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A Pearson 30 with "softness in the cabin roof." Yea or Nay?

6K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  punctualalex 
#1 ·
Hey everyone, I'm looking to buy a boat for cheap for the summer with 3 friends, fix it up in New England and sail down the East coast until I have to go to grad school in August (in Colorado, which is landlocked- bummer). Anyway, we've been looking at boats in the Boston area and a '74 Pearson 30 caught my eye. He wants $1500, but we may be able to talk it down.
It has sails and a motor and all the extras, but it has "some softness in the cabin roof, stress cracks in the deck, and the hull needs to be compounded." Now, I've sent the guy an email but he hasn't responded yet and really, I'm wondering:

a) Is this worth pursuing? I know softness in the deck speaks of water damage to the deck core and might be difficult or impossible to repair.
b) If the deck is soft, what will I have to do to repair it? I can invest a lot of time, but not a lot of money.
c) What should I ask the guy, or what should I look for if I go look at the boat?

I think a survey is out of the question for our price range, and we're not afraid of a little hard work, but we don't want to be stuck with a boat we can't sail and can't use. SailNet, please help!
 
#3 · (Edited)
a) Is this worth pursuing? I know softness in the deck speaks of water damage to the deck core and might be difficult or impossible to repair.
No it is not worth pursuing.
b) If the deck is soft, what will I have to do to repair it? I can invest a lot of time, but not a lot of money.
The supplies alone are going to cost you five or six times what you are planning on paying for the boat.
c) What should I ask the guy, or what should I look for if I go look at the boat?
You should look for other boats in the yard. Do not waste time looking at this one.

A used 30 foot boat in good condition costs between 30 and 50 thousand dollars. It doesn't matter if you buy a rotten carcass such as you are describing, and then invest time and money to rejuvenate the boat, or if you buy something in decent condition to begin with. You will spend that amount.

You can try to convince yourself otherwise, but it's a waste of time to do so.

Good Luck :)
 
#4 ·
Sounds like you haven't seen the boat. A decent P30 of that vintage is probably going for about $10,000 so at $1500 this must be wreck. If the only problem (which I doubt) is a soft deck plus some cosmetic work, and you only want something to use for the summer, it might be worth a look. But getting rid of the boat at the end of the summer will be very difficult and then you will be saddled with winter storage bills, insurance, etc.
 
#5 ·
Soft decks are repairable, but at the cost of time and money. How much time and money? Well, how much deck rot is there? How extensive is the issue? It could be a major deal breaker or something you could fix in a week's time. Don't proceed until you know the full extent of the damage.

Even if you were to get said P30 for free, you've still got plenty of spending left to do in refits, cleaning, upkeep, storage, maintainence, etc. Make certain the purchase (or gift!) is worth the time and money you'll spend after you own it.

"There's nothing more expensive than a cheap boat!"
 
#7 ·
Ditto the others comments,

But if you want a project, love messing with boats, and have 3 other willing pairs of hands to work for months for free, it might be a new toy.

The value of a sailing boat is (in descending order) in its
Hull
Deck
Engine
Rigging
Sails
other equipment.

At $1500, you couldn't even get a good 30 ft hull, so assume its not just the deck that needs (a lot of) attention.

On the other hand, the owner might just want to get rid of the boat at any price. Remember boats are legal oddities - they can carry their debts (mortgages, etc., ...) onto new owners.
 
#8 ·
$1500? Just buy the boat and have fun with it if it's at all sea worthy. Fix it up where you can cheaply and sell it when you're done. If you go too far in the restoration direction, you'll never get any sailing done by August. Even if you gave the boat away when you're done, if you're splitting the cost between three people, then you can hardly lose.

As to the recore. You can just stablize by rebedding the surrounding hardware - evacuate the existing core, fill the hole with eopxy, re-bed through the epoxy plug using lots of sealant.

If you absoultely feel you have to recore, then you can do it from the top or bottom (do it from the bottom if you don't want to restore the deck (it's easier to refinish a cabin top). As to the cost of the recore, unless the area is HUGE, then you can do it for $300, max.

A 2'x4' sheet of balsa is about $30
Epoxy will cost about $125
Fiberglass tape will cost about $30
Tools will cost about $75 (spreaders, rollers, mixing cups, Tyvek suit, resirator, sand paper)

The project will probably take 4 - 5 days, given cure times, etc.

