An estimate of time

[Moretolife]

Hi again, the boat I’m looking at have few issues, and I’m trying to estimate a timeline of how long approximately it will take me to get it up to my needs, before I’m getting myself into this thing.

The problems I’m aware of , before a survey or mechanic has been done, don’t sound too complicated , but I don’t know how long it will take me to fi them and I was hoping that maybe you guys based on your experience, would be able to share with me or your experience.

It’s a 45’ motor boat, 1978, fiberglass.
The issues I’m aware of are:
1. Head doesn’t work.
2. Washer/dryer doesn’t work, they think it’s something with the hoses , but they don’t really know.
3. Smoke odour issue (as in my other post)
4. Replace all flooring (current,y they have carpets)
5. Paint surfaces in different color
6. Fix leaking from flybridge that enters the salon
7. Fix leaking from all those little windows in the cabins
8. Real deep cleaning of the whole boat , as the all fiberglass surfaces have dirt stains on them

Does this count as project boat?

What’s the approximate time line or such work to be done? Especially now when we enter fall/winter time, which might slow the process.

Thank you so much

[Allied39]

Originally Posted by Moretolife

Hi again, the boat I’m looking at have few issues, and I’m trying to estimate a timeline of how long approximately it will take me to get it up to my needs, before I’m getting myself into this thing.

The problems I’m aware of , before a survey or mechanic has been done, don’t sound too complicated , but I don’t know how long it will take me to fi them and I was hoping that maybe you guys based on your experience, would be able to share with me or your experience.

It’s a 45’ motor boat, 1978, fiberglass.
The issues I’m aware of are:
1. Head doesn’t work.
2. Washer/dryer doesn’t work, they think it’s something with the hoses , but they don’t really know.
3. Smoke odour issue (as in my other post)
4. Replace all flooring (current,y they have carpets)
5. Paint surfaces in different color
6. Fix leaking from flybridge that enters the salon
7. Fix leaking from all those little windows in the cabins
8. Real deep cleaning of the whole boat , as the all fiberglass surfaces have dirt stains on them

Does this count as project boat?

What’s the approximate time line or such work to be done? Especially now when we enter fall/winter time, which might slow the process.

Thank you so much

It's pretty big ask to get an idea of how long, glad you did not ask how much!
Replace the cabin sole coverings .......with?
Is the current flooring sitting there or glued?
Paint surfaces....with.....how much surface???

I could go on but won't . I will give you a definitive answer instead......a bunch of time.

[skipmac]

Much too vague to give an exact answer.

First will depend on whether you do it and whether you've done similar jobs before. Or if the yard does it and if the yard does it if you're around to supervise or out of town

Originally Posted by Moretolife

1. Head doesn’t work.

New joker valve? 20 minutes. Rebuild pump? 2 hours. Total overhaul or replacement? 2 days.

2. Washer/dryer doesn’t work, they think it’s something with the hoses , but they don’t really know.

Just hoses, 20 minutes to 2 hours. Washer blown up, 2 hours to 2 days.

3. Smoke odour issue (as in my other post)

Didn't read the other post but if POs were smokers then could require replacing all fabric upholstery and cleaning all hard surfaces.
2 weeks.

4. Replace all flooring (current,y they have carpets)

If old carpet easy to remove and replacing with new carpet, 2 days. Putting down teak and holly flooring? 2 weeks.

5. Paint surfaces in different color

A couple of doors and cabinets? 2 hours. All the bulkheads and the whole interior? 2 weeks.

6. Fix leaking from flybridge that enters the salon

Fixing the leak, 2 hours. Finding the leak to fix, forever.

7. Fix leaking from all those little windows in the cabins

2 weeks to 2 months

8. Real deep cleaning of the whole boat , as the all fiberglass surfaces have dirt stains on them

How many people to help?

Does this count as project boat?

What’s the approximate time line or such work to be done? Especially now when we enter fall/winter time, which might slow the process.

Thank you so much

Finally this is often passed along as a joke but from 40 years boating and two major boat overhauls I can swear to the truth of this. Any boat project will take twice as long and cost twice as much as your best, educated estimate.

[skipmac]

By the way, all the estimates above are based on working nonstop, 8-12 hours a day and doesn't include time to run to the store to pick up parts, tools, etc.

