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1979 Islander 36

5K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  jephotog 
#1 ·
Hello,

I am looking at purchasing a 1979 Islander36. The price, from what I can tell, is very low for an Islander. I have seen no Islander36s at this price point. The engine is non-operable. I have yet to visit the boat in person. I will have the boat surveyed, but what issues should I be looking for in a boat of this age? Is it a worthwhile risk?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
A new motor is 10-12 K, less if you do the work yourself, but there are really so many things that can cost so much money any boat can be upside down value wise. Not saying this one is but you really need to look with that perspective. A good friend just got a free 34 Pearson not in horrible shape but needed lots of work so new sails later he has 8 or 10 K in it I guess, not my business but you get the point. A good clean Boat can sell for about the Value of a new Motor and sails, take what you want from that.
 
#4 ·
I am wondering, is an Islander36 an overall good boat if the hull and everything else is in order?
Probably not the standard Islander 36......https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zac_Sunderland

I fell in love with the thought of an Islander 36, but the one I had my eyes on was not worth it if I could have gotten it for free. I like the lines, and it's a pretty proven boat. Just look at what the cost will be to get her going, and safe.

Check out the I36 forum (especially maintenance/system maintenance) - Islander 36 Association, sailing, racing, cruising and maintaining sailboats

Good luck and welcome to sailnet!

Ralph
 
#5 ·
Not sure if this is across the board, but I've seen a few I36s that suffered from osmotic blisters to a great degree. Could have been a short part of the run (like some Valiants) but something to look out for.

They are handsome, very roomy, comfortable boats. Our marina neighbour is a very well cared for example.
 
#6 ·
I have looked a few lower priced models, but never sailed one. What I noticed on those might be endemic; separation of the front of the keel from the hull, (more likely if actively raced) and weeping through the aluminum toerail. Fixing either could be a massive job.
 
#7 ·
I will have the boat surveyed, but what issues should I be looking for in a boat of this age? Is it a worthwhile risk?
I would take an engine mechanic onboard before I would survey the rest of the boat. Unless the boat was the engine is repairable or the cost of a new engine cheaper than the competing boats I would not waste the expense of a surveyor. You should go look at the boat first, just to see the overall condition. Look at the sails, if they are in bad shape, you may have to replace both engines on the boat.
 
#8 ·
I don't know if Zak Sunderland's I-36 was modified much for his trip. I understand the bulkheads needed to be replaced half way around. That is not to say the I-36 wouldn't make a perfectly nice (fast, and good looking) coastal boat. Regarding value; I seriously doubt re-powering any sailboat that is otherwise not in great shape would be worth the price. As others have said (including people considering buying my boat), there are a lot of affordable boats out there, keep looking.
 
#9 ·
Yea, repowering would be more than half the value of the boat. I really can't think even an excellent one would go for much more than upper 20's so for a boat with a bad motor think of paying no more than say $5,000 if everything else is in good shape. If sails are really good and crisp (say 6 years old or less) has clean recently upholstered interior and it is well equipped otherwise it might be worth buying to repower. If you look at Yacht world there are several nice examples going for much less than 30,000 and some even under 20,000 with complete working motors. If it has an atomic 4 in her you could likely get the motor rebuilt for around $4,000 and I would go that route as the A4 is a great motor.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
I bought an I-36 last year that was in need of some TLC. I'm doing it all myself. The Islander website is mediocre for specific questions and repairs. The website is brutal to navigate, and is primarily designed for the racing done in San Francisco. I'm located in Maine- So not much help for me-

I learned that there are some things to consider- What's your budget after all is completed to get the boat into the water? Just because you need an engine, are you willing to replace the 40 year old aluminum fuel tank since the engine is out? Stuff like this is worth considering, but adds to the end costs quickly!

I found my engine (Universal M25-XP) in OK shape after sitting 6 years. It has not run since I bought it, I am working on it now. I found it needed 3 injectors rebuilt ($150), and maybe a couple gaskets ($100). I may need the diesel injector pump worked on too ($300). But these engines are typically pretty tough. Unless you have been told there was water damage in the engine, or shards of metal are found in the oil... just how bad is the engine?

Don't forget about the Hurth transmission... That's another $2k if you replace it- Chances are, $1,000 in some basic maintenance and you can get a diesel to fire up and run pretty well for a while- They are more robust then you think- Don't forget that there are used/reconditioned engines everywhere (I found a U M25-XP at a yard in Quincy MA in EXCELLENT shape for $2k... just drop it in a boat and go) And any diesel mechanic makes more money on a rebuild/refit then just looking one over to tell you it's decent- Do your own homework and see what you can learn for the long-term and try and save $5k~$10k. Plus if you do the work yourself, you save huge money, and learn a lot of safety and mechanics when out at sea... you're the one who needs to solve problems when stuff breaks...

The boats themselves are pretty nice. 2 major issues my boat needs addressing-

1: I have learned for my boat, the decks delaminated do to water penetrating around deck fittings, mostly around the chain plates, and the water caused delaminating when the water froze over the winters, popping apart the bond of fiberglass to the plywood core. The plywood core was lightly rotted about 1"~3" around the chain plate holes for the plates, so I peeled away the inner fiberglass laminate from inside the cabin, leaving the upper glassed deck untouched, I let the wood core dry for a year (worked on other things while it dries...see below), and worked by using a hole saw to remove the bad areas (4"~5" saw). I then used CPES to inject from the deck above (lots of smaller holes drilled in the deck to let CPES seep down) to restrengthen the mostly good plywood, then epoxied in new circles, injected epoxy into the upper deck where it was delaminated, and I am in the process of putting the laminate back in place on the bottom (inside the cabin). I did not see the value in removing ALL the plywood, when it was 80% still good, just needed some reinforcement with CPES, which is AMAZING stuff by the way- A yard quoted me $10k ~ $20k for thes job, which included deck hardware removal, and doing the work on the top deck only. This price included new deck paint only where the work was completed. That's a lot of cash in my book!

2: Do to the age of the boat, and era the boat was made, the boat was assembled in 2 pieces, the hull and the deck. The deck is lowered onto the hull, then a bedding compound that is petroleum based was used to seal the joint where the deck and hull meet. Over 40 years of life, the petroleum dries out, leaving the deck/hull joint as porous as a sponge. Water would pour into the cabin when it rained at this joint all around the boat. I removed all the stanchions, removed the toe rails and then pried the deck/hull joint open by backing out screws (do not remove them fully), cleaning out the joint in 2~3' sections, then bedding this joint with 3M 5200, since this should never have to be removed or separated, this is a good use of 5200. Now, the deck/hull joint is water tight. Yes, this is a bit of work, but totally doable with simple hand tools, 2~3 weekend of work (if you have more hands, its much faster, I did all this solo). But I can't justify paying $6k for a yard to do this, when I can learn and know more about my boat, so when SHTF out at sea, I know more about my boat then the yard does-
By no means am I an expert, but I'm enjoying the work and love the boat. Check my little blogging site if you want- www islander36 net

Good luck with any purchase... just remember the 2 happiest days of owning your boat....
 
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