Tashiba 40- Help Me Plan Re-Fit

[mrybas]

My brother and I recently purchased a 1986 Tashiba 40 from New England that we plan to depart for a circumnavigation in approximately 15 months. She is fairly well equipped and the hull and decks surveyed well (no soft spots/delam/ moisture issues). We have about $20-30k to refit, upgrade, and replace. Since we are the handy type (carpentry and construction) and have access to tools, we plan on doing the majority of the work ourselves. We are having the boat hauled out and stored next week. I found an old green house (hoop pipes with plastic covering) to erect over the boat to provide a sheltered place to work on her this winter. Please help us prioritize where to spend our money.
Current Condition of the boat:
Rigging: I believe it to be the original standing rigging. I looks to be in good shape (no rust), but 20+ year old rigging should probably be replaced? Much of the running rigging needs to be replaced.
Sails: About 5yr old Leisure Furl main system. The stay and jib are both from the 90's but have been re-conditioned a few years ago (what does that entail?) Older spinaker. Older storm main on its own track (never used).
Electronics:
* Furuno 1832 Radar '06
* Simrad Autopilot '06
* SEA SSB model 322'92
* 4-383 amp batteries
* 1-120 amp engine battery
* Northstar 6000I GPS with WAAS '04
* Northstar 8900 DGPS unit for the Trimble& Northstar Loran units
* Trimble GPS '92
Deck: Orignal Teak decks are in fair shape for their age. However, what lies under neath is intriguing. I really want to do away with the teak and replace it with something like Treadmaster or similar. I know its a major job....but I would feel alot better with the teak gone.
Engine The orignal Yanmar 4JHTE has just over 5,000 hours on it. We just brought her from Boston to Philadelphia and she starts easily (with little smoke) and seems strong. The previous owner has religious maintenance records, so I know it was properly cared for. It's hard to justify pulling a perfectly good motor, but isn't 5,000 hrs normal for a rebuild?
Bottom I was debating having the bottom barrier coated... though I'm sure it will be expensive. There are no signs of blisters or osmosis, is barrier coating worth the peace of mind?
Cosmetic/Bright Work The exterior bright work is failing (delaming from the teak). I plan to strip the existing varnish and start anew. The interior is good shape and a good cleaning/polishing might do the job.

The above projects should be more than enough to occupy every spare moment over the next year. Can you think of anything I'm missing? Any rough guesses on what each project will cost? Thank you in advance for suggestions and I look forward to keeping you updated on the progress of the refit.

[Michael K]

If there's a Tashiba Owner's Association that may be a good place to pose your questions. You might discover, for example, the teak decks are not much to worry about and are worth keeping. You may also discover the bottom is fine the way it is, too. Other owners might make suggestions you haven't yet thought about.

Diesels can last an awfully long time if well maintained. 5000 hours could be pre-midlife. Maybe you could hire a Yanmar specialist to determine your diesel's condition before replacing it. Wouldn't it be nice to learn it is healthy and all you really need is a full set of spare parts? As for the rig, the time and money necessary to update it are likely worth every penny. Don't forget to inspect the chainplates too.

Electronics fall into the category of personal choice. If you are very dependent on them, have spare units on board in the event you need to replace them. Are all wire runs done with tinned wire? If not, at this point in time corrosion might be an issue.

Others here will most certainly have much to add.

[Stillraining]

Not qualified to instruct you..but congratulations on your purchase and endeavor. It will be fun to follow your progress.

FWIW... I'm in the middle of a refit and with your limited remaining funds it can disappear real fast..a wind vane is going to eat a big chunk of it.
I would not worry about some of the what ifs you mentioned like the teak deck..if it becomes an issue on the voyage you can deal with it cheaper more then likely there then here anyway.

[floatsome]

Put priority on the critical survivability systems: hull integrity, steering, propulsion (engine and wind), communication, spares, navigation, etc.

[aferlazzo]

Re. the teak decks. If they are currently in OK shape, I would put a very low priority on getting rid of the teak. When it's time to replace them, everything will depend on what's underneath. If you are lucky, there is a regular fiberglass deck underneath, and all you need to do is remove the teak, fill in the fastener holes in the fiberglass, and paint or cover in whatever material you want to use.

If there is no fiberglass deck underneath, what you eventually do might be dependent on where you and the boat are at the time, what the labor costs are there and what material for the new deck is available there, and what it will cost.

With your limited refit budget, the deck is clearly a low priority at this time.

