Lidgard 34 Restoration Possibility: Your Thoughts ?

[troppo]

I have been thinking about this Lidgard 34, like the one I saw at Townsville Slipways Boat Brokerage. Needs heaps of work but may be worthwhile. Can you give me any insights or tips?

Lidgard is a reputable designer and the boat looks like it may be suitable for the type of cruising I am interested in - steady pace and stop at a spot for a bit. However, the coach roof looks a bit small to me, I thought it should run a bit further forward to give more headroom in the v-berth. What do you think?

Lots of work needs doing. The hull is supposed to be solid fibreglass. Looking at the pics of the forepeak there are timber battens installed. Is that usual?

The cabin and deck are timber so from the pics I would think most of it would be suitable for landfill.

There is a Yanmar YSE8 anchor. The thing would probably be 30+ years old and weigh about 130 kgs so I don't know if it is worth rebuilding. My thinking would be to scrap it (is there a market for these old motors?) and try and get a newer lighter 10 hp, though 15 hp might be better if the budget stretches. The company selling the boat also sell 15 hp Kubota-based engines for $6,400 so maybe they can do a deal with me. The two cylinder 15 hp motor is about 110 kg so still lighter than the YSE8.

There is a boom but no mast or sails. The sales guy said since the boat is at Airlie Beach (Whitsundays) there is a good supply of second hand masts, rigs and sails. I would certainly need access to suitable 2nd hand stuff as the boat needs heaps and if I had to get new gear the cost would mean I may as well buy a better boat to start with.

My strategy, if possible, would be to get the boat seaworthy, sail/motor down to Rockhampton where I live and then take my time with the interior and other bits and pieces.

Please give me your wise insight into this challenge.

[Weyalan]

Nothing wrong with Lidgard designs per se. I would, however, advise caution before taking on such a "fixer-upper". $8000 is not a lot of money for a 34' boat, but even if you were to get it for free (and frankly, that is about what it is worth), you are going to be pouring a whole lot of money into it before you "get it wet".

2nd hand boats are allways cheaper than the sum of their parts. That is, adding up the value of a boats hull, fittings, engine, mast 'n rigging, sails, etc will always arrive at a figure greater than the boats value (to buy or sell). So, when you take on a fixer-upper, you are going to have to replace a whole heap of that boat's parts - in your case, as a minimum, engine, mast, boom, rigging, sails, and by the looks of it a fair amount of the deck and internal fit-out. The point being, that even though the initial outlay will be relatively small, you may well end up having spent more than you would have if you had bought a "turn-key" 2nd hand boat.

However much it is going to cost for a new engine, you can nearly double it by the time you actually have the motor installed, aligned, wired-in, with new engine mounts, etc. Mast, boom and sails are not cheap, even 2nd hand. You can't really buy 2nd hand standing rigging, so factor in the cost of new shrouds, forestay, backstay etc. and all new running rigging - halyards, sheets, etc.

Also, be realistic about your skills. How good is your carpentry? How good are you will resins and fiberglass and filler powder and fairing? There are hundreds and hundreds of hours of work ahead in getting that old girl back to her former glory.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't go for it, and I don't mean to sound like a kill-joy. I'm just saying that you need to be completely honest with yourself about what you are letting yourself in for.

[Laidback]

This one gets 2 thumbs down

[troppo]

I think you are right, Weyalan and Laidback. I don't mind doing the work and I don't mind making do during the process of making her shine. However, even if I got the hull for $3,000 not the advertised $8,000, as you say, there are so many bits and pieces to put on the hull that the total cost starts looking too high. Especially since there have been several boats which were a bit smaller that have come and gone quickly through the 'net for less than $30,000 and had low-hour motors and reasonable everything else. So, from my perspective, I would probably be better off getting something like that.

I would like to customise an interior and do other restoration but . . . I also want to get out on the water.

[troppo]

Garry Lidgard of THE Lidgard company has provided the most awesome service: I emailed them re the yacht as I could not identify it. Garry said he did not recognise it as one of his designs.

I am glad I am looking elsewhere.

[Weyalan]

Just a thought (and please be assured I have absolutely zero vested interest here):

There is a 1980 31 foot yacht for sale, here in Tasmania, called Beach Inspector. Its an Ed Dubois design (great designer). You can see it listed at http://www.boatsalestas.com.au/list...._mono&de=65534

It is listed at $24k, but given how long it has been on the market, I reckon that you could make a low-ball offer.

I saw it out on the hard at Tamar Yacht Club at Beauty Point - it certainly needs a bit of work - was looking decidedly down at heel, but it is, from memory, a kevlar hul and deck, which should be pretty tough. Being a racing lay-out, it has plenty of possibilities for re-doing the fit-out down below to suit your tastes. Definitely a "fixer-upper", but probably one that you could use while you fix her up.

I'm not even saying that this is the boat that you should buy, but am offering it as an example of the sort of biat that I would buy if I were in your shoes.

[troppo]

Weyalan, regarding 'Beach Inspector' as an example, I understand what you are saying. Put time and money into it and not only be up and sailing quickly but have a worthwhile boat at the end of it. Not that a boat has to be a racer to be worth anything but it has to have some kind of decent pedigree.

Funny thing about the choice of getting a boat that is more together or getting a cheaper one that needs lots of parts, I have faced this choice in other areas. As a kid I remember looking at kit radios and thinking I would be saving money if I got one and assembled it myself. However, I found I could get a complete Japanese one for cheaper. There are times when it doesn't pay to do up a cheapy, certainly can't assume it will end up better value.