Touching Base from Puerto Rico (USVI)

[turbo787]

Hello guys and gals. New to the forum and sailboats pretty much. So I want to say hello, and hopefully be around for a long time. My sailboating experience is not much but have been around a couple of times on a Bavaria 44'. Also my cousin has a 19' hunter that is pretty nice. So it comes down to the following. I finally got my wife hooked on sailing b/c with the economy it is cheaper to enjoy what we, specially her, grew up with. So I got us a deal on a fixer upper. Have not gotten all the paperwork on it with the info just yet, but it was a friend's boat. It's supposed to be a 31', my guess is a sloop rig that has some history under it's keel. The boat is one of only three ever made by some rusian guy that lived in Germany. Supposedly he built the natilus sailboats way back then and he did this little 31' for himself and some family members. So one is allegedly still in Germany, one his family member took out to sea and perished somehow with the boat, and the one I'm going to be getting was his brother in law's that he sailed from Germany to the Caribbean. An old guy ended up buying this sailboat from that original owner and stripped everything inside to remodel but was too sick to finish or even get started. He had the boat on a mooring and got loose a couple of times and unfortunatly got caught up on a pier, both times, broke a side window and took on some water. Both times my friend, which was the owner of the rescue company, brought the boat back afloat and tied it. The old man ended up selling it to him b/c of his health issues, and my friend had it on a pier for some years w//o doing anything to it for lack of time to work on it. Can't find anything on it b/c they where not production sailboats so it kind of sucks. The boat came with a 4cil. Volvo diesel but it is non operational right now. So my plans are to get the sailboat, and put it on a mooring until I can get the place ready to bring it to the shop to work it. Will be remodeling it to our tastes, will keep the original tiller it has and will be doing some nice work on it. Thinking about removing the engine and just mounting a bracket for a 15HP outboard since it will mainly be used to sail around the islands of P.R., Culebra, vieques, Palomino, and icacos, for now. It will be me, my wife, our 7mo boy, and the German shepherd puppy we have. Well, that is pretty much it. Oh!!! It comes with two sets of brand new sails!!!! Still need a bunch of miscelaneous stuff but it will be little by little. Any thoughts and/or advice will be greatful!!!!!!

[turbo787]

Trying to upload pics but it won't let me, any ideas? Tnx and happy holidays!!!!

[CSY Man]

Any thoughts and/or advice will be greatful!!!!!!

Yeah, DON'T DO IT....

Sounds like a disaster of a boat.

Get a used, well maintained Catalina 30 instead.
The money you will spend fixing up the German/Russian boat will far exceed the value of the boat and it will be long and frustrating process.
Not only that but you will put your family in danger with hidden structural issues from ill designed and maintained hull, rig, keel, etc.

Even if you get the boat for free, don't do it. If you are paying good money for the thing you are nuts..

[Hudson Force]

It's important to measure the risk of money loss and the physical risks to your family that CSY Man points out above, but then it is also true that many start well with an old, sound, inexpensive boat. I'm a little puzzed by your statement that you,"guess it's a sloop rig" and your post from Peurto Rico... (US Virgin Islands). You must know where you are and what boat you're looking at,- 'maybe this is just a misunderstanding.

Keep us posted of your project and stay safe with your adventure!

[turbo787]

Hello there guys... Thanks for the replies. To answer some of the ??'s I live in Puerto Rico which is part of the usvi's. We are a territory like St. Thomas. Now, I will not put my family at risk and I've done my research. The boat looks to be a sloop. I had gotten the boat to fix up as a family venture, time and money not being really an issue. Now, I have experience with fiberglass. My father in law used to build speed boats and taught me how to work on restoring/refurbishing old boats. So once I'm able to vet it out of the water and on jacks I will be starting this build, as long as my wife don't change her mind!!! Oh... And the boat was acquiered for only $1,500, it's solid so far, but needs some tlc. Keep trying to post pics but it doesn't let me do so... Tnx for the replies and thoughts!!!!!!

