Sunken Boat

[DBLD]

Hello,<br /><br />I'm am looking for advice about purchasing a boat that sunk. I don't know the particulars about why it sunk just yet, I am going to look at it this weekend. But, I could get it for a very good price, so I am interested.<br /><br />I am fairly handy, so barring any huge problems, I think I would make it my little winter restoration project. I am not planning on using the engine at all - if it works, that's a bonus, but I'm going after this for the hull.<br /><br />Does anyone have any thoughts about this or any advice as to what I should look for, be most concerned about, items that would make this a good or definitely bad idea, etc??<br /><br />Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[Wreck Rider]

Re: Sunken Boat

So you're going to look at it this weekend, are you a scuba diver or has it been raised already? Ha Ha, sorry couldn't resist a silly question.<br /><br />I'm not an expert so you'll probably get better advice from other replies but I do wonder what kind of boat it is, how long it was sunk, whether in salt or fresh, how deep, what kind of bottom it was sitting in and whether there was current at the bottom that would have rocked it around. Salt water will probably mean all the electrics (including every piece of wire) will need to be replaced, fresh will mean the wires, connectors and switches can probably just dry out unless it was sunk for very long. Depending on the depth of sinking your floatation foam may be crushed in quite badly, water exerts 15 psi for every 33 ft of depth. Water infiltration into fibreglass can be an issue, maybe someone can comment on whether this will be a problem in a sunk boat?

 

[envy83]

Re: Sunken Boat

Unless this is some incredible boat, you're probably getting the shaft by paying anything for this boat. Water (even fresh) is pretty insidious and a lot of things on this boat will be trashed beyond reasonable repair. Unless you plan on just stripping it down and keeping the hull, I'd say look elsewhere... there's plenty of still floating used boats out there.

 

[Puffdragon]

Re: Sunken Boat

Seriously, by the time you replace everything that is ruined you could have bought a good used boat. These things are expensive and the ruined electronics themselves are going to run in the hundreds. This doesnt go into the rebuiding of the engine you may need and all the other stuff that could be wrong.<br /><br />Engine full of water and junk<br />waterlogged floatation foam<br />electronics ruined<br /><br />Maybe they got it out of the water real fast though and saved everything.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Sunken Boat

You could have helped us help you by telling us a bit more but ---------- I would also think that the gas tank/fuel lines should be repalced.

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: Sunken Boat

Free would be a good price, the only thing thats going to get Drained is your bank account, If the boat was insured and it sunk, it would be deemed a right off, consider this the bare hull is the cheapest part of the boat, its all the other components such as seats, motors, gauges, tops/covers adds to the bulk of overall cost to build the boat and of course the labour. I'm not saying buying a sunk boat is out of the question you have to be realistic about cost vs value and always consider what you think labour and money needed to straighten out will always end up being greater than first thought.