Challenge: Raising a Half-Sunken Boat

[DriftingNowhere]

Another poor victim of Hurricane Ike. Is this boat worth raising? The owner says that the sea level rose above the docks and when it receeded the front end sat on the dock while the back end took on water and sank. He says there is no structural damage done to it only damage from being under water for the last 30 days.

If I can get it out of the water I can have it! Are there any suggestions on what I do to get it high and dry? It's 31 feet long and that's about all I know. It is fitted for an outboard but had an inboard when it was first built. It had been taken out and patched up.



People have mentioned using a come-along wench and some rope to start raising the back end out of the water... Someone also mentioned using inner tubes and filling them with air after they have been tucked in place. I don't think this will work because I have no way of filling the inner tubes after getting them in place. I would scoop it out with a bucket if I could get the aft ports out of the water.... It is on some very muddy ground. too muddy to stand on or put wood in...

This is the boat before it sunk:





What do you think? IS is worth it? Would I have to rewire the entire boat?

[Sunspot Baby]

You're going to need to get in the water to raise it. If you get inner tubes or lift bags, you can fill them from your SCUBA tanks or with a hose from a compressor on deck.

Once the gunnels are above water, you can start to pump her (assuming there is no leak in the hull.

Once she is up, have a survey done. It will cost you a little money but should identify the major things that need to be fixed. Better to know up front.

From the pictures, and if you can believe the owner, she looks like a pretty good free boat. She will take a lot of elbow grease. Do you have a lot of free time to devote to her? If not don't get involved.

You won't be able to tell if she needs rewiring until you have her up. How long has she been sunk? Longer times are not good. Most if not all electrical equipment is probably dead.

George

[cptnandy]

Yes to rewiring the whole boat, questionable about it’s worth.

Could be fun to raise, the inner tube idea is a good one. Rent an air compressor and hose with tire fitting stuff the tubes in where ever possible including the forward half then fill with air. Get the decks awash and then bail like mad or rent a trash pu mp to finis pumping it out.

[bmartinsen]

Raise back end first, then pump out.

[never monday]

even though I'm looking for a free boat. I'd have to pass on that one.

[DriftingNowhere]

Thanks for the fast responses...

Raise back end first, then pump out.

Yes, this is the idea. If I can get the back end raised up, I can pump or scoop out the water as fast as possible.

Yes to rewiring the whole boat, questionable about it’s worth.

Is there any way I can do the wiring myself? I'm not an electrician but I pick up on things fast. How much does a rewiring usually run if done by a professional?

You're going to need to get in the water to raise it. If you get inner tubes or lift bags, you can fill them from your SCUBA tanks or with a hose from a compressor on deck.

No Scuba tanks but maybe I can rent or borrow a compressor and find some innertubes somewhere?

Once the gunnels are above water, you can start to pump her (assuming there is no leak in the hull.)

This is the idea. He says there are no leaks in the hull but we will see.

Once she is up, have a survey done. It will cost you a little money but should identify the major things that need to be fixed. Better to know up front.

How much does a survey cost?

From the pictures, and if you can believe the owner, she looks like a pretty good free boat. She will take a lot of elbow grease. Do you have a lot of free time to devote to her? If not don't get involved.

It's a great boat if I can get it up! A good project boat, who knows I may hate sailing? I have tons of free time and it has solid rigging. He says that the rigging has been beefed up. The inside had just been painted. It has 9 ft. beam and 3.6 ft. draft.

You won't be able to tell if she needs rewiring until you have her up. How long has she been sunk? Longer times are not good. Most if not all electrical equipment is probably dead.

It has been under water since a few days after Ike so it has been like this for about two months. He just got a tag on it (Galveston) that says that if he doesn't move it, they will remove it for him.

[Charlie]

If I were younger and in TExas I would think about it seriously. I would go to the expense of raising the boat and then only accept the boat after inspecting it carefully. I wold also look for a copy of Don Casey's book "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat" (or something like that) and read that and then look the boat over to see if I wanted to have a survey done on the boat. The other thing I would want to know is what is the intended use of the boat. Owning a boat can cost a lot of money slip fees insurance, projects etc.

[Boracay]

To me the big question is:- "What will you do with the boat once it has been raised?".

Do you have somewhere to keep it?
If in the water - marinas are expensive, moorings are cheaper but it is difficult to work on the boat.
If out of the water - transporters are not cheap, neither is hard standing.

If I were looking at raising it I'd ask round to see if a marine crane is available. You might get away with lifting the stern out of the water and pumping out the rest.

I don't know the chances of saving the engine but I'd go with that first.

The wiring is probably ruined, but may last for a little while so it can be replaced wire by wire.

[David M]

It looks like a Clipper Marine 30. If so, don't bother. Walk away. It was not worth more than a few thousand before it sank. Now it probably has negative value.

