Bruce Roberts barn find- is it worth it?

[Cadence]

It sounds like the OP hasn't even looked at her. I would ask about the gentleman's welding background that built her. If it is like mine run. I saw one hull built by a navy yard welder that had the seams all x-rayed by comparison.
There is nothing wrong with a Bruce Roberts design.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by shayski

There's no engine or mast.

Looks like at least half the responders didn't bother to read your original post. You are talking major money as well as time to complete this vessel. Remember that the hull is hardly the most expensive part of a boat. Before you consider this further, be brutally honest about the cost and the labor required to finish this boat so that it is suitable for your intended use. You will likely find it is less expensive in the end to buy a boat that is ready to use. You may also find that investing the same number of hours in other contracting work at which you are already experienced would result in more than enough money to buy your desired boat.

[NorthCoastJoe]

Unless you have your own property to park it while you work on it, run away. My father built a steel Spray in the middle 1980's. I spent 4 months welding and grinding with him every day to have a closed in hull. In the process my father had to move the unfinished boat twice. Moving a boat of that size and weight is going to cost you.

I have look at several steel boats since, they always have repair issues due to neglect. Boats rust from the inside out. Find something that is ready to go there are deals out there.

[fatherchronica]

Two hours is a nice drive unless of course it is in Southern California where it might just cover 15 or 20 miles on a Friday afternoon. I would go see it, it cannot hurt.

[anacapaisland42]

tried that......NO.....buy old used and save a fortune and go sailing sooner
Bill

[NevisDog]

We looked at two very beautifully finished steel boats. One had all the interior fit-out screwed together so each part could be removed for re-painting inside of hull at a later date - very nice; the other was equally beautiful inside but no way of taking anything apart to get to the hull. Since a steel hull will need refurbishing at some time in the future, the second boat seems to have a very limited life expectancy, as the internal fit-out/joinery is worth far, far more than the steel hull. My estimate was boat 1 worth maybe half the equivalent GRP or less, the other worth almost nothing.

If build quality is excellent and all it needs is engine, mast and rigging then price seems right (the other bits often need replacing anyway) but you still need somewhere to store it and work on it and that cost can be horrendous.

[Pauls]

I have a background which includes designing and building several boats including a 42' steel cutter.


No one can tell you whether the boat in question is a good idea for you as no one has seen it. And no one on this forum knows your abilities, resources and desires.


Go look at the boat. Obviously. If you want better feedback from this forum you would do the best inspection of the boat you are capable of, take pix, and include the data in your post. Personally, I am quite capable of evaluating a project like this, but asking for input from us without details means answers will be of limited value.


Look at the boat. Work out where you will keep it as you work on it. Some very basic points to evaluate: how fair is the hull and decks, has the hull plating been welded on the inside (welds should be on both the inside and outside of the plating seams), has the interior been painted? Find an accessible spot on the interior and use it to evaluate the interior paint job. If the interior was blasted prior to painting then you have a conscientious builder and the interior will be trouble free. You could ask the seller if the builder blasted the interior, if he/she knows. If not, use an epoxy paint remover to gently (only gentle rubbing is allowed) remove a spot of paint. The surface of the steel should have the surface finish created by blasting, it will be finely rough and will act like a fine nail file if you rub your nail across it. If it has not been blasted prior to painting then you will have trouble down the road. If it has you have a quality piece of work.


This boat could be an excellent deal for you. And it could be a massive waste of time and money. The devil is always in the details. So look at them.

[Mike Banks]

Get a marine surveyor to go with you and check the welds and hull plating--and if he says it is OK--you have spent a grand and eliminated all doubt.

I say give it a try0--the widow just wants it OUT of the place by the sounds of it.

Once you have it--add a motor and start using it. You can put mast and sails on as you find them

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

If build quality is excellent and all it needs is engine, mast and rigging then price seems right (the other bits often need replacing anyway) but you still need somewhere to store it and work on it and that cost can be horrendous.

If the half finished boat still needs engine, mast, and rigging, it is a good bet that it also needs deck hardware, anchor handling gear, dinghy handling gear, canvas, sails, electronics, genset, and other required mechanicals and electricals. Yes, the cost of yard space to store and work on the boat will be substantial, but all the rest of the costs and time involved in turning a hull into a sailing vessel will be even more. This is the point at which the OP needs to determine exactly what is required to finish the vessel and what that will realistically cost (and then probably double the estimate ). Does he know where that money will come from? If so - great. That probably means he has enough money available to go out and buy a used boat which will already meet his cruising needs and desires. Building a 43' vessel is a labor of love, but it is seldom a bargain.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by J Clark H356

I have a friend who had a steel boat. It sounds great until you try to keep it painted. Sailed like a tank. They rust unless it is not regular steel and some variant that is Corten that rusts and creates an oxidized finish. While it forms the oxidized finish, it runs rust all,over anything nearby. Huge maintenance and for what value -so you can run over a steel container and still probably get a hole? Be very wary of this boat.

Baloney !
Coal tar epoxy.
How many boats holed from containers? You must have that statistic on your lips right ?

