Free: Mariner 40 1966 wooden ketch

[Ben M-P]

Designed by William Garden, built by Clair Oberley in Japan
Hull #7
LOA 44', LOD 40', LWL 36'
Mahogany planks on oak frames
Fiberglass decks, (wood) over plywood aft deck and cockpit.
Engine: Perkins diesel, 4-236 (more about that below)
Name "Grace"
Location: Anchored off Catalina Island, near Avalon.

We bought this beautiful boat to live aboard, but our business has since taken a nosedive. We cannot afford to do the work that she needs. She was in fairly good condition when we bought her, and we have been constantly doing work on her and making improvements. No project on her is huge (if you have woodworking skills as we do, or can pay someone who does), but we simply do not have the few thousand dollars we need to bring her to the mainland, have her engine installed, haul her out, and repair the spot where the previous owner removed the caulking. (see below for more about that.) She needs to have those things done before she can be berthed in a marina.

To be in great shape, she needs a new aft deck (or repairs to the existing one). The beam underneath the mizzen mast has some rot damage and needs to be replaced. There are a few areas in the fiberglass deck that need to be patched, and the deck needs a new coat of paint. The cabin ceiling has a few places that need to be patched, as well, and the cabin should have a nice new coat of paint, as well. The engine (see below) needs to be installed. The propeller is with the boat. She is taking on water slowly, from 18" of seam which the caulking was removed by a previous owner and from another leak. The bilge pump works well and keeps the bilge empty as long as the battery has a charge, 1 deep cycle battery lasts about a day. We can't afford the trips out to the island to change the battery any more and want to give her to someone who can.

The topsides have been sanded and have a coat of primer applied. We have the Paint it's Epifanes yacht enamel in dark green, the same color as the dinghy. Very dignified, with lots of panache, and a great contrast to brightwork.)

The interior woodwork is in good shape- a few areas need sanding and varnishing, but most do not. The galley floor is a bit scuffed and needs sanding to be perfect. We had someone looking after her and they neglected the battery for a while and the water came over the floor boards and damaged the varnish some.

This boat is a custom order- she was made to run on a Perkins 4-236 instead of the smaller Perkins that the other Mariners have.

Sleeps 7- Quarterberth with adjoining floor, v-berth with mast between the two sides, pull-out double berth in the main cabin, and dinette converts to double berth.

The head is a wetbath, but there is no shower installed. The actual head works very well, and is CLEAN.

Galley has icebox, stove, single-tub sink with foot pump. To accommodate the larger engine, there is a spice-and-bottle rack instead of the standard forward counter that most Mariners have. (I have spent many weeks cooking three meals a day in this galley- it is a very nice and convenient workspace. When we bought the boat I though I would miss the extra counter space, but it is actually a nice size, and easy to clean.) The stove is an old sea-dog CNG stove which we converted, with new orifices, to propane. It is very hot and nice to cook on, even every day for three meals a day. The heat inside is a bit variable, but it can roast chicken and bake bread and cake with the best of them. Cooking on the Grace is NOT like camping. It is a civilized and pleasant experience. (Can you tell it's the wife writing this?)

Varnished wood interior, lots of beautiful custom woodwork. Lying on a berth in the main cabin, you look around and think, "Hey! Look at that neat little scroll! I didn't notice that was there!" She has large windows in the aft section of the cabin and in the galley, which make the interior very light and pleasant to live in.

We have a Perkins 4-236 which is not installed, that we can sell if you are interested. We had a very good marine mechanic go over it- it needs to have the mounts and the water pump replaced. We bought it out of another boat, and when it motored up to the place where they were going to crane it out, it was very quiet and smooth sounding.

The boat comes with a hard tender. It is fiberglass, with a lapstrake appearance. It has fiberglassed wooden seats (the kind where they look like varnished wood, but are impervious to the elements). The tender is stored on the forward deck. she was freshly painted but has a few places where the paint was scrached off hoisting her on deck.
The aft deck is very spacious and comfortable. The taffrail and spindles are newly sanded and oiled.

She has a full suit of sails. We don't know what condition all of them are in.