Of course, the clocks ticking. If this boat is sailable, it's a lot of boat for the money. If it's a disaster, move on - but not many boats have sunk from soft decks.
 
#9 ·
$1500? Just buy the boat and have fun with it if it's at all sea worthy. Fix it up where you can cheaply and sell it when you're done.
I'm with Jason on this one as it seems the OP is basically looking for a summer throw away toy. I do think that contacting a surveyor, or at least someone that plays one on Sailnet :rolleyes: , to look at it to determine if it can be made 'coastal seaworthy' for small bucks would be a good idea. I don't know if a surveyor will do anything less than a full 'purchase survey' but having a pro's opinion would be wise as there are still plenty of ways to get killed, badly hurt, or need a $rescue$ just along the coast.
 
#10 ·
punctualAlex,
Pretty sure THIS is the boat you are is considering. If so, it might work out for a few months of sailing, but not likely without a few months of hard work to make seaworthy.

I wouldn't have even called the owner for a look, let alone buy this project boat. Good luck though, if you decide to go for it.
 
#11 ·
Alex, are any of you familiar with "sailing down the east coast" ? I ask because while it will be memorable, it isn't quite that simple. If you stay in the ICW, you will be mainly motoring, not sailing, unless you are one very busy sailor. If you go offshore--that's ocean sailing, and if you are not familiar with problems like bad decks, that may be too much to plunge into. Many of the inlets on the east coast can be outright dangerous if the winds and tides aren't right, so just hopping in/out from one to the next can also be problematic.

By all means, go for it, but make sure you know what you are getting into. Motoring down the ICW might be the answer, but with fuel costs these days...ouch!
 
#12 · (Edited)
$1500 Bucks!!!!......I've spent more on a lot less before. Since there are 4 of you and at your age, you're invincible and will live forever anyway, I say go for it! I would have done it at your age.

But let me ask ALL of you this......

Re: Soft Decks.....shouldn't there be some chemical compound that can be injected that would react with the moisture to harden the deck to if not only "get by" but to actually improve the the integrity of the deck???...I've thought about this a long time and I'm sure it exists....but I'm no Chemical Engineer either.

assuming all you need is a couple sheets of Balsa Core, let me know, I'll let you have a couple for free..........I have 8 brand new BOXES of 25 sheets ea. in storage.....(got 'em at an auction, No one else there knew what they were for)

whilst I'm here......anyone know of a market for 8 boxes of BALTEK 1/2" x 2'x4' eBay Cheap and very negotiable......
 
#13 ·
Had I known at age 22 what I know now, I never would've bought a house. I'd have gone straight for a sailboat. You won't find a much better boat for the money you'll be out after all is said and done. You can learn all about sailing and repairs, but as has been said, don't go offshore til it's either had major repair issues addressed, or you have something even better, OR, you decide it's not for you, cut your losses, and move on.
 
#14 ·
We had more than 6' of soft delaminated, soggy cabin top (on both sides: winches & handrails P& S not bedded properly) when we bought our boat more than 10 year ago. The repair (from the inside) included new balsa core, and was a hassle. It didn't take us more than eight weekends, though, (including several lost due to temperatures too cold to have the resin set) and only cost about $200 in materials.

How springy the decks are is a concern, because you don't want the deck and cabin to detach from the hull while you're off the coast of N.Carolina. A good surveyor should be able to tell you how extensive the problems are, what the fix is, and whether you could do it yourselves. For a floating, possibly moveable summer vacation pad, it certainly looks like it would be worth it, even at twice the cost. If you don't get all the way to Texas, or even to Florida, who cares?
It certainly looks like it would be worth the investment
 
#15 ·
Make sure that the engine and trans is solid. With all the discussion on ICW, inlets and such, that thing better be solid or a CG rescue could be in the future.

A co-worker (hard core racer) was offered a Catalina 30 with a bad engine for FREE by owners who were moving. He gave the owner $1500 (ironic number), sight unseen. After a lot of fussing he got the Atomic 4 sort of running and moved the boat up the Chesapeake from Norfolk. Two years later, the engine is running smooth (bad fuel, timing, etc - trivial stuff) a good set of used sails and he has a great cruiser. Moral of the story - this could be a gem, but should be looked at carefully and objectively with respect to the intended purpose.
 
#16 ·
I think it is a great idea...

