Well...I bought one....

[iannitram]

Post a few weeks ago about a cheap Catalina 27 and was told another one would be along in no time. And another one was.



1979 Catalina 27 - 2 Shay (that name will be changing)

Interior

Apparently the owner was dealing with some personal issues and moved to Florida. Just needed to get rid of it.

Engine is an inboard atomic diesel.

Got the boat out of the water and surveyed today and unsurprisingly came back with a few issues, the most egregious of which was probably the strut needs to be reglassed and the cutlass bearing replaced.

Other problems, the marine head is frozen at the moment (due to a stuck valve,) the through holes need to be serviced, the bilge pump switch addressed etc. No blisters. No delamination. In the process of addressing the other issues I'm having the bottom painted.

Anyway...I decided to pull the trigger. Partly because I have a repair budget built into this mid life crisis fiasco. But also I'm just ready. I knew the model I wanted and the fact that they said the engine was in good condition (provided some maintenance was done) and the hull was totally sound made me just decide to dive in.

I also was having an excellent experience with the realtor who, sensing I was new to this world, had set everything up for me including the repairs, introduced me at his marina and gotten me a slip. Etc etc. There was quite a bit of trust there that allayed a lot of fear I might have had if I had done it completely on my own.

Still, it could all go south of course. But I'm taking a stab at this experience and risking 1/3rd the cost of my car. If worst comes to worst, I suppose I don't have to worry TOO much. Thought I'd share.

Edit: Purchase price was 4500.

[o_q]

Fantastic. You've completed my first milestone.

[SkiprJohn]

Congratulations! You done good!

First thing is the get the things done that have a potential to sink the boat. Thruhulls and proper valves (seacocks) for them. There are a lot of DIY threads about that stuff. Cutlass bearing replacement is straight forward and tightening up and reglassing the strut shouldn't be too hard. Remember that after that work is done and you go back in the water then you'll need to realign your prop shaft. Also not an extremely hard job but very tedious.

Good luck and ask questions.

kind regards,

[SkiprJohn]

Oh and they are yacht brokers not realtors. Realtors deal with real estate.

I just saw that you had a Atomic diesel aboard. Well done!

kind regards,

[ohdrinkboy]

Great production boat. I have lots of hours under my belt on these. CONGRATULATIONS.

[Kennyk]

Well done for taking the plunge, I am also quite new to the sailing world , but after sailing around the BVI's on our friends cat we too are gonna take the plunge . We are looking into buying a cat that we could live on, but also do some chartering to help out with expenses. If anyone has any input on what kind of cat would be the best I'm all ears thanks. Kenny k

[iannitram]

Brokers...right. And thanks everyone. I had almost IMMEDIATE buyers remorse: "WTF AM I DOING?? I'm not a SAILOR. I can't do this." But I suppose you can't learn to paint until you buy the brushes.

And Kenny the EVENTUAL thought with this is I might live on it too. Like you, I don't want to tie it to a slip and run it into the ground. I want to know how to use it well and be proficient in it's systems. So I'm going to just sail for awhile and get to know the boat. Work on the aesthetics (the wood looks terrible.) Make it a nice place to be that I know well.

[Kennyk]

Like the attitude, same as me . Live life whilst you still can . Cheers

[iannitram]

So the boat is over at the San Francisco Boatworks and they're extremely backlogged on work right now. It's going to be a few weeks. I don't even have an estimate yet. In the meantime I'm trying to put together SOME kind of budget for this so that when it comes time I have the money. Can anyone take a wild stab in the dark for me at what this all might cost on the expensive side?

Haul
Bottom painting (1 layer)
reglass the strut
Replace the cutlass bearing
Exhaust hose replacement (along with general maintenance)
Zincs replacement
Through hulls service (get and ball valve replacement)
Bilge pump replacement

I have no idea even a general figure for all this and now that I'm actually sitting down and figuring out the money I feel like an idiot for not getting the estimate before buying it. But given how backlogged they are they weren't even going to be able to give one for weeks.

The regret...the fear. Oh god. 5000? 10000? Give it to me straight.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by iannitram

So the boat is over at the San Francisco Boatworks and they're extremely backlogged on work right now. It's going to be a few weeks. I don't even have an estimate yet. In the meantime I'm trying to put together SOME kind of budget for this so that when it comes time I have the money. Can anyone take a wild stab in the dark for me at what this all might cost on the expensive side?

Haul
Bottom painting (1 layer) You should have a set price for haul, quick sand job and bottom paint before you haul. Otherwise ... they've got you!
reglass the strut Very hard to say... ask them how much they think as if "you might do it or might not"
Replace the cutlass bearing It's in the strut right... not in the hull? Shouldnt be more than 2 hours = $150? Maybe one hour.
Exhaust hose replacement (along with general maintenance) Do this yourself if you fell you can.
Zincs replacement Will they let you just do this? Should be less than half hour.
Through hulls service (get and ball valve replacement)?? all? If the valves are screwed onto the thru hull fitting (ie: not seacocks), this shouldnt be more than an hour a valve.
Bilge pump replacement Do this your self.
It's good for you to do some of this stuff... so you get to know your boat. Is there another yard nearby? If they cant give you an estimate NOW, move the boat. I assume they are charging you for daily storage while they delay you...?

