To refurbish or not to refurbish, that is the question

[pillum]

Opened up the boat after four years in the Florida and this is what I found...

So, should I refurbish or not?

Pros - Good hull, just had a full osmosis and bottom job, Engine looks to be OK (but not started yet), Keys is a cool place to refurbish, with lots of local marine support companies.

Cons - LOTS of black mold, I live in Scotland and Spain, so significant travel.

I love the boat, but...

[Terra Nova]

Is this your boat or one you're thinking of buying?

[Wotname]

OK, save one set of return air fares and employ local cleaner to remove all traces of mould first.

Then you will feel a whole better about tackling the more important jobs that take the type of care only an owner will take.

EDIT: I assumed it is your boat; maybe I would less keen about a possible purchase of a boat left in this condition - much more caution is needed IMO

[Island Time O25]

While the mold can be cleaned off with good power wash and bleach would it make $$ sense to replace all the other ruined stuff such as cushions, dodger/bimini, etc?

If you can a) get some kids at $10-12/hr to do the bleach power wash, etc and b) find used cushions, etc. at reasonable cost and c) the engine and all the other systems are OK - I say go for it.

[Arthur Garfield]

Not enough of your data to form an opinion.
Whatever you choose we all pull for you.



All the Best

[Matt Johnson]

The bulkheads look like they are toast. Unless you plan to take this down to bare hull inside, it seems like the boat is done.


We're doing the same degree of work to a newly purchased boat, but I was looking for something to do

Matt

[pillum]

It is my boat, yes. I made the mistake of thinking I could leave it for four years. There was 12 inches of rainwater in the cabins when I opened up. I am about to strip it out and a professional cleaner will do the mold removal job, then I'll start the job of putting it together.

Cushions are already dumped, as is a lot of other stuff. I'm hoping the engine will be OK (water level was below the dipstick and any intakes.

Price of assumption... Assume (ass of u and me) me in this case.

[pillum]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

The bulkheads look like they are toast. Unless you plan to take this down to bare hull inside, it seems like the boat is done.


We're doing the same degree of work to a newly purchased boat, but I was looking for something to do

Matt

Bulkheads are solid Matt, but there's a bunch of marine ply that needs replacing, as well as all the saple veneer.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by pillum

Bulkheads are solid Matt, but there's a bunch of marine ply that needs replacing, as well as all the saple veneer.

That is a little concerning IMO, perhaps the marine ply was less than "marine grade". I would certainly replace it with 'top shelf" marine ply (and perhaps plenty of epoxy).

FWIW, my whole boat is marine grade ply and when I took it back to bare wood after 30 years of service, very little need replacement. Less than a few percent of the hull, cabin and interior and maybe 25% of the decks; mainly were fresh water accumulated and the fasteners allowed water ingress. 10 years on and it is still good.

[Azul]

Sweet! I need a new free boat project!

Seriously, that's a full time DIY job for three months. Maybe six. We will be very impressed if you can save that boat by flying in from Scotland during your spare time!

Be careful you don't get buried in yard fees having someone else do the work. It would be very easy to put $40,000 into it and still have a $35,000 boat.

[Matt Johnson]

If you feel like coming up to Stuart, we're renting a warehouse to rebuild/refit our boat. We could use the company...and the sublease

The nice part for your rebuild is that you already have the templates with the delaminating plywood. Just take the old out, run a router around it on new plywood, and stick new back in place.

Matt

[DeepFrz]

Just in case you didn't know.
What to Wear | A Brief Guide to Mold | US Environmental Protection Agency
Friends lost their 5th wheel trailer this year in Florida. Left over the summer and it developed a leak and was full of mold when they returned. They had to pay to have it removed as it was classed as hazardous waste.

[SaucySailoress]

It seems to me that your choice is not whether to refurbish or not (look at the state of it!) but whether to refurbish it yourself or to sell it and let someone else do it... but I guess this is what you'll be doing in your retirement! Good luck with it

[pillum]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Just in case you didn't know.
What to Wear | A Brief Guide to Mold | US Environmental Protection Agency
Friends lost their 5th wheel trailer this year in Florida. Left over the summer and it developed a leak and was full of mold when they returned. They had to pay to have it removed as it was classed as hazardous waste.

Yes, it's bad stuff! I have a professional cleaner coming to do it as soon as I strip out the contents and all of the damaged wood, and have the engine steam cleaned.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Azul

It would be very easy to put $40,000 into it and still have a $35,000 boat.

That's the bottom line. What kind of boat? How much will it be worth if completely refurbished? How much will it cost to do a complete job on it?

And I would say that the numbers above are pretty conservative. With travel and living expenses, you might well spend $80,000 to end up with a boat that is only worth $35,000.

Does the boat mean that much to you? Is this a labor of love, and the time spent working on the boat will be just as enjoyable as time spent on the water?

Only you can answer these questions. Some things to think about, though.