I Wish I Never Bought This Boat

[virginia boy]

My surveyor declared most things on the boat "serviceable".

I wish I'd known that serviceable meant that point of decrepitude just before something crumbles into dusty rust right in your hand or dissolves into a pile of unidentifiable gelatinous goo.

I do love my boat though, even if I've yet to actually sail her.

[DumnMad]

"Serviceable" Ha. Good word that. Doesn't mean it works - just that it can be serviced.

[Tony B]

Taking on a project boat involves a major decision - Do I want to sail for the next 5 to 10 years or do I want boat repair to be my new long term favorite pass-time?

Either way is fine if that's what you want.

[Sailor g]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

I think you need to spell out what is to be thoroughly checked by the surveyor and what you can do yourself. More thorough means more responsibility, more time and more cost. If you want to get a low cost survey then don't expect the most thorough investigation.

We paid a great amount and had a surveyor recommended as a "buyer's surveyor" by a someone my husband knew for 20+ years in the business. He noticed things that were nothing and missed a couple biggies.ine mistake us that we were not there for the out of water survey-our house was closing out of state.

I'm not sure why I would ever use a surveyor again. A mechanic who knows boats extremely well would have done better.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by Sailor g

I'm not sure why I would ever use a surveyor again. A mechanic who knows boats extremely well would have done better.

I ended up not using a surveyor when I bought my boat. I knew I had a little bit of work to do. But I will soon (like many others) need a survey in order to get insurance so I can get it to a marina slip.

[Sailor g]

Originally Posted by Rhapsody-NS27

I ended up not using a surveyor when I bought my boat. I knew I had a little bit of work to do. But I will soon (like many others) need a survey in order to get insurance so I can get it to a marina slip.

Insurance surveys are different- more of a survey lite They want what's best for you & your boat so they don't have to pay out.

Marinas should care more about your skill rather than if the boat is in good shape. I bet more damage is done by unskilled people running into docks or other boats than from boats that break -although my neighbor on the dock has issues almost every time he goes out, ex: engine stops, fuel issues, etc. but he owns the marina so he can do whatever he wants

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

"Serviceable" Ha. Good word that. Doesn't mean it works - just that it can be serviced.

Heh!
...

[Reefmagnet]

I would always get a survey on a reasonably expensive boat, as any negatives in the survey report can be used to drive the final negotiated price down which will easily cover the cost of the survey and more. The caveat is that I would not get a survey done until I had crawled over the boat and surveyed it myself first to at least pre-qualify it as "the one". The Internet is a godsend as most any production boat that sold in even less then moderate numbers can usually be researched and all its weak points and "gotchas" recorded as an aid to inspection.

[rolandgilbert99]

Not quite. There are as many real info as false or rumors on boats on the internet. Everything should be taken with further research. Whitby owners had at least two false construction flaws reported by magazines, which have haunted the web for many years. They were the results of wrong understanding and false rumors. Each boat manufacture must have their own.

[DSDman]

Reading this thread has been like a rollercoaster for me. I have experienced the highs and the lowes so far. I must admit that I do feel better in that I have actually got to sail my boat some this first season of ownership. I just have to keep telling myself and the Admiral that we are doing fine and this is all normal and part of boat ownership and the cruising life, just the early, learning stages of it and this is a physical, mental, spiritual and emotional journey tied up with a large older boat. The previous owner of this boat wrote a book about Nirvana, the name of the boat, it wasn't so much about the boat as it was his life in general. I think after I'm done with this rebuild I will be able to write a book about it and it will all be about the boat!

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by DSDman

Reading this thread has been like a rollercoaster for me.
!

60' is a lot of project.

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by rolandgilbert99

Not quite. There are as many real info as false or rumors on boats on the internet. Everything should be taken with further research. Whitby owners had at least two false construction flaws reported by magazines, which have haunted the web for many years. They were the results of wrong understanding and false rumors. Each boat manufacture must have their own.

I'd somewhat agree, however I'd guess it kind of recalls the old adage of "separating the wheat from the chaff". In my case I use what I would describe as a "triangulation" technique in that I won't assume something to be probable fact unless cross checked with multiple (at least 3) different sources. In my experience I find this approach generally works well, and, - let's face it - what other real alternatives for boat specific research are there?

Using my boat as an example, (a Vega 27) reports of mast compression beam and rudder problems can be found and for the most part are correct whereas reports of oil canning and weak "chainplates" (even though they appear to be!) fall into more the hearsay category although one could say that where there's smoke there's fire so are still worth casting an eye over during an inspection.

[SabreKai]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

"Serviceable" Ha. Good word that. Doesn't mean it works - just that it can be serviced.

Ain't that the truth! I'm going to have that engraved and put on my main hatch.

[rolandgilbert99]

Quote from dictionary:

Definition of SERVICEABLE

1
: helpful, useful

2
: fit for use <a serviceable design>; also : of adequate quality <her serviceable but not exceptional voice — Irving Kolodin>

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by DSDman

I have experienced the highs and the lowes so far. I must admit ...

I've been to Lowes... does Highs have more boat parts?