Hi,

I have a series of questions that could possibly be served by a chat
with a decent Yacht surveyor but I would like some real life feedback
before starting to engage professionals. Consider me to be
researching.

To set the picture I am based in the UK & I have a hankering for a
wooden Classic, say a 30 to 35 foot yacht for my girlfriend & I to
enjoy for weekend cruising and channel hopping. Old fibre glass yachts
in the same price ranges that friends have or have had don't really
appeal. I am not averse to getting my hands dirty having gutted &
refitted my house myself and I have friends who are carpenters and am
reasonably capable with wood myself.

However, I am not experienced in steaming or fixing frames and more
intricate pieces of wood work I would expect to find during a restore
and have never worked on a wooden yacht.

So, if I were to purchase a wooden yacht of around 30 - 35 foot range
for an initial outlay of say £10 - 20k what kind of pitfalls can I
expect? Please be assured a survey would be undertaken for assesement.

o Can anyone provide an example of costs refitting decks to a similar
wooden vessel? Self-fitted marine-ply + teak or alt. vs a yard fitting
cost? Of course I'm assuming deck supports and knee's to be good.

o Can anyone provide an indication of costs to strip, recaulk and
prime/paint the exterior? Time is a factor here, is it even vaguely
sensible to consider machine use (ie: sandblasting may be an damaging
sacriledge)

o Any rough cost descriptions for replacement of a 15 or 20hp engine?
Assuming a yard to refit here, only estimate I have are engine unit in
the region of 2k. Has anyone good experience in a complete engine
rebuild for significantly less.

o Rough cost descriptions for standing rigging replacement on a cutter
for example, 30 or 35 foot?

o Rough costs for sails for a 35 footer for example? (exampling
cutter, gaff etc if vastly different)

o Rough costs for having keel bolts pulled and replaced?

Of course the inital assumption may be flawed to assume working on a
£15K boat. It may be there are real life examples where that is simply
a false economy. House restoration has taught me that removing layers
reveals more problems but I have no experience in costs in the Classic
wooden yacht world.
Should a basket case be expected for that much or is it a reasonable
figure?

Perhaps someone can example worst case scenarios with real life
pricing guestimates.

Worst case scenario if keel wood/backbone turns out to be soft once
stripped and serious work is required? (ie: hull split and keel and
deadwood replacement)
Worst case if a survey highlighted multiple ribs to be removed and
replaced? Say 50%.
Worst case costs if the floor or parts of the floor must be renewed to
secure ribs to keel?
Worst case costs of the ruddern or attachment points are rotten?

These costs may be capable of being absorbed but equally may just make
it pointless if the end value is less than the sum total of vessel +
repair.

All and any other experiences are valid, I am ignoring the cost of
storage as land is available for long term working but long term
drying raises questions. Is there an opinion on long term land based
storage of a classic while work is carried out? Planks splittings from
drying effect, warping etc once removed from constant immersion.

I'm not sure if I have brain dumped too much so all and any feedback
is gratefully recieved.

Thanks.

wrote:
Hi,

I have a series of questions that could possibly be served by a chat
with a decent Yacht surveyor but I would like some real life feedback
before starting to engage professionals. Consider me to be
researching.

To set the picture I am based in the UK & I have a hankering for a
wooden Classic, say a 30 to 35 foot yacht for my girlfriend & I to
enjoy for weekend cruising and channel hopping. Old fibre glass yachts
in the same price ranges that friends have or have had don't really
appeal. I am not averse to getting my hands dirty having gutted &
refitted my house myself and I have friends who are carpenters and am
reasonably capable with wood myself.

However, I am not experienced in steaming or fixing frames and more
intricate pieces of wood work I would expect to find during a restore
and have never worked on a wooden yacht.

