Association Forum - Boatyard manager for pre-purchase survey

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Boatyard manager for pre-purchase survey

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

rrick
Captain

Member Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/11/2013 : 10:25:46

Not me, but the earlier potential buyer did this on a 45 year old all-wood yacht. Can you imagine how this not-a-certified surveyor, but a boatyard manager, salivated over all the potential business to restore to full market value? The seller told me this guy ran away to the tune of a $100k in "repairs" and many weeks on the hard. Oh well, that guy's loss. I went a different route and hired the yacht's normal surveyor for a few hour walk through with the owner to gain interest in purchasing the vessel, as cosmetically she's currently a dog, woof.

A week later I hired him for the full pre-purchase survey. After leaving him be for the day, I was treated to a tour of the nasties he found. But instead of getting a "work estimate" at every rotted window frame and leaking teak deck plank etc., I was offered an education for DIY work complete with suggested tools needed and chemical applications. I bought her that day. A week later I got the results in "must do", "do soon", and "eventually attend to" format, along with insurance type stuff.

After poking around my newly purchased vessel, more questions came up involving updating the AC system and electrolytic bonding pro/cons (previous owner didn't like the wood burn along the keel caused by the OEM copper bonding strip so he disconnected it and got used to changing the BWL bronze fittings every 5-7 years). So I hired an electrician / electronics tech for a flat rate specialized survey at the recommendation, neigh, insistence of local marine electronics store I was frequently flooding with questions :)

This second opinion post-purchase survey turned out invaluable. I highly recommend this concept. The marine electrician came for a 2-hour on the water tutorial and will eventually provide me with a fix-it list of ABYC electrical recommendations. Since surveyors are true "Jack of all trades," we spent close to 4 hours poking around my cleaned out vessel, admiring a craftsman constructed yacht built of tropical hardwoods.

Both surveyors estimated costs to refurbish are in the ballpark of $10k in materials and yard time and no need to hire out anything. Both provided phone numbers for further questions and the first one already vouched for my seaworthiness to a marina.

<ul><li>Initial pre-purchase walk through with surveyor $125</li> <li>Same surveyor, full pre-purchase survey with sea trial $600</li> <li>Second surveyor, post-purchase onboard hands-on Q/A with ABYC electrical fix recommendations $225</li></ul>

If you're looking to get plugged into the good side of the huge pleasure vessel industry here in SoCal, these surveyor's have name recognition.
Ron Sado, AMS. Known for wood boats.
Dave's Electronics, FCC radar and marine electronics tech, and he's one of us, an owner of a 1975 Catalina 30, previously having owned a wood ketch.

Molly Brown: 1967 Grand Banks 32-#34. Bronze, mahogany, teak, oak, with 120hp diesel to push all 10 tons. Currently an abuser of the bilge pump. Also... The Tall Rig Spirit: 1978, #973, Cast Fe Fin Keel on a Trailer

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2013 : 14:11:10

So exactly what was that old girl?

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2013 : 18:36:02

Ah, yes, my new yacht

. I mentioned her in my California shock/rant a month ago re: no marina would offer liveaboard for my Catalina 25, like Idaho gladly did. Today, I just shared a bad idea applicable to general sailing. Also didn't want to brag about joining the Stinkpotter club:) Molly Brown is a 1967 Grand Banks 32' sedan trawler with a single 120 HP Ford Lehman mounted to an oak frame planked with 1.25" thick Philippine mahogany. All I'll say is I paid less for this twice surveyed vessel than I did for my trailered C25. Yes, not without pain ahead: plywood rot has spread across the front birth from the broken caulk teak deck and every cabin window frame will need fabrication. After that carpentry and cosmetic TLC from the flying bridge to the keel she'll be indistinguishable from an $80k fiberglass model (faux planks in the mould). Hence, that boat yard guy's straight face when mentioning $100k in repairs.

No reason to join the Admiralty forum just yet, the C25 sits happily tucked away in an avocado orchard safe from saltwater.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2013 : 20:12:21

B.O.A.T.!!

(In this case, multiply by 10s.) Enjoy the trip--it will pay off!

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 05/11/2013 20:12:51

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4304 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2013 : 17:33:44

How about some pictures? Even if it is a stinkpotter.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2013 : 19:45:41

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by GaryB
 How about some pictures? Even if it is a stinkpotter.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Ya--people here actually looked at and commented about mine!

(...and mine's just a plastic boat with a 4-stroke outboard.)

Anyway, I'll consider you part of the Admiralty--perhaps more qualified than I.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 05/12/2013 19:47:26

rrick
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2013 : 06:25:56

She's getting loads of attention in her new dock as I do my thing getting my floating studio apartment together. After the 8th "OOh, a GB Woodie!" followed by a story, I'm realizing eyes are upon me. Haul and block today. I get two weeks on the hard before the planking starts to shrink causing temporary loss boat qualities, like floating. Fix is a long occupation of the boatyard hoist and possible need to flood the interior. One day I'll look back on the brief period of pleasure getting a good deal on a wood boat.

Edited by - on

CarbonSink62
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
208 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2013 : 07:52:06

She's pretty.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2013 : 10:22:26

x2!

Edited by - on

Sam001
Vice Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
441 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2013 : 09:10:54

Amen!!

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 06/28/2013 : 21:23:36

I did four weeks on the hard and the surveyor finally stepped in and I was launched the following day. While racing to connect bilge pumps and verify thru-hulls were shut, they forgot I was on the boat while she was strapped and lifted. Surprised us both! 3/4 HP, 110V, Harbor Freight trash pump needed cycling every 2 minutes, then 5 minutes then every hour... over a two day period. I gave my 12V Jabsco Water Puppy a workout using it as an under-water vacuum cleaner. Since I'm a diesel, I figured I'll be getting a nitrile impeller and just burn up the neoprene one installed, but after sucking up many solids and frequently running dry while "vacuuming" around the bilge, the pump still holds its prime. I'd say this is one nice pump. The 3/4 HP trash pump was reduced to 1" hose and had a 3' head yet the Water Puppy shot a stream just as far. I'm now sold on displacement pumps.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.