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Lash Me To The Mast Before I Buy A Boat!

7K views 50 replies 19 participants last post by  chef2sail 
#1 ·
It's the Sirens! I can hear them singing in my ears, luring me into boat ownership! Lash me to the mast 'else I'll go crazy! :laugher

The Sabre Sirens are calling me and drawing me ever closer! Is there any hope of resisting them? :p
 
#2 ·
Ummm.... you'll have to buy the boat to have a mast to lash you to....;) :)
 
#5 ·
Go for it..

You know you want it...We know you want it...

Post pics and price and I'm sure we'll be glad to tell you how you did...;)




Otherwise, I just bought new halyards for my mast and I'm sure we can work something out....
 
#9 ·
Go for it, I sold my boat last Friday. But I already had my eye on another one. I am sure to be the victim of another purchase very soon.................lol ps.......don't know if I could deal with the halyards, maybe a simple spanking would do...... captg
 
#21 · (Edited)
Julie,
Aura is a beautiful boat. Looking through the listing the previous owner put a LOT of work into her (mostly done by yards). The bulkheads are a big job, but do-able if you read up on it in advance and practice on a couple of small epoxy jobs first to learn about using epoxy and glass mat.

It comes down to how comfortable you are tackling something like this. If you are I'd say go for it.

That said epoxy fumes are no joke. Make sure you have fans going and the boat is well ventilated.

I'm guessing you've pretty much decided buy her. This is NOT the place to come to get talked out of buying a boat. :laugher

Best of luck with her,
Jim
 
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#22 ·
So Julie, the "good" is the Interlux bottom paint? ;) That bulkhead rot looks really ugly. Is leaking to this extent common amongst all Sabres? Obviously, you will want to do carefull moisture readings on the weather decks. My guess at only looking at this one photo, there is a whole lot more work needed than meets the eye. My experience is nothing is not repairable given enough time, money and resourses. The question is: "Is it worth all that for you?".
 
#27 ·
Julie - if you are concerned about glassing in structural pieces like knees for tangs, get a copy of "This Old Boat" and/or "From a Bare Hull". They both have details on the process. Also, check out "Lackeysailing.com". Tim Lackey restores and customizes GOB's and does VERY nice work. He recently did knees for tangs on a Tartan 34 and it's detailed with lots of pics.

Buy the boat and put it in a shed for your Chi-town winter - it'll be as nice as your workbench by spring. :cool:
 
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#29 ·
It's the old cliche, you have money or time but rarely both.

I have time.

I don't know I'll buy this boat. I can. And I don't have to take out a loan. But I'm not basing what I will do on what someone else would do. What I really do appreciate is reading what warning signs I need to look for. And many here have been provided and I've learned a LOT! Thank you!

So far it seems the Volvo Penta engines from that time period had no heat exchange systems. They were cooled directly from whatever water the boat sat in, and in this case, that's salt water. In 34 years, salt water can do a lot of damage.

And even if it is an enclosed system, what condition is the engine really in after 34 years? Can fluid analysis really provide those answers? I don't know, but I will try to find out.

More than anything, I don't want to end up with a boat that has endless problems. I've been through that. But that is something no one can guarantee.
 
#31 ·
Known issues with chainplates/bulkheads and an old RWC Volvo... as MS indicated several posts back.. there's no need to burden yourself with those issues. Far better to spend a bit more and enjoy sooner....

JMO, of course, but in todays market it's hard to justify picking up a beater.
 
#34 ·
the entry comment is 'I can fix that'/
It's taken me a LOOOONG time to smarten up about that one. Being capable of doing it is different than being able to get it done.
 
#38 ·
You've probably heard this before, but just in case:

Be wary of false economies. Although an older boat may cost less when you make the initial purchase, the ongoing work takes your time (as discussed above) and can also have a significant cost for the materials. And in the end, when you are ready to sell, even after all that work and money, you'll probably get about what you originally paid for the boat. Although nothing is certain, it is possible that spending more up front could cost you less in the end because maintenance and repairs are less. You've just tied up more money during the time you own the boat.

If you need to save money, one option is to go newer and smaller. That will bring your total cost of ownership down. That's what I did, after looking at boats as large as 36'. But my situation was also different because I decided to sail closer to home, where the waters are narrower and more protected, so a smaller boat fit the area better.

Your situation may be different. And you have the huge advantage of having a lot of mechanical/electrical skills and experience, so for you the risk of going older/larger may be more tolerable.
 
#39 ·
If you can look at a labour of love project like an older little fiberglass boat with potential , why not consider a real project . Like a wooden classic ( over 40 ft). Something you can really get your teeth into (clenched) Messing with boats can and will turn your crank and tear your hair but for real pride it takes a loonggg relationship with dryrot and lemnoria. Anything less is just another glass boat at the dock. Huyuk!!
 
#40 ·
Putting the motor aside.

Harry on the yahoo sabre list has rebuilt the floor stringers/cabin sole on his 34 & has spent $1,500 on material. I've replaced the bulkheads, floor stringers & put a new plywood floor down & have spent $1,200 on material. Material in itself isn't very expensive, it's the time.

