Lancer 30 Completely Jacked Up

[MissWestLancer]

Well, today I am a boat owner. Well let's see how bad it really is. The entrance to the cabin has been open. For years and has 3 foot of standing water in it

The boat is on stands on a trailer and the pads have pushed in the sides where the pads touch.

The thing is a complete mess. It has a Yanmar Diesel engine, and a spare one in the garage. The mast is laying on top of the deck.

The sails are in a bag in the garage. They have been sitting on the floor since 2013 (the last year she sailed).

The good news is it's sitting on a triple axle custom trailer with electric brakes. I bet the trailer is 5 grand or more..


I say I am a boat owner because I was given this all for free. I would want nothing more than to restore this boat and sail it, bit she may be far too gone.

If the wood is sandwiched between the glass, and is rotted, she's done for. I can't believe someone would pay to have a trailer built to take this boat home, then leave the galley open to the weather.

.Aso there's supposed to be a whole bunch of lead on the keel, Again I do t know. If all else fails I'll strip it and cut it up and make a car hauler out of the trailer.


Wish me luck on this 2 to 5 year project.

[MissWestLancer]

Here is a video where I ask many questions. I need to learn what's a safe way to trailer this messed up hulled boat. What kind of brakes are in this trailer? How to jack up the full to slip in new jack pads.

https://youtu.be/ItsGU323o50https://youtu.be/ItsGU323o50

[MissWestLancer]

https://youtu.be/ItsGU323o50

[roverhi]

The depression in the hull is not a soft spot but the result of the pads depressing the hull because they are taking the weight of the boat. The pads are there only to stabilize the hull and keep it from falling over. The entire weight of the boat should be resting on the keel. You'll need to look inside the boat and see how much that deformation has effected the interior furniture of the boat. If things aren't too bad in the interior, like bulkheads busted loose from the pressure, you could leave the pad in place till you get the boat to it's new location. Then you'll need to cut the pad support off where it welds to the traiiler and replace with a movable stand resting on the ground at least temporarily.

As far as getting the boat off the trailer, boat moving companies do it all the time without a crane. Don't know how they do it but finding someone who does it for a living should be able to help you get it done. May be cheaper to hire a self propelled crane capable of lifting the 8,000# or whatever the boat weighs. A crane company will charge you for getting the crane to your site and back to its home but actually lifting the boat shouldn't be all that expensive.

The indentation in the hull is undoubtedly permanent. You can build up the depression using micro balloons and resin and fair the result. Better to build the depression up with Stitchmat and epoxy, rough fair with micro balloons and resin and sand it fair. Then again you could probably leave it with the dent and just sail the boat.

The through hull is for a knot meter or depth sounder transducer. It's a plastic plug in it.
Removing the plug should be easy, unscrew the collar holding the plug in place and pull it out.

If the plywood is rotten will require tearing it out and rebuilding. Not rocket science, keep as much of the plywood intact as possible to use for a pattern. Carefully dismantle the interior trim and you may be able to reuse it or use as a pattern. A table saw would probably come in handy but most of the work is going to be hand tools to do the work. Won't be that hard but don't underestimate the time involved. You could be years redoing the whole interior or a month if it's just the aft galley area.

Can't help you with the trailer questions but it's definitely where the value is. Some boats have lead keels but most small boats have cast iron keels. Lead is worth some money but cast iron will probably cost more to haul away than it's worth. Mast, boom, hardware have some value but if the sails have been constantly wet will be so mildewed doubtful whether someone would pay anything for them. May be able to clean up sails scrubbing with Oxyclean but won't look new by any stretch of the imagination. They are probably still serviceable however if you want to keep the boat and use them.

You got the boat at the right price to try and restore it but will cost money and a lot of time.

[TrentePieds]

MissWestLancer:

It's a truism that no boat is more expensive than the one you get for free :-)! I had a good look at your video and would advise you to tread carefully. Don't commit a lot of labour or money to this project till you've thought it through very carefully !