[minou]

It is both
I stumbled upon a Bruce Roberts barn find 3 years ago myself. So I will give you my take on my personal experiences.
As to a boat calling out to you, this has never been a more true statement.
When I first laid eyes on my 44 foot Bruce Roberts center cockpit offshore I immediately fell in love with her. That was in 1992 sitting forlornly under cover across from where I was working.
Five years ago I tracked down the owner and asked if he wanted to sell. He was out to lunch on what he hoped to get so I did not even go look.
Three years ago I called again a nd had to have a look. I was 49. He made me an offer cause I couldn't insult him with what I would pay.
I ended up with it. It was at that time an empty shell with only the temporary bulkheads and all sorts piled inside.
Although I plan to launch her Apr - May next year she will still need much detail and many toys. Not a problem as I like the newest and best you can buy.

Sooo
What words of wisdom I can offer is
Do not even attempt this if you can't store and work on it at you place.
If you want to sail in next 5 years don't do it
It is definitely a rewardinglabour of love and you find all stink holes in the building process.
Time will not be you friend so yes...at least triple time on projects.
Would I do it again...no once is enough and she is custom built to last longer than me so that is good enough.

About me....
I am a marine engineer on a coastal cruiser in the Vancouver island area.
I pit in between 130 to 150 sea days cruising the coast in style.
So my build is not to get out cruising now, it is to stay cruising when I have had enough working for the man.
My house is going up for sale next year and we will see how livaboard treats us and if we have to buy a condo to go with the boat we will.

One last thing don't push your other half into it just include them.my wife has designed this boat to her wants and needs and should enjoy the coming years.
Sorry to be so long winded. Got carried away.

[stubones99]

It depends on whether you plan to sell it at some time in the future.

Look at Yachtworld and see if there are others on the market, and ask a broker how long they have been on the market. The length of time on the market is a direct representation of how long it may take to sell yours. The boat below was built by a guy just south of me, and apparently he didn't sail it long, but it's been on Yachtworld for years.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200...rawler-2556615

I know it's not identical to your boat in question, but similar, fitted out and in the water.

I have been a big fan of Bruce Roberts designs and even got to the point of buying some plans for one and didn't move past that. My age and ability to make it work have past that point and I'm better off buying what I want, with minimal fixer-upper stuff, since some amount will have to be hired out.

On the other hand, A trawler called Sonata was built by a guy who built vineyard equipment and did some amazing stuff on that boat. It went on the market about 7 years ago and sold for $424k or something. That was an incredible boat...

I went aboard a 65' Bruce Roberts that has been on the market for years, sold a couple of times and pops back up every few years. There are now significant rust issues on that boat and I couldn't wait to get off it. It is a shame to have a nice boat simply disintegrate with the owners doing nothing to stop the slide.

If you're a young person with good mechanical skills, a place to build the boat, spare time on your hands, perhaps you can make something of it.

[jimisbell]

Originally Posted by thruska

Baloney !
Coal tar epoxy.
How many boats holed from containers? You must have that statistic on your lips right ?

I agree,Baloney. Steel boats are no more a maintenance problem than any other boat. I owned a steel Bruce Roberts 44 CC Ketch for 10 years. The maintenance is different not more. As someone said, steel boats rust from the inside, not from the outside as one would assume.


Steel boats wont be holed by a nearly submerged container.


Steel boats can be dragged off a reef and sailed away.


Steel boats are no heaver than fiberglass boats and do not "sail like a tank" as some uninformed person said. Took 4000 pound keel to get my BR to the proper waterline.


Steel boats can be repaired anywhere in the world. Even in the most backward countries there are skilled welders and because of war, there is steel EVERYWHERE. Skilled fiberglass workers and materials are NOT everywhere.


For a good overall review of steel boats, read my article, "Whats So Strange About Steel Boats", in Good Old Boats August 1999 issue. I explain how I found Millennium Falcon and some of the maintenance.


I have since sold her and she then sat in on the hard after I redesigned he keel. The new owner just abandoned her and the $50K he paid for her and she languished in the boatyard until a friend of mine got her for free because the previous owner had quit paying yard fees. It now sits on the side of a lake in Missouri with its new keel buried in the ground as a lake cabin. Still solid, but no longer seaworthy.


I currently have a 1978 Mainship 34 Sedan Trawler in fiberglass. Would I get another steel boat? Maybe, but probably not.....not a used one.

[Antares Sky]

Originally Posted by thruska

Baloney !
Coal tar epoxy.
How many boats holed from containers? You must have that statistic on your lips right ?

Totally agree with you pure Baloney.
I have an 18 year old steel hull Bruce Roberts 345
There is NO rust inside or out. The boat was well
Built, sand blasted in and outside. Epoxy primed and epoxy under coated in and outside then finished with two part poly Awlgrip Paint top coat.

Glen

[jimisbell]

Thats why I say "not a used boat" If you buy a used boat you dont know how it was put together. If you build it yourself you can control the variables. Same with glass boats. If the builder used inferior epoxy or didnt cure it right, you have delamination and blisters.



That hull in the woods we are talking about probably has gallons of fresh water in the bilge and is terribly rusted. Walk away.