How much is this catamaran worth?

[BigTraverse]

I ran across this catamaran this past weekend - see pictures. From my internet searches I think it is a Jeantot Marine Privilege 39. It is sitting in a hidden bay on a Midwest lake. Apparently the owner died and I found someone who thinks the spouse may want to get rid of it. I left my name and number and hope to hear something. Is it worth fixing up or is it too far gone?

[Privilege]

It kind'a depends on what you want it for. If you want to clean her up and live on her then most of the work is pure elbow grease as structurally she doesn't look too bad. However, if you're looking to return her to her former glory and sail her properly offshore, then you've got to consider the following; A new mast and rigging is going to cost you $50k, new engines and sail drives are going to cost you almost the same again. Add in a new set of electronics and you're probably exceeded the value of a similarly aged boat.
Having said all that, the fact that she is still floating after being abandoned for so long means that she's been sitting there waiting for you.

[riki]

OP, i don't have experience on boats but in many other things that require $$$: there are always different ways to get to a final target: throwing money in the garbage or being smart and achieve the dream in an affordable way. There are people that would spend (at least on forums) 50k to buy a mast and rigging and others that could visit this link: Sailboat Mast: Sailing Hardware & Gear | eBay
Same for engines.
I would offer a symbolic value to the lady (5k?) and go for it.

[Jeannius]

Whether it is worth putting in the effort depends on what you want the end result to be.




Hulls look good but that interior is going to take some work. I know from personal experience that once the wood veneer has gone mouldy on a Privilege the only way you'll get it looking good is to rip out the old stuff or to cover it with a new veneer. If you try to sand it back you'll be through to the ply before you get rid of the black stuff. Of course you could paint over the top but then it won't look like a Privilege anymore.


If you have the time and ability to do it yourself then could be worth $20k-$25k. If you'd have to pay someone else then just pay the $100k -$150k or so and buy a decent ready to go Priv 39.

[Island Time O25]

This cat does not have a positive "symbolic value". The owner would have to pay the hauler to dispose of her and probably would be looking at $3-5K bill at the least. Probably much more as the cat would require wide load permits, etc. Plus double the landfill costs. Think of 2 39ft boats to be disposed of.

That said and given the condition as it appears in the pictures I'd offer the owner to take it off their hands for 1/2 of that cost paid to me which in turn would cover some of the transport costs. This would be as fair as I could make it. In reality I probably would not touch it unless it would be delivered to me free of charge. Then, a DIY refit would at least be possible and would make some sense.

As to "$50K mast and rigging" don't let yourself be scared by the perfectionists and Grey Poupon crowd here on CF. One can easily find used mast and rigging at many boat junk yards, rigging shop backyards, etc. for about $1K-3K, maybe $4-5K at most. Same with sails, engines, electronics, etc. But this particular cat does look like it would need at least $25-30K real $$ investment before any elbow grease is applied.

[valhalla360]

If you like projects and you get it for a song, might be fun.

Financials depends on a lot...
- Is the drivetrain functional or at least in repairable condition?
- Is the mast/rigging in storage somewhere?
- How much of the interior is completely shot vs just needing some refurbishment?
- Are there any major structural issues?
- How much will it cost to ship to the coast?
- How much of the work is within your skill set?

Just did a quick online search and you can buy a functional version for on the order of $150k. You could easily drop $50-90k refurishing this one. Add in maybe $10-15k for trucking it to the coast...that's all with a year or two of labor on your part (elbow grease), so it better be darn close to free before I would consider it. Odds are there will be significant repairs that you don't see until you start tearing things apart.

If you do pursue this, it would be very much worth the cost to have a surveyor give it a good once over to see if they can find hidden issues. If you have large areas of the deck delaminating, it may be a lost cause if you have to hire out the repairs.

There's an off chance it's a diamond in the rough but more likely it's a money pit.

[boatman61]

2 years hard labour without remission..

[Franziska]

Challenging project.

Might be worth to find out if and where and with what kind of materials deck and hulls are cored.
Maybe take moisture readings to see if there are wet areas.
Take a dive to check if you can feel osmotic blisters underwater.
If the cores are ok and there are no big delaminated areas or blisters you have the big plus that it will last long as its fiberglass, on an older wooden boat your always chasing rot to some degree.