I haven't kept track of the man hours on the project nor do I want to :)
I'm lucky, the boats at home so I'm not paying storage fees
 
#47 ·
There's not much way to do it and make a profit but you CAN do it for less than the cost of a very good boat - you can't put a price on your time though. :D

I've done it a couple of times and spent less than a good one would have cost.

Tim Lackey seems to make a living doing rebuilds commercially as well but I doubt he has much competition.

You do have to go into it for the enjoyment & satisfaction of the work rather than to get a cheap boat.
 
#42 ·
R.I.P. Broker said the boat is under contract.

There's a part of me that wants to thank the contracted buyer.

But this has been a great exercise in the boat buying experience. If I lived in the Annapolis area and went out to look at the boat, I may have made a snap decision and handed the broker a check and have no idea what I just bought. Once you step on a boat you can afford, it's easy to become emotionally invested and therefore irrational.

Instead some SailNetters here offered to look at her for me and did. I got great information from them. On advise from SNers I contacted a surveyor who was unavailable but who gave me a lot of great information and the name of another surveyor. I spoke to that surveyor who gave me the name of a diesel mechanic he works with and we talked about a sea trial with all three of us on board. Naturally, I'd have to fly out there for that.

The last request I made of the broker (on advise of the second surveyor) was engine work receipts and a detailed explanation of what "engine refurbished 2000" meant. The broker replied the contract had just been signed.

While I'm a little disappointed, I learned a lot. But I was prepared. Right from the beginning I told myself I wouldn't buy unless I had a pretty good idea what I was getting myself into. The engine was the last piece of the puzzle.

I know owning a boat is always wrought with problems. I found that out with my dad's boat. After the end of the first season, we took it up the Chicago River and tied it up at the boat yard for them to put it on the hard for the winter. About a month later the boat yard called my dad and said the boat had sunk. They still hadn't pulled it out of the water and we had missed closing a seacock that went to a glass strainer. It was late November.

It took about three years to get everything back working again. And that boat was only two years old when he bought it. I was prepared for a lot of work. I just wanted to have some kind of an idea how much.

Thanks to all who helped. Your advise and input has been much appreciated. I'm going to hold off on the search until I have things at home done. There's still a lot to do.

Now, can someone unlash me from this mast? :laugher
 
#43 ·
Now, can someone unlash me from this mast?
.. and I was going to take you for a sail today!;):) Think the movie 'What about Bob?" :)



Anyhow, like you said lots of lessons learned and you're better prepared for 'the next one'.
 
#45 ·
There is a chance that as soon as you started asking smart questions, the broker knew you would never buy and made an excuse. -Minniewaska
Funny but not true.

I went buy the boat today as I jhadnt read your thread. On the outside the boat looked in very good condition. While I was there amna drove up with a ladder and he was the one who put the contract on it. We talked for a while and I got to see the inside with him. He knows what he will need to do to bring her back to snuff.

What i noticed on a quick look was that there may have been multiple points water go in through windows, as well as the bulked and tab where the chainplate was located. This may have disqualified the boat for me as that is usually a sign of wet core in that area for a while. The boat was in average shape in the inside. Elbow grease and some work would have fixed her up. Normal crazing for a 30+ year old boat on the outside.

The VOLVO looked scary. Rusted and not taked care of. I can only compare to my 30+ year old Yanmar whic looked brank new compared to it. This indicated to me that maybe it wasnt well maintained. The engine room floor was stained also.

I think this boat would have presented you with more problems than it was wortth in the long run. Too many danger signs.

I can appreciate looking for a jewel in the rough to fix up, but it needs sound bones, Buying a more turn key boat has its advantages, but its also nice to customize and replace to what you want. Keep looking Julie,,,you find the one that youll be smitten with.

Dave
 
#46 ·
The VOLVO looked scary. Rusted and not taken care of. I can only compare to my 30+ year old Yanmar which looked brand new compared to it. This indicated to me that maybe it wasn't well maintained. The engine room floor was stained also.

I think this boat would have presented you with more problems than it was worth in the long run. Too many danger signs.
I had that feeling Dave. That's why I kept asking questions. But it was the engine that really scared me. I was thinking there was a very good chance it would have to be replaced. That cost would exceed the listing price of the boat. Now you have a $25K+ boat that needs new chainplates and related structural repair. And there's always something else. I wasn't ready for a new career.
 
#50 ·
As part of my research on the Sabre, I inquired on the value, for insurance purposes. I just got this today: FWIW

Resale value is estimated to be $30,238.00, although, noting the age, the specific vessel could easily be properly priced significantly higher (or lower).

We would, therefore, encourage at least an informal "sense of things" inspection and consultation with a marine surveyor prior to making an offer, to be followed up by a thorough pre-purchase survey upon acceptance of the offer.

In any case, it is recommended that you avail yourself of a sea-trial, to include flying all sails in the inventory, a complete rigging and hull survey, and a separate engine and engineering survey of the mechanical propulsion components, preferably by an experienced technician certified for that brand of machinery, and including a spectrographic analysis of the engine oil.
 
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