairly importantspots.

this boat does need some help -- but we're not "jumping in and going" so my
though is that if the hull is solid - we can do the minor upgrades "over time"
so it won't be a huge burden.

The hull was professionally built -- only the inside was "owner finished" --
however, he looks like he was a damn fine craftsman as everything is very solid
and well fitting.

-josh

On Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:37:27 -0400, "Roger Long" wrote:

You are on the right track here, but not necessarily with ferro cement.

You should not be putting more than about half of what you could scrape
together into the boat. You'll need the rests for repairs, upgrades, and
the unexpected. Not selling the house and renting it, or selling it and
putting the money away is sound thinking.

You are looking at a boat in the right price range if you can buy it without
selling the house. The price is cheap because the owner probably couldn't
give it away. Almost nobody wants these things and you'll probably have to
sail it uninsured. That doesn't mean an FC boat of the right design and
construction can't be a solid and seaworthy craft, just that the vast
majority of them effect the resale and insurance market.

Fibreglass boat prices (the real prices; not what you see in the ads) are so
depressed these days that you ought to be able to find a suitable boat for
about the same price. A huge part of the value of boats is the cosmetics.
The "owner finished" may be a big part of the cost equasion in the case of
this boat. Be sure you are comparing fiberglass boats of comparable finish
and systems and not just size.

I have a 32 foot boat ready and able to take me on some extended trips.
Moored right in front of the marina where my son works is a wooden Hereshoff
12 /12 daysailer that was purchased for four times what I could expect to
get for my boat in the presentmarket. Most of the cost of boats is surface
finish.

A good FC boat should be:

Fairly large since this makes the weight inefficiency less of a performance
issue.
Have good form stability (for the same reason) which generally means a
fairly traditional hull of a type originally intended for inside ballast.
Square welded mesh (run from chicken wire).
Professional construction.
NO rust showing anywhere. Rust expands. The slightest bleed means big
trouble.
Everything except hull comparable in quality and finish to any alternative
glass boats you are considering.
At his point in time, chances are overwhelming that, if the builder knew
what he was doing, he would have chosen a different material. Something to
think about.

Don't let this boat become the justification for doing somethign you can't
manage. Find at least a couple glass or steel boats you can manage and
would be happy with and see how low you can push the price. Don't worry,
that FC boat will still be there. As I said, nobody wants these things
unless they are uniformed dreamers.

"Strong as wood, light as steel."

--
Roger Long