I think I’m back to square one…

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

Brass seacocks. It’s a classic offshore boat. Surveyor mentioned they may be serviceable.

Ya the owner is giving me really bad vibes at this point…

Brass ! ya know that contains 34 - 38% zinc right.
What happens to zinc anodes in salt water ?

[Don C L]

She shows pride of ownership to me. (I'd like to see shots of the engine and electrical though.) And if the big ticket items; deck, hull, engine, rigging and sails, have been cleared, then I think you have found a beautiful boat. Low hours on that Perkins is a plus. if the only concerns are cotter pins, stanchions and (maybe) thru-hulls, well, I wouldn't give those a second thought.

[Thomas1985]

The whole buying process just stresses me out…

I’ll be so relieved when that part is over, boat is home, and I’m working on projects/ day sailing.

Once I get “the list” under control and several miles under the keel we can start venturing out a little more cruising the lakes. Keep working on boat and honing sailing skills until we’re ready to head to FL for full time cruising.

[Thomas1985]

Electrical all functioned fine but is out of date… I was researching and looks like adding a marine transformer in boat would be wise to avoid AC electrocution risk. Obviously I don’t want to zap my neighbors if they fall off dock.

[Don C L]

Out of date does not mean bad or dangerous necessarily. I presume the boat hasn't electrocuted anyone yet and it is how old? You should see the old electrical on my boat! Seriously, when you are new to this it is easy to stress and worry about the things you don't know and imagine things that might be a problem. Of course no one should be reckless or negligent, but it sounds to me that you are neither of those and if you had a good thorough survey (which it sounds like you did) and you and the seller are happy with the price, I say relax and celebrate!
Ya wanna see stress? Wait till your guests start stepping all over your freshly varnished wood! (Learn to be patient, and don't yell at anybody. Ask me, or my wife, how I know.)
I missed it, are you in the Great Lakes? A fresh water boat?

[shrspeedblade]

Figure I'd chip in my $.02, which is probably what it's worth:

-You've wanted one of these since you were six? SIX?
-You decide to buy the boat, then do the survey to catch the big problems/walk away from the disasters. Did anything like this come up?
(Note: my last purchase all the bronze WC seacocks were stuck and newbie-me successfully lapped all of them per marinehowto.com)
-most of the people telling you to walk would probably never buy this type of boat anyway
-I hear in 20 years we'll be more disappointed by the things we don't do than those we do

Bad news: this thing will unpleasantly surprise you, may drive you to tears of anguish even, hurt your wallet, but if you can sail it you'll get that one time in ten that Larry Pardey described as being sheer magic and make it all worth it.

[Thomas1985]

Boat was commissioned in Chesapeake then sold to owners on Great Lakes a few years later.

I’ll be relocating to Lake Michigan. Boat has seen saltwater but not for about 30 years.

If I have my way it will sea salt again

[Cheechako]

Does not sound unusual for a used boat really. If the big stuff is really good, consider working it out.
Often if someone is getting out of a boat, they have left it for a while and things add up.

An onry seller is another thing though...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

Electrical all functioned fine but is out of date… I was researching and looks like adding a marine transformer in boat would be wise to avoid AC electrocution risk. Obviously I don’t want to zap my neighbors if they fall off dock.

Looking at that engine and the interior I'd not be too worried, topsides may be scratty but the rest shows positive signs of care..

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Thomas,

I'm wondering where the water came from that has left what looks like salt deposits on the alternator, and rust on its pulley. Not a biggie, but something to ask yourself to see if you can find the tracks that will explain it.

Also, It may be hard to get into the bilge there to clean it. When people get old, sometimes kneeling and groveling to clean difficult to access areas becomes emotionally not worth the effort--but few people want to admit that out loud. If you are younger than the seller, you will be able easier to clean that bilge. Jim uses a degreaser, followed by hot soapy water. Once it is clean, you can then keep track of changes, which helps, as issues arise.

Ann

[Thomas1985]

I believe age is a, maybe the, driving factor behind sale.

I’m sypathetic. It is hard. I understand no one wants to have to accept it’s coming to an end… I’ll be upset in 30 years when it’s happening to me.

I watched my grandfather age. Finally, after many modifications to limit deck work, the sailboat had to go. Then another decade later the powerboats began to sit in the slip. By the end he only got to pilot his boats after I got them out of the slip.

My wife and I took him on his last voyage. A trip to Shark River. I’m pretty sure that was the first trip he took me on in the 80s as well. I guess it came full circle…

Father Time waits for no man.

[MicHughV]

Some years back...maybe 40 years at that, a friend of mine bought a Catalina 36, brand new.
Overall, I thought it was a very nice boat, well constructed, etc.
I had an opportunity to go sailing on it a few times, and again, thought that it handled well.

Still, these boats are likely to all be in that 40 year old age group, and assuming you might keep it for 10 years, it will be 50 years old come time to sell it.
This is where I see problems.
Fixing this, that or the other is pretty much par for any boat, so that is a given, but besides the labor involved, there is also the material costs to be considered.

As mentioned previously trying to get it insured may also be a challenge.

I'm curious to know what the owner is asking for the boat and what you are willing to pay for it.

[Thomas1985]

1990s just wasn’t a good time for quality anything.

Cars were pitiful too. Nothing from the 1990s is aging well…

[Thomas1985]

Talking to insurance lady was a real buzz kill…

Finally I just said “I don’t know why you are upset about the boat? If you think the premium is too high then lower it!!”

[Don C L]

Do a search here for insurance, it's been discussed quite a bit lately. I can recommend Hagerty Marine because my insurance company dropped me after 9 years and no claims.