Should I fix or sell my boat?

[Cadence]

He wants to sail this spring. That amount of refit is not likely to happen. Spring is about here.

[hamburking]

I owned a CAL25, and I'm guessing your CROWN28 is not too different.

You gave a long list of work that needs to be done. New standing+running rigging, new mainsail, deckwork, all new wiring, bottom paint...etc. And you never even mention the ENGINE, through hull fittings, tanks, hoses, galley, cushions, and so many many more pieces that make up a sailboat.

Thats a lot of work. IMHO, the cost of those repairs, even just the parts and materials, exceeds the value of the boat. And thats just the cost of the materials...don't forget the solid month of work you would need to get it done.

I suggest you put it back together as best you can with as little cost and effort as possible, and offer it for sale as a handyman special.

[TrentePieds]

Ellevan:

Maybe you are just feeling a bit overwhelmed :-) ?

You are on VI you say, so you'll be sailing in the Gulf Islands unless you happen to be in Port Hardy, Powell River, Alert Bay or some such remote place. TP happens to be in Ladysmith, tho my home is in the Lower Mainland. Let us know just where your boat is. It may not be as bad as you seem to think.

Remember that, in the summer, the Salish Sea is very benign sailing water, and you may well be able to do a lot of the work while you are on the hook somewhere so you can plug away at the work at a leisurely pace. I've rewired much of TP by putting in an hour or two in the morning while MyBeloved cooked breakfast :-)

Think about whether, given the benignity of the Salish in the summer, you can't bottom paint 'er. pop on a coupla fresh zincs, verify that your starting and charging circuits are sound and your battery(ies) good, splash 'er and go sailing. That's what I would do.

Clue us in to you sailing experience. We'll be able to help you better :-)

TP

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Ellevan

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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I'm on Vancouver Island and it seems every shop around has a limited supply and charges unreasonable prices..
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>>>>>>

So am I! Hi. I moved here less than 2 years ago, and have spent some time, all good, finding suppliers for my boat stuff.

On the Island: Trotac in Victoria. Wonderful folks, great gear. There's also a good marine store in Nanaimo.

You shouldn't want for anything between these two, plus what you can get online.

And everything I've ever wanted that someone didn't have was always accompanied by: "I can get it from the mainland tomorrow," OR "I don't have it, but I know who does. Wait, I'll call him for you right now!"

Good luck. With the stanchions off (?) you'd have to put 'em back on beofre you sold or else you'd be throwing $$ away. Just rebed 'em. Use butyl tape from Maine Sail.

[Lake-Effect]

As mentioned, fiberglass/epoxy work isn't tricky, it just takes time. And it's hard to screw up as long as you get some information about it, and work slowly and methodically.

Electrical - do you really need to rewire, or were you just put off by the messy appearance? Again, get a couple of books, and test what you've got. You may just be ok, and if you upgrade to LEDs, the existing wiring may be more than adequate.

Standing rigging is important - are you certain it needs replacing, or can you get another season of daysailing out of it? Ditto for the sheets and halyards.

Our plan was to sail NOW & sail often, and even though we bought a small pocket-cruiser with some obvious deficiencies, we were still sailing 3 weeks after purchase, and kept sailing as we fixed all the issues. I've also worked on larger boats.

[Mplight]

If you can afford a sail-able boat without having to sell what you have- then there are a ton of used boats in god shape ready to sail-
If on the other hand you need the funds from the sale of your current boat, you should just go ahead and do the repairs to what you have.
My wife and I had zero experience with Fiberglass or bottom prep, boat Wiring, plumbing, but we re-bedded bulkheads (fiberglass reinforcement), replumbed the head including rebuilding the head itself, replaced an alternator, rewired bilge and water pumps and replaced a freshwater tank as well as stripped the hull and applied 4 coats of barrier coat and rolled and tipped the top sides. It tools a good deal of sweat but was absolutely worth it.
Hope this helps- good luck!

[charliehows]

Depends on why you have the boat. I've got a simple rule of thumb with anything that needs doing on my boat - keep her sailing. I've lost count of the number of boats where some enthusiastic idiot has decided his path to the dream boat starts with ripping the boat he has to pieces ensuring the damn thing will never actually sail again. Whenever I've looked at one of these for sale I do a quick calculation for how much money the idiot who has wrecked it should pay me to take it away.

[Over Budget]

What is your objective, project(s), save money or sail? If you want a project, then proceed with the work understanding that it will take time (and money) from sailing. And the things you see as needing attention now will grow as other fixes become apparent. If you want to sail, and unless you have a lot of money sunk in the purchase of the boat you own, I’d suggest you look around for a replacement.

[calin1967]

Originally Posted by Ellevan

- new wiring throughout, including up the mast.
- lights inside and out including mast lights.
- stanchions and chainplates pulled and reset(as far as I know the decks are dry and solid but things were starting to seep and I've already pulled the stanchions off)
- needs a mainsail(hoping for a used one)
- needs all new lines and tackle.
- needs standing rigging replaced.
- bottom paint was done last in may '15 and has been sitting on the hard for a year, so that needs doing.
There may also be an issue with the poorly done transom cutout which was not sealed properly.

I am a fan of doing things one by one, while sailing. On my opinion the resale value of your boat is close to zero, and with a minimum investment you can make it sail during the day: standing rigging (even not stainless), second hand mainsail, cheap lines (maybe not marine), second hand tackle and fixing the stanchions. Anyway you have to take out the mast in order to replace the standing rigging so you should put the top light and the cables inside the mast, so the next step would be to fix the navigation lights and connect them through a simple second hand panel, so you will be able to sail during the night. If you install some 12 v outlets inside you can connect some car lights so you will have light inside too. I would postpone the bottom painting for next year and I would start sailing, doing the rest of things one by one.

