West System over Aluminium Frame: Cruiser Conversion.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Ramona

Six layers of cedar planks and looks like two times triple diagonal planking! Probably does not need the aluminium frame now. That is a lot of money in cedar alone. Not sure how the interior cedar is finished.
That is one big boat. Doubt whether much green water would get on that deck!

I hadn't noticed the "six layers of cedar planks" bit before. This is not normal strip plank construction. The "planks' must be more like veneers than planks, or else the hull is ridiculously thick. Begins to sound like cold molding rather than strip planking. One must question such deviation from normal construction... question but not necessarily condemn. And the blurb does not say if it was glassed either inside or out... both important factors in the longevity of the hull and need for frequent antifouling if not glassed.

Another thing not noticed in my original look at the specs: draft of 2.7 m (9 feet). That is enough to really impact usability as a cruising boat. Many marinas and fuel docks, etc will be very difficult or impossible to access. And tankage is minimal. Tankage can be added to, but reducing the draft is kinda difficult!

Finally, one wonders why it is described as a "Steinman 50" when the OAL is just under 47 feet!

As I've implied before, I'm not opposed to repurposing old racers, but this one has some dubious features that would scare me off.

Jim

[JPA Cate]

Hello, again, Metal Boat,

I'm just speaking here as crew, okay? I looked at all the pics, too. The plywood deck could be a problem, depends on how well it's been kept up.

There will be a serious challenge to fit some kind of dodger, and you will want one. You might have to relocate some winches.

The boat is tender, even with the portable ballast (the crew) on board: she is reefed down where the other guys are not. Without the 8 big fellows, she will be more tender. She needs new sails.

If you want different dishes, it can be difficult to find ones you like that fit the slots. Stove fuel? Probably propane, 3 burner with oven, if it's working, that is all doable, and the deep sinks are just what you want. A lot of re-varnishing to do below. The boat is likely to work well in a seaway, but sail on her ear on the wind. Yes, the 2.7 m. keel will be limiting both for marina access and for the shallow areas on the Qld coast.

The thing with the "Steinman 50" caught my eye, as well. 13.8 m. does not equal 50 ft....What on earth? In searching for a new boat, a process which took us over 3 years, after we had already about 80k sea miles on our 36 footer, we found a lot of misrepresentation of boats here in Oz. It cost us quite a lot of $$ and disappointment. Where possible, try to have a friend go eyeball a boat for you before you invest in travel plans, it helps if the friend is knowledgeable about boats.

Ann

[Metal Boat]

Have to agree on the misrepresentation, I have been fed so many obvious lies its unbelievable. I am looking around for just the right boat at the right price and I cant find anything that suits me. I want something thats got some work to do on it but work thats achievable. I like this boat but its just a touch too small,




https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats...r-scoop/202593

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Ventilation actually isn't an issue on a cruising boat at anchor as long as there are a few deck hatches...…..

Did you look at the photos of the boat? There is exactly one deck hatch. This is hardly the boat I would choose for cruising the tropics.

[Metal Boat]

I was more curious about this boat than serious about a conversion as I knew the whole deck would need to be re arranged. The aluminum frame stumped me, why do it? These old racers seem to come up cheap because they are no longer competitive so it seems a shame to waste them but designs don't lend themselves to conversion. I really liked this boat boat it has sold already


https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats.../lexcen/167088

[Ramona]

No where in the ad is cedar strip mentioned. It's obvious from the photos the boat is diagonal construction.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Ramona

No where in the ad is cedar strip mentioned. It's obvious from the photos the boat is diagonal construction.

Well,what do you call this, quoted from the ad:

Using an Alloy frame with six layers of Western Red Cedar planks, Galaxy was built to last.

Jim

[hpeer]

MetalBoat,

You are all over the place. That’s not bad or unusual for someone in your position. Been there, done that. For my Wife and I it took maybe 3 years to work out what our motivations and goals were. And they were quite different. In that time we seriously looked at everything from a 39’ Elizabethan (old skinny racer) to a 52’ ketch rigged plywood catermaran. In the end we bought the second boat we looked at.

Whatever you do your partner needs to be onboard with your choice. She need to be looking at these boats and understanding the pros and cons and to be comfortable with the decision. Remarkably, after looking at many boats my Wife insisted on a comfortable aft stateroom, and she was 100% right to do so. But that’s just us.

