1976 Mason 48 Build Quality

[aboutgone]

Anyone know the history and build quality of the 76 mason 48 cc ketch?

[watson1990]

The general rule of thumb on a Mason is

"if you can find one not overpriced,buy it ! "

They are usually wonderful boats and stunning in appearance

Do a search here for mason boats . unfortunately,Al died and his daughter is very hard to find ,but she is out there

[Aqua Vitae]

I don't know about a 48' ketch, but a Mason 52 (length I'm not sure of) was for sale six months ago here at Jarret Bay Boatworks. Going price was $4,500, which was way high. WAS a great boat at one point, but the deck reinforcements and the entire wood interior was all rotten. Resulting in a spingboard deck everywhere. Reminded me of an old wooden barn filled with spiders when I ventured onto it. Great hull, mast, and deck gear, but you would have to be insane and without children to get anywhere in the next decade.
Hope that was not too off topic, but seeing that Mason and then hearing they are great boats just doesn't mesh up in my mind.

[watson1990]

W Piper,
please check your typing again in your last post.

If it is correct ,please tell me where to send the check !!
Thanks

[idpnd]

Are we discussing this one?

[zeehag]

mason is generally a decent boat usually waaay high in price ranges....built well unless ignored for any length of time , same as any boat--neglect spawns destruction......i would buy it if i had the money and inclination--isnt too highly priced for a 48 foot boat and reasonable for a mason.....

[watson1990]

My opinion:
A Mason is generally very ,,and i mean VERY high quality built boat. they are a refreshing design and their quality will catch your eye if you simply walk past one..
They are VERY well built boats . their design and in most cases ,their build is second to none.

The funny thing about sailboats in this category[meaning not day sailers or other suspect boats] is this:
We are now looking at a boat ,designed by Al mason.
then we have the other factor :Who actually did the construction?
This is a factor I have wondered about for a few decades and the answer is. It doesn't matter if you have the finest yacht designer.architect design your boat..the real answer after that is : Who Built her ? which boat yard actually received the commission to build her?
You can find a wondrful boat,designed by German freiers [sic] but if she was built by a yard notoritious for building junk,that yard would not get a license to build another one.
luckily,the mason boats never ran into this problem. All the Boats designed by Al were built at the very best shops..
So.the question that really is at hand is this :what is the reputation of a Mason designed boat and have they held their value?
the answer is this. Mason boats are simply lovely,,,If you walk past one,if you sail past one, you will ALWAYS look and think " what a lovely yacht ,I wonder who built her"?
Your real thought should be "what a lovely boat,,i wonder who her designer/architect was/is....
Every Mason boat I have had the privelage to see/stand upon has been simply a gracious yacht...that man understood stuff !!!
i think if we go back to the initial post ,the question about the build quality of mason yachts, the answer can be found here:
Al Mason designed very beautiful boats,very sturdy boats.Is it possible that one builder or perhaps maybe 2 got ahold of her build plans who should not have ? sure ,thats possible.
More than likely ,should you come across a mason in dire straights, the odds are up near the 99.9% that boat was built right ,built strong and safe, but ,at some time during her life ,she was not maintained properly..thats it..nothing else.
In my response to "wilmington piper" i said "please take a look at your post,cause if you have a 48 foot Mason,selling for $4,500.00 , please tell me where to send my check ..If she is still afloat, i would most likely send a check,sight unseen for $45,000.00 for a 48"ketch.. Son,,,, You have a chance to buy a MASON ,you best be taking a LOOOONNNG hard look.if you don't ,you'll kick yourself in the @$$ soon. Mr Mason was a credit to the yacht world.

Watson

[aboutgone]

Watson...thank you....that's what i have been hearing....so I wired the cash to the broker for the deposit . going to look at her on Friday. she looks to good to be true at that price,but we will see. she defiantly warranted a look see. if she's ok , were going for the survey. and yes its the only mason 48 out there for 79K...............will let you guys know how it go's...............Aboutgone

[watson1990]

So,how did it work out ???