So, if I were to purchase a wooden yacht of around 30 - 35 foot range
for an initial outlay of say £10 - 20k what kind of pitfalls can I
expect? Please be assured a survey would be undertaken for assesement.

o Can anyone provide an example of costs refitting decks to a similar
wooden vessel? Self-fitted marine-ply + teak or alt. vs a yard fitting
cost? Of course I'm assuming deck supports and knee's to be good.

o Can anyone provide an indication of costs to strip, recaulk and
prime/paint the exterior? Time is a factor here, is it even vaguely
sensible to consider machine use (ie: sandblasting may be an damaging
sacriledge)

o Any rough cost descriptions for replacement of a 15 or 20hp engine?
Assuming a yard to refit here, only estimate I have are engine unit in
the region of 2k. Has anyone good experience in a complete engine
rebuild for significantly less.

o Rough cost descriptions for standing rigging replacement on a cutter
for example, 30 or 35 foot?

o Rough costs for sails for a 35 footer for example? (exampling
cutter, gaff etc if vastly different)

o Rough costs for having keel bolts pulled and replaced?

Of course the inital assumption may be flawed to assume working on a
£15K boat. It may be there are real life examples where that is simply
a false economy. House restoration has taught me that removing layers
reveals more problems but I have no experience in costs in the Classic
wooden yacht world.
Should a basket case be expected for that much or is it a reasonable
figure?

Perhaps someone can example worst case scenarios with real life
pricing guestimates.

Worst case scenario if keel wood/backbone turns out to be soft once
stripped and serious work is required? (ie: hull split and keel and
deadwood replacement)
Worst case if a survey highlighted multiple ribs to be removed and
replaced? Say 50%.
Worst case costs if the floor or parts of the floor must be renewed to
secure ribs to keel?
Worst case costs of the ruddern or attachment points are rotten?

These costs may be capable of being absorbed but equally may just make
it pointless if the end value is less than the sum total of vessel +
repair.

All and any other experiences are valid, I am ignoring the cost of
storage as land is available for long term working but long term
drying raises questions. Is there an opinion on long term land based
storage of a classic while work is carried out? Planks splittings from
drying effect, warping etc once removed from constant immersion.

I'm not sure if I have brain dumped too much so all and any feedback
is gratefully recieved.

Thanks.


Too bad you're not in this
area!http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/boa/613815916.html

Gordon

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:19:22 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

Hi,

I have a series of questions that could possibly be served by a chat
with a decent Yacht surveyor but I would like some real life feedback
before starting to engage professionals. Consider me to be
researching.



To be quite frank it is probably impossible to furnish you with a
guess as repairs to wooden boats always seem to grow as you work. What
started as scrapping some teak and revarnishing ends up as replacing
the keel timbers. I saw a plywood catamaran, in Singapore, that
started as "a couple of soft spots on the keel" and a year later they
had replaced the planking and structural members all the way to the
deck. The last time I saw the boat the bills were over $100,000 and
still growing.

As far as maintenance costs go, research back copies of Practical Boat
Owner as some years ago there was an article written by a bloke that
owned a Channel Cutter. He was selling it as maintenance costs had
reached a point that he couldn't keep up. He planned on selling the
boat, which was built in the 1800's (I believe) and having a
fiberglass replica built in Canada.

I recently saw Gypsy Moth IV when it passed through Phuket. To get an
idea of rebuilding costs do some research on her. I was told it was
"millions".

In short, rebuilding a wood boat, which would have been in the 1970's
or earlier, is a tremendously expensive undertaking.


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)

Thanks Bruce, Gordon for taking the time to answer, I appreciate
asking for a "back of a fag packet" guestimate on pieces of work are
hard to get figures to so maybe I should be more specific and I really
am looking for estimates, prices will fluctutate depending on each
circumstance but guestimates must be possible?

Let me example a 35 foot carvel built boat from the 1920's, 30's,
40's, Mahogany on Oak with Teak decking, wooden mast etc. I'm not
looking at lapstrake or ply construction currently unless someone
believes that would massivley ease repairs, which I doubt.
A secondary assumption is made a respected surveyor could be sourced
and passed an initial bill of health, outcome OK with minor repairs.

