sbw1
Well-Known Member
- Oct 10, 2006
- 8,183
- Boat Info
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- Engines
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Do you mind if I ask how the repairs were done? I've heard of everything from drilling holes every 6 inches and injecting seacast to cutting the tops of the old stringers off, grinding out all the wet wood, and splicing in new wood (or simply pooring seacast in the void) and glassing back over the top.
Mark
I love it when a new buyer takes the time to learn. The problem is you don't fully understand the nuances of something like moisture in a boat.
For example, the structure of a boat and its coring can fool you if you don't understand the construction. For example, The infrared photography you posted on the bow of a boat you were interested in led you to believe that the windlass area was wet. It might be, but more than likely, your photography just showed you the area Sea Ray cored with 2 layers of marine plywood which is just significantly more dense than normal balsa deck coring. You would get the same results at bulkhead areas and the center of the transom where the fiberglass/structure is just thicker.
Wet boats usually have other symptoms as well , like the limber hole you showed. The correct fix there , instead of silicone smeared on the hole, is to grind out the limber hole liner and replace it with resin and mat.
Use your moisture meter/ infrared camera as you search, but you will probably never find a 20 year old boat that doesn't scare you away because of construction you don't understand and know about or because of real moisture. Spend the money for a professional marine surveyor who uses multiple methods to check for moisture and who arrives at the boat with an understanding of the construction techniques the builder used.
Good luck with your search..............
Mark,I think that sort of gets to the root of my problem. Surely there's at least some level of due diligence a first time buyer can to do before spending $800 on a survey?
Mark,
When looking at a boats in the size and complexity (i.e. multiple systems, advanced electronics, etc.) it is best to leave the "survey" to the professional surveyors. You can poke around and use your thermal imaging camera but it takes a professional, trained surveyor to accurately analyze the data. That is what he gets paid for. That $800 is a pretty cheap investment for peace of mind. And if you are looking at 40+ foot vessels you are going to pay more than $800 for a full survey. Are you going to poke around the diesel engines prior to an offer as well?
It's OK to be cautious and wary and to do some amount of due diligence but I think you might be making yourself a bit nuts here. If you still have concerns though, go to a reputable boatyard that does stringer/fiberglass repair and ask the yard manager what boats he has seen with the most issues pertaining to rot. And if you do have one surveyed and the results of the survey come back unacceptable, that $800 +/- was well spent.
About 10 years ago I was living in Northern California and found a boat in Southern Cal that my wife and I fell in love with. It was a 1986, 52' Cockpit Motor Yacht. It checked all the boxes and we loved everything about it. We negotiated an accepted offer, scheduled a sea trial and I bought plane tickets for myself, my wife and our broker. We flew down, sea trialed the boat and all went well. Survey was schedule and at that point is was determine that the boat and particularly the engines, had about 8 years of deferred maintenance. It would have cost over $10,000 to bring everything current....just on the engines and genny. We then became frightened about what else might not have been done. We made the decision to walk away. The cost for that decision with 3 plane tickets and survey?....about $2400. But it turned out to be the best $2400 we ever spent on a boat. Three weeks later we found a much better boat for less money in Northern Cal. BTW....I've purchased 5 boats from 26'-52' that I have had surveyed and never once did any surveyor use a thermal imaging camera.
The moral? Buying a boat can be pretty stressful without adding more unnecessarily. Look for a boat you like and let the professional surveyors do their job....and enjoy the process.
Shawn
. That’s the type of moisture to be depressed about. Don’t worry about the moisture on the boat, find a boat you love and get in the water! Good luck!...We just got 6" of snow dumped on us here in MN...
Amen. Like I told you Mark, find a boat you like, if you think there are issues, have a professional look at it and get their opinion. Boating is way too much fun to have so much anxiety over a problem that can be found and fixed. Go make memories!. That’s the type of moisture to be depressed about. Don’t worry about the moisture on the boat, find a boat you love and get in the water! Good luck!
Plus 1 on this my 30 year old boat is in great shape for her age. I have zero issues with rot anywhere. Minus 40 degree winters put a halt to any organisms that thrive in warm wet conditions and considering how long our damn winters are that means my 30 year old is in conditions that favour microbial growth for half of her life . So really my boat is just turning 15 . LolThe anchor is wet too? ... That area in a Sea Ray is very subceptable to water from not properly bedded from factory, design and age. Just have a good guy determine extent of damage and repair. You don't say where your from a fresh water board stored for the winter is going to fair better than a year around warm weather salt boat... So look around up north and consider transport would be another option
Any links to advertisingYou do not say where you are but I have a friend selling a nicely updated Chris Craft that has been surveyed by owner and is awesome if you like that era vessel. It is $35,000.
MM
Aldo if you locate a boat up north you like my mom and dad run a business moving boats south and give operating lessons . Lookem up Stout Yacht Services if you require that type of service. They are 40 plus years in experience and move yachts as far as New York and Florida . Great rates and second to none in professionalismPlus 1 on this my 30 year old boat is in great shape for her age. I have zero issues with rot anywhere. Minus 40 degree winters put a halt to any organisms that thrive in warm wet conditions and considering how long our damn winters are that means my 30 year old is in conditions that favour microbial growth for half of her life . So really my boat is just turning 15 . Lol