For Sale: Really cheap boat on Craigslist

[skipmac]

Not my boat but found a really good sounding deal on craigslist. 39' Pearson for $5000. I'm sure it will take a lot of work but the same model on yachtworld list for $29,000 and up.

39' PEARSON SAIL BOAT

[Adventurebound]

Having recently been looking at boats to buy, pictures can make the roughest trash look good-especially if painted white. Though the closeups still look good here. The routine is always the same. Find out what needs to be done, how much it costs, how much time. [and double it]

[skipmac]

Well the seller did reveal the pictures are a couple of years old. But it's well made boat for $5000. I would expect it to be dirty and neglected for that price.

Unless there's some kind of serious structural issue if I was on a limited budget and in the market for a boat I jump on it if the walls were green with mold.

[Glenn.Brooks]

Well first, this is not a cheap boat. a cheap boat would be a gold platter with all,the equipment and refit work down by an owner and was being giving away five cents on the dollar because he couldn't afford even one more months moorage. This boat is an expensive boat, both in terms ofwork involved in bringing it back to a clean condition, and cost of materials and equipment upgrades. This will be a significant hit on your pocketbook. The real cost will be replacing gear that has reached its end of life- so look at the sails, rigging, electronics, wiring, plumbing, and safety equipment. Assume everything on board is as old and tired as the run down interior and mildew stained top sides. Then if you are up to three years of cleaning, oiling, painting, recoring decks, replacing cushions and fabric, and installing new equipment you will have a very nice cruising boat. You can start working on it for another couple of years to bring it back to the condition the owner should have maintained it at all along.

This could be a labor of love - there is absolutely nothing wrong with investing your time and money in saving these old plastic plastics. It's very rewarding in the long run, but it an't cheap! Iam on my ninth year of upgrading a 45 year old Alberg 30. When I step on board I know every screw and fitting is done right- because I replaced the original with something better- or at least something newer. Some owners in our fleet have down this two or three times, with the same boat - over 35 years of ownership. It's just what you do when you go down to the sea in ships.

So if this boat takes your fancy- go for it! You won't regret it.

[Adventurebound]

[QUOTE=Glenn.Brooks;1585479]Well first, this is not a cheap boat. a cheap boat would be a gold platter with all,the equipment and refit work down by an owner and was being giving away five cents on the dollar because he couldn't afford even one more months moorage. This boat is an expensive boat, both in terms ofwork involved in bringing it back to a clean condition, and cost of materials and equipment upgrades. This will be a significant hit on your pocketbook. The real cost will be replacing gear that has reached its end of life- so look at the sails, rigging, electronics, wiring, plumbing, and safety equipment. Assume everything on board is as old and tired as the run down interior and mildew stained top sides. Then if you are up to three years of cleaning, oiling, painting, recoring decks, replacing cushions and fabric, and installing new equipment you will have a very nice cruising boat. You can start working on it for another couple of years to bring it back to the condition the owner should have maintained it at all along.





How can you come to that conclusion not having seen it?

[Glenn.Brooks]

[QUOTE=Adventurebound;1585492]

Originally Posted by Glenn.Brooks

Well first, this is not a cheap boat. a cheap boat would be a gold platter with all,the equipment and refit work down by an owner and was being giving away five cents on the dollar because he couldn't afford even one more months moorage. This boat is an expensive boat, both in terms ofwork involved in bringing it back to a clean condition, and cost of materials and equipment upgrades. This will be a significant hit on your pocketbook. The real cost will be replacing gear that has reached its end of life- so look at the sails, rigging, electronics, wiring, plumbing, and safety equipment. Assume everything on board is as old and tired as the run down interior and mildew stained top sides. Then if you are up to three years of cleaning, oiling, painting, recoring decks, replacing cushions and fabric, and installing new equipment you will have a very nice cruising boat. You can start working on it for another couple of years to bring it back to the condition the owner should have maintained it at all along.





How can you come to that conclusion not having seen it?

Oh, I looked at the pictures in the link and can see the mildew stains top side and weathered out interior. Which match exactly the conditions of dozens and dozens, hundreds maybe of boats that get no maintenance that I've seen in similar conditions as where this boat lays. It's not hard to pick out the weathered out line in the lockers, and other telltale signs of a nice old boat slowly deteriorating away.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Glenn.Brooks

Well first, this is not a cheap boat. a cheap boat would be a gold platter with all,the equipment and refit work down by an owner and was being giving away five cents on the dollar because he couldn't afford even one more months moorage.

Well I've been in boating for 40 years including several years as a yacht broker and I have never seen a good boat in good condition sell for cents on the dollar. There are always the stories you hear about broke owners, repos, boatyard sales, the divorced wife that gives away her ex's boat just to pi$$ him off, the estate sale where the family sells the fathers boat for a fraction but personally have never once seen one of these deals actually happen.

If you do find a gold plater in Bristol shape for super cheap please let me know. I'll take out a second mortgage and buy it.