[Moretolife]

Thank you guys. We are 2 people to do it, I don’t think that any of the needed is on the hard, but I’m not sure if the future will tell differently…
I’m just trying to estimate what I’m heading to.
In general, such work on a boat m does this count as a project boat or just regular fixes?

[jimbunyard]

It’s a 45’ motor boat, 1978, fiberglass.

Does this count as project boat?

These are the two relevant statements. A 43 year old boat is, almost by definition, a project boat.

I'd budget 6 months minimum, based solely on the size and age of the boat and the description of projects outlined.

Not including the other things that performing some of the known work will reveal...

[JPA Cate]

Skipmac wrote, "Much too vague to give an exact answer.

First will depend on whether you do it and whether you've done similar jobs before. Or if the yard does it and if the yard does it if you're around to supervise or out of town"

Next follows the OP, with Skipmac's answers.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Moretolife View Post
1. Head doesn’t work.

New joker valve? 20 minutes. Rebuild pump? 2 hours. Total overhaul or replacement? 2 days.

2. Washer/dryer doesn’t work, they think it’s something with the hoses , but they don’t really know.

Just hoses, 20 minutes to 2 hours. Washer blown up, 2 hours to 2 days.

3. Smoke odour issue (as in my other post)

Didn't read the other post but if POs were smokers then could require replacing all fabric upholstery and cleaning all hard surfaces.
2 weeks.

4. Replace all flooring (current,y they have carpets)

If old carpet easy to remove and replacing with new carpet, 2 days. Putting down teak and holly flooring? 2 weeks.

5. Paint surfaces in different color

A couple of doors and cabinets? 2 hours. All the bulkheads and the whole interior? 2 weeks.

6. Fix leaking from flybridge that enters the salon

Fixing the leak, 2 hours. Finding the leak to fix, forever.

7. Fix leaking from all those little windows in the cabins

2 weeks to 2 months

8. Real deep cleaning of the whole boat , as the all fiberglass surfaces have dirt stains on them

How many people to help?

Does this count as project boat?

What’s the approximate time line or such work to be done? Especially now when we enter fall/winter time, which might slow the process.

Thank you so much
Finally this is often passed along as a joke but from 40 years boating and two major boat overhauls I can swear to the truth of this. Any boat project will take twice as long and cost twice as much as your best, educated estimate.
_________

In other words, in the vicinity of 16 weeks.

However, my Jim says with this kind of estimating (old boat, plus whooopses along the way), move the 16 up to the next units, so 16 months: and then double it, so 32 months. Now figure the hours of labor at $50/hr., unless all the labor will be yours, and you'll call it "entertainment" and "learning deeply about my boat", and , be warned, it is also time (and money) that your partner (if any) might want a share of.

Of course, it may not be that bad, but yes, it is a "project boat", and it is how long is the piece of string? to what standard do you plan to restore it? Would you like to use it next year? Is boat work how you want to spend your time at this time in your life? If so, go for it. However, I think it unlikely that you will be able to use it next year, unless you're a fast and knowledgeable boat worker, and boat yoga doesn't make your body rebel..

Had some friends, working on a major refit. He hurt his dominant arm so badly it required physical therapy for months, he couldn't use it very much at all, and his wife was the one who completed all the electrical wiring, because her arms worked...both of them! Just little whoopses can really interfere with plans.


Ann

[SailRN]

You will find that the only thing that works aboard the boat is the owner.

[RaymondR]

The first thing you need to do is get your head right.

Number 1 probably needs doing fairly soon, the rest of it can go onto a priority list.

Fix the toilet, go boating and let the rest of them self prioritize.

[Oeanda]

‘Just regular fixes’ = How it seems like fixes are going to be. In your imagination.

‘Project boat’ = the boat you actually own.

[marcjsmith]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

The first thing you need to do is get your head right.

Number 1 probably needs doing fairly soon, the rest of it can go onto a priority list.

Fix the toilet, go boating and let the rest of them self prioritize.

Water is supposed to stay outside the boat. I think the fly bridge and window leaks would be my priority. since once you get the interior dry, beside the head, everything else is comfort related. you won't want your new carpet getting wet, you don't want your clean cushions getting dripped on. you don't want your new paint getting wet...

