PRICE
I'll get right to the numbers, but please read about everything this offer includes. I am asking $18,000 for the whole sha-bang. Certainly I have spent even more than this on refitting and outfitting her--not including labor. This may seem high for a 27-foot
boat, but again, you have to consider the state that she is in, and everything else that is included. However, I am open to considering reasonable offers.
THE STORY
Unexpected change in life plans, time to pass on my fully-functioning
live-aboard cruiser.
If you are just looking to pick up a
cheap boat with which to make-do this boat is NOT for you.
But--if you are new to cruising or you've been away for awhile and now want to jump back in and you don't want the hassle of figuring it all out again, and gathering together all the necessary odds 'n ends, spares, and components necessary to successfully live-aboard--if you just want a one stop shop, turn-key and go setup than I have a marvellous offer for you.
Meet Guacamole.
In the past 9 months alone this boat has steadfastly cruised more than 3000 nautical miles. She is exceedingly comfortable and manageable for one or two people. The boat
sails like a dream, needing little over 10 knots of
wind to push hull-speed. Conversely, she has guts. I have weathered multiple cold fronts 100 miles
offshore with sustained 45-knot winds for over 10 hours. Guacamole can take a beating and readily heaves-to. Her
helm (a tiller) lashes easy in all points of sail.
Over the previous four years of
ownership I have completely repaired, replaced, or reinvented most every system on this boat. Mind you, I make a living fixing other people's boats, so I can guarantee you that all of the
work incorporates the best of materials and was completed using industry-leading standards. I'm of the "if you're gonna do it, do it right" philosophy. I am not trying to claim that she is a pristine or top-shelf boat…certainly she is not. But I can proudly say with confidence that every system and critical component of this vessel is in good working order. To the full-time
live-aboard sailor its not a flawless
paint job or top-of-line
electronics that matter so much as having a roller-furler that efficiently and effortlessly works; or a questionable clevis pin that is replaced; or simply a facet that doesn't leak. Such is what I can guarantee.
The details of all the
work I have accomplished or the items I am including in this
sale are too numerous to reiterate in totality, but I will give some highlights here:
BOAT SPECIFICATIONS:
- 1967
Irwin 27-foot
sloop
- 7000 lbs
displacement, empty. 3300 lbs poured lead ballast.
- Swing
keel design, drawing 3' up 7' down.
- Primary
Propulsion: Double-reefed and battened main (and a spare), 125 roller-reefing
genoa (and a spare). Late-edition
Harken sail
hardware throughout--roller-furler, wenches, traveller, etc.
- Aux
power:
Evinrude 9.9 HP Yachtwin extra long shaft with 5 amp
alternator and
electric start.
- 12 gal
fuel tank, 20 gal
water tank
- 10 kg
Delta with 25' 5/16" chain and 130' of 5/8" nylon. 10 kg Bruce with 25' of 5/16" chain and 120' of 1/2" nylon. 16 lbs High-Tinsel Danforth.
RESTORATION PROJECTS:
- Nearly the entire boat has been recoated (gelcoat,
paint,
varnish, or resin) inside and out. This includes three coats of
Interlux 3000
epoxy barrier coat over entire
hull and fresh
bottom paint (2012-13).
- New solid aluminium swing
keel fabricated and installed with new
Harken block and tackle system for the control line (2012)--no more cumbersome wench and wire to rust and freeze-up.
- New
ports (some of them opening) throughout (2012-2013).
- All
deck hardware was removed, restored or replaced, and then rebedded with 3M 4000 and 1/4" aluminium
backing plates throughout (2013).
- New
solar panels (2012), new 330 amp-hour
battery bank (2014), and entirely re-worked and re-wired
electrical panel and distribution system throughout (2013).
- New chainplates (2012) and brand new S.S. wire
rigging (2014) with existing Sta-lok terminals throughout.
- New one-piece countertop/sink made from a custom
fiberglass mould (so easy to clean with no lips, edges, rust, or rot).
- New Whale Gusher foot-pump for fresh
water and Whale Gusher hand
pump for
raw water (2011).
- New gimbled stove/oven (2010).
- New
Jabsco head with Y-valve control for (new)
holding tank or
overboard discharge (2009) all plumbed with vented loops.
- New Ritchie
compass (2011).
- New
VHF radio with
GPS and registered MMSI number with
DSC capability (2013).
- New USB-capable Pioneer Stereo with 5 speakers throughout (2013).
- New LED
navigation and living-space lights throughout (2013-14)--VERY energy efficient, both red and white.
- New
Raymarine tiller pilot (2014).
- Collapsable
Bimini with new
canvas (2011)
INCLUDED LIVE-ABOARD ESSENTIALS:
-
Dinghy: Achilles 8.5' high-pressure
inflatable with 07
Mercury 3.5 four-stroke
outboard. Pumps (both manual and electric) included. This boat tows well or can easily be deflated, rolled up, and lashed to
deck. Weighs less than 40 lbs.
-
Electrical equipment:
Honda 2000-watt
generator. 10 amp
battery charger. Small 150-watt
inverter.
-
Safety equipment:
EPIRB, life-jackets, flares, fire extinguishers, horn, harness & tether (x2), life ring, etc.
-
Navigation equipment: binoculars, handheld
compass, chart
books of the entire US eastern seaboard, backup handheld
GPS, etc.