W

[aboutgone]

Watson: The mason was in need of an entire refit....the only thing the PO did was rebuild the engine.....rigging was rusty....the electrical sys was a nightmare...everything from house romex to lamp cord.....you wold have to be a magician to get to the trans and stuffing box.......just to many thing to redo...so we bought the 1979 CSY 44 w/o in the slip next to her...she's in really good shape for a 30 year old boat.....had her hauled out ,surveyed for 80K, we got her for 60K...put in new thru hulls and seacocks,new cutlass bearings....and a bottom job....in two weeks im installing new refrigeration,solar..wind and a new battery bank. dinghy davits...and we should be good to go....if anyone would want a mason project. that one could be had for 45K , put another 90K into her and she would be a great boat.............Ed

[TopoJo]

I have to agree with aboutgone. I actually just attempted to have this same exact boat surveyed. ( 1976 Mason Center Cockpit Ketch Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com )
Yes she is a mason, we were initially agreeing with Watson1990. It's a mason at a "reasonable" price. However, I am not one to speak ill of people..But I would be VERY VERY VERY Leary of dealing with this seller and broker. If you are interested in this boat please go into this deal with eyes wide open and make sure to get everything in writing. I do not want another sailor to experience what we did or get ripped off. Also my recommendation would be to have the seller move this boat to a marina equipped to haul out so a complete survey can be done before even showing up with a surveyor. The broker will lie about the boat being able to be moved under power and not tell you until you are there to move her!
The motor has major issues, it needs a new transmission ( according to the mechanic the broker called out who did nothing more than spray ether and run it for 3 minutes ). We were also told the motor was firing up and running the week prior to the survey and that it just for some reason wouldn't work the day we showed up with our broker and surveyor. Our surveyor found that no leaks had been repaired and that the engine had no transmission fluid ( bone dry ). We were not told that the engine had been rebuilt ( as about gone stated in his/her post), but that some work had been done to the top end. There was one minor transmission coolant leak we were told of initially. This was in the contract to be fixed prior to survey sea trial..it was not.
Also this boat is not being well maintained in the slip. We noticed major leaks forward in the V birth rotting out the upper storage compartments. The broker lives next to the boat on his boat, but never noticed the water intrusion or many other minor and obvious damages on the boat. He doesn't really seem to know much of anything about this boat, or is unwilling to be honest about the condition. During the survey when we were asking the broker questions he actually replied with " I don't know, it's not my boat". I do not believe that this vessel is being maintained at all...at the most the bottom is being scrubbed every few months.
The boat also lists heavily to port with little to no gear at all on board. There is no reason we could find storage / tank wise that would cause a major list of this kind. I would be concerned with the unchecked water intrusion forward and the major possibility that the port foam in the hull has been soaking up water. Although it is closed cell foam the year she was built closed cell foam wasn't necessarily so.

The reason I am posting this is because after our experience we feel that this seller/broker will do nothing more than have a shade tree mechanic patch up the motor well enough to motor her into a marina a mile away for a haul out / survey. Instead of being honest about the boat you will hear "I don't know" or I'm not sure" ,"you should get a survey done on her" to find out. We requested that if we were to continue with a purchase we would need a certified Perkins diesel mechanic to work on the motor / find out the real issues, not his buddy mechanic who just sprays ether and leaves after 15 minutes. The broker / owner refused to have a certified Perkins mechanic. We even explained that hey, it is the same price, we want a qualified individual to feel comfortable. We were told no.
I could actually write 3 pages about our experience with this broker and our survey so I will end this post here. Our broker and surveyor both agreed that they had rarely if ever seen anything so unproffessional from a broker / seller. These people not only did not hold up the contractual agreement but also were rude about the entire deal. When we explained to the broker that we just spent nearly a thousand dollars to have this vessesl surveyed and that a full survey now cannot even be completed he actually shrugged, smiled and just went well we made a good faith effort to fix the motor. We expect a survey list of the defficiancies on the boat as well.