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by turbo787

Hello there guys... Thanks for the replies. To answer some of the ??'s I live in Puerto Rico which is part of the usvi's. We are a territory like St. Thomas. Now, I will not put my family at risk and I've done my research. The boat looks to be a sloop. I had gotten the boat to fix up as a family venture, time and money not being really an issue. Now, I have experience with fiberglass. My father in law used to build speed boats and taught me how to work on restoring/refurbishing old boats. So once I'm able to vet it out of the water and on jacks I will be starting this build, as long as my wife don't change her mind!!! Oh... And the boat was acquiered for only $1,500, it's solid so far, but needs some tlc. Keep trying to post pics but it doesn't let me do so... Tnx for the replies and thoughts!!!!!!

New sails cost more than 1500.00,your ahead of the game,keep plugging along and all will be well as long as the hull and rigging are sound...

[CSY Man]

I live in Puerto Rico which is part of the usvi's.

Don't think so.

Puerto Rico is not part of the US Virgin Islands, or at least were not when I lived in Puerto Rico or when I lived in the USVI...

fix up as a family venture, time and money not being really an issue

If time and especially money is not an issue, you should ditch that old wreck and get a proper boat so you can go sailing with your family.

You came here asking for advice and quite a few of us have gone that route before: Fixing up old derelicts vs. buying old but well maintained boats. To get a comfortable and safe vessel out of the wreck you described will probably cost more than buying a good used boat. Therefore you are wasting time and money.

[Mike Vogdes]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

Yeah, DON'T DO IT....

Sounds like a disaster of a boat.

Get a used, well maintained Catalina 30 instead.
The money you will spend fixing up the German/Russian boat will far exceed the value of the boat and it will be long and frustrating process.
Not only that but you will put your family in danger with hidden structural issues from ill designed and maintained hull, rig, keel, etc.

Even if you get the boat for free, don't do it. If you are paying good money for the thing you are nuts..

I agree with this as well.
You can find a decent renovation project like a Catalina 30 for 10k or so and it will not soak up near as much boat dollars as a gutted custom build of unknown quality. Putting an outboard on a 30' inboard sailboat is a fools errand and will not be satisfactory when you get into any kind of rough sea, having reliable power is critical when you want or need to use power.
When it's time to get rid of the boat the Catalina will be a much easier sell.

[Rubikoop]

Turbo, my confused gent. Let Google be your friend to discover that PR is not, and never has been, part of the USVI.

This is from Wiki---
The U.S. Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas, along with the much smaller but historically distinct Water Island, and many other surrounding minor islands. The total land area of the territory is 133.73 square miles (346.4 km2).[1] The territory's capital is Charlotte Amalie on the island of Saint Thomas.

You probably didn't come here for geography lessons. :-)
I would suggest running away from just about any "free" boats. They frequently end up costing much more than they are worth when finally made ready to actually use. I think expecting an outboard to be an effective substitute is not very realistic on a 30' sailboat. I would suggest looking at Craigslist and walking some docks to see what you can find that is more ready to go. There are some pretty decent small boats to be had for under $10k that have a working diesel, functional sails but just in need of a lot of TLC. Good luck!!!

[turbo787]

Thanks for the replies and concerns. About Puerto Rico not being part of the USVI is kind of odd. The tags on the taxi cabs here, and just about any type of "commercial" transportation have their registration #, like those found on boats, starting with the VI-#####. Upon further research I found that indeed it stands for Virgin Island. But that's not important, topography is not the issue at hand. As far as the engine? Well, I work for the Volvo Penta dealer in the Caribbean and I'm very familiar with Volvo diesels. Maybe I'll recondition the engine or put one that is laying around here at the shop so I could have more reliability when out cruising. The boat will be used for coastal cruising only, not passage making on this one, and, like I said, I have knowledge on doing my own fiber work, interior wood work, electrical, etc. I like projects. It's something that I pride myself in knowing I did it the way I wanted it to fit my needs. I've looked at a bunch of other boats that look nice, but have been beaten, have problems upon further inspection and the owners want to sell it like if it was brand new, but in work alone it would be what they're asking for the boat and that goes not just for sailboats. If people where honest then it would be a different story. I was given a 1990 31' sea ray sundancer for free that had gotten termites. But I don't want a gas gussler power cruiser (sbc v8's, & ''v'' drives). Too much money to fix with new engines, is out of the water and don't know if it'll float, and won't be 5yrs. If you try selling a boat now a days how long before you could sell it? Never ever gonna get what you put in it b/c a "new" one could be had for around the same, depending on the boat. I know of a client that bought brand spanking new 52' marquis yacht that has three IPS600 Volvo diesels and it's been sitting at the dock. I rather fix something I can enjoy knowing it was done the right way By no means I'm trying to be disrespectful to anyone giving me their advice!!!! I appreciate every bit of them. I just think that I have an advantage over the regular joe out there with skills, friends, and time to do so. I originally was gonna do a Bruce Roberts design, but don't have the space to do one!!!! So, I think this actually encourages me to plow along and enjoy this quest, that it might be crazy to some, but it makes sense in a way. Another thing is that the boat is actually a Neptune 31', no longer in production (only three where built from what I understand) and actually found one that looks almost identical to mine in Spain!!! I'm gonna try to post some pics of the boat where it sits now on it's dock at the marina. Well. I try uploading pics but it won't let me so I'll try to load them on my profile album. Can someone upload them for me? I can send them to an email of another member so it can be done. Every time I try to do so it just cuts me off. Thanks!!!!!