- Tools: a divided tool drawer full of all essential hand tools.
Bosun chair and climbing harness.
- Fishing/diving equipment: rod & reels (x2),
fishing tackle, mask & snorkel, fins, weights, pole spear (x3), etc.
-
Galley gear: knives & magnet holder, pots and skillet, plates, cups, bowls, silverware, etc.
- Living space: full-size
bed in V-berth, robust shelving, lockers, and drawers for
storage, four fans throughout, fold out tabletops (x2) one with a vice, etc.
- Utilitarian supplies: spare jerry jugs for both water and
fuel,
brushes, buckets, cleaners, etc.
- Massive amounts of mechanical/electrical spare
parts:
fuses, electrical terminal connecters, shackles, thimbles, swivels, clips, hooks, wire, lights, switches, blocks, pulleys, filters,
stainless steel fasteners, etc.
- Also plenty of other spare necessities: line, chain, wire, hose,
canvas, bungee cords, chaff-guard, fenders, etc.
- Living comforts:
cushions in good order throughout, four fans,
solar vent, etc.
-
Books: I can include my collection of the boat-owning cannon--Chapman; Nigel Calder; Don Casey;
Annapolis Seamanship; 12 Volt Doc;
cruising guides;
parts manuals; ample
charts; etc. With everything else on-board and these books one could figure out how to use,
service, or
repair just about anything on the boat.
WHAT IS MISSING:
-
Refrigeration: There is a built in ice-box but I have opted and managed to live without
refrigeration for years now. However, considering that I finally completed overhauling the
electrical system on the boat and now have more
power generation and
storage than ever, I would highly consider refitting the
icebox with an efficient refrigerant system, and I believe that such a system can actually be supported with the
current solar/battery array. The
generator and
charger can make up for any shortfall, say after several days of cloudy/rainy
weather.
CONCLUSION:
Yes the paint job is now scratched up a bit, some of the woodwork is fading, and the
head seat-cover is missing. Guacamole is not in bristol condition. So certainly you can find work if you want it--it is a boat after all, and
maintenance is necessary. However, you won't have to start pulling her apart only to find that her chainplates are rotten, her seacocks won't budge, or her
sails are tearing apart. Nor will you have to stop in the middle of a
project to run to the store to pick up a couple of lousy cotter pins, or an extra thimble for that line you are splicing, or because a switch went dead. The boat is fully stocked to accommodate, improvise, jury-rig, and/or fix just about anything that can go wrong.
Keep in mind, I AM CURRENTLY cruising this boat in the
Bahamas. I have been doing so for the past 5 months! How? Because I left the US very prepared and I keep everything in good working order. I know all boat owners become sentimental with their vessels and I am no different. But I am also aware that as a boat owner, I'll never recoup the financial upkeep I have invested. That's fine, I'm not looking to make my
money back. Guacamole has more than paid for herself just in the all-out adventures she has afforded and the consistent home she has proven. That is why I am asking what I am. I am not just selling a boat here, I am actually selling an entire lifestyle--an adventure-making independent-off-the-grid-living package. Consummately, this is why I don't expect to draw a whole lot of interested parties. If you want this package its because you are willing to spend some extra bucks to have it all ready-to-go, with items aboard that I can promise you wouldn't have even thought to bring along (like dental tools for
cleaning small electrical contact points) but you'll be glad they're aboard when you need them.
Would you rather buy a
cheap boat with nothing on it that has been sitting at
anchor unused for the past three years, and then go about finding a
dinghy, getting an
engine, gathering up a collection of spare tools and parts to sort out the old and neglected systems? Or, would you rather pay a bit more upfront for a reinvigorated boat that has just cruised over 3000 nautical miles and has been actively lived-on and used for the past four years?
As a final point of consideration, I cannot emphasize enough the amount I have come to value the swing-keel design of this boat. On principal I am not too fond of moving parts below the waterline (save the
rudder of course), however I do like how the swing "keel" in this boat is really just a
centerboard. The ballast is integral to the
hull and the swinger weights little more than 60 lbs. Therefore it is not necessary for the
safety of the vessel--indeed I owned and sailed the boat for two years without it--but she certainly benefits from its function. Namely, more stability in heavier seas, points higher into the
wind, and balances the
helm immensely. I commonly take advantage of the whole "swing of positions" that she affords, favouring to drop her just a bit when sailing off the wind. The differences are noticeable. Finally, if you intend to spend the majority of your cruising time in the
Bahamas and/or South
Florida and the Gulf--I cannot stress enough how practically functional this design is.
Blue water crossings are very comfortable and efficient with the board down, but the real prize is in being able to raise it. Drawing only 3-feet opens up a whole variety of waters simply unavailable to deeper drafts, and there are A LOT of shallow waters in the above mentioned cruising grounds. Although I understood this basic
concept intellectually, it wasn't until I actually started seriously cruising the Bahamas that I realised just how priceless this access can be. Remember, most tides in these areas ARE three-feet (or close to it), so you do the math--even if dry at low water, chances are you can get through at high. But beyond just being able to enjoy the seclusion and comfort of tucking into hidden coves and bays, a
shallow draft provides a serious element of
safety in allowing the boat to get deep into mangrove country should a serious storm/hurricane threaten. There is no safer place to ride out notoriously bad
weather than tied-off to the best
hurricane survivors of all--mangroves.
.
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