"Janet O'Leary" wrote in message
...
This is your assignment ::

You have been given a Sabre 28. Model year 1976..

The boat is in ok shape... Hull sound, deck sound .. basic equipment ..

You have xxxx to spend.. think?? at least $15,000 ..

What equipment will you replace, add, get, .. etc ??

My list so far :: and remember, this comes from a Barnes and Noble book
..

Replace the standing and running rigging .. add two self tailing winches
.. upgrade the
anchor and anchor equipment .. sails .. furling for jib.. [ maybe, the
book says the
furling systems don't work the sail very well and a second smaller jib
will sail the boat better ]

What stuff would you EXPERTS get ..

The windvane steerer? Or electric stuff ?

what about engine upgrades ?/ batteries? solar/wind power ?

The first thing to do is to find out from previous owners what has already
been done to the boat and what sort of usage it has had.
If you are being 'given' the boat you are lucky and cannot expect to say
'Accepted subject to survey' so you will need to check things out yourself.
If you are buying then get the owner to give you a trial sail and check out
as much as possible before you decide to have her surveyed. A survey,
despite what some people say, is money well spent but do not waste money on
an engine or electrical survey as you can check those yourself to see if
major work is needed..
I trust my own judgement on a boat and when I bought my first yacht I did
not have a survey. Had a trial sail and we went to a nice anchorage and the
previous owner said he was going ashore for an hour or so and left me free
to do what I liked aboard the boat to check her out. Not everyone would do
that however.
My present boat I bought in USA without seeing her until she arrived here so
needed a survey, many pictures, and the answers to some specific questions I
asked the surveyor. Got a fine boat, loaded with all sorts of gear and am
most satisfied.

.. Since you are a beginner, (I think, or you would not be asking us those
questions) you should not be replacing stuff on your boat willy-nilly at an
early stage.
The standing rigging, for example, is probably 1x19 SS wire. Check it out,
every inch of it to see if there is any sign of broken wires or rust,
especially where it goes into the fittings. If it seems Ok then, as a
beginner, you are highly unlikely to overstress it in your early days of
sailing the boat so leave it alone for now. Check the tensioning screws and
throw out any that are rusted, bent, or have doubtful looking threads. Make
sure they have locking nuts or otherwise are wired up so thay cannot
unscrew.
Running rigging may be wire or rope or both. Check it over carefully and if
it looks Ok, especially where there may be a rope/wire splice, then use it
until it shows signs of not being Ok.
If you are in USA then check the anchor out very carefully. Many yachtsmen
in USA never seem to anchor and have poor gear.
I threw out the anchor that came with my boat which I imported from USA
because it was cut from flimsy plate. If yours is flimsy galvanised plate,
or made from aluminium, or is held together with nuts and bolts, then throw
it out and get a solid forged one which for your 28' boat needs to be about
25 lbs weight. The rode should be chain or at least have about 12' of chain
then nylon rope. The function of the chain is to maintain a near horizontal
pull onto the anchor so it needs to be heavy 1/2" at least.
Why mess with the sails, assuming they are in fair condition and are those
recommended by the builder? Remember this is a series production boat and
the recommended sails should be quite suitable.
Same comments for the furler. You do not need a smaller jib if you have a
decent furler for reasons just mentioned.
If you are a beginner and are not going to try to single hand the boat I
should get used to sailing it manually before you get any autopilot. Wind
vanes have control lines that take up a lot of space in the cockpit and are
not so good downwind unless the wind is very strong and they are no use at
all in light wind or when motoring. It is mainly the serious offshore people
who use these.
You need a decent battery but the existing one(s) can easily be tested. As
for the engine it should be a diesel inboard and if it starts readily
withoud needing Easy Start sprayed into the manifold it is OK for now
especially if it has 1500 hours or less on the clock, but make sure the oil
in engine and gearbox has been changed at proper intervals and if in doubt
change all oils and filters right away.

You should not have to spend a great deal if the boat checks out Ok on the
above tests. Ideally, though, you should see her out of the water and check
the hull for damage, blisters etc. and if in doubt get an expert to give you
an opinion. If you cannot see anything wrong then there probably is not
anything wrong, but be suspicious of anything that looks as if it has been
recently painted over.
So that is my 2c worth. But first you must find someone who is going to
'give' you a boat.
Good luck!