The comments on rigging and drivetrain are good as well.
Usually all the equipment repairs are the expensive part, not the joinery or cosmetics.

Still, to boost morale, I think if you take a freshwater pressurewasher once in- and outside through the boat you will probably feel already a lot of progress.
Regarding doing that inside, I think by the way she is looking on the inside currently you will not creating new problems doing that once.
Just make sure you are not flooding anything vital like batteries or electric cabinets.
Once done, pump out immediately and put a space dryer inside for few days.

Regarding rebuilding, if you do not need to take your time into consideration, I'd think it could be done with a lot of hard work.

I bought my cat in a pretty sorry state and renovate on the go step by step.
Main reason was, I could not buy new and was not shy to put the work into a project.
By the way, it helps to have the boat reasonably close to home. That way your renovation progresses better.

Regarding value, if the current owner rents the dock, you might have more lever.
I'd start with 5000$ and see what the reaction is.
You will need to rebuild a lot, but you also revive the dream of the deceased.

Good luck!

Fran

www.ladyrover.com

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Still, to boost morale, I think if you take a freshwater pressurewasher once in- and outside through the boat you will probably feel already a lot of progress.

+1 for the pressure washer inside and out

I think -but i am not sure- that Priviliges are solid below waterline and foam cored above. Maybe ask the forum member "maxingout" as he had a P39 some time ago.
If its foam and hasn't been crashed into something it should still be a solid hull. If its balsa then I would not touch it unless I was absolutely sure its dry and rot-free.


If I was looking for a huge project, then I'd offer 1-5k. If the widow is paying the slip she may even give it away for free to get rid of this bill.

[jimbunyard]

Actually looks in pretty good shape to me...if the mast and rigging are available, offer 3000.00, if not, 1000.00.

Looks like Volvo engine panels, engines may be good, but parts are expensive.

Check and see that there is no hidden damage on the starboard side from whatever fell on it.

Above the waterline, the hull is cored, if foam you're probably good, if balsa, you'll need to check its' condition, especially around the collapsed stanchions and the rotten (port side?) bulkhead.

One major plus is that the boat is built traditionally, not with the now-standard liner construction. This generally means a higher quality build, and easier access to make repairs and modifications. The construction quality is visible in the pictures showing the bilge areas.

Depending on how high the water level got, there may be issues with at least some of the wiring, but here again the advantages of non-liner construction works in your favor.

Would be a big project, but easily handled by anyone with the desire, time and funds to complete it...

What your ultimate goal is is probably the biggest question regarding the financial viability.

[Sailorman Ed]

Did it spend the winter in the water? If so, I would be concerned about damage due to freezing.
I suspect the mast is around someplace but it really will be a lot of work to restore. This only works if you can do most of the work yourself.

[daletournier]

At the risk of sounding negative. Sometimes you can get a boat for free and you still paided to much!

A boat is much more than the hulls, during the dreaming stage its easy to forget this.

How much time do you have? Where do you keep it? What's your skill set ie. can you do everything yourself?

You can drop 100k on a boat in a heart beat.

Now all that said and done, if you enjoy projects the money isn't the total equation.

My first boat was a wreck, my mate who was very a experienced sailor advised me not to buy it. Two weeks later when I told him I had, he laughed his head off and said "I remember those days when I looked at a bath tub and thought, I can make that into a ocean crossing dream boat"... Lol.

[smj]

If you want to bring it back to Privilege standards probably not worth it. If you can live with a painted interior, possibly a used rig and used sails if needed, an outboard on the stern if the diesels are shot and go bare necessities on the electronics etc if they are shot then you could get a great boat for possibly a low price......but it won’t be worth any more than what you probably put into it.

[out42]

I think more depends on your hunger and personal circumstances than the boat condition. A huge amount of work but if it happens to suit your stage of life and urge to own a really good cat (once the basics are back in order), then I would certainly be keen to give it a go. As Boatman said, 2 years without remission, but they would be quite a fun 2 years.....
A moisture meter might be your best friend here.

[Mrfish]

Just my two cents.

It is indeed a Privilege 39, having sailed a few I recognize it, probably from the late 80's.

I owned a Privilege long ago and if I was ever to buy another cat I would seriously consider a Privilege again.

One other thought, "There is no such thing as a free boat"

Best of luck with it, if you do decide to acquire it.