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Surprises on your boat...

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/30/2012 : 17:28:33

Chris's thread on surprise expenses got me thinking about what kind of other surprises you've found on your boat after you got it.

When we bought our boat, during my inspection, I was unable to find the handle for the manual bilge pump. The PO (an ex-member of this site), handed me a piece of wood about 14" long and about 1-1/2" diameter and told me that was the handle. I didn't think about it until I eventually decided to try it. Uh...no. There was no way it would have ever fit. I poked around in all the nooks and crannies of the boat looking for something that would fit the 1/2" hole in the pump mechanism, but never found it (and still haven't). As I was poking around, I noticed that there was a pair of hanger cradles on either side of the hanging locker, but no hanger. Then a light went on in my head, the "pump handle" the PO had handed me was actually the hanger for the hanging locker. I've long since made a pump handle with a 1/2" copper pipe & a dowel epoxied inside and a nice round handle.

What surprises have you found?

David
C-250 Mainsheet Editor

Sirius Lepak
1997 C-250 WK TR #271 --Seattle area Port Captain --

Edited by - on

DanM
Captain

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USA
256 Posts

Response Posted - 05/30/2012 : 18:12:47

David, no handle here, either. A few years back, someone mentioned here what uses existed for a hockey stick. That inspired me to salvage one, cut it down and drill a 1/2 hole in the end. The tip needed to be reinforced with fibreglass. Thankfully, I have never needed it.

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 05/30/2012 : 18:35:16

My waste tank was full......yay....

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5377 Posts

Response Posted - 05/30/2012 : 19:25:18

I was surprised by all the nice goodies on board, frankly. Like the pistons for the pop-top, the spare anchor, extra lines, a flare gun, pop-top cover, pot-a-potty. But no Origo stove - that went bye-bye somewhere along the line. And I owe it all to my DPO!

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 05/31/2012 : 04:13:18

One of the biggest surprises on mine was teh Outboard remote controls. At the time I bought the boat I figured they were a pretty standard upgrade. I have since learned that a lot of folks with C-25s don't have a remote. For me it wasn't so much as surprise that it was there as that it wasn't standard fare.

Edited by - Prospector on 05/31/2012 04:13:56

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/31/2012 : 05:15:24

I was puzzled when I found my outboard didn't have a manual shift lever, but after scratching my head for a few minutes, I finally discovered I had an automatic!

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Ape-X
Admiral

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USA
662 Posts

Response Posted - 05/31/2012 : 09:21:15

it actually had a decent outboard: Honda 9.9 (old) but found it unreliable until I bypassed the neutral safety switch.

Shore power: The one of two battery chargers was incorrectly wired: The extension cord insulation AND the individual ground wire and nuetral wire were worn through, as the extension cord was simply laying against the hull. BE SURE BEFORE PLUGGING IN YOUR SHORE POWER.

Sails: Bought site unseen (we got a great deal on the boat) but the full batten main and 150% genoa are in good shape, several seasons still in them, and the boat sails great. She is a fast boat compared to many other different boats at our marina: Oday 25's, Columbia 26's, Tanzer 29, and some 30 footers.

didn't realize the mainsheet traveler was upgraded: nice

Edited by - on

Novi
1st Mate

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Canada
59 Posts

Response Posted - 05/31/2012 : 10:01:17

Pleasant surprises: Bar-B-Q, pop top cover, lots of spare lines.

Unpleasant surprise: The boat was in the water when I bought it and the trailer was in the yacht club lot. when I went to retrieve the trailer later in the season I found the brakes were ceased and the trailer cost me $500 to get back on the road.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3466 Posts

Response Posted - 05/31/2012 : 20:58:21

I was checking the storage areas under the seat and found a nice first aid kit. I also noticed a plastic bag with what appeared to be an extra mainsheet line and block assembly. Since the boat already had one, I never really took a good look at the bag contents until perhaps a year later when I was considering buying and installing a boom vang. Then a thought came to mind to check that plastic bag contents again. Sure enough, it was actually a never used "like new" condition boom vang. I bought the boom support from Catalina Direct and hooked up the boom vang - Great surprise install !!

Edited by - on

Tomas Kruska
Admiral

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Czech Republic
522 Posts

Response Posted - 06/01/2012 : 04:53:04

Hm... DPO removed almost all useful stuff he could for his new boat. Then I've found some major fibreglass cracks and finally that she is in pretty bad shape. First year I was so frustrated that I almost sell her cheap.
If you have to ask, no I had no survey check... all by me wanting bigger boat

I can illustrate that on the classical seller lie to my question: "Why there is a water in the bilge?" and he promptly replied "Don't worry, that's because its sandwich boat (meaning outer hull and inner cabin skeleton), it's all just condensation water.". Sure it wasn't

But now I don't regret that. Learned so many skills when I was fixing her and bought so many new tools & hardware

Now she is bilge-sober for 2 years.

Edited by - Tomas Kruska on 06/01/2012 04:57:00

Ape-X
Admiral

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USA
662 Posts

Response Posted - 06/01/2012 : 06:06:20

Tom, High Anxiety is a great looking boat, well done. We are doing the same with our boat: using it as a learning tool.

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 06/01/2012 : 06:43:25

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ape-X
 Tom, High Anxiety is a great looking boat, well done. We are doing the same with our boat: using it as a learning tool.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Each project brings you one step closer to a bigger boat or nirvana depending on your long terms sailing goals. A 25-30 footer is a perfect trainer for something bigger. Same issues as larger vessels, but a C25 is just smaller and easier to deal with.

And next time you'll pour over the equipment list and check off the items on transfer, get a survey, and do sea trials.

My PO on my C&C39 left me a torque wrench, real leadline, sextant, and a propane hose (probably picked up in some island somewhere) that WAS NOT propane approved!!! The Goodyear hose guy told me I was lucky to be alive 'cuz the hose was somewhat cracked and clearly not marked propane approved. Both the surveyor and I missed that! Live and learn.

sten

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CarbonSink62
Navigator

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USA
208 Posts

Response Posted - 06/01/2012 : 07:14:00

The Good: Umm... I got a really good price!

The Bad: The 'shore power' was the deck fitting and 4 feet of marine Romex going to a single outlet in the galley; no detours, not grounded; and that was ok (I told myself) it's really just an extension cord. The I see in the dumpster that DPO had cut the cable and spliced in his battery charger with wire nuts! I only saw 2, so the ground wire is either not connected or simply twisted without even a wire nut. He must not have thought ground was that important.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 06/01/2012 : 07:41:46

Oh wait! I forgot the speaker wire the bilge pump was wired to!!!

sten

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 06/02/2012 : 20:53:10

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Oh wait! I forgot the speaker wire the bilge pump was wired to!!!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

So you'll be playing heavy metal if your taking on water?

Edited by - on

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