Thoughts on buying large hulls for a rebuild?

[Ericsstinnett]

I'm thinking about buying a large sailboat hull. Any one ever buy one gutted and actually finish rebuilding it, I need advice from someone who's done this? Figure it'll take a few years to get it done. Any thoughts? Is this a common thing, buy a large old boat and rebuild it?

[Cheechako]

It used to be. It's very expensive and you give your labor away in the end. You are far better off buying a boat that is complete but needs some work in most cases. Things add up very fast. Just go price a set of sails for your BIG HULL, and see.

[Don C L]

It will cost more than finding one already rebuilt. Strange but true.

[SV Bacchus]

Whole lotta sweat equity you will never get back.

[Sailmonkey]

The sum of the parts greatly outweighs the whole.....by a large margin.


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[Stumble]

I have ever been crazy enough to try. But I have known plenty of people that tried it and spend large amounts of money before they gave up.

[LLCoolDave]

There was a thread recently for a free CT41. The person helping a widow get rid of the boat estimated it would take $6k to move the boat and $50k to restore it. He also said it would take 5 years working 40 hours a week on the boat to get the job done. Since in another thread you stated you are looking for a $1000 boat, I don't think buying a hull and finishing it is an option.

[Island Time O25]

Just calculate the price of sails, cushions, bimini/dodger, marine wood/plywood, electronics, etc. For the new price of any of the listed items, JUST ONE ITEM, you can get a boat that you can sail from the get go.

Last or before last season there was a guy on our local CL trying to unload a 37' boat in decent shape (not great shape but sailable) asking $13K. I knew that he picked up that boat at an auction for about $8K and didn't do anything to her just wanted a quick flip. The PO had drowned and being a German citizen his family in Europe did not want anything to do with the boat so the harbormaster where she was anchored or moored auctioned her off to pay the salvage/towing fees.

To make the long story short, if I did not have a boat already I would have jumped at this opportunity, provided no major issues were found with the boat. That's what you want to look for, not waste your time and $$ fitting out a hull which will be worth less than 1/10 of the $$ you sink into it, not counting your own time.

[valhalla360]

Way back, looked into building...the typical assumption is the hull is maybe 20% of the cost. It's all the bits and pieces, systems and the like that take cash and labor hours.

Also, are you planning to live on while rebuilding? A lot of marinas won't want a major project with a derelict boat in their yard/marina. Way too many people walk away and the marina is left with large unpaid bills and an eyesore but it's a hassle to dispose of it because the marina doesn't own it.

[K_V_B]

Originally Posted by LLCoolDave

He also said it would take 5 years working 40 hours a week on the boat to get the job done.

5 years, working 40 hours a week, so take 5 times your yearly income, and see what boat you can buy for that for comparison.

[Teknishn]

I wholeheartedly agree with all of the responses posted to the OP's question as I have "been there, done that" not once, but twice. Both wooden power boats, 24 and 40 feet each. One a success story, the other only so-so. Each boat took about 2-3 years of my labor, a lot of cash, joy and heartbreak, strain on my marraige, and lots of cuts, bruises and a few broken bones.

If you are the type of person, a crafts person, skilled or not, that takes great pride in seeing their own workmanship come to fruition, then it is worth the effort on your part in that respect. It will also teach you about boat repair and maintenance, how boats work and, on a somewhat rather zen note, patience, tolerance, understanding, and finding your limitations and then moving beyond them.

Would I do it again? No. But I have no regrets rebuilding the first boat....it was a great adventure and learning experience.

My advice then the OP is to find a boat that is sailable but needs some TLC and start from there. If, sometime in the future you want to take on a total rebuild, then you will have a knowledge base from which to draw experience from.

[double u]

it'll be the same effort in time & money as a complete build, hull & all, without the satisfaction!

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

If you are the type of person, a crafts person, skilled or not, that takes great pride in seeing their own workmanship come to fruition, then it is worth the effort on your part in that respect.

I think this is the main point. If what you really want is a project to work on, then buy a project boat. If what you really want is a boat, you will almost always be time and money ahead to buy a boat that only needs a little bit of work, and will not be a full-fledged PROJECT!

[SouthernPride]

As most seem to agree. Buy 80 to 90 percent finished. One thing i did was to by 3 motor yachts. Upgraded the interiors on 2 and rented them out as dock queens/apartment rentals. Used that income to pay for the rebuild of the 3rd yacht. Much happier process.

[30yearslater]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

I wholeheartedly agree with all of the responses posted to the OP's question as I have "been there, done that" not once, but twice. Both wooden power boats, 24 and 40 feet each. One a success story, the other only so-so. Each boat took about 2-3 years of my labor, a lot of cash, joy and heartbreak, strain on my marraige, and lots of cuts, bruises and a few broken bones.

If you are the type of person, a crafts person, skilled or not, that takes great pride in seeing their own workmanship come to fruition, then it is worth the effort on your part in that respect. It will also teach you about boat repair and maintenance, how boats work and, on a somewhat rather zen note, patience, tolerance, understanding, and finding your limitations and then moving beyond them.

Would I do it again? No. But I have no regrets rebuilding the first boat....it was a great adventure and learning experience.

My advice then the OP is to find a boat that is sailable but needs some TLC and start from there. If, sometime in the future you want to take on a total rebuild, then you will have a knowledge base from which to draw experience from.

Perfect answer. I did this with my Oday 27. Stripped to bare hull and started over. With sails about 27,000 USD. New 27 about 65,000 to 75,000. Worth it? To me yes as there is nothing I don't know about that boat. No surprises ever. To anyone else, not a chance.