'Vamose' Buchan 37 Returns to Freshwater

[OLDSON]

I am the new owner of "VAMOSE" a Buchan 37, I am officially posting this in the meet and greet section to get in touch with anyone who has been involved with these boats. I personally was raised on a Catalina 30 and an Endevour 38 CC. I have been cruising all over the San Juans since I was six weeks old, and I am happy to be involved in Seattles maritime community!!! I am currently moored in the Nikerson Marina, looking for permanent moorage there or the areas surrounding. I will be posting photos soon to show the boat! Thank You

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Hope you can connect with Buchan owners. Try the search engine after my sugnature. You have a great place to sail there.
kind regards,

[OLDSON]

figured it out.. it is a Isuzu Pisces Diesel 27HP as far as I can tell, it is certainly not a 40HP,. I think. Anyway, now I know what I got, I have to figure out where to buy parts as 300-400 per whole injector is a bit steep for me. Any ideas where to get the parts I probably need. Any reputable Isuzu shops around that might have a deal on parts?

[Marksman]

Hey there Oldson,

I have a '66 Buchan 37 moored over in Kingston that I have owned for the last 4 years. Great boats if you don't mind the old IOR designs. They are fast boats if you are into racing (I am not) and not a bad little criuser for one couple. I say little because of the small accomidations compared to the LOA. There are boats on my dock under 30ft. with more genorous beam. Would love to chat sometime and maybe have a look at Vamose if you're up for it.

[OLDSON]

Hey Marksman,

I would love to see pictures of your boat! and your welcome to come check her out anytime. I have questions for you. What kind of engine did she come with when you got her?

[Distance]

Before her fate at Shilshole, Vamose was moored next to Distance and owned by my friend Chris Jones. He did some work to her including re-coring her cabin house deck. She is a great boat and with a little taller mast and a little lighter than most of the other boats. You should have a lot of fun with her.

[wstewart]

Hey Vamose, welcome. I am also a Buchan 37 owner just across the way at fisherman's terminal, Pursuit, on pier 8. I've been working to bring her up to sailing for the last 4 months, and i am close. It would be great to meet. I'd like to see Vamose and exchange ideas on a couple of things on Pursuit that i am figuring out. Bill 206 915-4181

[Marksman]

Hey Oldson, sorry for the late reply, I seemed to have stopped getting email notifications on threads that I am involved with. Maelstrom came equipped with a 1959 GreyMarine 4-112 gas engine and a Paragon reverse gear with no reduction. I pulled it a couple of years ago and completely rebuilt the engine and used it the next summer (about 15 hours worth). Then re powered with a Beta 28 diesel. As you can see from the pictures, I installed an hatch in the cockpit to improve access to the engine and stuffing box. Maelstrom is not a stock Buchan. The second owner was a rigger and fitted a taller mast, shortened the boom, moved the main traveler to the cabin top, removed the rudder from the keel and fitted a spade rudder farther aft and many other improvements. My wife and I are in the middle of some remodeling major projects, so there is no headliner or floor treatments and the forward cabin is slowly getting rebuilt after competently gutting it last winter. I just finnished building and installing the new SS water tank">fresh water tank (55 gal.) up where the V birth used to be (becoming a double on the starboard side. Looking forward to comparing notes! Will PM you too.

[OLDSON]

Wow!! Nice one Marksman, She looks really beautiful!! You using the stainless for the water tank? How much did the Beta run you? I am still hoping I can breathe life back into the isuzu. Or as the case may have it knock out her sleeves and throw in some new ones. Were praying, were praying. I am hoping to finish the engine repair while at dock. Need to get new filters and the like. The old ones were all tied together with a bungee cord, dangling like a disemboweled giselle. I plan to run new tubes, wires and secure those filters to the wall. I don't know much about strainers, I understand their function, but how to get it off and clean it I am a little fuzzy. I would love to see any of your boats and get to know all of you. Lord knows I would like to see what she should look like. More later, till then wind at your stern and spray at your bows gentleman.....and ladies too

[Marksman]

Thank you, thank you. I was very fortunate that the PO didn't use the boat very often and when it wasn't in use it lived under a full Sunbrella cover with plenty of ventalation. It sat for 6 years straight before I bought it. The interior is pretty good, I have plans for some remodeling of the salloon but they will have to wait for all the other stuff that's already started. The stainless tank is for pottable water, I got a quote from the companies that still do custom plastic tanks (all welded) and the most affordable one was 750 clams so I opted to make my own out of 316L. The 4X10 sheet was 425 delivered to my place of buisiness where we have metal working tools which made the fabrication much easier, fits like a glove.
The Beta was about 9k with the "deluxe" panel and 100amp alternator. I had to fab my own engine mounts as the footprint of the old GreyMarine was unusually wide and metal work is easy compared to replacing the engine beds. Beta will make them for you to your specs, for a price, but I like to do things myself and plus I had the advantage of haveing the old and the new side by side to ensure a good fit first time.
My heart goes out to you on the engine repair. It's a lot easier if you can pull it and do the work in your garage. If Vamose is anything like Maelstrom was there was not a lot of room to work in the engine compartment. I've heard that no two Buchans are alike so it will be interesting to see yours and how it was finished out. Well quitin time here at the salt mines so I'm going to sign off. Looking forward. Here's some older pics.......

[OLDSON]

I love the pics of the interior, it gives me hope that I might have a beautiful salon someday. I will be posting pics soon once I figure outt how to. Has anyone had the opportunity to have to remove the fuel tank? My fuel cabin/box is full of gunk and water cause the bilge isn't draining efficiently. It is a large steel tank, located on centerline forward of the diesel. there is foam in-between the cabin/box wall and the tank. I can't find where the bolts are (another bolt mystery) about to cut out my floor to get the tank out. any other suggestions? Bill over there on Pursuit, I wrote down your number and will be contacting you to hang out! I saw your boat when I pulled into Port, I got so excited there was another Buchan in at the docks I literally jumped up and down. Hopefully see you soon.

[Marksman]

I have two 20 gallon stainless tanks back in the lazerette, one on either side, contoured to fit against the hull, mounted on the bulkhead, so my configuration doesn't match yours at all. You might check that your tank wasn't glassed to the hull. The steel water lift muffler installed for the old Graymarine engine was glassed in place this way which made it very secure but was always in the way and couldn't be moved so I cut it out with a abrasive disk and replaced it with a more contemporary plastic one. Do take some pics and post them so we can give better advice.

Going sailing this weekend Yea!!

[OLDSON]

These are kinda nasty but here we go, only letting me do one at a time here

[OLDSON]

Pic 2. Anyone ever have a foamed in tank?

[Marksman]

That must be a stainless tank or it would be in much worse condition. Foaming a tank in place is generally a bad idea as the foam will wick and hold moisture forever causing corrosion and sometimes unpleasant odors as well. I gather that your fuel tank runs fore and aft directly over the ballast in the keel. Looks like it would be possible to lift/leaver it out once it is empty and all the hoses removed. It may be salvageable and only needs some cleaning up before reinstalling with a better method of support allowing air flow around it.