Thread: Wanted

Would it be a problem if it was in Brisbane, and it cost some money?

I know someone who (I think) has a 24foot carvel planked sloop for sale. He was looking for $20k but I think he's down to about $5k

Also, a friend of mine died recently with a partly built Hartley TS16 in the garage. His widow would like to sell it.

Let me know if you want more details in either of these.

Thanks OTBA

Yes I think once road transport is taken into consideration from Brissy Qld to Bunbury WA it becomes a major problem sadly they both sound like VERY honest and good candidates

I was and remain hopefull that one of my WA cousins will chime in... I know the boats are out there around Bunbury itself Busselton Albany even up north a bit to Geraldton or even at a pinch east to Kalgoorlie and Esperance would be great.. but interstate offers up a major hurdle ie: the money to hire a lowloader for an east west trip with its associated nightmareish fuel costs to deal with just now :mad:

Thanks for the offer though mate... maybe someone else in Brissy or nearby reading this will give you a hoi and help them out... be bloody perfect if it was here!! I think given the prices youve quoted I could maybe just about almost convince her highness to let me take both off their hands which would make us all happy ... well other than her highness that is ... gets quite seasick poor baby in the bath!! :eek:

Free would be the ultimate but if I have to pay for a project boat that needs a lot of work Id like not to have to pay too much you know? enough will be spent gettin her up to seaworthy... anyway as I say Thank you

Look a bit further north and you might end up with a lugger!

Now wouldnt THAT be the ducks knuts!!

Howdy Shane,

I can't stop the BoatBuildingPsychologist from coming out ...

Where is your priority - do you see getting the boat on the water as the important thing - or is the process of building more important and it doesn't particularly matter if it doesn't get in the water?

Does it have to be something historic - or is it a question of just falling in love with something - or do you see yourself with your hand on the tiller heading off somewhere for a couple of hours or much, much longer.

I know people of both persuasions - and like them both - so which one are you?

MIK

Wife and I have a running joke. The worst thing that can happen with a boat building project is that you eventually finish it.

Hi,

Good luck on your quest...surely there's a boat out there looking for some TLC withyour name on it.

Don't discount the Trading Post and other papers. I look occaisionally and recently - I was a bit slow - there was a free 30' sailboat in Melbourne in the Trading Post. Seaworthy but needed some repairs, came with hardstand and about 9 months rent paid on the space it was located.

Nearly broke my skull whipping the phone up to my head but I got in too late.

So they're out there...WoodenBoats mag always brings a tear to my eye with their "Boats for Free" listing in the classifieds...free ChrisCraft cruisers, etc.

We'll all await the pics when you get it and if I ever get to WA will help wild a sander for the day

Regards,
Darren

An enquiry to the Chief Harbour Master about the disposal of abandoned boats may yield results.
Maritime NSW auctions boats abandoned on moorings.Most of them are fish reefs waiting to happen but the occasional bargain turns up.
Good luck with your first boat...you will post plenty of pics I hope?

Originally Posted by onthebeachalone

Wife and I have a running joke. The worst thing that can happen with a boat building project is that you eventually finish it.

Of course it's a joke, it's an impossible dream :eek: Hell, I can't even imagine the time when I'll get to START on mine and she's sitting in me front yard

Richard

Originally Posted by Daddles

... and she's sitting in me front yard

Richard

Which "she"?

hey wild dingo, why dont ya look in the "Quokka" as there is sometimes boats for free in there. ya shold be able to get it at a newsagent and they have a website http://www.quokka.com.au/template.ph...fa6c950/search

Change of crew meant a week of half a week early

So thanks for the responses people!! Cheers

Its not my first boat but rather my first BIG boat that Im after... see a few years back I built a canoeythingy a rather hodgepodge of several ply designs sourced over the years then did a restoration of an old 14ft timber fishing dinghy (read replacing and sistering everysinglefriggin frame and floor in the blasted thing!! sounds like I didnt enjoy it doesnt it? nah I did it was great seeing it float again) anyway as I say Im after a nice preferably 25-40ft sailboat of some vintage and I dont think I put in my other post that it needs to be an Aussie design!! :eek: yep that should blow a hole in the idea eh?!! What Id really really REALLY like is nice larger sized Couta boat or even at a pinch Id go for an old Halverson around 30-35ft... either or would be most excellent!!

I lost all my plans in the flood of 2005 and she who demands my wallet and its contents has determined that I shall henceforth be denied access to any funds for boat plans for the present duration! :eek: flamin sheilas! I mean... nah wont go there

Mik mate... I dont know where I fit in your criteria sorta in the middle I guess... Im passionate about building and its the journey that makes the ending worthwhile the ending in itself is a means to itself of getting me on the water but its the journey of making stuff of cutting and sanding and fitting that gets my fluids moving the end is a joy to stand and look and just mutter "damn that was great fun... next!" and move on
The one I intend on getting will be a long term as in 5 - 10 year project as it doesnt affect me so much when its complete but rather that I complete it.

I hopefully will "retire" HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in about 4 years from working for other people and be in a position just work at what I love... ala boats and woodwork mainly boats well actually probably just boats!!

