Would You Buy a Boat With Termites ?

[roverhi]

If you decide that boat is not for you, here's a Cal 36 in SF that sounds decent and it's almost the same money Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing and Marine Magazine

If you like the Cal 34, this boat in Mexico has about everything you can think of to head out. Woudn't have to spend that $20,000 additonal you've got planned for the boat you buy. If you are spooked about the boat being so far away, question the heck out of the lister and and have him get 30 new HiRes photos of the boat and then blow them up and go over them very carefully. You should be able to tell if the lister is blowing smoke or not. http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...url=&imc=pg-fs

Failing the above, there are a bunch of other boats out there. Here's a Islander 36 for less than your Cal 34 Islander 36, Yanmar Diesel and a Cal 34 cheap http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/boa/2881914642.html

[Panaseaya]

"I am told by the broker that termites are quite common in SoCal and..."
HA HA HAA HA that's a good one. Chuck the broker into the water.

"The surveyor said that it was just bad laminating, but ..."
HA HA HA!!! the surveyor too. Into the water along with his partner the broker.

It's a buyer's market, beware brokers and remember the surveyor is working for YOU.
Good luck, mate!

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by justwaiting

I am not sure that AQIS would go with a tenting treatment, i think that they may be a lot harsher than that. Seriously if you chose to take the risk of bring a boat in that has obviously been infested their investigation of the boat may be INTRUSIVE. if i understand the powers that they have they can impound you boat and tell you to prepare it to be re-exported. ... $ .....$ .....

FWIW, AQIS have substantially more powers than Customs in Oz.

[Mr B]

Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. = AQIS,

They have more power than god himself,

Yes, They can impound your boat immediately, Can sell it for you, can deport it immediately, for you, Can restrict you to a certain peice of the river or a Marina or Bouy,

All at your cost of course, They can also hold you, Just in case, A body is a good deposit, That we can extract money from,

[SimonV]

If AQIS find any sign of termites and that could be the sniffer dog getting a wiff, at your expence thay will direct you to the nearest port Facility where fumigation can be done , you will probably have to drop the mast and the lot gets sealed in a giant container and fumigated with some nasty stuff methyl bromide that is banned all over the world except here and china and for tomatoes in California.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

OOOhh, I dunno, mate!

Yes to going sailing, but no (emphatically) about going to Oz in a boat with termites. They are really not welcome here, and one will be faced with an expensive inspection, followed by an even more expensive and intrusive extermination program. To deliberately start out thus would be folly. There are a hell of a lot of boats for sale just now, and most of them don't have this handicap as a starter, so I'd recommend looking further, Little Devil.

Cheers,

Jim (who is gonna have to decide if it is worth facing the inspection when returning to Oz if we are offshore more than 3 months this coming season).

Hey Jim...I was referring to the broker telling the guy most boats in S. Ca. having termites. It's a crock!

[Irish rambler]

This is a no brainer, why would you even think of purchasing a boat in such condition ? let alone attempt to sail to Oz where you'll be as welcome as a fart in a space suit. You gotta hand it to the salesman though, he's got balls to try and con you with it.
There are plenty of boats around just take your time and choose one thats fit for purpose.
Good Luck with your search for a new way of life.

[easterly38]

My boat had termites and it ended up being a serious pain. I was able to kill them and repair the damage, but it took a LOT of my time. Had I paid to fix the problems caused, it would have run upwards of an estimated $7,500 USD or more just for one part of the damage.

The problem is that it is very hard to find all the damage. If you have any wood that is covered with fiberglass, the only way to determine the extent of the damage is to cut it open. Trust me on this one, I know. I frankly would not even trust a termite inspection.

With so many boats on the market, I would keep looking. There are just too many nice boats out there at low prices.

[Intentional Drifter]

I think the broker and surveyor must be in cohoots. Run away from both of them! Unless you are specifically looking for a boat to rebuild from the hull out (and even that assuming a non-wood core!), why in the heck would you even consider such a thing?

ID

[David_Old_Jersey]

If you haven't bought the boat yet........you are a "timewaster" .

Stop all that thinking stuff , just write a cheque - after all, it's only your money. The Vendor and the Broker will thank you - they may think of you as a serious buyer.......or as something else .

FWIW, I would rather have Gonorrhea than my boat have termites . I could live with Osmosis - on either .

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by mrohr

Had termites in two buildings I owned, did some research and found out that they actually live in the ground and only feed above it by building mud tubes to get to the wood food above.
Sooo I'm wondering if its really termites;was the boat on the hard for long time?
FWIW: I nuked the soil around buildings and presto ,no termites.

There are "dry" termites around here. I've run into a few of them on my boat.

To the original poster, it's probably not a very big deal. It's hard for most people to wrap their heads around but the amount of time it will take for a few dry termites to cause actual structural integrity problems (which isn't even an issue for you because it's just interior work) is a long ways off. You'll have random water intrusion and the such long before the termite damage is relevant.

Your standing rigging is constantly cycling, getting one step closer to failure. But it's such a long way off that even though much of the metal fatigue in a mast is difficult if not impossible to observe you don't really care because it's such an out-there process.

Everything north of my hull is wood. Anyone with a lot of wood in their boat who doesn't think they have a single termite is kidding themselves. As my good shipwright friend said about termites in a mast: "think of it as them reducing your weight aloft".

[rebel heart]

And if you want some quality answers by folks who really know wooden boats, these people are incredibly helpful. On this very topic, when I had my 46' spruce mast laid out in a yard I wanted a shipwright to tell me the condition he thought of it. A respected boat builder from Seattle that saw my post happen to be in San Diego and spent two hours going over it with me for free. Some quality people over there who are dealing with wood all day:

The WoodenBoat Forum

[senormechanico]

This discussion makes my frustrating deck leak look like a GIFT FROM HEAVEN!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

If you haven't bought the boat yet........you are a "timewaster" .

Stop all that thinking stuff , just write a cheque - after all, it's only your money. The Vendor and the Broker will thank you - they may think of you as a serious buyer.......or as something else .

FWIW, I would rather have Gonorrhea than my boat have termites . I could live with Osmosis - on either .

david you are so cruel,jon has embarked on an adventure,unfortunately he set himself unrealistic time and skill constraints.

the pacific crossing season from the west coast is rapidly coming to a close,and he still hasn't got a boat,i personally would not like to be in his position with his level of experiance working against a deadline.

say he buys a boat,that proves unseaworthy,or he cannot sell at the other end and blows $100,000 without ever leaving as i,ve seen many do in the past.

better to ask advice, take your time,get a good deal of which there are many,and reschedule the trip for next year after learning how to sail the thing and get it fitted out properly.

cut the guy a bitta slack guys he has a very steep learning curve that can only end in tears if done half assed in a rush.......

[justwaiting]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

And if you want some quality answers by folks who really know wooden boats, these people are incredibly helpful. On this very topic, when I had my 46' spruce mast laid out in a yard I wanted a shipwright to tell me the condition he thought of it. A respected boat builder from Seattle that saw my post happen to be in San Diego and spent two hours going over it with me for free. Some quality people over there who are dealing with wood all day:

The WoodenBoat Forum

Yes it is a good forum, with great advice.

But he is talking about bringing the boat to Australia. What all of the Australian have been saying is that when he gets here he will be meet by a government department which is (rightfully) mandated to try and keep "pests" out of the country. They dont care how much it will cost the individual, and cost it will.They have been given powers to do their job and they are willing to use them. BTW they will not give a dam about what WBF knows or thinks - that is the reality.