Is it worth it?

[Fore and Aft]

Sand blasting is easy after a bit of practice but the equipment you cannot usually hire or borrow. Which means you are stuck paying whatever the local guy charges.......At least with a glass boat there is nothing you cannot do yourself. Speaking of sand blasting I have seen more than one old steely get turned into a cheese grater by the time all the rust has been all removed.
Just remember that a 34 foot apple seed will have as much room as a 40 foot pencil and cost less to dock and slip.
Cheers

[Ramona]

No it's not. I'm in NSW in a coastal town with quite a few yachts. Unfortunately more than 50% of them are now steel. 3 of them are exceptionally well built but there is only one that's capable of going to sea. My homeport is turning into one of those places where steel boats go to die. One of the boats is the ex navy yacht Mobi. I'm ex navy as well and spent lot's of hours with a Jason pistol chipping paint. Apart from the health problems now associated with these guns it's a pain in the arse job. Not sure where you live but if in Victoria I would go wood! Offer 5 grand for this.
https://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for...l-yacht/229019
Needs lots of paint but not as much as steel! Good for another 100 years.

[Reefmagnet]

If I wanted a supercheap boat, I'd go for ferro. Good ferro boats are as good as any. Get hold of a NZ professionally made boat with documented build and you cannot go wrong. And it will be cheaper than that steelie.


This boat is a ferrocement boat that launched just over a week ago after sitting on the hard for many years. A few young blokes purchased it a couple of years ago and spent a great deal of time and money doing it up. Decks replaced, hull fared and painted, new reconditioned engine. They purchased the boat in about an October and November and were "going to have the boat in the water" by January. That wasn't last January. The boat never made it to the water before the fellows went in different directions. Prior to that, they expended a lot of sweat and money getting this boat back into shape.


Another young bloke ended up buying this boat for about the same money you are looking at, maybe a little more but certainly not too far into the five figure range. Within a month it was floating. It still needs work. The interior needs tidying up and it needs the boom fitted, stanchions, lifelines and probably some solar. But it is floating and the hard work is done. And it looks pretty decent, too.


Anyway, if I wanted a cheap boat, this is what I'd hang out for - a cheap ferro and bonus points if someone has already done most of the hard work on it before running out of enthusiasm and money. If you are prepared to sit and wait, sooner or later the same kind of deal in fibreglass will pop up, too.

[Fore and Aft]

Ramona that’s a perfect example of a boat where they should be paying you $5000 to take it away. The motor has been submerged, the rest of the boat needs some serious work, chuck in some new stainless steel rigging and you may as well have purchased a better boat and gone sailing straight away. Not to mention that you would want to remove some of those 50+ year old copper nails holding the ribs to the planks and check their condition
Admittedly she is a sweet looking yacht and would be a fun project if you were bored........
Cheers

[colinalleck]

Invest the money in lottery tickets you will get a better return

[Pauls]

I've bought and rebuilt a large steel boat so this advice is coming from experience. Inspect the interior carefully. If there is little rust there then the boat is very likely sound as regards the steel structure. Exterior rust is easy to see and easy to fix. Interior is often hard to access and harder to prep for new paint.

Look at the details. How is the steering built? Is it sound? How is the tankage built/installed? What is the rigging condition? Etc.

If it is in good condition this boat could be a great deal. It's up to you to dig into the details to confirm that. No one on this website can give you more than generalizations because we can't see the details.

A good steel boat is a great cruiser.

[SteveSadler]

A 15 yr old steel boat for 8K? It looks fine in the pics. A survey is needed to measure plate thickness. Sails, windlass, anchors, galley equipment, finished interior, electronics, etc? Perkins 4108 is a great engine, have someone look it over. You've got a bargain if you check the boxes.

[Sojourner]

No experience in metal boats, but just refit our fiberglass beast... and yeah, sadly those costs do tend to spiral once you start digging. Rebore engine? Now the turbo leaks from the increased pressure. Replace forestay? Find some corrosion you need to address. Get a new instrument? Get all of them cause some don't like to talk to others.... Even something as simple as welding a 3 inch stablizing bar onto my arch was a production because all of the wiring had to be removed first. 5 minute job into 2 hours. Anyway, a boat is like a life-partner: be sure you love him or her, and then everything becomes worth it. Or at least rationalizing is easier

[Juggles]

Ramona
Not interested in wood at all. You're right about fibreglass ones popping up every so often. Have seen a couple sold I wouldn't have minded myself.
TrentePieds
There is no urgency really. If like to have something by July at the latest. My partner took a liking to this one and he's been a bit meh about the others we've seen and talked about. I figure if it's worthwhile fixing it'll make him happy(er). I also want something that's a little bit of a project because I have a lot of spare time due to managing work very very well and right now that's not great for me and eventually I'll be finished learning everything and it'll be hands on time or twiddle thumbs again time. I also promised a dead mate I was going to give my liver to I'd finally do this. So there's that.

Pauls and SteveSadler
I agree if everything checks out. Will definitely be getting a surveyor to look her over after drilling the owner for as much detail as possible. Just wish the yacht club would hurry up and get back to me. Hoping dad hasn't done something to sabotage this...

Sojourner
That's my thoughts if I love her then it's not much different to spending money on another family member. This one just happens to help you cut down on rent/mortgage and house maintenance costs...because you don't have one haha. Wish my cats were that helpful..

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Juggles

Also a second thought? If the plate were that thin a needle gun could puncture it would it not be safer to just replace anyway? That could be a very naive statement from me but I think safety and sturdiness should be paramount

Ideally that would be the answer. The Simple answer is to just replate and or replace structure that is rotten. the big problem comes with what is behind the plate. heat from welding makes other things burn. The exterior appearance of the boat doesnt matter. what's important is the amount of corrosion in the bilge, under the frames, in the chines, the rudder.......go deep.

[Fore and Aft]

Let us all know how you go Juggles, or even better let your dad chime in on this forum.......could be interesting to hear what he has to say!
Cheers

[roverhi]

The boat looks to be in fairly good condition. The rust on the bow and hull look to be from sources other than the hull like rigging or anchor. In any case, a reputable surveyor will be able to tell you the condition of the hull. If you want take on the headache of a steel boat she looks to be a good deal if the interior was put together well and equipment is up to snuff. Don't understimate the cost of remaking the boat to meet your needs, however. You could easily dump $20,000 or twice that amount if you start buying new sails, rigging, engine rebuild, etc. Of course that's often the cost of most any boat new to you.

[Kenomac]

IMHO, It would make a great artificial reef.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ofyD1gldbg

[seashine]

I'll add my tuppence worth here: is it easy to get at the interior? Some professional interior fitouts are a nightmare for accessing the hull/frames and need to be completely destroyed in the process. And fully agree with roverhi that you'll always be up for at least 20k to get even a reasonably well cared for boat to a standard you feel happy with...

[Juggles]

So the owner can't sell right now because his deadbeat cousin has nowhere to live and is living on the boat until "he gets back on his feet" I feel like a 50 yr old cousin on a boat probably won't get back on his feet anytime soon so onto the next boat I find. Bummer.
Also thanks seashine. I'll factor in 20k on repairs for next boat. Systems and convenience items are a second fund which I've budgeted 10 for