I'm looking for people experiences so to highlight a subset of the
original questions:

o Can anyone provide a real life example of guestimate of man hours &
expense involved in totally stripping exterior paint, recaulking and
painting again. Of course I'm assuming no rot in this statement.

o Can anyone provide a real life example or guestimate of costs
involved in replacing a 20hp engine in such a case?

o Can anyone state roughly the expected costs of replacing rigging
were the cables to be considered suspect, 35 foot, assume a cutter,
sloop or gaff combinations.

o Anyone recently purchased a set of sails for a 35 foot sloop, cutter
or gaff rig? (let be clear here, I'm not heading to a luxury sail
maker here, this is a cruising boat, I;m not looking to win races)


The reason for writing the worst case scenario questions is incase the
surveyor gets it totally wrong and serious rot or damage is discovered
once the paint is off. Gypsy Moth and so forth may not be valid
examples as I am not looking to perform concours level restores for
showing off to the world on a prestigous vessel.

I've seen mention of alternate places to have restorative work carried
out as well, there is a yard in Romania which performs this work, I'm
sure Poland has some good shipwrights if some investigation was
carried out and unfortunately for their economy the UK pound buys a
lot of manhours in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia etc. These
coastal northern countries must have decent yards as well.

As above, all and any comment welcome.

Thanks Bruce, Gordon for taking the time to answer, I appreciate
asking for a "back of a fag packet" guestimate on pieces of work are
hard to get figures to so maybe I should be more specific and I really
am looking for estimates, prices will fluctutate depending on each
circumstance but guestimates must be possible?

Let me example a 35 foot carvel built boat from the 1920's, 30's,
40's, Mahogany on Oak with Teak decking, wooden mast etc. I'm not
looking at lapstrake or ply construction currently unless someone
believes that would massivley ease repairs, which I doubt.
A secondary assumption is made a respected surveyor could be sourced
and passed an initial bill of health, outcome OK with minor repairs.

I'm looking for people experiences so to highlight a subset of the
original questions:

o Can anyone provide a real life example of guestimate of man hours &
expense involved in totally stripping exterior paint, recaulking and
painting again. Of course I'm assuming no rot in this statement.

o Can anyone provide a real life example or guestimate of costs
involved in replacing a 20hp engine in such a case?

o Can anyone state roughly the expected costs of replacing rigging
were the cables to be considered suspect, 35 foot, assume a cutter,
sloop or gaff combinations.

o Anyone recently purchased a set of sails for a 35 foot sloop, cutter
or gaff rig? (let be clear here, I'm not heading to a luxury sail
maker here, this is a cruising boat, I;m not looking to win races)


The reason for writing the worst case scenario questions is incase the
surveyor gets it totally wrong and serious rot or damage is discovered
once the paint is off. Gypsy Moth and so forth may not be valid
examples as I am not looking to perform concours level restores for
showing off to the world on a prestigous vessel.

I've seen mention of alternate places to have restorative work carried
out as well, there is a yard in Romania which performs this work, I'm
sure Poland has some good shipwrights if some investigation was
carried out and unfortunately for their economy the UK pound buys a
lot of manhours in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia etc. These
coastal northern countries must have decent yards as well.

As above, all and any comment welcome.

Dear Classic,
I hate to answer this way because it is hard to follow for others, but
here goes:

wrote:
o Can anyone provide a real life example of guestimate of man hours &
expense involved in totally stripping exterior paint, recaulking and
painting again. Of course I'm assuming no rot in this statement.
We call it a Wood and Caulk in the New England yards. Assuming no rot
(bad bet -better count on replacing a plank or 2) and only a few layers
of bad paint to deal with above the waterline, we would be bidding the
job based on two men for a full week. What a plank costs is highly
variable. Is it single or double plank? Does a whole plank need
replacing or just part? Does it have to be steamed or can it be sprung
into place? My bet is still ~8kEu

o Can anyone provide a real life example or guestimate of costs
involved in replacing a 20hp engine in such a case?
Are you going to replace with a new similar engine?
A new 20Hp marine engine and transmission is going to cost around 8kEu.
If it is not very similar to the original and can use the same engine
bed, it will only cost another 1~1.5k to remove and install.
If you are changing from gas(petrol) to diesel(oil) engine, add at least
another 1kEu and that is only if the new engine actually fits in the old
engine's space. This is not usually the case. Most cases the engine
bed and the enclosure require significant modification.

