1977 Tartan 30

[mitiempo]

I understand you wish to save money on the survey but the surveyor you mentioned that specializes in hull machinery and cargo might be a bad choice. You want someone who specializes in fiberglass boats not container ships. This is not a place to be too cheap. All older boats have problems, every one and you want the surveyor to find them.This is where experience counts. The problems the surveyor finds are things to allow for in your final buying price.

[BarryL]

Hello,

I keep reading that most insurance companies will require a survey. I can tell you that Allstate, who insures my house and cars, does not require a survey to insure a boat. I have had them insure two boats for me, and all they asked was make, model, year, HIN and MY value. I have liability and stated value insurance. The price was also much less than Boat US.

Barry

Originally Posted by klem

Regarding surveys, most insurance companies will require one if you plan to insure. So if you are going to insure, you might as well get it before you put any more money into it. The quote that you got would certainly be high for this area but it may be the going rate where you are.

[Jeff_H]

The Tartan 30 is probably my favorite 30 footer of the early to mid-1970's. They sail well and make reasonably good single-handers for a boat of that era. They were reasonably well built, and the last few that I had been on seemed to be in very good condition for a boat of that age.

I really think the whole fear of Atomic 4's thing is way over stated. They were reliable, easy to trouble shoot and work on and the parts used to be cheap and readily available. In the 48 plus years that I have been sailing, I have never actually heard of one exploding, but you need to take reasonable precautions. I have heard of lots of boats with diesels and propane exploding and no one seems to worry about that all that much. That said, as I think about it, I haven't had an At4 in a boat in nearly 25 years so at this point parts may have gotten harder to get.

Under no circumstances would I suggest buying any boat of this age without a survey. With all due respect, in reading your (BMacFarquahar's) comments on this thread it is quite clear that you do not know enough to properly survey a boat and there are things that may not seem readily apparent on a boat this age that could cost several times what the boat costs to repair. Think of a survey as very cheap insurance.

Speaking of insurance, i was curious about the Allstate comment and so talked to my Allstate rep. If they do not already have your boat insured, Allstate requires a survey on all boats 10 year or older. They will not insure a boat over 30 year old.

Jeff

[Filmsomething]

Every insurance company is different, Progressive insures my '83 C25 and it has never been surveyed.

[tsuidc]

We have auto and house insurance with Allstate. They issued boat insurance for the initial purchase but to new it for the next year they require a survey.

[puddinlegs]

Originally Posted by bmacfarquhar

I e-mailed about 50 surveyors and the cheapest quote is $450 from a guy who specializes in Hull Machinery and Cargo surveys. Not to say he won't know what hes doing he is accredited...

Calebd I realize what a money pit a boat can be I am planning to take off and sail for a long time - I wouldn't buy a boat just to pay for it while I worked. I am going to live on it and sail down to the Caribbean. I am not planning on insuring it at this time but it will have some insurance to begin with from the PO for a month into my ownership.

If you ask, " I live in _________ , and am looking at a __type of boat here____ Can anyone give me the names of a couple of reputable surveyors in the area? Like others said, the survey isn't a place to skimp.

[bljones]

Here is a good place to start:

The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors, Inc.® - (SAMS®)

[bmacfarquhar]

I found a surveyor for $500 which I'll go for am waiting for the weather to warm up a bit to have it done. In the meantime I've been thinking about what I'll do to it if I get it and planning it out so that I can move quickly before its launched. Once in the water I'd like to leave NJ for good - not sure where I'm going exactly will explore for a while till I find a place I want to be. Would be heading South.

I would like to go through the Panama canal and hear you have to have 4 120 foot lines and running engine - any other requirements?

[Jeff_H]

I followed up on the Allstate discussion. Allstate has an office across the hall from my office and my BoatUS policy is near renewal. Here is what I found;
-Before they will insure a boat for someone who does not already have a boat insured with them Allstate will require a survey on any boat older than 10 years old. I already know that BoatUS requires a survey at least on older boats.
-They will not first insure a boat over 30 years old, but will continue to insure a boat of almost any age, periodic surveys required.
-At least on my boat they were over 15% higher than my current BoatUs policy. If they insured my home and car, Allstate dropped to a little over 5% higher than my current BoatUS policy. If you have your house and car insured with Allstate and you do not have a claim-free record credit with BoatUS the prices gets very close together with BoatUS still slightly ahead.

The message that I take away from reading the various posts and my own experience on insuring a boat is to get quotes from multiple sources as the rules and pricing seems to vary.

With regards to the Panama Canal, here is a link to the rules for the canal although I am not certain that it is completely up to date. PROCEDURES FOR SECURING A HANDLINE TRANSIT OF THE PANAMA CANAL

I understand that you will need to hire line handlers. Its my understanding that you will need really good and long boat hooks, really heavy duty fenders and of course a minimum of 4 120 foot lines, and sturdily mounted cleats that are big enough for the minimum line size. I understand that, at least at one time, you could rent the docklines and fenders, which on a small boat with a tight budget like the Tartan 30 makes a hell of a lot more sense.

Here is a link to the Panama Canal Authority website. Panama Canal Authority - Official Site of the Panama Canal
Jeff

[klem]

Jeff, thanks for following up on that. I guess my original statement that you would need a survey to insure is not always true.