My gut tells me your boys will be out the door before the boat sails. I hope I’m wrong. I’ve not been able to transfer my enthusiasm for the life style to my kids, but I was 55 when I started.

There is most likely a boat for you somewhere. But it will take diligence to ferret it out. It can take time.

[Metal Boat]

Speaking of all over the place check this out I like trimarans they go fast and I am an andrenaline junky


https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats...rimaran/222832




I am taking the wife to look at this boat. I have no intention of buying it but I just want to show her what the interior is like for a point of reference


https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/d...=0&pss=Premium


The boys are not going to want to stay on a boat deep down I know it and the wife and I discussed this at length this arvo. We need something for us, that suits us and the boys can come a long for weekends visits etc

[dakno]

Looks like a fun fast boat to me. I like how from the interior you can see the frames and reach some conclusion about the condition on frames, fasteners, interior of cold molding. If you can live with a 9' draft, determine how the cedar strips were fastened to the al frames, was West System in fact used or some other epoxy. What method was used to laminate layers of cold molding and how much epoxy was used between layers, was glass applied to exterior? Builder should have a file? Is boat on hard, who painted it last and do they have pictures of what was done at that time, was any of the cold molding damaged , what is the hull to keel joint like? If you decide to sell there is no way to determine how much $ you would be able to recover. Engine looks good, plumbing looks functional, no pictures of electrical, how fresh are the sails? I could keep going for a while...
So draft would be a deal killer for me even if all else checks out. Don't consider vents, ports. You have 2 companionways, 1 hatch, add 4/6 dorades and you are set. The salvage value of the boat is 25k us. The interior is easy to modify and make comfy. If you decide to proceed decide what you think is a fair price and deduct 20% from that number. If you are turned down leave your phone # and walk away, he will call you back soon. There are very few buyers who would even give that boat a look because its unconventional. Let us know how you proceed

[Ramona]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well,what do you call this, quoted from the ad:

Using an Alloy frame with six layers of Western Red Cedar planks, Galaxy was built to last.

Jim

Photos don't lie. It's double diagonal. Might have one or two layers running fore and aft but it's definitely not cedar strip. I looked at a Kaufman 36 for sale in Adelaide a few years ago. Same age as this boat and it was 4 layers. Triple diagonal with the outer skin running fore and aft. This boat apparently has been for sale for a long time and is now down to half the original asking price.

[JPA Cate]

That Adams 12 might work for you. Joe Adams' boats are mostly easily driven. Some of them are kinda cramped. We looked at a very nice Carina, but she was just a little small for what we thought we wanted.

For a boat that you are going to live on full time, you need to think in terms of physical comfort, for both partners. Berths need to be secure at sea, of adequate length, and may require new foam. Ideally, everything should be scaled to the smaller person, usually the woman, so that she can enjoy the fun of the sailing. This may mean investing in new, larger self-tailing winches. As to comfort, a dodger is really important, and most Qld people want a bimini as well, for the sun protection. Those are issues with various solutions (don't really HAVE to have a bimini, but you do need shade under way sometimes)*, but issues you need to imagine the solutions for when you're looking at boats. The placement of the winches around the companionway will affect the practicality of a dodger.

For the galley, two, deep sinks is really good. A two burner stove is probably adequate (we lived on a boat with 2 burners and an oven for 18 yrs.). Your good lady will have some ideas about that, and the more outdoorsy or of minimalist inclination she is, the easier the transition to a boat will be. The Steinman 50 offers little privacy, and needs lots of varnish, but it will probably be a tender but competent boat in a seaway. Experientially, "tender" equates to "tiring" because it will sail on its ear a lot.

Handholds. Imagine that sailing in choppy water is a little like trying to keep your footing in an earthquake: hand holds help. When the boat is leaping about, your excretory system doesn't stop, and the smaller, less strong crew person needs to be able to safely get to the head, stay on the pot, wash hands, and return to the cockpit. It's all harder at 25 deg of heel.

Nuff for now.

Ann

*in our case, we have two rows of zippers in the aft end of our dodger two 1/2 width ones, and one that goes the whole width; and we made clear, downwind rain protection that zips in, an awning that zips in and is supported by the solar panel arch aft, and a 1/2 awning that zips in either side, also supported by the arch, so that we can have sun or wind protection, and add mosquito netting, as well. The solar panels themselves, offer some shade.