Aloha Folks!
I found a 70's era Brown 37'
Searunner. Here is the reply from the seller when I asked him for more info on the boat:
"Let me explain the main reason why the other owners want to sell the boat. The present owners are a non profit organization which has fallen on hard times and are not able to pay the
dock fees any longer. One of the principle officers of the non profit is my mom, so that explains the level of my involvement. I am not the owner but have managed and skippered the boat when she is sea worthy. As you can probably tell by the very low selling
price she is not currently ocean worthy. Although it should not take too much effort to make her sea worthy again. We originally paid $9000 for the boat plus the cost of the replacement
engine and its
installation which was about $3500 more. The
engine alone is probably worth around $2000 - $3000.
We bought the boat about 3 years ago. Some highlights of the trip home after
purchasing her: We knew there was an approaching storm so we sought refuge in a Harbor. On the last leg, I topped her out with a tail
wind at around 10 - 12 knots! She was docked for about a week until the
winter storm passed and then we continued north. During the first leg of the final leg, we weathered swells up to 15' no problem. I know she is very sound for this type of
weather as her
marine ply glassed hulls had no problems with the large swells. I believe she could handle rough
weather up to 20' - 25' swells no problem.
Once we docked at her present home, I was able to take her out a few times but quickly discovered that the replacement
engine was too powerful for the old folding prop which was now not the correct
pitch and size. The old
engine was I believe a 15 hp
Perkins and the replacement Kubota
Diesel is 28 hp. Unfortunately the 1"
propeller shaft now has a small cut that was made by
accident by the guy I hired to replace the
propeller. I put on the new
bronze replacement
propeller which is the perfect size and
pitch for the engine and boat. For now the plan is to have the prop cover the cut in the shaft as a temporary measure. Prior to going out on a long ocean trip it would be advised to properly
repair or replace the shaft.
The Kubota
diesel engine runs very well when it is fired up. The
batteries worked but should probably be replaced at some point. The
deck has some soft spots interspersed (mostly on the sides and back where the ama's are connected but I don't know the full extent of the
deck repairs that are needed.) I would say other than resurfacing some of the spots which are de-laminated probably 20% of the
deck wood could need replacing. The front
cabin is in great shape, the rear
cabin has about a 3' x 3' section on the port side and a 1' x 2' section on the starboard side which needs
interior wood replacement. The rear
hatch needs to be replaced but works okay for now. The
sails are usable, functional but not high performance in their present condition. The rigging is in really good condition but some of the
sheets and halyards could be replaced. There are also 2 small cuts, (one in the bow and one on the starboard side ama) that were made by the previous owner which still need to be re-glassed. The wood underneath those cuts should still be fine. The 28 hp Kubota
diesel engine also has an
alternator which has not been hooked up. Also, the
toilet is not currently functional. I investigated getting it fixed a while back and it is possible to get it repaired. Or one could replace it with a newer
toilet or simply pull it out and put in a porta-potty. The hulls are in good shape with no
leaks as I check them regularly. I checked the bilges recently and the only place where there is any
water is in the front cabin
bilge. I don't believe there is a leak and this is probably seasonal water from
winter. I scraped and cleaned the hulls last week. The hulls probably could use some
sanding and new
paint. The hulls are bone dry solid and no soft spots that I could find whatsoever. The boat appears to have been built in the 1970s. The last time the boat was out of the water, a bit of pressure was applied to the
rudder and it popped out of the mounting brackets which attach the
rudder to the stern. No damage was done and the
rudder simply needs to be lifted up and placed back into and tightened to the bracket."
Is this boat worth $6k and how much would the
repairs run, if I do them myself? I plan on having a
surveyor familiar with the construction check her over.
I will read through this thread the best I can. I understand this will not be easy. I'm doing it more out of necessity than pleasure. I don't have enough time to build a dinghy first for more experience. I helped my Dad build some boats and my brother (who will be assisting me) has built a pontoon boat that had some issues that he learned from, and he rebuilt a smaller
motor boat. He will look over the boat, too before
purchasing.
I suspect if this boat is worth it, it will sell fast.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Craig