Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

[Elephant Shoes]

Hiya All,

A newbie here.....

I have found a Doral Boca Grande I'd really like to save. Should I or should I not Save her is the question.

All I know that for four years I have watched her slowly fade into the ether. I could only afford a rubber tub to start with and still only have a rubber tub to use. when we first laid eyes on her we wanted to get a boat just like her but the funds and kid could not allow us to do so. Now the kids are growing and the tub is getting tight to squeeze onto we'd like to get and save this poor boat that started our adventures for us.




Please advise us further? What will she be like to use and maintain, that's if we can get her and try spruce her up. Would anyone have a manual for a Boca Grande too?

Many thanks,

Elephant Shoes.......

 

[bannister]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Omg.......................

 

[Elephant Shoes]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Is that a OMG save her or a OMG you are bonkers...........?

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Is that a OMG save her or a OMG you are bonkers...........?

Welcome to Iboats!

Well... Shes awful rough on the outside. It's a pretty easy assumption if she looks that neglected on the outside, her insides may be far worse off. And not just the aesthetics either. Her deck, stingers, transom, and flotation foam are likely to be in poor shape if they have been exposed to the elements.

If you are seriously interested in her, hire a marine surveyor to check her over with a fine tooth comb. Make sure he checks the structural integrity of the boat. In the end, if shes in bad shape, you may spend more money just making her safe to use, than it would cost to buy a boat that's both safe, and looks good.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Saving a boat like that will be a labor of love. It will also require a fairly hefty influx of cash $$$$$. So, if you are in love with it and have the cash, then you have the ingredients to save it.

 

[Jlee815]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

you all either have good eyes or I have a bad monitor. I cannot see anything in that picture except an outline of a boat in a dark picture.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

you all either have good eyes or I have a bad monitor. I cannot see anything in that picture except an outline of a boat in a dark picture.

Click on the picture, it will enlarge.

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Is it for sale or are you just wishing it was? What is the asking price? Do you have any more pics? Any water in the bilge? What year & model?

LK

 

[Jlee815]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

okay changed pcs /monitor and can now see...What alwhite00 and the other guy above about the survey would be my comments.
I love these boats for the cost of a in depth survey you should know what you are dealing with. Who knows it may be worth it.

 

[Elephant Shoes]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Is it for sale or are you just wishing it was? What is the asking price? Do you have any more pics? Any water in the bilge? What year & model?

LK

Hi Alwhite00

I have been watching this poor girl for four years, I have been drumming on the marinas door and I'm yet to find and contact the owner. I have been told to stay away from the boat now so getting close to her to peek inside her bits is a toughie, will try to peek for her serial# in the rubber tubbie this coming weekend.

She is the reason we started cruising, we wanted a boat just like her but with skids on the way had to settle for less, unfortunately the boys are getting bigger now and we are keen to try save this poor girl as she is the reason we hit the water in the first place.

http://forums.iboats.com/images/smilies/grumpy.pngWe just don't know if it may be too little too late.http://forums.iboats.com/images/smilies/facepalm.gif

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Grab a couple more pics (closer) and post them up.

LK

 

[bannister]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

OMG what a pitty (for the condition of the boat)
OMG for the amount of work needed.........
OMG for what I would expect to find inside.....

Having saved a 2001 250SE in a FAR BETTER condition than this, it all depends of the asking price for the boat and how much you can do on your own.........
If the price is right and you have the cash needed to buy parts and restore it to her glory with your own hands (skills needed), then go ahead.
If you plan to pay someone else to do it for you, my guess is that it would be A LOT cheaper to find another boat............

P.S. OMG I love this boat, wish it was closer to me..........

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Please advise us further? What will she be like to use and maintain, that's if we can get her and try spruce her up. Would anyone have a manual for a Boca Grande too?

Many thanks,

Elephant Shoes.......

She looks to be a 1996/7 or newer. They stopped making the Boca Grande in 1992 and resumed again in around 96/97 with the forward swept radar arch and lack of a bow pulpit. I have a 1991 manual I can send you if you think it will help. Just shoot me a PM with your email addy.

I hope the pic you posted is just a poor exposure and not the actual condition of the boat.

 

[Elephant Shoes]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

She looks to be a 1996/7 or newer. They stopped making the Boca Grande in 1992 and resumed again in around 96/97 with the forward swept radar arch and lack of a bow pulpit. I have a 1991 manual I can send you if you think it will help. Just shoot me a PM with your email addy.

I hope the pic you posted is just a poor exposure and not the actual condition of the boat.

Thank you,

PM'd you as requested, dunno how to thank you.....!

I will get a few cheeky shots if I can soon, but as I said she is really in bad shape, "the only naturally green boat afloat" that I have ever seen.

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

Manual on it's way. It's truly a shame that someone would allow such a beatiful boat to degrade to such a condition.

 

[Snobike Mike]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

What a total piece of crap. I would run away very very very fast.

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

One good thing..........It's still floating!

Alls i can say is... Im restoring a 18ft boat on a tight budget....and its gona cost alot more than you think to bring that one back!

Like everyone else has said, you got the funds, time, and a helping hand it can be done.

Good Luck!

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

If the owner is willing to sell, get a surveyor to do a thorough report.
The Riviera M370 next to me was abandoned for 3 yrs. After many afternoons estimating a value and the cost of repairs over a few beers it sold, the new owners (Brothers) have managed to bring her back from the dead without spending huge money; it must be noted however, had the boat required a massive cash injection these guys wouldn't have batted an eyelid.
From my experience the gel coat on late model Dorals can get rather thin in places so much care and time is required to bring the hull back to a gleam, the bright work will more likely than not simply require metal polish and elbow grease but the fasteners used by Doral leave a lot to be desired and will probably require replacement along with the covers, the other issue on the outside is the screen surround, the alloy corrodes underneath the coating even on well maintained vessels, this can be very expensive and or time consuming to repair... then you have to deal with mechanics and electrics!

 

[WhySoSearious?]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

man, it looks like quite a bit of risk for just the cost of lifting her out of the water for a full survey. if it was a Sea Ray where you can find tons of used parts, maybe. but Doral is a bit trickier, at least here in the US.

i would say the interior and hull is probably ok. i would assume a very high amount of engine and drive rebuilding (if stern). i would be concerned about the fuel lines and corrosion to the electrical system. around here, just pumping old/bad fuel out of the tanks can cost over $4000US (this is what a guy just paid at my marina due to water accumulation).

now that i'm thinking about it, it sounds kinda fun. assume new engines and drives. then do a quick inspection and you'll know if it is worth the trouble for the survey, which will tell you the moisture in the hull. if that's fine, then the stuff like heater/ac, hot water heater, water system, and even electrical stuff can be simple. i'd love to see more photos.

 

[Jlee815]

Re: Should I or Sould I not Save Her.......?

good point about the tanks and if gas is in there and if the boat was winterized but you have to think it was to stay in the water. I am guessign someone got really sick and no one knows about boats to get a handle on her or to sell her... I am sure someone is paying the moorage unless it would have been auctioned years ago. I also dreamed of a bocca