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Old 05-06-2019, 12:52   #16
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

With the work you mention the value of the boat may actually be close to $0.

The value of sailboats in general is very low right now and the cost of extensive repairs is very high. You really need to plan for an entire deck replacement and the damage from the leaking windows may be much larger than expected.
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Old 05-06-2019, 13:55   #17
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Not all teak is created equal or was in the 60's and it also depended upon the builder and his profit. 50 odd years is a long time and and would also depend on where kept, how stored ( in or out) and the owners....Do some perhaps exhaustive research on her. What yards, owners if they are still alive etc. Having taken on so many beautiful ladies with their gorgeous wine glass fannies and spending at least 3 times more than I had intended or figured, I finally went to my current 1977 Hood (my first fibreglass hull) which I bought for a song has yet again cost me near 2 years of fixing and near twice what I could sell it for. In for an ounce but end up with pounds. Passion is expensive. Bon Vente
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Old 05-06-2019, 14:50   #18
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Could you arrange to have a good surveyor look at it? Someone who has experience with deck jobs?

It obviously sounds like it could be an enormous project - and if that huge point is convincingly made to the seller - you might actually get it for a song. If its got a 4 year lifespan ticking away, before even a fool would walk away from it - the seller might start thinking along the lines of down the drain storage costs for 4 years, and then a very large bill to have it chopped up.

It would still be a gamble, but with eyes wide open, the total cost might wind up what another one in reasonable shape would cost. But yours has a brand new deck.

I'm a sucker for good looking old boats though. Feel free to block any further posts.
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Old 05-06-2019, 16:17   #19
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

.…...I understand the wallet and heart struggle.....that's why I have a 50 year old red cedar clinker built rowing boat that has never been wet …..and I will never put in the water...….so if I was to make an offer....which I would not......it would be based on the highest estimate to repair the deck ...and what else..... divided by 2......once worked on a power boat showing rot in the stern......chased it to the stem......deck and cabin...….ended up keeping the engines.....burnt the rest...…
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Old 05-06-2019, 16:35   #20
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

My 43’ boat had the teak replaced 10 years ago, it cost $110K and there were zero issues with the underlying deck. Figure a 50’ boat today would be $200k here in the USA. I would want to know what caused the soft deck, was it lack of maintenance or improperly adding new deck hardware. Do a search on J-Boats and there are a few horror stories about soft decks AND hulls.
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Old 05-06-2019, 21:10   #21
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Listen to the Zac Brown Band's song "Cold Hearted" and imagine this beautiful Alden in the place of the woman in the song. Many young men have had their heads turned around by a pretty face but didn't ask the question "Is she cold hearted?" You had the good sense to ask the question, and the forum has answered. Now let her go.
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Old 06-06-2019, 03:48   #22
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Having sailed on a more traditional boat I have learned that there are many reasons why boats have changed. You'll buy a boat like this because it is beautiful and realize that this beauty takes a great deal of effort. It also comes with inconveniences that have evolved out of the more modern designs. After losing precious time you'll be left with a massive piece of kit that very few others would want and is far less convenient to sail.
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Old 06-06-2019, 12:03   #23
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Even tho it’s an Alden, that’s an awful old boat to be taking on. I guess you know that though.
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Old 10-06-2019, 09:02   #24
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

The remains of the Vindo 30 (with teak decks) that was in the slip next to mine. In this case neglect and termites killed the boat. My comment is that unless you are rich some boats are too nice to own even if they are cheap to buy.
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Old 10-06-2019, 10:33   #25
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

I don’t know why people get so excited over minor imperfections when they could be enjoying a boat they really like. So you have a one square foot soft spot in the deck. So what? Is the teak above it now non-leaking? If so, live with it. If no more water intrudes, the spot won’t get much bigger and it won’t sink the boat if it does. These imperfections or flaws do not have to be repaired right away or ever. If you get the inclination to address it in the future, fine. Chances are you could own this boat for 10-15 years and the soft spot would still be there but it wouldn’t interfere with your usage. If you buy it right, that is at a discount you can sell it the same way. Enjoy!
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Old 10-06-2019, 11:16   #26
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Step 1:

Buy the bristol condition Alden 44 that's for sale in Annapolis.

Step 2:

Go sailing.
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Old 10-06-2019, 11:46   #27
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

1.Fix water leaks into core.
2.Drill with a hole saw under deck to expose core. Remove wet compost, replace core with pieces of whatever core material you want. Don't worry overmuch about leaving dry rot in place- use penetrant epoxy to fix it.
3.Dry out deck core.
4.When dry, epoxy back in round fiberglass disks under deck.
5.Remove/drill out deck screws from above deck.
6.Pour in epoxy/penetrant epoxy/polyester resin from above. Watch out for leaks under deck.

Good thing about this cheapo repair this is you preserve the teak deck and it doesn't cost much.

Don't listen too much to perfectionist/anal retentive boaters who claim that this "has to be done right". No boats have sunk from soft decks. All deck cores are doomed to will get wet, even if done "right".

It is a laborious process and success depends on you drying out core. Fixing water leaks into deck core may be tricky. Repeated injection of resin may be needed. Penetrant epoxy available relatively cheaply in gallon size in internet stores. If you discover another wet area, so what! Do it again. Don't be too freaked out by this DIY project.

Negotiate that this boat has near "0" value, so fixing a wet deck may be doable.
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Old 10-06-2019, 12:16   #28
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Your not crazy, if you have the time and money... go for it. I have an early 70s Alden Ketch that i just love. yes i have put a load of money into her refit the past couple years but to me she is worth every dime of it when we are out sailing. Im looking forward to leaving the dock next season and head to the Caribbean for a couple years.
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Old 10-06-2019, 17:24   #29
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Sorry for my previous post, now I agree more with dickhein.
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Old 11-06-2019, 07:04   #30
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Re: buying a 50' Alden Teak Deck. Crazy or insanely crazy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by wesevans View Post
You can count on having to remove the teak deck, skin the top of the sub deck, replace the core, reglass the sub deck and or re teak. This happens with most old boats with teak decks. Doable but expensive.

Are you crazy? Well, maybe not -- it depends on how much the owner is paying you to take away the boat . . . .




Seriously -- this is the time to sharpen your pencil and brush away the erotic impressions of the boat's lines and just analyze the decision in numbers.


How much would it cost to have the damage repaired professionally? How much would be boat be worth afterwards? Be very careful that both numbers are really realistic, and add a large contingency to the repair cost estimate for the inevitable unexpected stuff you will find when you rip the decks open.



Subtract the first thing from the second, and if that value is greater than the price you expect to pay for the boat, then it's a good deal, which can be made better if you feel like doing the work yourself and/or your own time is worth less than what you'd pay a pro.


If it's not, then evaluate what you think your time is worth, add the cost of materials (and double your initial estimate), and try that number. If that's now positive, then maybe it's a kind of OK deal.


But if the number is still negative -- then it's actually only a deal if you want to do the deck work purely for fun, and really don't have anything better to do with your time.


Does that help?
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