Refurbing / Refitting an Older boat - Advice and Ideas

[Allan S]

Wavewacker, just keep doing what are doing, your detracters probably got burned in one way or another and are probably trying to save you the pain. I love working on my old boat, the work never ends. Ever. On the other hand, if you go to a boat show and buy a spanking new model and splash it, the work is just starting

[Aloha_float]

my refit

[Allan S]

Aloha, what are your planswith the bilge? Damn you, now I'm thinking about my bilge!

[Aloha_float]

My bilge was brutal when I bought the boat. It had no stringers in it and it flattened out like a pancake when in the water leaving no room for water. We installed stringers front to back (glassed in) and stiffened the hull. I now have two bilge pumps - forward and aft and it works well. The bilge pumps are manual switches on the same circuit. I turn it on and the forward pump sends water to the center bilge pump which in turn pumps it out of the boat.

Having a removable floor allows me to scrub the liner with soap and water once/twice per year keeping the boat smelling clean and fresh.

Tim

[Aloha_float]

more refit pictures....

[Aloha_float]

bilge pics...

[Honey Ryder]

advice re buying a steel boat?

measure the thickness of the hull everywhere with an electronic gauge.

look inside the anchor locker for rust.

look in the bilge for rust.

look at any integral steel tanks for rust.

look in the engine room for rust.

be suspicious of fresh paint on the inside of the boat. get an angle grinder and grind off the paint back to bare metal. if you see any brown puffs then the owner has simply painted over the rust.

if you buy an older steel boat that is rusting on the inside then it is only a matter of time before you have to fix the problem yourself or write it off.

fixing it is a big job because you have to strip out the entire interior, sandblast it, and then epoxy, and then re-build.

i have done this to my boat. i have pictures to prove every step of the way. if someone claims to have done it, but has no pictures as proof, then i would not believe him.

steel is a great material for a boat. it is easy and cheap to fix. painted the right way it will last forever. it is very strong. and you can make changes with an angle grinder and a welder.

if you can find an older steel boat that has been in fresh water rather than salt, then it is likely to be in better shape and worth serious consideration.

do not be fooled by a good paint job on the outside of a steel hull. i saw a beautiful (and expensive) steel sailboat...and the surveyor measured the thickness,,,it was paper...and was condemned and sold for scrap.

steel it great, but you must be careful what you buy...

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Aloha_float

more refit pictures....

Yer missed a bit .

But nonetheless nice to see that this thread ain't all broken dreams ......knowing what you know now, would you do it again?

[bgriffin]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

Eelkat,
You want a big project?
Well this is it.
This boat is crying out for a major restoration.
The interior is unique with teak and stained glass panels, but it needs a lot of restoring.


Here is the Yachtworld link...
Do yourself a favour and take a look at the pictures of the interior.

View Boat Photos - YachtWorld.com

I love this boat so much, but it's just wayyyyy too big and way too much of a project for one person. And I wonder if it's one of those boats that's for sale but really isn't. Seems to be priced high (?) and it's been there for a year now.

[Aloha_float]

This is a definite liveaboard. It looks like it is in good shape with the exception of some cosmetics. Is that leaking on Port side? The decks are in good shape...just pressure wash, reseal the seams and oil them. The interior looks like it has just been neglected. A lot of refinishing work. I would remove as much of the wood as possible to check for any leaking but all in all it looks decent.

Big jobs are going to be electrical, plumbing and engine. You will probably spend some bucks on rigging as well.

I bet $75K - $100K would do a lot for this boat.

too big for me

[Wavewacker]

Aloha, beautifuuuul! Why don't I just drop the boat by your place and you do it!!! ? LOL

[Wavewacker]

Originally Posted by Allan S

Wavewacker, just keep doing what are doing, your detracters probably got burned in one way or another and are probably trying to save you the pain. I love working on my old boat, the work never ends. Ever. On the other hand, if you go to a boat show and buy a spanking new model and splash it, the work is just starting

This was the inspiration;

DashewOffshore.com - the serious cruising sailor's website

It's boat porn! Now we might take the ideas to a much smaller and more affordable scale....

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Wavewacker

This was the inspiration;

DashewOffshore.com - the serious cruising sailor's website

It's boat porn! Now we might take the ideas to a much smaller and more affordable scale....

Yeah I just wish he'd do something that wasn't 1.5 million

Dave

[Wavewacker]

LOL, yes, I/m finding out that with larger boats, they are expensive anyway you look at them. Buy it new, way to much for most. Buy an older one and make repairs, not as bad but still takes money, buy a cheap boat just takes more money to refurbish, it all = $$$,$$$.$$

As I mentioned, I'm in the 30 to 40ish foot range I guess and the smaller it is the less work involved, haveing 30 feet to fix instead of 40 feet.

But, I've been looking at Winnie the Poo, a 50'er I believe it was that was a storm damaged boat, the guy did a trawler conversion in 18 months adding person touches and such. He has about 80K in a boat that would be 200k or more to replace. I'd say he'd get his money back.

Probably not the case with a smaller boat with the mast and rigging off as some have done with 18-24 foot boats. Some really don't car about resale if the boat meets their long term needs.....heck, let the kids firgure it out later on! LOL

[phantomracer]

The previous owner of Mildred Rose, made a list, budget, planned everything out...in the end it all went out the window! Boat is so incredible now, I am afraid to modify it!

The story of the restoration:
Mildred Rose Ohlson38 Restoration

Before:


After: