20yrs old sailboat stored ashore

[leont]

The 36' boat is 20+ years old. The last 9 years it was stored ashore at the marina without use or maintenance (probably canvas covered). Should it be in better condition than the same boat used continuously and reasonably maintained? I understand there are millions of variables, but in general.

[sailvayu]

Short answer would be no it is not likely to be in better condition. If nothing has been used it is likely that much will not work. Batteries will be shot, the engine could be locked due to rust in the cylinders, pumps will likely not work, Fresh water causes rot so this could be an issue and it could be possible the interior has been flooded at one time or another from rain water. . Also boats stored on land for a long time will sag some, even fiberglass boats so this could result in problems. Not saying it is not worth looking at but there are some things to think about, if nay boat has not had maintenance for 9 years you may have your work cut out for you.

[SURV69]

Who knows why boats that sit deteriorate . . . a mystery.

Sails folded for 9 years, seals drying out for 9 years, packing, insects and mice. Wasps making nest upon nest in the various through-hulls.

I would imagine the hull and the things that make a boat a boat should be okay, but the particular things that make a boat a sailboat, like winches, camcleats and such might tend to need new maintainence.

The most abundant thing in the air is quartz, which registers about a 7 on the hardness scale. It flies everywhere, constantly. What makes gems "precious", is the hardness of more than 7. Crystal clear windows 9 years ago are cloudy today.

So everything is microscopically scratched day-in, day-out for 9 years, in addition to the heat/cold/dry/wet of the seasons.

Overall, things are probably okay, but things that might've been marginal 9 years ago, might be ready to fail now.

Thing about boats being used is when people use the stuff, it fails on their watch a little at a time. Winch begins getting hard to turn today, the head leaks a little tomorrow. But it gets attention in due order.

[David M]

Do you have some pics that could say a thousand words?

[leont]

Thank you guys.
Suspected the truth, but the asking price was too good, had to ask.
Except an overall shot, most pics from manufacturer's website.

[alan_za]

Originally Posted by SURV69

The most abundant thing in the air is quartz, which registers about a 7 on the hardness scale. It flies everywhere, constantly. What makes gems "precious", is the hardness of more than 7. Crystal clear windows 9 years ago are cloudy today.

Hehe, this is great stuff. +1+1

[resilientg]

Well i don't know if i agree with the previous posts.

My boat sat unattended for over 40 years, and has no major issues.

Yes i did totally dismantle, inspect and rebuild everything to give it all a once over, but most items were fine. And if your buying anything that old you should want to inspect and rebuild everything prior to going into the water anyway

Engine runs fine for something that was probably made in 1964, just changed the engine oil and fuel filters , seals etc are all perfect

Whale hand operated water pumps still work even the old cork in the pump is still alive

Electric bilge pumps that have never been used work fine.

Compass is accurate.

Stainless and aluminum is fine

Of course there are always some items that don't pass the test of time.

And i believe that the only two things that i can think of was the drinking water line tasted like crap, so it was replaced and the white faced ply interior lost its white, so it was repainted.

If somethings done right and has survived from many years ago i would suggest that it can possibly still survive for many years more.

Newer products are not normally able to make that statement.

Matthew

[Cheechako]

Well, some things may be better, other things may be shot. If the engine was layed up with lubrication sprayed in etc... it could be OK, Hard to tell really. Rubber things and seals have likely deteriorated. Pumps etc. Water in the shaft packing has likely eaten into the shaft... Rigging may be fine if it's been under cover. I assume it's glass... if wood ... run!

[maxingout]

If it is a great price, I would check it out.

Checking out a boat is not rocket science.

I would contact an insurance broker and find out what you would need to do on the yacht to get it insured. For example, all rigging would have to be replaced because of age. You might find that you would have to do a lot of things to get it insured.

I would make a list of everything that needs to be done to the yacht and put a dollar value on each item of the list to see what the real cost of the yacht is.

It might be that the yacht is not such a good deal once you get down to the nitty gritty of calculating the real costs.

[Bash]

One thing to consider is whether it's in a cradle or sitting on jack stands. The latter can be tough on a hull.

[Sam Plan B]

My 1978 Columbia 41 was on the hardstand for 10 years. It was hardly used at all. The engine meter had a little over 100 hours on it. Most of the issues I had to deal with were caused by failing caulking at the windows. The bilge held about a foot of rain water. There were rust issues with the keel bolts too. The previous owner sold the boat for a very affordable price as he had female problems. I paid cash. In short, you may have problems but they should not be things that will be more than you can handle. Get a survey. It will be worth the money and give you a honey-do list too.

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by leont

Thank you guys.
Suspected the truth, but the asking price was too good, had to ask.
Except an overall shot, most pics from manufacturer's website.

If the price is right and you trully have interest, don't be too quick to walk away. The most important thing to consider, was the boat properly winterized before storage? It is easy to crank that engine with a bar to learn if its locked up. Sure there are things as mentioned by others that have concerns such as pumps although pump replacement will not or at least should not break the bank.

Bash mentions that if the boat is on jack stands, the hull may have been subjected to unneeded stress. I am not ready to agree with that because a properly stored boat with jack stands is mostly supported by the keel, the stands are merely for balance. I remember my cradle days with my old Hunter 30. That did not provide any better protection than the current jack stands in vogue today.

Heck, I see many old cars on the popular hot rod programs where engines that have not ran in over 30 years have started right up.

Foggy

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by leont

...most pics from manufacturer's website.

That alone should tell you a lot.