I have no idea even a general figure for all this and now that I'm actually sitting down and figuring out the money I feel like an idiot for not getting the estimate before buying it. But given how backlogged they are they weren't even going to be able to give one for weeks.

The regret...the fear. Oh god. 5000? 10000? Give it to me straight.

Answeers in BOLD above.
I'm SWAG'ing $2500 plus the strut and exhaust (doesnt include any parts but bottom paint).. .... You should find a place and whittle away at doing these things yourself.... You need to get a handle on this .... you could end up owing the yard more than you paid for the boat....

[Bash]

Originally Posted by iannitram

So the boat is over at the San Francisco Boatworks and they're extremely backlogged on work right now. It's going to be a few weeks. I don't even have an estimate yet. In the meantime I'm trying to put together SOME kind of budget for this so that when it comes time I have the money. Can anyone take a wild stab in the dark for me at what this all might cost on the expensive side?

Haul
Bottom painting (1 layer)
reglass the strut
Replace the cutlass bearing
Exhaust hose replacement (along with general maintenance)
Zincs replacement
Through hulls service (get and ball valve replacement)
Bilge pump replacement

I have no idea even a general figure for all this and now that I'm actually sitting down and figuring out the money I feel like an idiot for not getting the estimate before buying it. But given how backlogged they are they weren't even going to be able to give one for weeks.

The regret...the fear. Oh god. 5000? 10000? Give it to me straight.

Okay, square one. First thing you've gotta do is decide what you can do yourself. Zincs take ten minutes to replace, and all you'll need is an allan wrench. The bilge pump is pretty easy if you have crimpers and wire strippers. If you don't have crimpers, purchase them now. Don't scrimp. Hose replacement is also something you should do yourself.

Looking back at your list, probably the only two things you ought to have the yard do, arguably, is the strut and the cutlass bearing. Bottom painting is another argument cruisers might waste time on. , I no longer do my own, but to some folk it's a religion.

But seriously, you need to learn how to replace your own zincs. And hoses, and bilge pumps. That's part of owning a boat.

[iannitram]

Good feedback so far. Thanks guys. I'll definitely tackle the bilge pump myself. If the zincs are cheap I may have them do it along with the bearing and the strut. But even a little off the list puts my mind at ease. Thanks.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by iannitram

If the zincs are cheap I may have them do it along with the bearing and the strut.

Zincs are cheap, yes. But if you're ever going to cruise, you'll need to know how to do them yourself. And the best time to learn is when the boat is out of the water.

One reason some sailors never make it as cruisers is that they never learn to maintain the boat independently of a boat yard. If you know how to change your zincs (and I'm assuming you don't because of the phrasing, "If zincs are cheap...") then go ahead and have the yard change them at the rate of $80 per hour. But if you don't know how to change them, now is the time to learn. It's really only a ten-minute job, at the longest, and if you don't have the appropriate allan wrench, you need to have it aboard.

[Watercolor]

Sounds like fun. But heed the advice and do as much of the work you can, this time to get to know the boat. Also, as Skipperjohn said, while the boat is on the hard, check all the seacocks and hoses carefully making sure they work, aren't corroded and don't leak.

The more you know about the boat the better off you are when things go wrong. And on a boat, that's a given.

Have fun and fair winds

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by iannitram

Post a few weeks ago about a cheap Catalina 27 and was told another one would be along in no time. And another one was.


... the strut needs to be reglassed and the cutlass bearing replaced.

Other problems, the marine head is frozen at the moment (due to a stuck valve,) the through holes need to be serviced, the bilge pump switch addressed etc. No blisters. No delamination. In the process of addressing the other issues I'm having the bottom painted.

Anyway...I decided to pull the trigger. Partly because I have a repair budget built into this mid life crisis fiasco. But also I'm just ready. I knew the model I wanted and the fact that they said the engine was in good condition (provided some maintenance was done) and the hull was totally sound made me just decide to dive in.

I also was having an excellent experience with the realtor who, sensing I was new to this world, had set everything up for me including the repairs, introduced me at his marina and gotten me a slip. Etc etc. There was quite a bit of trust there that allayed a lot of fear I might have had if I had done it completely on my own.

Still, it could all go south of course. But I'm taking a stab at this experience and risking 1/3rd the cost of my car. If worst comes to worst, I suppose I don't have to worry TOO much. Thought I'd share.

Edit: Purchase price was 4500.

Well, good job well done! I'm glad the broker worked out so well for you. He or she has helped you solve a lot of problems. It's an older boat. You can't expect it to be perfect but you've ruled out some big problems. And I agree with you -- I like the interior layout of that boat very much.

Keep us posted!