Touching Base from Puerto Rico (USVI)

[turbo787]

Hey Rubikoop, when are you gonna be down here again? Love cats!!!!!! I've worked on Kuhela, a 42', of Harry Arnold and his wife. They're from Hawaii. I'd love to meet if possible!!!!!

[boatman61]

Here's Turbo's Boat...

[boatman61]

Another angle...

[turbo787]

Weepee!!!!!! Thanks to boatman61 for uploading these photos for me. So this is the "resurrection" of..."TOPI TOPI"!!!!!!!!!! I think that's how it's going to be named!!! It's a thing we do here with the babies. We say "topi, topi, topi", while we move our heads closer together until they lightly bump and repeat it again. My boy loves it!!!!! I know she doesn't look like much, but I've seen worst!!!! Once I get her out of the water I can pressure wash her, remove the barnacles from the hull and start the cleaning process to the assess the needed repairs that have to be done.

[CSY Man]

Here's Turbo's Boat...

Aye, flip it, sink it or run away from it..

It is called "Negative Value", that means it will cost more to fix it up that it will ever be worth. There is no such thing as a bargain boat but most people learn it the hard way :-(

[tropicalescape]

It has new sails, if the mast, boom, running and standing rigging,chain plates and /or the surface they mount to are in good shape ,fix the bow section, check the thru hulls...If all is good and it has been floating there for some years ,why could it not be sailed around a bit ? I think you realize it is not a "world beater" so go about your project and have fun at the same time, all the while taking due caution..Maybe have a dingy and good engine in tow while "smoking it over"..All of this goes out the window if you are elderly,infirm or so cautious that caution keeps you from doing any and everything (lol)..If you can afford a nice boat by all means go for a nice boat,but if not ,what other choice does a poor man on this earth have? You seem to have a "cant never could attitude" and that will serve you well while scrapping, scratching,plundering and asking for help and looking for misc. items that may be needed to get her up to snuff..You can do this ...good luck(you will need it! just kidding, ha ha)

[turbo787]

Thanks for the inspiring words tropicalescape. The mast is in good shape, all the stanchions are good and solid. She will need some work and a lot of tlc, but it can be done. I just turned 34 right now so I still have some juice left in me. I also just looked at the classifieds here and they want too much money for 1970's boats that need to be rebuilt completely from the inside($4,500 for the cheapest one) so add up the price of the boat and then the time and materials to get it worthy to sail around and you really end up with too much of an investment. It doesn't matter if it needs work done, I'll do it, but the price needs to come down to earth. That's why I got this one for $1,500. Also, I have access to other sailboats that have winches, and spare parts so it should be interesting! The bow section, from what I was able to see in the other one I saw it's supposed to have like a cover b/c the anchor goes right there. The boat has always been in the water, never taken out for more than 3yrs and it still floating. The papers say it's a Neptune 31'. It should be interesting if I could have it sailing say by june/july if I start on it the way I'm hoping, at least just sailing and an auxiliary outboard for emergencies. I'm probable going to get a free dinghy from another friend with a little 4hp evinrude to tow around. Well, tnx for the reply!!!!! Also, are you in the Caribbean? tropicalescape sounds like the Caribbean!!!!!!!

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by turbo787

Thanks for the inspiring words tropicalescape. The mast is in good shape, all the stanchions are good and solid. She will need some work and a lot of tlc, but it can be done. I just turned 34 right now so I still have some juice left in me. I also just looked at the classifieds here and they want too much money for 1970's boats that need to be rebuilt completely from the inside($4,500 for the cheapest one) so add up the price of the boat and then the time and materials to get it worthy to sail around and you really end up with too much of an investment. It doesn't matter if it needs work done, I'll do it, but the price needs to come down to earth. That's why I got this one for $1,500. Also, I have access to other sailboats that have winches, and spare parts so it should be interesting! The bow section, from what I was able to see in the other one I saw it's supposed to have like a cover b/c the anchor goes right there. The boat has always been in the water, never taken out for more than 3yrs and it still floating. The papers say it's a Neptune 31'. It should be interesting if I could have it sailing say by june/july if I start on it the way I'm hoping, at least just sailing and an auxiliary outboard for emergencies. I'm probable going to get a free dinghy from another friend with a little 4hp evinrude to tow around. Well, tnx for the reply!!!!! Also, are you in the Caribbean? tropicalescape sounds like the Caribbean!!!!!!!