There are too many extras to mention- PFDs, flare gun, water jugs, 2 anchors(20kg Bruce, and similar size CQR), 1 150' and 1 90' all chain rodes, lots of line, hardware, and tackle. She has a solid bronze manual windlass, original boarding ladder, beautiful original mahogany-on-oak wheel, and depth finder, although it isn't hooked up.

In conclusion, this boat is a lady. She will make her owner very happy. We really wish we could keep her.

Here is a link to our blog about the boat with more pictures:

Going Afloat

We are giving her away to the first person that can take her on and sign the papers.

the pictures below are from before the water problems but almost everything is about the same.

(626) 798-4838

[SkiprJohn]

I had a wood Fareast Mariner 35 for many years and can testify that they are great sailers.
I hope that you can find folks who will give her the care she needs.
kind regards,

[SailingWebGuy]

free??

[ProtectTheOcean]

Hello, Ben. Phoned your sister, tried reaching you as well. I think we'd take her on, but also have some ways in which you can stop that leaking very quickly and cheaply. No one was answering your phone, your sister has my number.

[Ben M-P]

As Free as a boat ever is.

As long as you can get her in the next day or so.

[ProtectTheOcean]

Just got off the phone with Ben. This boat is worth saving, and needs some local assistance. Any sailors in the S. Cal area? We'd need to get out to Avalon, pump her dry, figure out where the leak is at and stuff calking into it... maybe make up a "diaper" (plastic envelope of sheeting bound together by silicone or somesuch)... and/or haul her back to the mainland, up on the hard. I can help, but need help to get it done.

No, lives are not in peril, but the boat is, and she's worth saving. Can any of you help out?

[3dubs]

It is not near me but if it can sail I can be there this weekend. So it needs the caulk replaced to stop the leak. Then does the rotten wood need to be replaced to sail? I would love to have a boat that my family can fit in. With that price I can afford to fix it with my labor.

[ProtectTheOcean]

It is unclear at this time where the 2nd leak is coming from. She has no inboard motor, so one would have to mount something aft, but personally, I'd be inclined to repair as well as possible, put a 30'x50+' sheet of plastic under her (tacking it at the top) and TOW the vessel. At the very least, there should be another boat coming along for safety, in case something else goes wrong. She should be hauled out and the repairs made thoroughly and properly. Below the waterline is the business end of a boat.

[3dubs]

Where is a place near there that can pull it out for a reasonable price? I don't know anyone in California to ask.

[Ben M-P]

Willmington Marine service quoted me (several months ago) about 400 for the haul and 250 for lay days.
Windward in Marina Del Rey also is reasonable and has some nice deals.
If you don't want to do the work yourself, Colonial yacht anchorage has a good reputation for wood boats.
Hope that helps.

[3dubs]

I prefer my own work. That way I know how it was done and if anything gets messed up I am only mad at myself.

[ProtectTheOcean]

First order of business would be to get her back to the mainland. Then she could be hauled and fixed on the hard. Storage areas are a lot cheaper than $250 a day, of course... but if you've the funds for a long-term project, hauling her to TX would be best, and you could work on her well and properly... (and then I can envy you for having such a magnificent vessel back up to snuff!)

[rebel heart]

I'm in San Diego and can get to Avalon (that's where I'm hearing she is?) or the LA area within a few hours. Avalon will require a ferry ride over and those can be swamped. Or a chopper if someone has the funds to float that ($250 one way I think?).

I'd imagine Ben (thread starter) can as much of a local asset as myself, but I'll offer up my free services minus expenses if helps anyone out here on cruisersforum. Just send me a PM.

[ProtectTheOcean]

Thanks, Rebel. Will keep it in mind. What she needs mostly at this point (and IMO,) is someone with a vessel to run over there, be alongside, another base from which to work, affect the repairs, and to accompany her back to the mainland... if not as a tow, at least as a safety vessel. Ben is pretty much tapped, can't afford ANY further expenses. But he's offering to give her to someone who can take over.

[rebel heart]

You guys might want to hit up the folks at Wooden Boat Forum as well. They might be interested. We're going to be up there on our boat in May for a couple of weeks but I doubt this situation is going to last for five months.

Another thing to keep in mind is that we've had a rather gentle winter so far, but I'd imagine we're in for some real storms shortly. 40-50 knots at Catalina wouldn't be unheard of. The forecast is clear for the next week or so, but eventually those big south westers are going to blow through.