Advice on Aluminum boat Valencin 39, 1985

[xslim]

A quick update on my journey:
Did a sailing test this Saturday.
Wind was stable F3-F4 (bft).
Diesel engine after being asleep for 6 months started within 7 seconds and worked without any smoke and had cruising speed of 5knots, and max speed 7.5 knots.
Sailing with full main and 140% genoa.
90% beam reach - 6.5-7 knots
40% into wind - 6 knots
35% into wind - 5 knots
30% - 3.5 knots

I think she sails pretty good for an aluminum boat of 9 tons.

So far the most annoying is:
- rigging which is 30 years old
- practically, no toilet.

Talked with the broker, made proposal, he says "too little" but agrees there are lot of things to be done on a boat.
They are thinking...

[HappyMdRSailor]

Sounds promising !

Will keep the 'ol fingers crossed!

[nortonscove]

Most people I know working in the marine industry don't really like aluminum past a given age. At about 10 years the crewing companies will ditch aluminum due to it's deterioration. Most don't seem to appreciate the softness of it and it's willingness to act as an anode in the presence of harder metals when submerged in saltwater.

Sent from my SM-T310 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[xslim]

Well I have a friend that has a sailboat rental company. He does not want to keep in his fleet any boat older than 5 years.
Also I heard bad stories of plastic boats that are leaking...

So I would prefer a comments on aluminum boats from people that actually owned them.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by xslim

Well I have a friend that has a sailboat rental company. He does not want to keep in his fleet any boat older than 5 years.
Also I heard bad stories of plastic boats that are leaking...

So I would prefer a comments on aluminum boats from people that actually owned them.

All boats leak...

It just depends on where... how bad... and what....

I'd go for a little water in the bilge over a leaking holding tank 10X out ot 10...


WHAT'S happening!!! ANY update slim?

[xslim]

Update
Initial asking price - 59. I proposed 45.
Broker told me it's too little, owner wants 55.
I offered max 50.
Owner thinking.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by xslim

Update
Initial asking price - 59. I proposed 45.
Broker told me it's too little, owner wants 55.
I offered max 50.
Owner thinking.

SUPER!

I lean towards 50 working.... I'm hoping anyway...

Did the survey find anything that might help lower the asking price?

[xslim]

Here usually you do the offer under condition that survey will not find anything major.
Once they will accept the offer, I will arrange a survey (1k euro) and only after I will agree to give money

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by xslim

Here usually you do the offer under condition that survey will not find anything major.
Once they will accept the offer, I will arrange a survey (1k euro) and only after I will agree to give money

Roger that Skipper....

By the way... I have some friends who can help the owner with his thinking problem....

[xslim]

Well I got a reply that the owner wants min 54.

What was about that friends you say?

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by xslim

Well I got a reply that the owner wants min 54.

What was about that friends you say?

HA HA!

You'll likely break even over the 4k... These aren't the types that you want to owe money to...

Obviously I kid...

If your're that close, I'd take a gamble on the survey... Tell the owner that re-negotiation is a probability if the findings support it... AND... he has to ADMIT he is open to that possibility...

If there's nothing glaringly wrong, but a bunch of little stuff... ask him to split the difference at 52...

[xslim]

Ok, so I agreed on 54 + owner gives some trainings on boat and engine and equipment maintenance and participates in them.

Now I need to organize a survey. I've got 2 recommendations for surveyors:

1. Lives in the same city (same harbor) as the boat, has 30+ years of experience, also with aluminum boats, but he checks aluminum rusting using a small hammer and claims it's better than using device to measure thickness. And he's available to do the survey on a short notice.

2. Lives in a middle of nowhere, has 20 years of experience, has electronic device to measure the thickness, but requires 80$ more for travel and is quite busy, so will need to arrange a date way ahead.

Which one to pick?
Is it OK to use a hammer to check the rusting?

[HappyMdRSailor]

Glad you settled... Hopefully it will work out!

Oh MAN.... I have no idea here... An experienced man with a hammer is far better than an electronic thickness gauge that is completely inaccurate...

And Vice Versa...

Ask to see previous surveys for both on aluminum boats, and call the owners... ???

Walk the docks looking for aluminum boats, and ask who they used for a survey???

This is way out of my comfort zone slim... hopefully the guys that had great aluminum hull info earlier will be back...

[noelex 77]

Thickness measurements are very useful on a survey of a steel boat. With steel there is a general reduction in thickness over time. In an aluminium boat this does not occur providing one of the correct marine grade alloys has been used.

Any corrosion that is present will be very localised pitting. This can be caused, for example, by dissimilar metal in contact with the aluminium and water. Electronic devices are unlikely to pick up these isolated areas if any exist.

The electronic measurement will tell you what thickness aluminium has been used in the construction, which can be useful if plans are missing or incomplete, but not much else.

My only concern is that a surveyor without an electronic thickness measurement tool could not survey a steel boat satisfactorily. The surveyors that are most knowledgable about aluminium usually specialise in metal boats (steel and aluminium). A lack of suitable tools to survey a steel boat suggests that they are also likely to be less knowledgable about aluminium. However, this is by no means certain, just an attempt to draw conclusions with limited facts.

[Cheechako]

Tough one on the surveyor... although... I think it's an asset if the surveyor is not local and therefore doesn't know the broker etc.... doesn't feel any obligations in the back of his mind. I definitely want to see a surveyor with a hammer though, he should have both the electronic and the hammer IMO. The hammer may tell things the thickness unit doesn't; like if a weld is cracked on a stringer etc... buried under the 1/4 berth....he will hear the difference if it is.... hammering.