Continue refit or look for something else?

[jhulmer]

I feel your pain! I'm on year 5 and almost done! When going through hell just keep going until you reach the other side!

[gamayun]

When I was still married, my ex traded his BMW for a trawler that he then put on the hard and gutted. That boat sat in our yard for 5 years until he gave it away. He didn't have the desire, the interest, or the skills to do the work. "No straight angles on a boat," he'd say. Then he found another and did what he actually enjoyed, which was spearfishing. You are in a sunk cost fallacy right now. (Classic example is overeating at the buffet bar because you want to get your money's worth.). So forget about what has been spent and how much time has been invested. That's gone. The plus side is that I'm sure you've learned a lot, which is a huge gain. It seems to me that now you need to set your expectations for moving forward only on what still needs to be done and whether you have the heart/time/money/skills to do it. Also, try not to think about walking away as a failure. It's just one of several, potentially equally good, decisions that could be made based on the best information in front of you at this point in time.

[Stewie12]

The decision would surely be be based on can you walk away with a possible loss of 40k

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by lsheaf

I woke up to 10-15 swarmer termites on my deck after sanding my bowsprit and heavy rain. That’s really not a good sign considering all of the interior wood work I’ve done.

Are you making the assumption that the termites came from your boat? Are there any other boats around you? Termites frequently change homes after a rainstorm.

I mention this because we discovered a swarm of termites invading our teak deck after a rain last year. The little suckers went to work fast! They were atively drilling little holes into the deck that was sheltered from our sunshade when we found them. The sunshade was lashed down onto the toe rail and resting on the side deck. It was removed because the rainstorm also brought wind and we took the shade down to protect it.

We have a fiberglass boat we work hard to maintain in bristol condition. The only exterior wood is the teak deck and the hand rails on the cabin top. And no other sign of termites inside or outside prior to the rain.

Turns out, the boat in the slip next to us was loaded with the little buggers and they were abandoning his ship and looking for fresh wood.

So the termite problem may not be yours --- yet.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Sailor647

Are you making the assumption that the termites came from your boat? Are there any other boats around you? Termites frequently change homes after a rainstorm.

I mention this because we discovered a swarm of termites invading our teak deck after a rain last year. The little suckers went to work fast! They were atively drilling little holes into the deck that was sheltered from our sunshade when we found them. The sunshade was lashed down onto the toe rail and resting on the side deck. It was removed because the rainstorm also brought wind and we took the shade down to protect it.

We have a fiberglass boat we work hard to maintain in bristol condition. The only exterior wood is the teak deck and the hand rails on the cabin top. And no other sign of termites inside or outside prior to the rain.

Turns out, the boat in the slip next to us was loaded with the little buggers and they were abandoning his ship and looking for fresh wood.

So the termite problem may not be yours --- yet.

Yeah, certain times of year we have termites crawling all over outside.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by lsheaf

So I’ve been refitting my 1967 30 footer for the past year. I’m over 40k into the boat plus initial purchase. I think I just had an epiphany that everything on the boat needs to be replaced. Engine has been rebuilt plus new transmission (New shaft, prop, coupling) new rigging, replaced some structural bulkheads, repaired large blisters in Hull, all new electrical, the whole works. I woke up to 10-15 swarmer termites on my deck after sanding my bowsprit and heavy rain. That’s really not a good sign considering all of the interior wood work I’ve done. Not a good feeling.
Was refitting for pacific Crossing within 2 years or so.

Should I scrap the boat and look for something more suitable? Or stick with it?
Tough decision.

What's left to do? Aside from killing the termites, I'd say you're way too far into it to quit now. Figure out how to get it splashed as quickly as possible and go sailing - deal with the minor details later as you'll always have a to do list. For crossing the Pacific a water maker would be a necessity which should be handled before you shove off. Yes, I know it's another 5 grand but at this point you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Look on the bright side, once you get it finished, you'll have a fairly sound vessel that shouldn't need too much in the way of expensive repairs for several years. Boats are rarely a sound investment but are a reasonable form of entertainment as long as they don't sit on the hard forever.

[Adelie]

You don’t need a watermaker to cross the Pacific. And if you do chose to get one you don’t need to drop $5k to get one.

[roland stockham]

Sometimes when in the middle of a project it is easy to get overwhelmed and loose site of the goal. Are you getting into thinking that the boat has to be in 'new condition' with everything right before you are 'finished'. Boats are never 'finished'! Maybe you could take a second look and see what has to be done rather than what would be good. Maybe look at what do you have to do to get here back in the water and do some sailing and make that and interim goal?

[Cheechako]

And... at this point can you focus on the low "out of pocket" things and just get it sailing? Got any pics of your project?

[Clivevon]

Go sailing. You wont want to cross the Pacific in a boat you dont trust anyway, so go sailing. Now. Look at it as a necessary part of your preparation.

[malbert73]

Hmm. The part where it’s a 30 footer (and if from 1967 likely a very small 30 footer) may be where you scrap it and cut losses. But the part where you are so close especially having done most of the big stuff says just finish up and go

[captlloyd]

Just kill the damn termites.

[mitiempo]

A lot of good advice here. But without knowing the design or its current condition I wouldn't want to suggest either finishing or abandoning the boat.

What design is it?

What has been done by you?

What still needs to be done?

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Adelie

You don’t need a watermaker to cross the Pacific. And if you do chose to get one you don’t need to drop $5k to get one.

Show me a thirty foot boat that will hold enough fresh water to get from the Cook Islands or Hawaii to the Solomons (which would be the next available fresh water)... Yes you can set up a catchment system but you'd be counting on rain. During a dry spell nobody in Kiribati (which is also on catchment) will be letting you fill up. Making that trip without at least a hand held water maker ($900 Katadyn) is foolhardy and should not be encouraged.

[lsheaf]

Thank you guys for all of the responses, it has definitely widened my perspective of the situation at hand.

For those wondering a little bit about the boat she’s a 1967 Allied Seawind 30 ketch. I bought her shortly after hurricane Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. She was supposedly one of the “last ones standing” in the marina and was completely unscathed. Call it luck? I’m not sure. The boats around her were crushed by huge boulders. Also most of the work has been done in the water (by me, I’ve hired no one to do anything) and I have been sailing it. I know all about the boat yard...

As far as what needs to be done I would say a new windvane, new water tank under cabin sole, new main boom, adding rigidity to the hull deck joint, new sails before embarking on a long journey, new lifelines, and probably a few other large ticket items I’m not thinking of.

The reason I bought this boat was because of the good design but mainly the simplicity. There is phenomenal access to everything including the engine. If a structural component breaks its very easy to replace compared to a boat with fiberglass interior liners.


Ive had my eyes on a pacific seacraft 31 and 37 For a while now. The crealock 37 is the most solid boat I’ve ever stepped foot on but obviously much more expensive.

One last thing I’d like to mention about the boat is that it has saved my life before. I was on the boat for a category 1 hurricane with 15ft breaking waves on the bow with one 35 lb delta anchor with 5/8” rope. I thought I was going to die. Nothing on the boat broke, but I did find all the leaks! So maybe that’s worth putting trust into the boat?

Logan