Overwhelmed & excited

[max1]

My fiance and I are inheriting 30' 1983 Seafarer and we no virtually nothing about sailing. We feel blessed for the opportunity to learn and have a great deal of interest in diving into the process full force. The boat belonged to an older gentleman who all but abandoned it in it's slip over 3 years ago. We have a copy of an inspection from 2003 and it reads well (although much of it is greek to us) and we have great hopes for what this could become. At the time almost everything was in working order. Since then it has been left untouched but unloved and housekeeping leaves much to be desired. Upon our initial visit out to the marina last night to take our first peek we were unsure of the sitting water in the cabin and whether this is a problem. The bilge pump hole (please forgive my rudimentary language) in the floor of the cabin was full and there was about 2-3 inches of standing water throughout. The automatic pump has not been running so ....is this relatively normal for a boat that has been sitting for years? Our first order of business is to pump the water out with a portable bilge pump and then unload 20-30 lawn & leaf size bags of trash so we can get a better grip on what we're dealing with inside. The electrical panel was pulled out of the wall and exposed wires were a mess. We've been told it may have been hit by lightning and the owner was doing some work on it and the abruptly stopped. We have no clue as to the state of any of the functioning capacities of any part of this boat. Baby steps here and cleaning the cabin out so we can get into it seems like the best place to start. Once we have that done and we have worked on some of the aesthetics inside so it is more enjoyable to take on the larger mechanical issues we plan to. We figure we need to have it pulled out, clean all the barnacles off , have someone in the know take a good look from underneath and get it repainted. This is the first of what will surely be many posts with what seem like absurd questions but we are as "green" at this as we could possibly be but we want to love it back into good condition. So let's hear back on the standing water first...normal or not (we've been reading about rudder issues with this online)...the best way to address this and then we'll go from there.
Photos:
Flickr: ehlers75's Photostream

[PBzeer]

While there can be many reasons for the water in the cabin, considering the length of time the boat has set, it isn't surprising. It's quite possible, if it has a functioning bilge pump, that it's merely a case of a dead battery that results in it not working.

Before you invest too much time or money though, it would probably be worthwhile to have the boat looked at by a surveyor, to get a handle on any issues there might be (and there will probably be quite a few). Then you can make a more informed decision on how, or even if, to proceed.

Best of luck and welcome aboard.

[camaraderie]

Looked at the pictures and it is clear that this was a once well cared for and equipped cruising boat rather than a dockside queen.
First...water normally comes into the boat one drip at a time from your packing gland which is located where the prop shaft exits the hull. You can tighten up on this to eliminate the drip...but one or two drips a minute is normal and necessary to keep the prop shaft cool when motoring. Do not motor with an over-tight packing gland or damage may be done. It is ok to tighten down on it to eliminate the drip at the dock.
The water in the boat may be due to this OR it may be due to other things...like leaky spots on the deck, windows, etc.. You need to get to the bottom of that but first step is to get the water out of the boat and get a working automatic bilge pump and good battery in place.
The haulout for cleaning, inspection and bottom painting is a good next step...then fixing any leaks found is a good idea. While hauled, you will want to check and replace any bad or corroded through hull sea-cocks, re-pack the packing gland and install any new components that will require through hulls transducers....depth sounder, speedo, etc.
I would caution you abut the 3 year old survey. Obviously, much can change in 3 years of sitting AND there are two types of surveys...one for insurance company coverage...the other for a new boat purchaser. I would suggest that the latter type survey will give you a much better fix on what is wrong with the boat today and what your priorities should be in getting her fixed up.
Good luck and welcome aboard.

[TxLnghrn]

Two books I highly recommend for the new boat owner:
Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual by Don Casey and,
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder
Both have been incredibly helpful to me.
Good Luck,
Michael

[Stillraining]

Wow!!! what a score..I would agree with cam...this is not your usual gift horse...Some one definitely is shining love down your way...Beezer and others are right about the survey...not because the boat isn't worth taking I can tell by the pictures this will be a pretty sound boat...the guy obviously took pride in her and equipped her well...but the survey will be needed for Insurance reasons and piece of mind she dosent have one particular bad deficiency that could sink here at the dock..like a bad through hull or seacock..

Secondly you will learn a ton about nomenclature and workings of all parts of your boat if you follow him around ( Take notes you will be bombarded with information ) and have him talk out loud as to what he is looking at and for as he performs his survey. You cant buy that kind of knowlage so cheap in any boating course...

Water will enter dowm the mast also when it rains..

Change your Avitar to "LuckyDog".... Welcome aboard

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by PBzeer

Before you invest too much time or money though, it would probably be worthwhile to have the boat looked at by a surveyor, to get a handle on any issues there might be (and there will probably be quite a few). Then you can make a more informed decision on how, or even if, to proceed.

I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, boats cannot be loved back into good condition without extensive prior experience. The only other way to do it is by spending lots of $. I would try and get a handle on costs before you go any further.