o Can anyone state roughly the expected costs of replacing rigging
were the cables to be considered suspect, 35 foot, assume a cutter,
sloop or gaff combinations.
There are too many variables to even start this. An upper or a head
stay for a 35ft Bermuda sloop is going to be in the region of 300Eu with
some variable for actual length and end fittings.

o Anyone recently purchased a set of sails for a 35 foot sloop, cutter
or gaff rig? (let be clear here, I'm not heading to a luxury sail
maker here, this is a cruising boat, I;m not looking to win races)
Just plain polyester (dacron) sails for that size boat will be around
3kEu each assuming a Bermuda sloop.

Do not even start to dream about any older vessel, wood hulled or not,
without a very complete survey by a very competent surveyor. If you are
talking to a broker and he recommends a surveyor, write the name down
carefully because now you know who to avoid.


Matt Colie
Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner and Congenital Sailor

On Mar 21, 9:19 am, wrote:
Hi,

I have a series of questions that could possibly be served by a chat
with a decent Yacht surveyor but I would like some real life feedback
before starting to engage professionals. Consider me to be
researching.

To set the picture I am based in the UK & I have a hankering for a
wooden Classic, say a 30 to 35 foot yacht for my girlfriend & I to
enjoy for weekend cruising and channel hopping. Old fibre glass yachts
in the same price ranges that friends have or have had don't really
appeal. I am not averse to getting my hands dirty having gutted &
refitted my house myself and I have friends who are carpenters and am
reasonably capable with wood myself.

However, I am not experienced in steaming or fixing frames and more
intricate pieces of wood work I would expect to find during a restore
and have never worked on a wooden yacht.

So, if I were to purchase a wooden yacht of around 30 - 35 foot range
for an initial outlay of say £10 - 20k what kind of pitfalls can I
expect? Please be assured a survey would be undertaken for assesement.

o Can anyone provide an example of costs refitting decks to a similar
wooden vessel? Self-fitted marine-ply + teak or alt. vs a yard fitting
cost? Of course I'm assuming deck supports and knee's to be good.

o Can anyone provide an indication of costs to strip, recaulk and
prime/paint the exterior? Time is a factor here, is it even vaguely
sensible to consider machine use (ie: sandblasting may be an damaging
sacriledge)

o Any rough cost descriptions for replacement of a 15 or 20hp engine?
Assuming a yard to refit here, only estimate I have are engine unit in
the region of 2k. Has anyone good experience in a complete engine
rebuild for significantly less.

o Rough cost descriptions for standing rigging replacement on a cutter
for example, 30 or 35 foot?

o Rough costs for sails for a 35 footer for example? (exampling
cutter, gaff etc if vastly different)

o Rough costs for having keel bolts pulled and replaced?

Of course the inital assumption may be flawed to assume working on a
£15K boat. It may be there are real life examples where that is simply
a false economy. House restoration has taught me that removing layers
reveals more problems but I have no experience in costs in the Classic
wooden yacht world.
Should a basket case be expected for that much or is it a reasonable
figure?

Perhaps someone can example worst case scenarios with real life
pricing guestimates.

Worst case scenario if keel wood/backbone turns out to be soft once
stripped and serious work is required? (ie: hull split and keel and
deadwood replacement)
Worst case if a survey highlighted multiple ribs to be removed and
replaced? Say 50%.
Worst case costs if the floor or parts of the floor must be renewed to
secure ribs to keel?
Worst case costs of the ruddern or attachment points are rotten?

These costs may be capable of being absorbed but equally may just make
it pointless if the end value is less than the sum total of vessel +
repair.

All and any other experiences are valid, I am ignoring the cost of
storage as land is available for long term working but long term
drying raises questions. Is there an opinion on long term land based
storage of a classic while work is carried out? Planks splittings from
drying effect, warping etc once removed from constant immersion.

I'm not sure if I have brain dumped too much so all and any feedback
is gratefully recieved.

