Just thought I'd start my own thread for updates and modifications to my new to me Spirit 23.
Got it for $1000 with the trailer but no motor and brought it home this past weekend. Looks complete other than that. Came with the original sails and one other jib and one genoa. Upholstery for the V berth and the port berth is in good shape, although they used 6 inch foam for the V berth which is too firm and too thick. I may cut it down and resew it just to gain a few more inches of head room and it will be plenty comfortable with the addition of a one inch memory foam topper. I could then use the other bit of foam for the starboard quarterberth.
There is rot in the bulkheads from leaky chain plates, a couple of cracks in the forward hatch and the cable to the keel is broken of course. I haven't gotten it in the water since one of the cockpit thru hulls is broken off so it wouldn't float for too long! Also one of the winches is missing/broken off. And probably my least favorite, is the hull has been painted, some of which is flaking off with a power wash. Hoping it will strip easy so I can work from that, otherwise it will need to be sanded and painted at some point.
So projects for now:
1. Replace thru hulls, getting some stainless ones
2. Add bilge pump (nothing at moment).
3. New mounts for battery in front under vberth.
4. Replace winch (found one on ebay for $60)
5. Get my little 3.5HP motor running well enough to get around. That will be fine for the lake around here.
6. Add a keel board to the trailer, keel rests on rollers right now, not good.
So that will let me float it and play a bit, many other projects to follow.
And here are the before pictures.
Got it for $1000 with the trailer but no motor and brought it home this past weekend. Looks complete other than that. Came with the original sails and one other jib and one genoa. Upholstery for the V berth and the port berth is in good shape, although they used 6 inch foam for the V berth which is too firm and too thick. I may cut it down and resew it just to gain a few more inches of head room and it will be plenty comfortable with the addition of a one inch memory foam topper. I could then use the other bit of foam for the starboard quarterberth.
There is rot in the bulkheads from leaky chain plates, a couple of cracks in the forward hatch and the cable to the keel is broken of course. I haven't gotten it in the water since one of the cockpit thru hulls is broken off so it wouldn't float for too long! Also one of the winches is missing/broken off. And probably my least favorite, is the hull has been painted, some of which is flaking off with a power wash. Hoping it will strip easy so I can work from that, otherwise it will need to be sanded and painted at some point.
So projects for now:
1. Replace thru hulls, getting some stainless ones
2. Add bilge pump (nothing at moment).
3. New mounts for battery in front under vberth.
4. Replace winch (found one on ebay for $60)
5. Get my little 3.5HP motor running well enough to get around. That will be fine for the lake around here.
6. Add a keel board to the trailer, keel rests on rollers right now, not good.
So that will let me float it and play a bit, many other projects to follow.
And here are the before pictures.