[CSY Man]

Well, I work for the Volvo Penta dealer in the Caribbean and I'm very familiar with Volvo diesels

That is great and because you are working and living in the islands you should know which island is where and what Natioanlity.

So you work for the Volvo Penta dealer and planned to fit an outboard to the 31' displacement boat, but now you think there may be a usable diesel engine laying around in the shop somewhere..

This is getting better and better, let me guess: Bored teenager playing with Mom's computer, trolling the internet trying to get bites....?

[Rubikoop]

It's fantastic that you have all the skills, time, money and desire to resurrect an abandoned vessel. I think it's a noble thing to do much like recycling.

I am quite confused still. You say you are physically on PR yet you think it is part of the USVI. Then you say that registration numbers start with VIxxx. I was in Puerto Del Rey on Monday to bring a boat back to the VI. Yes boats registered in the USVI do start with VIxxx but Puerto Rican registered boats all start with PRxxxx. There are 100s of them in the marina. I race against them in the regattas etc. I see the PR Navy come and go all the time, the registration is how we know where they're from. How long have you been there? If you're giving away rebuilt Volvos, shoot me a pm. I would like a few. :-)

[CSY Man]

Born in Puerto Rico and raised here until 13. Moved to fl with the family. Moved back to the caribbean 'caused I missed the good surf!!!! Have 3 welding tech certs, 4 automotive tech certs, 1 marine tech cert, and working on a motorcycle tech cert. Love to seek knowledge. Work with marine volvo diesels right now and also do security services for the same shop. Very busy but has to be done to support the wife and baby, and the bike habits... Location: USVI(Puerto Rico)

Well Well, I stand corrected: You actually live there, your work with diesel engines and you really think Puerto Rico is part of the USVI.

My apologies, but also I strongly recommend reading up on geography and politics of where you hang your hat.

[turbo787]

Glad to hear from you guys so soon!!! Well, to answer some of the questions and confusions. I'm not a teenage kid playing with my mom's computer. That one was good!!!! Anyway, I'm not too fond of inboards on a sailboat. Had my share of working on them and they're a *&^%$ to work on b/c of the space, hence my idea of going with an outboard since I've seen some on some sailboats and their owners swear it was the best thing they did. Now, I don't have Volvo engines laying around in the shop to give away. They're not mines to do so, but I can get my hands on one if it's for me personally with little issue or just recondition the one already on the boat. Now, the boat registration #'s all start with the
''PR''. I was talking about the taxis here. If you where here and looked at one on the rear window you will see they do have this other registration #, not tag # and not like in the boat. I made the comparison only to give an idea of how it looks on the cars, not the boats, so forgive me if I got you confused. I am in Fajardo P.R.. You are correct!!! I do need to read up on my geography!!!!! You know it's kind of funny that all my life I thought we where usvi!!!!! All we really are is a territory. It really doesn't matter but I stand corrected!!!!!!!

[turbo787]

So the big question is!!!!!!! Can anyone post the pics for me? I can send them through email!!!!!!! I want to show you guys this controversial boat build!!!!!;-)