Thanks.

Well, I am a Marine Surveyor.
I attended California Maritime Academy and graduated from Chapman's
School of Seamanship, as a surveyor.
So I have been around for awhile.
The thing is, though a know some, I sure would like to know more.
I have two wooden boats that I own. I have a 1949 Chriscraft 33'
Cruiser, and a 1968 34' TollyCraft.
I have done extensive work on both.
The main reason I have kept the Tolly is to try different repair
modes.
I have done the penitrating epoxy route. I have done the BoricAcid/
Boraxo/Antifreeze route.
I have mixed roof tar/terpentine/boiledLinseedOil mixtures.
I have sistered ribs. I have taken the carpet out, and cut the floor
up into hatch sizes, to keep the boats ventilated and
allow sunlight into the holds.
I have glued hardwood floors directly to the plywood floors in the
saloons. I know a ton more about that now. It works well.

And being an old retired Merchant Marine Chief Engineer, I have some
cranky habits. Like always spray painting the engines
Detroit Green. Even if they are gas. Detroit Green is sold under the
name Alpine Green, and for some reason it seems to
keep the engine looking spiffy. Cat sells their paint a little too
dear for my wallet.
I keep both my boats in the water, all the time. The Tolly is a
plywood boat with a fiberglass overlay. They were built that way
original.
One thing I know. I have some knowledge, but compared to how much
knowledge there is about wooden boats, I know a little.

I have a method I tried on one bilge batten. I cross cut it until I
could press it back down along the curve of the bilge. Then I soaked
it in 2 part
pen epoxy. Now that it is all dry, I am going to fill all the cuts
with marine plastic filler. It took forever, and I am not sure if this
is the
best way.
Does anyone else have a sure fire way to re-attach and make those
bilge battens fair again? I was just guessing. And I have more to do.
Stewards Boat Building Manual says to make them 3/8 to 1/2 square. But
the ChrisCraft battens are still solid. They are just sprung.

I believe if you can't DIY then you shouldn't own it. Where I live,
getting an honest affordable answer, to any marine question, is pretty
darn hard
to come by. Most that can answer are so darn busy, you can't catch
them.

My other project is taking a laptop and hooking everything up to it.
Depth, phone, music, navigation, engine readouts etc.
That way, come winter, I just take the laptop home, and my electronics
don't sit in the boat.
Also I can use the same laptop in the car and it does the same thing.
And I take it in the house at night, and there is no stereo to steal!
I am getting the laptop mount like the cops have in their cars.
After all, the Nav systems work for streets AND oceans. You just
switch CD's.

On Mar 21, 9:19 am, wrote:
Hi,

I have a series of questions that could possibly be served by a chat
with a decent Yacht surveyor but I would like some real life feedback
before starting to engage professionals. Consider me to be
researching.

To set the picture I am based in the UK & I have a hankering for a
wooden Classic, say a 30 to 35 foot yacht for my girlfriend & I to
enjoy for weekend cruising and channel hopping. Old fibre glass yachts
in the same price ranges that friends have or have had don't really
appeal. I am not averse to getting my hands dirty having gutted &
refitted my house myself and I have friends who are carpenters and am
reasonably capable with wood myself.

However, I am not experienced in steaming or fixing frames and more
intricate pieces of wood work I would expect to find during a restore
and have never worked on a wooden yacht.

So, if I were to purchase a wooden yacht of around 30 - 35 foot range
for an initial outlay of say £10 - 20k what kind of pitfalls can I
expect? Please be assured a survey would be undertaken for assesement.

o Can anyone provide an example of costs refitting decks to a similar
wooden vessel? Self-fitted marine-ply + teak or alt. vs a yard fitting
cost? Of course I'm assuming deck supports and knee's to be good.

o Can anyone provide an indication of costs to strip, recaulk and
prime/paint the exterior? Time is a factor here, is it even vaguely
sensible to consider machine use (ie: sandblasting may be an damaging
sacriledge)

o Any rough cost descriptions for replacement of a 15 or 20hp engine?
Assuming a yard to refit here, only estimate I have are engine unit in
the region of 2k. Has anyone good experience in a complete engine
rebuild for significantly less.

o Rough cost descriptions for standing rigging replacement on a cutter
for example, 30 or 35 foot?

o Rough costs for sails for a 35 footer for example? (exampling
cutter, gaff etc if vastly different)

o Rough costs for having keel bolts pulled and replaced?

