please: any advice on this yacht?

[mbwalmsley]

hi,

I hope you all had a wonderful xmas.

I posted this question on alt.sailing at google, and was hoping this audiance might be able to help with some more advice;

I am hoping to buy my first yacht. Basically, I know very little about sailing, now. I am going to buy, and then learn. I know this might sound slighty crazy, but that''s me. So basically, any advice would be
wonderful.

Here''s the advert;

Classic 33" Timber Yacht. Built 1957 in New Zealand. Kauri Pine. Good rig. Stripped for restoration. Very fast. Beautiful looking yacht.

In general, the response was;

- it will be expensive to maintain (time and $$$)
- get a professional survey done on it
- probably not the best boat for a first time owner
- it will be expensive to maintain (time and $$$) (they really tried to stress this

many thanks

Maurice

[mbwalmsley]

further to this:

could anyone recommend any decent websites or book about restoring/maintaining (or building) a yacht that meets the above description?

tar

maurice

[slipacre]

Having owned a large wooden boat in my checkered past I can say that unless you are a skilled carpenter who is used to working with curves (most aren''t) and have a boatyard with ready access to tools and have time and money to burn and are ready to postpone learning to sail until the refit is complete. Then go ahead. Wooden boats are wonderful. But remember you are staking your life on it. (A leg falls off a chair - you go bump but if you spring a plank you go glub.) There are many books - check amazon.com thare are wooden boatbuilding workshops in Maine and elsewhere.
In my opinion it is best to learn to sail on something small for me it was a dinghy then move up slowly.
If this is your thing - go for it, but don''t let romance force you down a path that will be costly and involve more hard work than you have bargained for.
There are real bargains - in terms of initial purchase price/ size of boat but in the end you will probably not save money.

Todd

[Jeff_H]

I have owned a number of wooden boats in my life two of which needed restoration and another was in need of major work. Once restored wooden boats are not all that hard to maintain, but here you are talking about a gutted, 45 year old wooden boat, no mention of an engine. Few wooden boats were built to last that long. Most were intended to have a a lifespan of maybe 30 years during which they would have a number of refastening and major repairs. After 45 years, the refastening and other hull repairs would normally suggest a boat that need to be reframed and perhaps partially replanked. It might suggest a boat that needs redecking and all new rigging. Its unlikely that a boat in that condition would have good sails, instruments, interior appointments etc. I guess what I am getting at is that even if given to you for free, it could easily cost more in materials to put that boat into shape than it would cost to buy a fully found vessel in good condition. AND that assumes that you have the skills to do the work right yourself. Very few beginners really understand enough about the way that a sailboat works to be able to do a credible restoration. Most of us who take on older wooden boats have been around sailing and wooden boats for years before taking on something as ambitious as you are proposing.

Having restored quite a few boats in my day, reading that description, I suggest that you could be a new boat in anyone of a number of materials for less than it would cost to try to make that one seaworthy.

Respectfully,
Jeff

[Jeff_H]

OOPS! That last sentence should read, "Having restored quite a few boats in my day, reading that description, I suggest that you could BUILD a new boat in any one of a number of materials for less than it would cost to try to make that one seaworthy."

Respectfully, Jeff

[tho52mas]

My first sailboat was a woodie, 12'' Penguin. It needed a rebuild, and it was made of plywood and Mahogany. I did it and knew what I was doing. My next was a 19'' Mouette, which is a daysailer. Fast, nimble and fun. Next is a 37'' Irwin CC. It is glass and needed work. If I had my choice, go with glass, check for blisters (anyone can help you with this) and then go for it. If you got the bucks, why ask for help. If you are like me and don''t have the bucks, get a glass, ask, ask, ask and look at two or three dozen boats. Price doesn''t matter casue you are just lookin. Get educated on what to look at, for. Each owner will show you stuff they did, like new wiring, motor, ports, sails, etc. And pick up the January issue of Cruising World for a sood story on price of boats.

[mbwalmsley]

thank you all for your advice

I know owning a yacht can be a labour of love - but must admit I had no idea just how much so.

I have decided to either buy something smaller (and probably glass) and/or to do some crewing first.

I spoke to the owner of this yacht, and it needs recorking. If she floated, I might have bought her.

Again, thanks for your time.

Happy sailing

Maurice

[DelmarRey]

This post is a bit late. But, it might be a good FYI. Kiri wood is practically impossible to get right now. The NZers have built a lot of boats from this stuff and now the boats are selling off cheap. I have a friend here in the Puget Sound, with a custom 43, that put in deck ports and had to cut up his solon table for the trim. It is a beautiful boat and fast but in bristol condition.There are plantations of the tree starting up in several places but will not be read to for quite awhile. Just my $.02.