If the engine is not frozen I would think getting it fixed would be the way to go ,what is wrong with it ?..... not in the islands,but I have been on a few islands in the carribean(I always thought that Jamaica was the only island/country in the Carribean Sea! All others are in the atlantic with the south shore being in the carribean)and came by the moniker as I was preparing to cast off my lines,that was in 2010 and I some how have managed to allow many different things to be placed in my way, preventing me from heading on to my "tropical escape"..Maybe 2014 will be my year to at least get started, I made myself a few promises back in 1983 and one of them was to sail my boat around the world before I turned 50,man I really have got to get a move on!!...good luck ,fair winds and far places to you...

[CSY Man]

if the mast, boom, running and standing rigging,chain plates and /or the surface they mount to are in good shape ,

What if not....?

Pull the mast: New rigging, new terminals, new chainplates, new tangs, new running rigging, etc.

Some of us has been through this before and are painfully aware of how expensive it can be to refurbish an old and beaten up boat.

Sure, you can put some lip stick on the pig and just go sailing but something called safety comes into play then...

Turbo787: I lived on and sailed an old boat in the USVIs when you were 5 years old, been there done that and not an armchair sailor with no experience trying to scare you away from a good and safe experience with your family.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

............................ There is no such thing as a bargain boat but most people learn it the hard way ....... (

I agree with CSY Man's cautions to be safe, but there are bargain boats for those with patience and skill. It may be true that you will "learn the hard way". Certainly you can't take an old boat with many needs and make it worthwhile by payiing a boat yard to refurbish it, but with wise labor and patience in finding suitable hardware, you can refit an older boat to produce something sound, functional and safe. Much of the "safe" part will be the choices you make when operating the boat.

[CSY Man]

Much of the "safe" part will be the choices you make when operating the boat. Today 03:19

True enough, you cannot buy safety at West Marine, but either a boat is Seaworthy or it is not, a bit like being pregnant.

As a minimum, when this boat is ready to be launched it should be surveyed to determine if it meets ABYC standards.

At any rate, I am bowing out of this thread, good luck to everybody.

[turbo787]

Thanks for all the replies and concerns. I know and understand very well everyones point and good advice that comes from years of experience out in the water. I'm not even wet behind the ears yet!!!!. So just to let you guys know that I will have the boat properly surveyed to see if she is sound and worth the time that will be requiered to get her going. I don't like making decissions based upon what I see. Example? I bought a 1964 mustang from an old man one time. It looked like crap. Was sitting for over 8yrs. Had some rust. It looked like a mess. But upon further inspection it turned out to be an all original, 84k mile beauty. Put a battery, some fresh fuel and she started right up and drove. So I don't let apearances disuade me easily, but I do check everything out first before going ahead. In a worst case scenario I can seel the sails for what I paid for her.:-)

[boatman61]

Well.. all I can offer is an example from this side.. a couple off Portuguese lads asked me to go down to Seville with them a couple of years back to help them pick up a Chance 37.. if I considered it worth it..
She'd been on the hard for about 5yrs, rain had got in and the floor and bottoms of the ply bulkheads were rotting.. the Westerbeake was not running... she was a mess.
I told them to go see the owner with the list of faults I'd found and tell them 16K euro was over the top.. and offer 2K, accept that or we walked.. they accepted the 2K.
1 week later after they'd done some cleaning up and I done some sail repair and strapped an outboard on the stern we sailed down the Guadalquvir for Fig da Foz.. some 700 miles away.. couple of blows but she coped fine and today...
She has a rebuilt engine, a new paint job and lots of deck work... the interior needs finishing but.. she's passed inspection and earns her keep during the summer doing Day Sails for paying punters out of Peniche to the Isla Berlinga's...
So... sometimes pigs do turn out good.. hell my first boat was a timber restoration that I sailed the UK and France for 2yrs after I'd finished her so don't be talked out of it by folk who've not seen her... look her over in black and white and go with your gut as to whether to fix or dump.. and only dedicate what money you can afford to lose.. Best wishes..

[Rubikoop]

Originally Posted by turbo787

Hey Rubikoop, when are you gonna be down here again? Love cats!!!!!! I've worked on Kuhela, a 42', of Harry Arnold and his wife. They're from Hawaii. I'd love to meet if possible!!!!!

I'm paid to move boats for people. Sometimes with little notice. I don't know when I will be back there before August. I make numerous trips for hurricane storage and will surely be doing the same next season. Your boat should be done by then. :-)

[pistarckle]

I believe that Puerto Rico is a COMMONWEALTH of the United States .
I believe the V. I. is an unincorporated territory of the United States .
What is the difference between the two you ask , one is eligible for statehood , the other is not . V. I income tax ' mirrors ' the U.S. , P.R. income tax mirrors the U.S. tax laws in effect at time of adoption of commonwealth status . HUH !