Of course the inital assumption may be flawed to assume working on a
£15K boat. It may be there are real life examples where that is simply
a false economy. House restoration has taught me that removing layers
reveals more problems but I have no experience in costs in the Classic
wooden yacht world.
Should a basket case be expected for that much or is it a reasonable
figure?

Perhaps someone can example worst case scenarios with real life
pricing guestimates.

Worst case scenario if keel wood/backbone turns out to be soft once
stripped and serious work is required? (ie: hull split and keel and
deadwood replacement)
Worst case if a survey highlighted multiple ribs to be removed and
replaced? Say 50%.
Worst case costs if the floor or parts of the floor must be renewed to
secure ribs to keel?
Worst case costs of the ruddern or attachment points are rotten?

These costs may be capable of being absorbed but equally may just make
it pointless if the end value is less than the sum total of vessel +
repair.

All and any other experiences are valid, I am ignoring the cost of
storage as land is available for long term working but long term
drying raises questions. Is there an opinion on long term land based
storage of a classic while work is carried out? Planks splittings from
drying effect, warping etc once removed from constant immersion.

I'm not sure if I have brain dumped too much so all and any feedback
is gratefully recieved.

Thanks.

I have a 1949 33' ChrisCraft, with a 351 fuel injected V-8 Freshwater
cooled engine.
I paid $15K for it, after the engine was installed. The receipts show
that the engine and installation cost $10K.
There are lots of good deals out there. But wooden boats cost $$$ to
maintain and moor.
Every time I take my boat out I feel like I am driving a work of art!
And if you leave a double planked boat out of the water for too long,
I understand that it takes a couple of real leaky weeks
for it to re-swell and seal up....
Want to see pictures?
I live in the SF Bay area. My wife is a bit of a lubber, but she will
go out on it. She just will not pick up a piece of sandpaper........

tomdownard wrote:
On Mar 21, 9:19 am, wrote:
Hi,

I have a series of questions that could possibly be served by a chat
with a decent Yacht surveyor but I would like some real life feedback
before starting to engage professionals. Consider me to be
researching.

To set the picture I am based in the UK & I have a hankering for a
wooden Classic, say a 30 to 35 foot yacht for my girlfriend & I to
enjoy for weekend cruising and channel hopping. Old fibre glass yachts
in the same price ranges that friends have or have had don't really
appeal. I am not averse to getting my hands dirty having gutted &
refitted my house myself and I have friends who are carpenters and am
reasonably capable with wood myself.

However, I am not experienced in steaming or fixing frames and more
intricate pieces of wood work I would expect to find during a restore
and have never worked on a wooden yacht.

So, if I were to purchase a wooden yacht of around 30 - 35 foot range
for an initial outlay of say £10 - 20k what kind of pitfalls can I
expect? Please be assured a survey would be undertaken for assesement.

o Can anyone provide an example of costs refitting decks to a similar
wooden vessel? Self-fitted marine-ply + teak or alt. vs a yard fitting
cost? Of course I'm assuming deck supports and knee's to be good.

o Can anyone provide an indication of costs to strip, recaulk and
prime/paint the exterior? Time is a factor here, is it even vaguely
sensible to consider machine use (ie: sandblasting may be an damaging
sacriledge)

o Any rough cost descriptions for replacement of a 15 or 20hp engine?
Assuming a yard to refit here, only estimate I have are engine unit in
the region of 2k. Has anyone good experience in a complete engine
rebuild for significantly less.

o Rough cost descriptions for standing rigging replacement on a cutter
for example, 30 or 35 foot?

o Rough costs for sails for a 35 footer for example? (exampling
cutter, gaff etc if vastly different)

o Rough costs for having keel bolts pulled and replaced?