Based on the info you've posted, my priority for the refit would be:

1. standing and running rigging replacement (100% if you are going offshore). I would include in this part a thorough checkout and evaluation of your furling for both the main and the headsails. My understanding is the newer mainsail furling systems are more reliable for going offshore than older systems. I have a strong bias against mainsail furling systems of any kind for going offshore and prefer dutchman type systems.

2. thorough engine/propulsion checkout and repair/rebuild as necessary.

3. bottom... since the boat came from cold water in New England, the lack of blisters/osmosis is not at all surprising. But when you take the boat over the horizon, she will be in warm waters a lot, I assume. Eventually that will take its toll and blisters are almost inevitable without a barrier coat, IMO. If you have the time, you might be able to do it yourself while the boat is out of the water.

4. autopilot/self-steering/electronics

If the autopilot is a wheel-type, you may want to add a beefier below decks type. That will be expensive... probably $3k or so. And you will want a windvane... that's another $3k.

I'm not sure that SEA SSB will be good enough for a circumnav. The SEA units I'm familiar with were not very impressive. And you will want to evaluate the rest of the boat's electronics for possible upgrade to suit you.

5. fuel, water and holding tanks... probably not tested by your surveyor, but you need an assessment of what you have in terms of both capacity and material/condition. Metal tanks of either aluminum, stainless or mild steel start to fail when a boat approaches 25-30 years in age. Now is the time to check yours out and replace as necessary.

I think you will be fortunate if your refit budget proves to be adequate. And we are talking only about the potential big-ticket items. You will want to get into every nook and cranny of your boat and its systems to get ready to go to sea.

But anyway congratulations.... looks like a great boat!!

[aferlazzo]

One more comment: I think this is a Perry-designed boat? He is still quite active and you might consider contacting him to get his insight on the boat and what it might need. It might be a good investment to pay the designer some money to be your consultant... he is in the Seattle area, I believe.

[GaryHLucas]

Nice looking boat! I'd have ot say though that 20-30K for refitting a 40 footer sounds really light. My 26 footer is eating a hell of a lot more than I expected, and I too am very handy. I have spent nothing on anyon
e else doing work and shopped all materials carefully, mostly from non-marine sources.

A word about the greenhouse structure. I worked in that industry. Put DOUBLE poly on it, not single, and buy an inflation fan. The whole poly greenhouse industry was a failure until Dr Roberts from Rutgers U came up with the idea to inflate for insulation purposes. However he then discovered that inflating it drove the inner layer tight against the frame, and the out layer far away. This virtually stopped all the wear that slapping in the wind caused, which ussually destroyed the plastic in a short time. Today the plastic fails only from UV degradation. So buy the poly from a greenhouse supply. You can get UV resistance up to five years.

Gary H. Lucas

[mrybas]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Do to budget and time, I will probably keep the teak decks. However, I am thinking about removing the caulking (its starting to crack and get brittle) giving the decks a light sanding, and re caulking.
Gary-
Thanks for the green house suggestion, I was wondering if it would be worth the extra effort for double polly and an inflation fan. Do you think it would be possible to heat a 50x20 double polly greenhouse? It gets fairly cold in Philly in the winter and it would be nice if I could keep the work environment above freezing. Would the air barrier provide enough insulation that a wood stove would have an effect (although I would need to figure out how to keep the chimney from melting the poly). Any ideas?

[georgefmys]

Consider using shrinkwrap plastic over your frame. White shrinkwrap[one layer] can last 2-3 yrs-hopefully you won't need that much time! It's opaque, lets in bright,natural light and assists holding in solar heat if you have a tight installation with no drafts. Have built many such structures-has blue tarps and greenhouse plastic beat by a mile[haveyou heard expression 'its like a greenhouse in here]? For heat,i like propane-fired infra-red, but if you go with wood stove dont forget to bring in plenty of fresh air. You can handle exhaust stack by sheathing a small section of the frame with plywood,drilling a hole in it for roof vent. Put a layer of vapor barrier on ground first,will greatly reduce condensation.

[GaryHLucas]

A double poly greenhouse will be warm during the day in winter with little if any heat. Everyone does the end walls in wood framing, and the chimney goes out the endwall. Most put large doors on either end to allow the wind to blow through in warm weather, or they use fans. Shade cloth is also a really good idea in the summer. It blocks much of the heat and also makes the poly last longer. I have one old greenhouse customer with 12 acres of double poly! They were actually one of the very first.

Gary H. Lucas