$1500 for a 30 foot boat, that according to the listing is sailable. Yes, sure it needs work, but even if you put a few thousand into her and sail it all summer, and then you wanted to dump it, you could always donate it to charity if you couldn't sell it. Four guys splitting basically $3000 for $4000 with mooring space, fuel, the cost of the boat, and reg. costs and a few fixes is pretty cheap.

Day sailing would be okay with. Sailing it down the coast without some fixes, I would not do.

DrB
 
#17 ·
Thanks, everybody, for the replies! I actually went out to look at the boat yesterday- the interior is in great shape, but (as expected) there are plenty of things to repair. There is likely a significant amount of water in the core from loose stanchion posts, fiberglass cracking, etc. etc. which may become apparent over the next few years, but for $1500 this is quite a lot of boat. I should mention that the decks are very solid, the only softness in the entire boat is the port half of the cabin roof, near the mast-step. If we do end up buying it, our biggest problem isn't even the repairs as we, but where to moor it for cheap and where to keep it this winter. Any suggestions?
Anyway, we are young and stupid and we all have full-time jobs (either as engineers or professional students) so this is not outside our means. If we do buy it, I will post in detail about the repair progress and any trips we take so that you can all keep up with it!
 
#19 · (Edited)
"Anyway, we are young and stupid and we all have full-time jobs "
Well, young often means "unlearned" which isn't at all the same as stupid. But if you absolutely insist that you are stupid rather than unlearned...[g]...Who's to argue!?

No, seriously, don't confuse the two. Stupid is incapable of learning, and even proudly and belligerently ignorant, like Rosie O'Donnell. You guys are smart enough to ask questions.

You may find that you cannot get a mooring without liability insurance, to protect others from any damage you or your boat may cause. And, in order to get insurnace you may need to get an insurance survey. Which you will probably flunk if the deck is soft (structurally unsound) anywhere near the mast step. That's something you need to look into real fast, because repairs can take a month from the time you decide you want to do them.

Another unexpected cost may be that the entire boat is due for re-rigging. All the standing rigging is due for replacement if it is 20 years old. Many insurers are setting a limit between 10-20 years, and they may require the rigging to be replaced at that point. That's also going to cost more than the hull.

And...the sails. Old tired sails that feel like bedsheets will move your boat like a V-8 engine running on three cylinders. Yeah, it works...but if you can afford proper sails, you're going to have a whole different experience. Not just in speed, but in direction, control, etc.
And, you may find that taking an on-line boating safety course, or one from the US Power Squadrons of USCG Auxiliary gains you a discount on your first-time boat owners insurance as well as a good refresher on basic safety points. And, if your boat passes a free (no penalty if it doesn't) USCGA Courtesy Exam, you get a decal to put on the hull which tells visiting Coasties 'go away, we already checked these folks'. It won't STOP a boarding, it will tell watercops that you've already done your safety prep and they can be more effective someplace else.
 
#20 ·
punctualalex,

Pearson P30's often rot out their compression post. This can cause the area around the mast step to crush under the weight of the mast. The rot is caused by water running down the compression post from the mast wiring. If it is rotted replace the post and run the wiring outside of the mast step.

I purchased a 1974 Pearson P30 for $4,000 three years ago and with minor work it sails great and looks pretty good.

MB
 
#22 ·
Further Price Drop - $1200

This guy wants the boat gone. $1200 for Pearson 30 is a great price, even if you need to pump a few thousand into her. I can go look at it if anyone is interested and doesn't have time to.

DrB
 
#23 ·
Yeah, I noticed the price drop this morning. A friend's dad does some marine surveying and has lots of cruising experience, he's heading up with me on Friday to take a look at it. I guess it is inappropriate to call "dibs" at this early stage of the game, but I sure would appreciate it if I could get a look at her before someone snaps her up. If anyone else is interested and has any questions or things you'd like me to look for, let me know and I'll pass on the info if we decide to pass.
Thanks again for all the advice, everyone!
 
#26 ·
Hey everyone, someone else bought the boat while I was waiting for a chance to go look at it. This is a blessing in disguise- a 30 foot boat is really too large a project for me right now. I'm going to try to find some crew opportunities this summer (unpaid winch-turner kind of positions, if anyone knows of any) and keep the dream alive for next year, keep on reading craigslist. Thanks for all of your help, though!
 
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