[Ellevan]

Again, I'm thrilled with the response this post has received, this is all very helpful. Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions.
I've uploaded some pictures of the Crown 28 to my profile, taken when I purchased her in early 2017. FYI, I paid $2500. I'll get some more recent pictures soon.
I was mistaken when I said she needs a main. There is a nice main, but she needs a forsail.

To answer some of your questions,

She came with an old Honda 15 four stroke. It ran when I bought it, but has been sitting and will need a major tune up. After further research, I found that the Crown 28 usually came with an inboard(which I would prefer), so I don't know why this one didn't. I don't see any evidence of an engine being removed or any patch work where the prop would have been.

The mast was down when I bought the boat. The boat was not being used and the mast was stored in someone's backyard. It came with a Harken roller furling and a main sail. It seems to have never been wired up the mast, there's not even a hole through the step where an old wire would have been.
The mast does have some hard rigging attached, but it's in pieces and at least needs some more fittings if not a complete replacement.

Someone mentioned led in the keel. I believe it is iron, as there is a bit of rust showing through the bottom paint since it's been sitting.

My sailing experience is very little, as in just a few hours. I have been out on the water in non-sailing vessels and have my PCOC and ROCM.

The wiring that I can find in the boat looks like old household lamp wire, as in it's thin and crap. I think it may have been a home job.

In fact, due to his Crown lacking an inboard and having such weak wiring installed(and not mast wiring or lights), I'm wondering if it may have been a hull kit that someone finished the interior on independently? I've heard this is a possibility and would explain why she's a little bare bones.

Time to go earn some money. I'll post some more recent photos this weekend. Thanks again for all the great suggestions!

[calin1967]

Ellevan, maybe a more experienced person will find out surprising things about your boat.. do you have any friend/acquintance that can take a look? Or maybe some forum colleague which lives close to you...

[thomm225]

Sounds like you may have gotten in over your head a bit.

Also, lots of guys on this site would rather fix something than sail most any day so you will get tons of support to repair the old boat.

And BTW, a major tuneup on a 15hp 4 stroke outboard is fairly simple and quite inexpensive if you are familiar with outboards. You could probably do it in a couple hours and replace the impeller

I'd much rather work on an outboard than fix up on the old boats ....painting, sanding, rebedded etc..

My old $2,000 boat was all put together when I bought it and I still haven't replaced the rigging etc even though it sat for 5 years

I sail it often but it still needs lots of stuff..........

Those Crown 28's do look right nice though fixed up....

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classifi...lboat_22694807

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=3790

[hellosailor]

ellevan-
If you want an objective answer, get out a pencil and paper. Or a spreadsheet.
Start at one end of the boat and go to the other, writing down every job that has to be done, and with each job a list of materials that it will require. That means, for instance, with the mast wiring you will need to pull up catalogues and see what wiring costs. And yes, you'll have to figure out which way to do the job.

But when you've got a detailed list of everything you will need to buy to make yourself happy with the boat, and a list of how many hours of labor that might take, you'll have an answer. Since it is a boat, you figure labor several ways. "If I'm lucky this will take...If I'm not sure this could take..." with min/max figures for both. Value your time at nothing if it is a hobby, value it at minimum wage, value it as what a carpenter could make hiring out by the day, your choice.

And you'll get a number, or a range of numbers. Maybe it needs $4000-6000 in repairs. Maybe fifteen. But if it needs more than the boat could be replaced for?

Your choice, do it for love or bail out now. The rest is all just math.

[TrentePieds]

Ellevan:

In response to some of the posts here: Remember that if you bail at this stage, since you've already bought the boat, you'll be responsible for disposal, call it about Can$10K. Most newbs who buy a fixer-upper in a fit of enthusiasm forget that!

So let's just settle down to getting this good old boat going for you :-)!

The Crown 28s are really good little boats, and the Honda 15 is a very good little "kicker". As someone said, a tune-up is quite cheap and you can do it yourself if you like. There are tricks to every trade, so just talk to us about it. If you really want to, you could be sailing this summer, tho spring might be a bit too much to expect - that's only 6 weeks away.

So one more time - I'm in Ladysmith. Where are you and the boat located?

TP

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Ellevan

Looking for advice. I own a Crown 28(similar to Cal 2-27) that needs a few things. I'm trying to determine my best course of action towards sailing this spring. I can't decide between hunkering down and completing the project or selling and picking up a vessel that is ready to sail. I know all old boats will need something and that it's never ending, but this one needs quite a lot... I should ad that I am a carpenter with a fair bit of experience in electrical and plumbing, so following is work that I would take on myself. I've just never done it before so it's hard to judge how much it may cost and how long it may take.
Here's what she needs(that I'm aware of)
- new wiring throughout, including up the mast.
- lights inside and out including mast lights.
- stanchions and chainplates pulled and reset(as far as I know the decks are dry and solid but things were starting to seep and I've already pulled the stanchions off)
- needs a mainsail(hoping for a used one)
- needs all new lines and tackle.
- needs standing rigging replaced.
- bottom paint was done last in may '15 and has been sitting on the hard for a year, so that needs doing.
There may also be an issue with the poorly done transom cutout which was not sealed properly. I'm dreading the idea of cutting rotten ply out of the transom...as one thing I have zero experience with is fiberglass. Staying positive.
It's a lot, I know. I paid too much for it already. What would you do? Light it on fire?
I'll post pictures if anyone's interested.

I believe you would be spending good money after bad. This spring sounds out of the question for sailing. Find a sailable boat, probably cost far less than costs you are looking at for a refit. JMHO Good luck!