Need advice: Buy a boat for its engine?

[grinfax]

Dear Wise Sailnet Forum Peeps;
So my engine is slowly falling apart, it runs, but last year I had to fix it at least 10 times. I tell my friends I am getting an education in diesel mechanics. I found this boat that has a Yanmar in very good shape (owner says it only has 6 hours on it). It's a Yanmar 18 and the owner wants about 2K for the whole boat (Dad dies, kid does not know how to sail). The problem is I only want the engine. The boat is nothing special, fiberglass, ugly, not in great shape. Has all the electronics.

So my question is, how can I pull this off?

-Kim

[Captainmeme]

I'm not sure what your are asking. My first response is pay the 2K, pull the engine out and install it in your boat. Strip the other boat of electronics, fittings, sails, everything but the fiberglass hull, then take a chain saw to the hull. Cut it up in pieces small enough to fit in garbage bags. take the bags to the dumpster a few each week. The keel is scrap iron, its worth about 6 cents a pound, alot more if its lead. The mast is also scrap, maybe 50 cents a pound. Ebay the stuff you don't want.

[AdamLein]

Figure out the cost of continuing to repair your current engine (either professionally, or in terms of lost sailing time).

Figure out the cost of a new engine, with installation.

Figure out the cost of buying the other boat and inspecting, removing, and installing the Yanmar 18.

Pick the lowest number.

p.s. good point, you can scrap the rest of the existing boat and keep parts you want. But that has a time/labor cost as well. Probably not as easy or fun as it sounds. Plus you have to keep it someplace while you're doing that.

[grinfax]

I guess my question is how do I scrap a boat easily? Chainsaw is not an option, I don't have a backyard.

[xsboats]

Find someone to give the boat to before you buy it. Then make sure you leave enough boat for them to use after stripping the necessary parts for your boat.

[Captainmeme]

Originally Posted by grinfax

I guess my question is how do I scrap a boat easily? Chainsaw is not an option, I don't have a backyard.

Is the boat presently in the water? If so then the question is "Can I legally tow the boat out into the sea, many miles off the coast and scuttle her assuming I have removed the fuel tank, oil tank, waste tank and any pollutants?"

Is the boat on a trailer?

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by Captainmeme

the question is "Can I legally tow the boat out into the sea, many miles off the coast and scuttle her"

No. MARPOL prohibits dumping all forms of plastic anywhere at sea.

[WanderingStar]

Check with your local landfill, ours takes boats.

[JedNeck]

You could swap motors and put the other boat back up for sale...you can be as quick and dirty as you like depending on how much you want back out of it.
There are lots of guys that would give you $500 for a sailboat with some assembly required.

[ggray]

Originally Posted by JedNeck

You could swap motors and put the other boat back up for sale...you can be as quick and dirty as you like depending on how much you want back out of it.
There are lots of guys that would give you $500 for a sailboat with some assembly required.

What he said....