Firstly, a late model Lancer 30 (build year '84 or '85) you should be able to buy, all found, ready for sea, for somewhat less than $10K. So if it's sailing you want, don't waste your time on this one!

If you, lusting for a REAL challenge, decide to proceed with this restoration project, then start with thinking about the trailer:

1) A Lancer30, light ship, weighs about 8.5K lbs. Add the trailer weight at a guesstimated 2K lbs and you need to be able to tow 10.5K lbs uphill and down dale. Your State's Motor Vehicle Authorities will tell you the required weight of towing vehicle. You may find it beneficial to hire a haulier rather than own the required vehicle yourself. The beam at 10 ft. is probably greater than your State will permit on the public roads without a special permit.

2) The trailer appears to have been something of a kluge. The entire weight of the boat should be taken by a longitudinal “backbone” on which the keel, via dunnage, sits. The stanchions – the 'jackstands” - are there to prevent the boat flopping from side to side, not to take any substantial part of the weight. They must be positioned longitudinally (and dimensioned) so that the “pads” address the outside of the hull where there is a substantial twartships structural member within, such as a main bulkhead. The reason that you have a “depression” at the turn of the bilge is that that fundamental principle was not observed. The damage to the hull I see in your video will cost more to fix properly than it would cost to buy an L30 ready for sea!! Stanchions must be braced twartships with a strap in TENSION from the top of the stanchion TUBE to a point on a trailer base crossmember, the attachment point on that crossmember being as far to the opposite side of the trailer from the stanchion as the shape of the hull will permit.

3) “Run-on” brakes are NOT adequate for serious towing of a 5 ton trailer. Again, your State's Motor Vehicle Authorities will guide you. Certainly going from the town of Merritt in British Columbia down to the town of Hope along the Coquihalla Highway, you MUST be able to apply trailer brakes judiciously while using the vehicle brakes. Run-on brakes would be an invitation to disaster.

4) Your State's MVA will also be able to tell you the specification of tires required

So there some things to think about, and if I were you, I would put myself in a position to state with certainty that the trailer either is now in compliance with your State's requirements, or can be upgraded to be so at a reasonable cost, before I would commit time and funds to this project.

Why don't you go just that far, but no further for now? Then if your answer is in favour of proceeding, we can help you with the details of the upgrade of both the trailer and the boat. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience in this forum that is yours for the asking.

All the best,

TrentePieds

[MissWestLancer]

I greatly appreciate your post. I think I might just scrap this boat. I'll take the Moto and everything I can sell, and convert the trailer to a cslar hauler. There are 2 Perkins diesels. And a bunch of of other stuff. I see the price of creat sailboats ready to go are less than the cost, let alone the labor to restore this boat..

So what is the best way to get this to a scrap yard?

[TrentePieds]

Hm... Never done it, so I'm only speculating. But again, thinking it through and doing some homework is prolly required.

Firstly, in the world of boats there are AFAIK no equivalents to the "Captn Crunch"s of the auto world, so you can't just call somebody who'll come and haul the wreck away. You can 'part out" the boat yourself, of course, but the market for used Lancer 30 parts has to be very limited. In consequence I think the standing rigging would have to go to some metal recycler who handles SS and ally. The sails themselves MIGHT if they are in good shape sell to another L30 owner in need of a new suit. Advertising in our "classifieds" forum might do the trick.

Antique Perkins diesels are not the sort of thing that many people pine for, so there again, the scrapper seems to be the solution, but again - try the classified forum just to see in anyone is in need of engine parts. The steering gear, prop shaft & prop, ditto.

The wooden parts of the interior can be torn out and burned.

That leaves the hull itself. Very dodgy that. The only way I've ever seen it done is via chainsaw and pick-up truck with the city dump as the ultimate destination. Foam rubber goes to the same place. It's enuff to give an environmentalist the willies, but what other way is there?

Anyway, you get the idea.

If you took the boat because you want to become a sailor, stick around here. If you have no maritime background, you'll do yourself a favour by leaning on our "old hands" before you act. And we are always glad to help out :-)

TP