Fixer upper

[Marc101]

Back when I bought my current boat and spent a year making her livable the friends I had that were boat owners said I got lucky for the fact I pretty much bought a floating hull that was semi gutted and ended up with a sound boat. Never had to do anything major to her hull but clean up and coat, was not a "needed" thing at the time but since I was basically making her pretty n new feeling I was done.
All of that to ask this, my boat is near LA and I live near Dallas atm, a friend of mine has asked me to help him pick out and work on a fixer upper, when I bought mine I pretty much did not care about the interior other than it was dry and I crawled around the hull poking N prodding looking for soft spots and stepped off the pier to check out the bottom. I am by no means a boat builder or restorer and just figured if the hull seems sound the rest is cake when it comes to getting a nice boat in the end. Really didn't have a clue but after doing construction most of my life and being an electronics & computer hobbyist I felt as long as I had a good foundation I could make everything else ago and it worked out.
I am seriously considering applying the same principal to helping my friend since if it works out I get to sail more often and more importantly I would of helped another dreaming sailor like myself get a boat.
Real question, is a floating boat with a dry interior and seemingly solid hull a good starting point? The boat we checked out was abandoned at a marina and the marina said he could have it if he paid the slip.. A 1974 Ranger 26,
which I know squat about as far as didn't know ranger made sailors but the rigging is solid, the mast is good, aluminum and the sail and jib seem in acceptable shape to use but should be replaced. And I did my "act like I know what I'm doing" and crawled around the nasty interior checking what I could of the hull.
Anyway I'm tired and babbely, just don't want to get his hopes up if I'm insane

[75R20]

Well if you are describing the Kent Ranger 26, I can help as we have an active Ranger 20 group, and I have completely dissasembled and cut up one of the R20's, so I know a little about their construction. If it is a california ranger....I cant offer much.
Best of luck
Kary
S/V Mariah
#49080

[Marc101]

It's a Washington I believe.

[Armchairsailor2]

It would seem that you were predominantly lucky with your boat, so goodonya! However, applying the same principles and requirements to find a boat for your friend seems like a potential minefield to me. Perhaps it might be worth investing in a moisture meter to double check the hull - I could imagine the loss of a friend could easily result from overestimating his DIY skills or levels of enthusiasm, or from making a mistake in choosing a boat with unforseen problems. I suppose a lot will depend on his budget though - less invested will reduce risk (in its many forms!).

Good luck.

[tommays]

You cant even begin to believe what could be wrong with a boat that floated and had working sails

[75R20]

Try this group KentRanger26Boats : KentRanger26Boats
to determine oif that is your boat.
Kary
S/V Mariah
#49080

[Barquito]

Even with the knowledge, tools, workspace, and time; restoring a boat can be really expensive. There are just some boat parts and supplies that cost a lot of money. You will save (a ton) doing the work yourself, however, you may end up spending more than if you bought a boat that was in better shape to start with.

[steel]

So if the hull is sound what other expensive or time consuming things are there left that could be broken? I can try to think of some:

Needs a new engine.
Mast is cracking from fatigue
Something is wrong with the keel or attachment to hull
Winches (more for bigger boats)
The Rudder, or rudder post and related things.
Sails

What other things are there that aren't cosmetic?

[Marc101]

The boat in the brochure has a round port forward, the one we checked out has a square one.

I appreciate the responses.

Thanks

[tommays]

stuff that goes bad



core most anyplace


leaky chain-plates



Boats with steel parts IT IS more than just Cal and includes some pretty new beneteau steering gear parts



Old deck hatches



Sterntubes do crack and get fatal blisters



the wire is mostly toast



Worthless gauges

Now i resolved all these things and more and a whole LOT more within my budget and had a really good end result BUT if you have NOT done some big jobs like fix-up a junk house your gonna be in for and bad time