Refitting - Better than Factory

[minaret]

Yes, Joss is a Mac 65. But the extension looks very much like the one Charlie was doing at the time, that's why it came up in conversation. Someone had wondered aloud where she was at the time...

[CharlieCobra]

I almost bought Joss but couldn't put the money together. She held the Newport to Ensenada record for over thirty years. None of the maxi's could break it until a couple of years ago.

[Stumble]

It is both possible to refit a boat better than new, and worse than new, and sadly the amount of money spent is likely to be similar if the work is done well.

I kow an Irwin 54' that since Katrina has had over $750,000 spent to refit her, and still needs a lot of interior work. The cost to buy a good used one would be around $350,000.

I also know a few J boats that have had extensive modifications that really do make the boat safer, faster, and all round better.

On the other hand I kow a guy who added a hard enclosure to an Alberg 40ish that weighed so much the boat became unstable, and couldn't be sailed anymore.

Truth be told there are likely more remits that damage the value of the boat than ones that help, but there is no hard and fast rule I have ever found that defines it.

[Cheechako]

Yes, many good ideas.... well... aren't! On one boat I decided that I should eliminate some of the many thru hulls. After I was done I found:
* the drains didnt work as well as previously
* Though I had less thruhulls/seacocks, was the boat any safer? i think it was less safe, as now I had a multitude of longer hoses, tees, clamps and fittings below the water line. I'm thinkin a hose is a higher safety risk than a bronze thru hull! You can read too much sometimes. One guy writes a book, mentions that he eliminated some thru hulls, and next thing you know a bunch of people take it as gospel!

[Saltyhog]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Yes, many good ideas.... well... aren't! On one boat I decided that I should eliminate some of the many thru hulls. After I was done I found:
* the drains didnt work as well as previously
* Though I had less thruhulls/seacocks, was the boat any safer? i think it was less safe, as now I had a multitude of longer hoses, tees, clamps and fittings below the water line. I'm thinkin a hose is a higher safety risk than a bronze thru hull! You can read too much sometimes. One guy writes a book, mentions that he eliminated some thru hulls, and next thing you know a bunch of people take it as gospel!

Very true! I often find that although what many take as "Gospel" seem like a good idea in general, in the certain circumstances I'm faced with on my particular boat, something else make more sense and a better solution. It's the difference between strategic and tactical approaches. You need to have a good strategy in place, but it's often the tactical decisions that win the war.