Drove 700km Round Trip Today to Look at a Boat

[SabreKai]

As I mentioned in the now closed Rapture post, I drove out to Kingston Ontario to have a look at this boat:

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...url=&imc=pg-fs

I spent an hour or so looking at her, inside and out. On the one hand, she talks to me, but on the other hand, the previous owner was a 5 foot high very skinny guy, and rebuilt the cabin accordingly. I couldn't even get into the forward cabin, the space to walk through is only 14 inchs wide. I don't even fit sideways. The galley is nicely laid out, but its about 6 inchs lower than any I've ever seen before, and the folding table is permanently bolted in the center of the cabin, with only 6-7 inchs between it and the settees on either side.

The boat is in very good condition, I don't think I've ever seen an engine space as clean as this one was. She appears to be insulated all over, and the gear aboard is comprehensive. The fellows plan was to do some water sailing">blue water sailing but he never had the chance. He died recently, sorry to say.

Anyway I went there with the intent to possibly purchase her and put Sabre Dance on the block. My situation is this. I am coming to the end of my working life, and want a boat that suits, within the next year and a half. I have already put $38K into Sabre Dance, and am looking at a minimum of $20k to get her the way I want her. So, this other boat, if it had been perfect would have cost me about $32-35K, be ready to go and I could recover about $20-25k from Sabre Dance.

I've got some serious thinking to do over the next couple of days. The other boat is very nicely done, the folding table is cherry wood I think, and its beautiful. So If I buy it I'll have to rework half the interior again to fit me which would be a real shame. This is pretty much what I have to do to Sabre Dance, as well as replace the engine.

I'll let you all know how it works out in about a week.


Sabre

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

the previous owner was a 5 foot high very skinny guy, and rebuilt the cabin accordingly. I couldn't even get into the forward cabin, the space to walk through is only 14 inchs wide. I don't even fit sideways. The galley is nicely laid out, but its about 6 inchs lower than any I've ever seen before, and the folding table is permanently bolted in the center of the cabin, with only 6-7 inchs between it and the settees on either side.

I'll let you all know how it works out in about a week. Sabre

I think you should keep looking, I don't think I could live with a doorway smaller than my laptop monitor.

Pete

[Doodles]

If you've got a year and a half to work with why not finish up SD? Just drop in a new engine and rough out the interior. Remember the interior doesn't have to be perfect, besides you can always fine turn it once your on the way.

Your idea sounds like you are trading an old project for a new one and five less feet. I just don't see a lot of logic in it.

P.S. The engine in the Mason is the original (1980) and you'd have a new one.

[Capn Morgan]

The devil you know....

[David_Old_Jersey]

If you will be able to afford to run / to maintain what you've got - I would stick. IMO you are pretty much financially committed already, the bonus is you already know what you've got. As said, no need to aim for perfection immediately - it's more of a process.........

Of course if the new one was already sail away (for you) then a different thing.

[DeepFrz]

Is there such a thing as "rework half the interior"?

[SaltyMonkey]

I'm with those that say stick to what you got. You can cut corners and build over time. And you know your boat inside and out. Theres a lot of value in that already.

[SabreKai]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Is there such a thing as "rework half the interior"?

Actually, in this case, yes. The forward cabin, head and hanging lockers are just fine. Ditto the Stbd Settee. Its the chart table, reefer, galley and dinette that are really weird. Things would be simpler if the GD compression strut for the mast wasn't sitting in the middle of the cabin but that I have to live with.

I've decided to keep what I have and recreate it to my needs. So be it. Chain saw time.

Sabre.

[SabreKai]

As a follow up, how little did I know what lay before me. After mucking round half the summer, I ended up hiring my brother and his buddy to trash the entire interior. Its all gone, down to bare steel from bow to stern, a clean sweep as they used to say in the days of sail.

I am about to start 5-6 weeks of 5 days weekends, and plan on getting the mechanical parts done, sandblast and repaint the hull and start roughing out the interior.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

As a follow up, how little did I know what lay before me. After mucking round half the summer, I ended up hiring my brother and his buddy to trash the entire interior. Its all gone, down to bare steel from bow to stern, a clean sweep as they used to say in the days of sail.

I am about to start 5-6 weeks of 5 days weekends, and plan on getting the mechanical parts done, sandblast and repaint the hull and start roughing out the interior.

Have fun

[brutb]

I am about to start 5-6 weeks of 5 days weekends, and plan on getting the mechanical parts done, sandblast and repaint the hull and start roughing out the interior. __________________
Good plan, please post photos as you progress. We need more Steelies out there....SV Iron Jack