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Little Bones · 13-02-2018, 10:00

Hi Folks, my partner and I are about to make on offer on a Cal 2-46 that has seen better days.
We had a look last weekend and we are getting excited and a bit nervous about taking on the project of fixing her up.
I have a fair bit of experience with boats as I have skippered in the Caribbean, lived aboard, etc. and currently own a 1981 Catatlina 27.
I am a sailing instructor but mostly a home renovator.
I'm 6'3" and that is part of the reason we are going for the big Cal.
In the next year or two we will move aboard so we can afford to live in Victoria BC and have a nice cruising boat as well.
I will be chiming in from time to time with some questions to any who wish to offer some help and knowledge.
Nice to be here
Thanks

SailsWithFists · 13-02-2018, 10:28

People on this board are going to discourage you in many ways about buying an old boat. "YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!"

The old Cal's are great boats. I bought a distressed one as my very first boat and learned to sail on it. Before we bought our current boat, I was looking at the old 2-46s on the west coast, and I probably looked at the one you are making an offer on. We only passed on the 2-46s because we needed more cabins.

If you want a "Yacht" you will spend a lot of time and money getting that boat up to par. If you want to go cruising, just stick to the basics and get those functioning properly. You can sort out everything else along the way. That is how I have done it with every boat I have ever owned, and I have thousands of "you can't do that" miles on "you can't do that" boats.

Little Bones · 13-02-2018, 11:47

Thanks, I appreciate your encouragement. I would say that good bones are a must and while there are a couple of soft spots on deck which will probably need re-coring and skinning, (which I am skilled enough to do), I have a sense that she is a solid shell that will stand up for some time to come and maybe even be worth something in five or more years. Those perkins are good engines from what I've heard and this one seems in decent shape for her age. I can see where some 10's of thousands could be invested/dumped in over a few years but the price is good and location is great. Here's hoping it's a good fit!
Cheers