ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

[willjames]

Ive been offered a boat in abigaveny (wales). - currently in thegarden of a nice old couple who i beleive just want to free some space. the boat is a 30 foot dawncraft which they are offering for free, but it certainly needs some work.
they say it has leeky strakes, though im not really sure which strakes are the problem. - otherwise i beleive most of the work would involve refitting electrics and attatching an outboard. the steering gear is all there.

what worrys me is the strakes letting in water. - i beleive it is a fiberglass boat, and looking on the net it seems others have had similar problems which the have been able to fix. but i really dont know.

what i imagine i would have to do is move the boat, and store it on land for a couple of months while i work on it. (i havent been able to find a job recently, so i have time to do the work fairly quickly) I looked at the storage prices in bristol, and it seems expensive, so id rarther not be stuck with an unfixable boat that i'll be paying through the nose for each month. I dont have any idea about moving the boat, but i know it has been on a trailer in the past.

any advise you could give would be really apreciated, ive also got a photo of the boat. i will go to abigaveny on wednessday so i can see more clearly the damage.

 

[gm280]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

Personally I'd say do a huge amount of research on here on iboats for similar project boats and how much material and effort it does take to refurbish such projects. While the boat is FREE, the problems will not be. Each problem will cost both materials and money not to forget about the huge amount of work input as well. If you seriously think you are up to the task, then it could be a good thing. However, with no job and little money it will hold you back in getting things it will most certainly take to repair everything for a safe and water-worthy project. Only you can tell if you can afford such an undertaking... Good luck either way. Just remember, nothing is truly free...but you willl not be the first to do such a project either. There are tons of boaters doing the same on here and will assist with their experiences and knowledge...

 

[MinUph]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

I did a major repair on a 26' cruiser years ago. The stringers were shot. it was either repair or sell. I couldn't do the later in good conscience so the repair won. I have to say after 100 hrs. of work and many $$ in materials it came out excellent. The engine bolted in perfectly and it was once again sea worthy. Do it again? Never! The work involved in tearing out the cabin, floor and replacing them was the easy part. All the grinding and grinding and grinding was horrific. Working in a Tyvek suit and mask in 85 degree days in a hull is not an enjoyable experience. I don't know how the professionals do it.
Just one mans experience.

 

[willjames]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

well, i dont know if youve ever been to bristol.... we certainly havent got 85 degrees. i'll be happy to get out of the wind and rain.

i was told that its just needs "fiberglassing" around the strakes. i dont really know what this involves.


anouther thing is how to keep it. (now you can really start to tell how much i know about boating...) if i need to get to the bottem for working, i guessing it would be stupidly unsafe to keep it on bricks. but what are my other options?

 

[MinUph]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

Will,
Blocking a boat is something that needs to be done properly. It needs to be raised off the ground and blocks and a beam place on the rear chines to support the back. Wood blocking under the front keel to support the front. Only allow wood to touch the boat. If done properly the boat will sit level and very stable. You would be best to at least go to a boat yard and look how it's done. It really isn't rocket science but does need to be done right.
As for the glassing the strakes (stringers). This is something you won't know until you get to the bilge You will need to remove the floor to get there. It isn't done from the outside. This type of repair is done on the inside. Remove the old ones and cut and glass in new ones. Some are wood, some are cardboard, some might be made of other materials. Don't use pressure treated lumber as glass wont stick to it.
I had expert assistance when doing the above mentioned boat. I could have never did it without. I did the dirty work and he did the glass work. Along with letting me know how to proceed at each step.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

it sounds to me like this boat has exterior fiberglass issues for sure. We haven't even talked yet about the condition of the interior structure like stringers, decks, and transoms which is what so many of us are usually tackling. This doesn't sound like a keeper to me.

 

[BonairII]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

Run away!

 

[greenbush future]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

Without pictures I fear we will tell you to not do the project. Boats are a very very expensive hobby, and that's when they operate as they should. When you have repairs that must be done, it can get downright nasty expensive. So while we warn you to be careful, we want to see pictures first.

 

[StevenT]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

Welcome aboard Will. First and foremost there is no such thing as a "free boat". The current owner is simply avoiding paying for removal and disposal. A used trailer for a 30ft boat is going to be somewhere, guessing $5000.00. Having the boat transported to your restoration site won't be cheap. I would ask myself is the the type of boat that I would want if price wasn't an issue.

 

[BonairII]

Re: ivee been offered a free boat, should i take it?

Welcome aboard Will. First and foremost there is no such thing as a "free boat". The current owner is simply avoiding paying for removal and disposal.

BINGO ^^^^^^^^

If the boat was in any decent shape whatsoever....the owners would sell it....rather than give it away for free.

You'll def end up paying WAAAAAY more for a trailer than your boat will ever be worth.