Originally Posted by Glenn.Brooks

This boat is an expensive boat, both in terms ofwork involved in bringing it back to a clean condition, and cost of materials and equipment upgrades. This will be a significant hit on your pocketbook. The real cost will be replacing gear that has reached its end of life- so look at the sails, rigging, electronics, wiring, plumbing, and safety equipment. Assume everything on board is as old and tired as the run down interior and mildew stained top sides. Then if you are up to three years of cleaning, oiling, painting, recoring decks, replacing cushions and fabric, and installing new equipment you will have a very nice cruising boat. You can start working on it for another couple of years to bring it back to the condition the owner should have maintained it at all along.

This could be a labor of love - there is absolutely nothing wrong with investing your time and money in saving these old plastic plastics. It's very rewarding in the long run, but it an't cheap! Iam on my ninth year of upgrading a 45 year old Alberg 30. When I step on board I know every screw and fitting is done right- because I replaced the original with something better- or at least something newer. Some owners in our fleet have down this two or three times, with the same boat - over 35 years of ownership. It's just what you do when you go down to the sea in ships.

So if this boat takes your fancy- go for it! You won't regret it.

The boat is almost certainly a serious project boat. I assumed that would be obvious from the listing but perhaps I should have stated that in the original post.

As far as being expensive, maybe, maybe not. As in any purchase, buyer beware. If the deck core is rotted out (I assume this boat has a cored deck, am not that familiar with the older Pearsons) or there are other, major structural problems then it certainly would be an expensive boat either in money or labor or both.

On the other hand, if the problems are mainly moldy interior, stained upholstery, tired rigging and old equipment then this could be a good deal for someone on a limited budget that is looking for a larger boat. I don't see to many $5000 39' boats, at least not in glass.

As I said I see these boats listed for $29k and up. Buy this one for $5K , fix rigging and whatever, shop for good used sails and you could have a bargain. Not a boat for someone without good DIY skills and any potential buyer must go in with eyes open and check the structural condition very carefully.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Not my boat but found a really good sounding deal on craigslist. 39' Pearson for $5000. I'm sure it will take a lot of work but the same model on yachtworld list for $29,000 and up.

39' PEARSON SAIL BOAT

Skip...Are you looking at boat porn again?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Skip...Are you looking at boat porn again?

I can't help myself. It's like an addiction.

I do have a medical excuse. Since I dinged my ribs and haven't been able to do any heavy lifting on my boat then boat porn helps relieve the pent up tension.

[Celestialsailor]

There is help. A new thread was started.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...me-129658.html

[CaptTL]

I just checked out the Craigslist post and it says the boat is sold. Too bad. It was located not far from me. I would have liked to look at it.

And just a little off topic, has anyone noticed how tough it is to buy a boat recently? I have had three boats in the last 30 days sold before I could drive to their locations to see them. The last was a really nicely equipped Endeavour 37 for $30,000. I'm thinking the buyers market everyone talks about doesn't exist for a well kept, well equipped and presentable boat.

[SeaDreamer]

I looked at the boat in person and will confirm all the obvious...it is a major project!!!
But it could be a good deal for someone with some extra money that really doesn't care about sailing for a year or so.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by Glenn.Brooks

...This boat is an expensive boat, both in terms ofwork involved in bringing it back to a clean condition, and cost of materials and equipment upgrades. This will be a significant hit on your pocketbook. The real cost will be replacing gear that has reached its end of life- so look at the sails, rigging, electronics, wiring, plumbing, and safety equipment. Assume everything on board is as old and tired as the run down interior and mildew stained top sides. Then if you are up to three years of cleaning, oiling, painting, recoring decks, replacing cushions and fabric, and installing new equipment...

Pretty much what he said. It is almost impossible to rationalize the cost of a thorough refit on something like this, no matter how skilled one is. So they wind up becoming cheap live-aboards, where allowed. Boats like this are regularly abandoned by their down on their luck owners, and auctioned by the dock master, with the provision that it be immediately removed.

[gts1544]

Folks, I believe that the vessel in question has been donated to BoatAngelMinistries, who currently has it listed on E-Bay. George

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Pretty much what he said. It is almost impossible to rationalize the cost of a thorough refit on something like this, no matter how skilled one is. So they wind up becoming cheap live-aboards, where allowed. Boats like this are regularly abandoned by their down on their luck owners, and auctioned by the dock master, with the provision that it be immediately removed.

I think this is focusing exclusively on the negatives and downsides to a project boat. Certainly there are plenty of dreamers that abandon project boats but there are many that do not. Those are the ones you don't hear about because they fix up the boat and go sailing. I personally know of more successful projects than failures and I've been in boating for a while.

The point of a boat like this is for someone with little money but time and skills to get a decent boat. Doesn't mean they should jump in without first checking, very carefully, what the boat will need and making an informed decision on the condition of the boat and whether or not it is fixable.

And to condemn all potential boaters that might buy a fixer-upper as cheap liveaboards that regularly abandon the boats to be auctioned? I am not advocating for allowing derelicts to fill up the harbors. I've seen the downside to this, but in the real world lots of boaters cannot afford to buy a nice new or newer boat and keep it at an expensive marina in an upscale neighborhood. Should cruising be reserved just for the well to do?