Anyone know about 'doing an old boat up'?
Discussion
I have an opportunity to buy a late 80's Tayana 37 for a good price, but she appears to need quite a bit of TLC. Basically she has been left to sit - unused - in the tropics for a couple of years, so engine not run regularly (I am told it works) and various seacocks rusted open / shut and some rainwater rot on interior wood panels (not structural), plus things like new upholstery, etc needed.
Rigging / spars / sails seem OK. Cockpit is teak which seems quite worn. Hull / prop is home to barnacles but I am told is sound. Essentially has 'ignored boat syndrome'.
Quite willing to do some work on her, but my only experience on 'doing a boat up' is restoring a mirror dinghy so what advice can the PH boating fraternity provide?
Rigging / spars / sails seem OK. Cockpit is teak which seems quite worn. Hull / prop is home to barnacles but I am told is sound. Essentially has 'ignored boat syndrome'.
Quite willing to do some work on her, but my only experience on 'doing a boat up' is restoring a mirror dinghy so what advice can the PH boating fraternity provide?
It will most likely be riddled with Osmosis give it origin of build and there lay up, and area of use.
Be very careful, you are likely to find it will be a total money pit and after all the money and time you end up spending on the thing it will be worth little more than you paid for it in the first place.
Be very careful, you are likely to find it will be a total money pit and after all the money and time you end up spending on the thing it will be worth little more than you paid for it in the first place.
Edited by Rum Runner on Tuesday 1st June 21:13
Cheers. Survey is not really possible in this sleepy backwater. Seller is very credible - a retired US Navy Captain with a degree in ship design from MIT, was the dean of engineering at the US naval academy and used to serve on US nuclear submarines ... and invented the Ironman triathlon!
Rum Runner said:
The yard where these where built in Tiawan is known for its very poor layup, lots of it, but poor. I known them first hand, survey survey, be warned...
Where is it in the Tropics, Carib ?.
Cheers. Panama, Caribbean side. Weather hotter, rainer and more humid than rest of Caribbean (but no hurricanes!).Where is it in the Tropics, Carib ?.
Edited by Rum Runner on Wednesday 2nd June 00:01
Would a survey pick up on bad quality GRP?
A survey should cover most things except engineers report on the engine / compression test. The lay up can be so bad on these boat they can get Osmosis on the top sides in Humid countries. Wood used in structure, frames and within laminates can also come adrift.
The survey should pick up blisters from Osmosis and Voids created by poor lay up, caused by not wetting out the mat properly with resin. ( found often on deck and tight corners in the mould.). It should also pick up high moisture readings. You probably find the hull finish is dull given the low quality gelcoat. If the boat has been painted then that can also can cover lots of hidden horrors.
I lived in the Carib for 6 year as a skipper, stainless steel on these boats are terrible a magnet will stick to them given the low grade. Check keel bolts because of this issue of poor quality steel.
The encased keel (if long) can also hold huge amount of water and be rotting form the inside out and with rudder shaft. If the boat has been in the Carib for a long time it is also likely its had the odd contact with a coral head.
The boat will need to lifted and survey
Also remember if the boat does not have a survey and rigging replace within the last 10 years and bills for it you will struggle for insurance.
Remember at some point you will need to sell it and that is where it comes round to bite you hard....
The survey should pick up blisters from Osmosis and Voids created by poor lay up, caused by not wetting out the mat properly with resin. ( found often on deck and tight corners in the mould.). It should also pick up high moisture readings. You probably find the hull finish is dull given the low quality gelcoat. If the boat has been painted then that can also can cover lots of hidden horrors.
I lived in the Carib for 6 year as a skipper, stainless steel on these boats are terrible a magnet will stick to them given the low grade. Check keel bolts because of this issue of poor quality steel.
The encased keel (if long) can also hold huge amount of water and be rotting form the inside out and with rudder shaft. If the boat has been in the Carib for a long time it is also likely its had the odd contact with a coral head.
The boat will need to lifted and survey
Also remember if the boat does not have a survey and rigging replace within the last 10 years and bills for it you will struggle for insurance.
Remember at some point you will need to sell it and that is where it comes round to bite you hard....
Edited by Rum Runner on Wednesday 2nd June 00:34
do you have any plans ever to bring it into EU waters? If so, and if you are an EU national, don't forget about CE-Compliancy (which can be an absolute pain in the backside and a huge financial/logistical expense on certain yachts) and of course VAT on the value of the yacht at the time of importation.
a fubar'd Tayana 37 on the wrong side of Panama sounds like a £25-30k experience to me... on a good day with he wind behind it. Through in approx the same again to do a 'cheap refit', add approx £5k to get it through CE-compliancy and then a bit of VAT for good measure and there isn't really any financial benefit to buying it over and above a well-presented CE-compliant example in EU waters which is probably a +/-£70k yacht.
a fubar'd Tayana 37 on the wrong side of Panama sounds like a £25-30k experience to me... on a good day with he wind behind it. Through in approx the same again to do a 'cheap refit', add approx £5k to get it through CE-compliancy and then a bit of VAT for good measure and there isn't really any financial benefit to buying it over and above a well-presented CE-compliant example in EU waters which is probably a +/-£70k yacht.