Have a look at this link before you do anything.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sailingtexas.com/picclippermarine30100a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sailingtexas.com/sclippermarine30100.html&h=393&w=480&sz=19&hl=en&s tart=1&sig2=F-xAeHmIHJwSEg85i8pgSw&um=1&usg=__AcAhG2PCazW_FWgE-Gpujd7FpAQ=&tbnid=RTES0Tj19FGaRM:&tbnh=106&tbnw=12 9&ei=viIaSaHDIpCktQOI55GXDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dclipper%2Bmarine%2B30%26um%3D1%26hl%3 Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26sa%3DN

It is a Clipper Marine 30. Some people might get mad at me for saying this, but I think it needs to be said anyway. It's my opinion that they are lousy sailing boats and of poor construction from the beginning. By the time you sink enough money into it to make it sailable, you will not be happy with the boat nor its resale value. There are much better values in used boats out there.

[never monday]

Originally Posted by DriftingNowhere

How much does a rewiring usually run if done by a professional?

I charge 700 - 1000 per foot for lightening strike rewires.

[DriftingNowhere]

David! You are right, it is a Clipper Marine. Is it really that bad? The mast rigging (Side wires) have been reinforced if you can see by the straps on each side of the pics.

The outboard motor was removed before the storm and there is no motor or generator motor in the boat as it sits now. It is located at an apartment complex in Galveston that was condemned after the storm so there are no cranes or compressors available.

I don't have a place to keep it but marinas and apartment complexes are available around here. I would just use it as a recreational boat to get my sea legs. Maybe live aboard if i can fix it up (it would be super affordable). But if it's not worth it... Maybe I should think twice... Most of the electronic equipment was taken off before the storm.

[svHyLyte]

A Cliper Marine isn't worth the cost of the Chain Saw Blades it will take to cut it up for the dumpster. Don't adopt someone else's problems!

FWIW...

s/v HyLyte

[SilentOption]

Something Never Monday and I agree on completely!


I bought a CSY 44 that Katrina put on the bottom.

A friend bought it while still underwater I bought it from him after he put about 100 hours of cleaning into it. The journey has been long painful and costly between you me and the cyberworld.

If the boat is still underwater right now from the storm I wouldn't waist my time, effort or money.

If it was raised within hours or a few days of going down maybe.

Boats in the 30-35 foot range as this one appears to be are not rare, and not expensive floating, turn key ready to sail now.

Unless this project cost you absolutely nothing to start with (which it wont) and you have about 15-20k of disposable income to spend on all the things already discussed, rewiring, rebuilding etc it's not worth the effort.

I have been working on my boat for two years and I have spent a lot of time and money on basic systems and storm damage. We have a long way to go before the boat is ready to leave home.

Besides storm damage you don't know what problems existed before. Blisters, wood rot, engine not worth rebuilding before it got wet?
Keel saturated with water? May be no issue today but just wait a few years.

My opinion based on experience. Keep looking for a boat that hasn't been traumatized by a hurricane.

[David M]

Originally Posted by DriftingNowhere

David! You are right, it is a Clipper Marine. Is it really that bad? The mast rigging (Side wires) have been reinforced if you can see by the straps on each side of the pics.

The outboard motor was removed before the storm and there is no motor or generator motor in the boat as it sits now. It is located at an apartment complex in Galveston that was condemned after the storm so there are no cranes or compressors available.

I don't have a place to keep it but marinas and apartment complexes are available around here. I would just use it as a recreational boat to get my sea legs. Maybe live aboard if i can fix it up (it would be super affordable). But if it's not worth it... Maybe I should think twice... Most of the electronic equipment was taken off before the storm.

If all you want is a floating shell to call home...then go for it. I would not put more into it than the cost of a bottle of bleach to get rid of the fishy smell. Your going to have to gut all the rotten interior wood leaving you with a hollowed out shell resembling the inside of a fiberglass water tank laying on its side.

If you want a nice boat, that sails well, that you will be proud of, then walk away from the Clipper. There are plenty of inexpensive, much better boats out there...especially with the way the economy is right now. At least get something worth fixing up. This boat is the nautical equivalent of a YUGO.

Don't get attached to this boat...its really not worth it.

[SilentOption]

Originally Posted by David M

If all you want is a floating shell to call home...then go for it. I would not put more into it than the cost of a bottle of bleach to get rid of the fish smell. Your going to have to gut all the rotten interior wood leaving you with a hollowed out shell resembling the inside of a fiberglass water tank laying on its side.

If you want a nice boat, that sails well, that you will be proud of, then walk away from the Clipper. There are plenty of inexpensive, much better boats out there...especially with the way the economy is right now.

At least get something worth fixing up..this boat is the nautical equivalent of a YUGO.

Don't get attached to this boat...its really not worth it.

What I said. But much fewer words. And I couldn't agree more.