I replaced 4 fixed windows on my moody. only took a few ours to rip them all out. and a couple hours for each window to replace. once i got all the parts and materials I need assembled.

replaced two jabsco pumps on the my heads, an hour each. hardest part was just fighting the hoses

if your windows are port lights than it could be a simple gasket/o-ring. or it could mean removal of the frames and new butyl tape. If they are portlights, and they are old, finding rubber bits may prove difficult.

if it were me Id get the soft goods off the boat, and solve the water problems first. then tackle the "pretty" stuff once the boat is functional you can use it and start recouping your sweat equity in the form of enjoyment.

been/going down that road right now on my moody.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Moretolife

Hi again, the boat I’m looking at have few issues, and I’m trying to estimate a timeline of how long approximately it will take me to get it up to my needs, before I’m getting myself into this thing.

The problems I’m aware of , before a survey or mechanic has been done, don’t sound too complicated , but I don’t know how long it will take me to fi them and I was hoping that maybe you guys based on your experience, would be able to share with me or your experience.

It’s a 45’ motor boat, 1978, fiberglass.
The issues I’m aware of are:
1. Head doesn’t work.
2. Washer/dryer doesn’t work, they think it’s something with the hoses , but they don’t really know.
3. Smoke odour issue (as in my other post)
4. Replace all flooring (current,y they have carpets)
5. Paint surfaces in different color
6. Fix leaking from flybridge that enters the salon
7. Fix leaking from all those little windows in the cabins
8. Real deep cleaning of the whole boat , as the all fiberglass surfaces have dirt stains on them

Does this count as project boat?

What’s the approximate time line or such work to be done? Especially now when we enter fall/winter time, which might slow the process.

How long is a piece of string?

Most 40 year old boats will be "projects" of some sort.

Would you do all the work yourself? (Do you have skills?) Or hire some out? Or mix and match? For example, replacing carpets can take one day, skilled person with the right tools. Or longer if you have to learn how while you're doing it. The "skilled person" could be you (?) or it could be your local-boat carpet installer... so your effort in that case boils down to a phone call... and eventually paying the bill.

Deep cleaning fits in a similar category. Your personal effort will take varying amounts of time depending on access... and how much pain you're feeling at the end of each day during that task. Or, a phone call gets you a one-time cleaning crew.

Looks like three serious problems: two leak issues (6 and 7), and the head (1). The leak issues may have created mold issues, a potentially hidden (or not yet visible) problem.

(Can't speak to the leak issues, but I can tell you the Vacu-Flush system on our new-to-us boat needed some significant TLC. Due to time constraints, and general unfamiliarity with that particular "toilet technology" we hired it done. The easy part was quick and relatively $$ painless. Decided to have them replace ALL of the sanitation hoses, too, long past their sell-buy date, and that was $$$$$$ expensive. Now that I know complexity and what the effort was, not sure I could have even done that myself. YMMV, of course.)

Anyway, maybe fix those three biggies, and you could probably begin using the boat -- so you can put most of the others in the "round tuit" category. If that list is all that needs work.

BUT...

Assume up front your marine surveyor and your mechanical surveyor will find issues that will need fixing.

And then be aware they'll miss some issues, too, that you will discover once (if) you take possession of the boat. Those will need fixing.

And stuff is still aging, so even if a given system (appliance, whatever) passes surveys, they could break at any time, like the day after you take possession. Those, too, will need fixing.

IOW, your current list of known faults is only a vague starting point.

Yes, it'll be a project boat.

That's not horrible, depending on your outlook. Some folks enjoy fixing stuff, as part of their boating experience. (Some don't.)

-Chris

[Moosemiester]

A 1978 boat could have a cabin which is fiberglass over wood in which case you need a moisture meter to assess the extent of the water intrusion into the wood core, the repair could take a few years…. You can do this yourself, but it is a lot of work and must be done under cover.

With this type of construction a few streaks under the port could mean a whole lot of rot is hiding in the wall.

If you like repairing things - I do - then go for it but with eyes wide open.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by SailRN

You will find that the only thing that works aboard the boat is the owner.

agree and the owner of my boat puts in 4-6 hours a day of work. many times less than that. also there's a lot of research and tracking down parts on the computer. after all .. we are supposed to be enjoying ourselves right?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by SailRN

You will find that the only thing that works aboard the boat is the owner.

Au contraire. My previous boat was 32' with very few systems. No fridge, no inverter, basic 12V systems, etc. Over the course of the seven years I owned the boat there was actually one period of about two weeks when every single thing on the boat was working, nothing broken and nothing due for maintenance or repair.

I hardly knew what to do with myself.