Of course the inital assumption may be flawed to assume working on a
£15K boat. It may be there are real life examples where that is simply
a false economy. House restoration has taught me that removing layers
reveals more problems but I have no experience in costs in the Classic
wooden yacht world.
Should a basket case be expected for that much or is it a reasonable
figure?

Perhaps someone can example worst case scenarios with real life
pricing guestimates.

Worst case scenario if keel wood/backbone turns out to be soft once
stripped and serious work is required? (ie: hull split and keel and
deadwood replacement)
Worst case if a survey highlighted multiple ribs to be removed and
replaced? Say 50%.
Worst case costs if the floor or parts of the floor must be renewed to
secure ribs to keel?
Worst case costs of the ruddern or attachment points are rotten?

These costs may be capable of being absorbed but equally may just make
it pointless if the end value is less than the sum total of vessel +
repair.

All and any other experiences are valid, I am ignoring the cost of
storage as land is available for long term working but long term
drying raises questions. Is there an opinion on long term land based
storage of a classic while work is carried out? Planks splittings from
drying effect, warping etc once removed from constant immersion.

I'm not sure if I have brain dumped too much so all and any feedback
is gratefully recieved.

Thanks.

I have a 1949 33' ChrisCraft, with a 351 fuel injected V-8 Freshwater
cooled engine.
I paid $15K for it, after the engine was installed. The receipts show
that the engine and installation cost $10K.
There are lots of good deals out there. But wooden boats cost $$$ to
maintain and moor.
Every time I take my boat out I feel like I am driving a work of art!
And if you leave a double planked boat out of the water for too long,
I understand that it takes a couple of real leaky weeks
for it to re-swell and seal up....
Want to see pictures?
I live in the SF Bay area. My wife is a bit of a lubber, but she will
go out on it. She just will not pick up a piece of sandpaper........

Tom,

Has it occurred to you that maybe your wife is smart enough to not get
hooked into loving wooden boats?

I can appreciate the effort and your comment "if no DIY - don't Buy" (If
that is not licensed, I may borrow it.)
Those old wood boats are a true work of art. If you can afford to pay
someone to do the job right these days, you probably shouldn't.

A close friend recently bought a mahogany powerboat (no idea who built
it) for 1000$us. Two clean nice Graymarine engines and not rot that we
could find. The owner was the first owner and has just gotten too old
to take care of it. And - Few local yard will haul it - they are afraid
of wood.

Well, one old engineer to another (retired Chief Steam or Motor - Ft.
Schuyler) Enjoy your self.

Matt Colie

Thanks Matt, guestimates are helpfull and I appreciate things can vary
more than expected. I'd looked into engine replacements and chatted at
a boat show, very simple investigation and yes, I'm aware engine beds
rarely match and diesel would be the preferred choice. The advice
around the surveyor is good as well, something to be mindfull of.
How to choose a reputable surveyor I suspect would spawn a whole new
thread and be based on word of mouth.

As for the secondary comment well, yes, I believe I am of the mindset
to like something thats got good character. I wouldn't have gutted a
100 year old house and started again if I felt any different. Wooden
Yachts need more caution owing to the possibilty of serious rot
compared to a house.


Tom, thanks for the comments. I think a ply based boat is something I
had decided upon avoiding but its good you echo the same comments
about double planking. I am curious to see the misfortune from a
double planked "leaky" boat if you had a link, I've read around on
people preparing for relaunch with three sets of pumps even when
believing their newly caulked boats to be good, only to find a
multitude of leaks.
In terms of maintenance cost I am of the mindset to fix it right and
then maintain it.


If anyone had any comments the original post, wild guestimates are
acceptable. Deck replacement is something quite possible for me to
encounter and something I am mindfull of attempting myself. Focusing
purely on cost for a moment has anyone sucessfully managed to lift a
teak deck and re-use, perhaps planing down the original teak and re-
fitting over a ply subdeck?
Any time estimates or yard based cost estimates would be good.

All and any comments around the original post gratefully accepted, any
time and cost estimates are good.