I would run like hell in the opposite direction from this broker and seller!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Barney Post]

Originally Posted by TopoJo

I have to agree with aboutgone. I actually just attempted to have this same exact boat surveyed. ( 1976 Mason Center Cockpit Ketch Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com )
Yes she is a mason, we were initially agreeing with Watson1990. It's a mason at a "reasonable" price. However, I am not one to speak ill of people..But I would be VERY VERY VERY Leary of dealing with this seller and broker. If you are interested in this boat please go into this deal with eyes wide open and make sure to get everything in writing. I do not want another sailor to experience what we did or get ripped off. Also my recommendation would be to have the seller move this boat to a marina equipped to haul out so a complete survey can be done before even showing up with a surveyor. The broker will lie about the boat being able to be moved under power and not tell you until you are there to move her!
The motor has major issues, it needs a new transmission ( according to the mechanic the broker called out who did nothing more than spray ether and run it for 3 minutes ). We were also told the motor was firing up and running the week prior to the survey and that it just for some reason wouldn't work the day we showed up with our broker and surveyor. Our surveyor found that no leaks had been repaired and that the engine had no transmission fluid ( bone dry ). We were not told that the engine had been rebuilt ( as about gone stated in his/her post), but that some work had been done to the top end. There was one minor transmission coolant leak we were told of initially. This was in the contract to be fixed prior to survey sea trial..it was not.
Also this boat is not being well maintained in the slip. We noticed major leaks forward in the V birth rotting out the upper storage compartments. The broker lives next to the boat on his boat, but never noticed the water intrusion or many other minor and obvious damages on the boat. He doesn't really seem to know much of anything about this boat, or is unwilling to be honest about the condition. During the survey when we were asking the broker questions he actually replied with " I don't know, it's not my boat". I do not believe that this vessel is being maintained at all...at the most the bottom is being scrubbed every few months.
The boat also lists heavily to port with little to no gear at all on board. There is no reason we could find storage / tank wise that would cause a major list of this kind. I would be concerned with the unchecked water intrusion forward and the major possibility that the port foam in the hull has been soaking up water. Although it is closed cell foam the year she was built closed cell foam wasn't necessarily so.

The reason I am posting this is because after our experience we feel that this seller/broker will do nothing more than have a shade tree mechanic patch up the motor well enough to motor her into a marina a mile away for a haul out / survey. Instead of being honest about the boat you will hear "I don't know" or I'm not sure" ,"you should get a survey done on her" to find out. We requested that if we were to continue with a purchase we would need a certified Perkins diesel mechanic to work on the motor / find out the real issues, not his buddy mechanic who just sprays ether and leaves after 15 minutes. The broker / owner refused to have a certified Perkins mechanic. We even explained that hey, it is the same price, we want a qualified individual to feel comfortable. We were told no.
I could actually write 3 pages about our experience with this broker and our survey so I will end this post here. Our broker and surveyor both agreed that they had rarely if ever seen anything so unproffessional from a broker / seller. These people not only did not hold up the contractual agreement but also were rude about the entire deal. When we explained to the broker that we just spent nearly a thousand dollars to have this vessesl surveyed and that a full survey now cannot even be completed he actually shrugged, smiled and just went well we made a good faith effort to fix the motor. We expect a survey list of the defficiancies on the boat as well.

I would run like hell in the opposite direction from this broker and seller!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think most of the Masons were built by Ta Shing (Taiwan).

rb

[Barney Post]

Originally Posted by Barney Post

I think most of the Masons were built by Ta Shing (Taiwan).

rb

Except they never made a Mason 48. This one (in the ad) looks like a one-off.

rb

[slap]

I went to the Al mason website The Yacht Design Library of A. Mason to see if there was any information there on the design and builder. There are specifications to all of his designs there - but no 48 foot fiberglass boat is listed.