#6,010 in Books
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Reddit mentions of Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library)
Sentiment score: 5
Reddit mentions: 9
We found 9 Reddit mentions of Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library). Here are the top ones.
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Specs:
Height | 9.1 Inches |
Length | 7.4 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 0.5401325419 Pounds |
Width | 0.3 Inches |
I was pretty much you last summer. Land locked state, no sailing club close by, no relatives or friends who sail, and a burning desire to get out on the water.
I was able to learn to sail in four steps:
I was able to go from no sailing experience to flying hulls in 20~ mph wind inside of a summer with this method. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c105II-L8OA Far from perfect, but we are having a blast. I think a teenager would be able to pull of a similar feat with no problems. You will find fumbling around on the water is far better than dreaming from the shore.
That Ranger looks pretty good. I'd double check the bulkheads where the chainplates attach. It looks like water has gotten in there. If the bulkheads are rotted, that's a big job, and if they're rotted where the chainplates attach, there's risk of them pulling out and losing the rig. If the bulkheads are rotted there, I'd probably just walk away from this one. Replacing them just doesn't pencil out from a time or money perspective. It's a big, dirty, time consuming job.
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I see the Catalina 22 has the "fixed keel" option which makes it a contender. I was about to ward you off of a swing keel trailer boat if you're planning on keeping the boat in the water. Still even with the fixed keel the Cat 22 doesn't have the "bay chops" of the Ranger or the Santana.
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There are also two other good choices right now:
First, check this boat:
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/boa/d/redwood-city-santana-22-hull-508/6863252537.html
The "tuna 22" is an incredibly tough little bay boat, and this one appears to be in pretty decent condition and available for a little more than a song to an owner that promises to take the boat out on the water and use it. This might be the most promising option on craigslist right now, though you'll have to either get the owner's Torqueedo, or alternatively scare up another outboard. And new outboards are expensive.
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Then this Catalina 25 is a lot more boat for only a little more money and comes with a transferable slip in a good location:
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/boa/d/brisbane-25ftcatalina-sail-boat/6882420858.html
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A lot of it comes down to condition, which you can't really evaluate just by looking at photos - you have to get down there and actually touch and feel and smell the boats in person.
I won't tell you to try and get a surveyor for a boat that's selling for less than two bills. But I will tell you to get ahold of this book and read it before making a decision:
https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455
You could get it in your hands on overnight shipping and have it read by Saturday afternoon if you read fast, before looking at boats on Sunday.
That said, it doesn't pay to be in a hurry when looking at boats. There's always another one coming around the corner. It's always a buyers market for aging plastic sailboats.
Don't worry about the type of boat. Educate yourself to make an informed decision
http://amzn.com/0071445455
http://amzn.com/0393033112
Make a list of the characteristics you absolutely MUST have when purchased or cost you must factor in to modify the boat. E.g.
Practical matters:
Now, as you visit all these boats calculate your total cost of ownership
TCO = x + y + z
x = the total cost of the boat after broker fees, documentation fees, registration fees, import fees, taxes, etc.
y = the cost of the modifications that you wish to make (multiplies by two if you have never owned a boat before)
z = the cost of moorage + power for ___ many years before you go cruising full time. Keep in mind that if you get a multihull you will be paying a premium for moorage. Do not underestimate this cost.
In my experience, what surveyors should do and what they actually do are very different things.
If you decide to get a surveyor make sure it's a reputable one who comes with known references. Or better yet, get a book like Don Casey's Inspecting the Aging Sailboat and do the inspection yourself. At least this way you can be sure of what has and hasn't been properly assessed. And it's a way to learn about the boat at the same time.
I'd suggest reading this, https://amzn.com/0071445455 . Don Casey's Inspecting the aging Sailboat. It gives you a basic run down of what to REALLY look at.
That said a hull being most is a problem with mostly 80's onward racers (at least I think) S2's have balsa cores below the waterline and that can be a huge ordeal. One of my club members bought an old 7.9 that had moisture problems around the daggerboard and it's been a hell of an ordeal for them vs my cabintop that's finished.
http://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455
This book is pretty something you may need to look at.
I always think it suspicious when people list their boat's condition as "fair" when selling online. I've seen Craigslist boats where the deck is one big maze of spider cracks and softer than a pillow in spots, where the stays are one puff away from snapping, where the rudder can spin freely on the shaft ("it helps to trim the boat") that are listed as "good". If a boat owner lists their boat as anything less than "good", they're either incredibly honest (which is unlikely) or aware of some awful drawback (soggy decks, failed chainplates, clothlike sails, rusty stays, frozen through-hulls, leaky hull-deck joint, or a hilarious and novel combination thereof).
That said, check out "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat", it's a great book that's helped me a great deal and I've spent most of my life on boats:
https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455
At the very least, google "Morgan 35" and see what people have to say. Most of what you read online about boats is by nincompoops so be skeptical (but should you be skeptical of me telling you to be skeptical? SKEPTICEPTION!). If you're going to make a big life decision by buying a large sailboat you should probably get it surveyed, especially if you don't know boats very well.
Anyways, you might try looking at a smaller boat? You don't need more than 30' if you're living alone, and you'll save a lot of money if that's your aim. Plus, a smaller boat is easier to maintain, berth, and sail!
Buy a book!
Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0071445455/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cbDqDb8T5QNS7
I've had people here recommend me some good books on this topic:
Inspecting the Aging Sailboat - Don Casey
For fiberglass specifically:
Surveying Fiberglass Sailboats - Henry C. Mustin