Huntsman said:
Should be mostly straightforward, if its cheap enough go for it.
GRP boats are pretty easy to work on, I wouldn't bother getting a full survey, get moisture readings taken, careful check over for blisters, valuation for insurance. Bosh.
There isn't going to be a great difference in £'s between the valuation + hull survey & a full condition survey. If the boat is neglected, getting the full survey will at least let you know what position you are in, what needs to be done to reinstate, in what order & some costs.GRP boats are pretty easy to work on, I wouldn't bother getting a full survey, get moisture readings taken, careful check over for blisters, valuation for insurance. Bosh.
I'll give you one piece of advice when it comes to doing up boats. Don't bother.
It WILL be a money pit, even if the hull is in good nick, you'll need to spend a fortune on the little bits.
If you are a boat builder, then maybe, but with your level of experience, don't bother unless you are doing it for fun with very deep pockets.
Oh and one further piece of advice, don't restore it in situ and then try to sail it back across the Atlantic at the tailend of hurricane season. My Unle did that and the last any of us heard from him or any of the other 3 on board (including my 18yr old cousin) was a mayday on the sat phone.
It WILL be a money pit, even if the hull is in good nick, you'll need to spend a fortune on the little bits.
If you are a boat builder, then maybe, but with your level of experience, don't bother unless you are doing it for fun with very deep pockets.
Oh and one further piece of advice, don't restore it in situ and then try to sail it back across the Atlantic at the tailend of hurricane season. My Unle did that and the last any of us heard from him or any of the other 3 on board (including my 18yr old cousin) was a mayday on the sat phone.
IforB said:
I'll give you one piece of advice when it comes to doing up boats. Don't bother.
It WILL be a money pit, even if the hull is in good nick, you'll need to spend a fortune on the little bits.
If you are a boat builder, then maybe, but with your level of experience, don't bother unless you are doing it for fun with very deep pockets.
Oh and one further piece of advice, don't restore it in situ and then try to sail it back across the Atlantic at the tailend of hurricane season. My Unle did that and the last any of us heard from him or any of the other 3 on board (including my 18yr old cousin) was a mayday on the sat phone.
Blimey, sorry to hear that.It WILL be a money pit, even if the hull is in good nick, you'll need to spend a fortune on the little bits.
If you are a boat builder, then maybe, but with your level of experience, don't bother unless you are doing it for fun with very deep pockets.
Oh and one further piece of advice, don't restore it in situ and then try to sail it back across the Atlantic at the tailend of hurricane season. My Unle did that and the last any of us heard from him or any of the other 3 on board (including my 18yr old cousin) was a mayday on the sat phone.
It wasn't much fun at the time, that's for certain.
No-one knows whether it was a boat failure that sank them or that the weather was so bad that anything would have fallen apart. All we know is that despite a massive search by the US and Canadian coastguards and navy, all that was found was the EPIRB, a hatch and a couple of cushions that may or may not have been from the boat.
Old glass boats can be a nightmare and unless you know exactly what you are doing, then I'd steer well clear of any that have been allowed to get into a proper state.
Sailing around in a boat that could have problems just doesn't do it for me. Any boat can break, but I'm not a fan of starting with a snotter unless you have the ability to really ensure that it's fine.
No-one knows whether it was a boat failure that sank them or that the weather was so bad that anything would have fallen apart. All we know is that despite a massive search by the US and Canadian coastguards and navy, all that was found was the EPIRB, a hatch and a couple of cushions that may or may not have been from the boat.
Old glass boats can be a nightmare and unless you know exactly what you are doing, then I'd steer well clear of any that have been allowed to get into a proper state.
Sailing around in a boat that could have problems just doesn't do it for me. Any boat can break, but I'm not a fan of starting with a snotter unless you have the ability to really ensure that it's fine.
Rum Runner said:
IForB
Was your Uncle called Jack and son of the same name?, If so I think I know the family quite well. They sailed with me quite a lot in the late 90's, and very close friends of the owner, whose boat I ran.
Yep, that's them. Which boat was it you sailed with them? You may well have sailed with my old man too in that case.Was your Uncle called Jack and son of the same name?, If so I think I know the family quite well. They sailed with me quite a lot in the late 90's, and very close friends of the owner, whose boat I ran.
IforB said:
Rum Runner said:
IForB
Was your Uncle called Jack and son of the same name?, If so I think I know the family quite well. They sailed with me quite a lot in the late 90's, and very close friends of the owner, whose boat I ran.
Yep, that's them. Which boat was it you sailed with them? You may well have sailed with my old man too in that case.Was your Uncle called Jack and son of the same name?, If so I think I know the family quite well. They sailed with me quite a lot in the late 90's, and very close friends of the owner, whose boat I ran.
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