Will check out boat the traderboat and the Quokka... best Ive seen over recent times in the quokka was one I missed by about 100 klicks and an hour was a nice 30ft clinker down in Albany for 4000 but sigh as I said I missed it by about an hours travel rang him on the way and by the time Id got to the 100klick from Albany and rang him again it had gone... sad but true... sigh

Anyways cheers mates!!

Originally Posted by Wild Dingo

it needs to be an Aussie design!! :eek:

Mik mate... I dont know where I fit in your criteria sorta in the middle I guess... Im passionate about building and its the journey that makes the ending worthwhile the ending in itself is a means to itself of getting me on the water but its the journey of making stuff of cutting and sanding and fitting that gets my fluids moving the end is a joy to stand and look and just mutter "damn that was great fun... next!" and move on
The one I intend on getting will be a long term as in 5 - 10 year project as it doesnt affect me so much when its complete but rather that I complete it.

Glad on the Aussie thing - will be nice to see something preserved and used for another extended period.

But back to being a boat cycologist (my spelling goes daft whenever I answer your posts!) - lots of people get confused about whether they are doing the process to be builders or doing it to be a user.

Having a clear idea which one (or what mix) you are at every stage is really important - otherwise you can end up with lots more work than you need to do.

Dingo knows this I am sure - he's done lots of solid work - but I've seen something like the following occur a few times too often

Person buys an old skiboat - motor needs an overhaul but will start OK. Hull leaks a fair bit. There are a couple of delaminated areas of deck. Needs Paint all over.

Speak to the person a week later - they have pulled the engine out - taken off the manifolds and head/s and carbies to have a better look - ripped the deck off - pulled out the seats and floorboards dashboard and electrics - turned the hull over and burned the paint off

They feel a sense of magnificent accomplishment - but I look and think - they NOW have a hull shell only - it now requires almost all the labour of building a NEW boat and all the gear being removed from the boat starts to deteriorate, change shape, stop working etc.

This might be fine if this is the sort of project that the person wants to do - but if their big thing is using the boat ... it is just a pile of junk - and where I am sure both Dingo and I fall into line - another bit of OZ boating history will end at the tip cut into little pieces.

And all they needed to do was get the engine tuned, fix the leaks, replace some sections of deck (sometimes replacing the whole deck can be faster if there are many), paint it and go boating.

Boats that are USED never end up being taken to the tip.

So before buying the boat and at every other decision point you have to remember which one you are.

User or builder?

MIK

Well Doctor Mik thank you for that... its good to have you on our show... Sorry it took so long but we had to get rid of that yank git Doctor Phil the dill but thats okay... Im glad your here arent we audience?!!

prompter from the right holding board saying "Cheer"

prompter from the left holding board saying "Clap"

Mad intense cheering and clapping from the raptured audience

Now Doctor Mik... can I just call you Doc Mik? yes? okay then so Doc I will simply ask a few questions which you can answer with your usual wit and brillance when you get your own syndicated newwork show

prompter from right holding board saying "OoooYaa!"

Audience stands cheering and going "OOOYAA!"

whats it like bein a "boat cycologist"?

why do so many get stuck at the boat plan buying stage?

why do so many take so long to build a boat? some taking 15 or more years to build a small -20ft dinghy why would they do that? I mean a small dinghy surely shouldnt take more than a year or so of weekend warrior work for most but often runs out to many more do you as a boat cologist have an answer for that?

With the plethoria of boat designs and boat designers out there today why would someone who in other areas of life is a modern thinker hark back to designs of the early 19th century or earlier? Surely as you and I both know thats rife with trouble!

prompter from the left with board "gasp"

Without a designer who one can approach contact or whatever how does one get feedback on how theyre going?

When just as easily they could simply contact a living designer and have one drawn up specifically for them?

Also designs from earlier years were often drawn up without any consideration for the home builder and more often than not the drawings were very limited in their content, so how can a home builder knowingly buy with intent to build plans from a long dead designer with only limited information contained in the 4 sheets of drawings they recieve from some obscure museum?

On that matter its usually some foreign museum!

prompter from the left "NO!"

audience screams "NO!!!"

Yes and more often than not some foreign designer!!

audience "SHAME"

Prompter starts to loose the plot looking for the board saying "shame" and quickly writes another on a peice of floating dunny paper "NO ADLIBBING!!!" and holds it up to the audience with a scrowlling look

audience get up on their feet yelling as one scrowling and yelling "NO ADLIBBING!!! NO ADLIBBING!!! NO ADLIBBING!!!"

Another thing!! Hold on there hold on!!! quiet please settle down!!! thank you audience thank you... nearly got away from us there Doc Mik hahaha... okay why is it that the most easily available designs are from American designers from places like the Peabody museum Mystic Seaport or from such as the Woodenboat magazine store?

Where are the great Aussie designs hidden!! why isnt there a collective book of Aussie designs? with contacts!

audience as one stomping loudly "YEAH GIVE US THE AUSSIE BOATS!!!"

I realize that some time back someone over east got the gumption up and did do a book on aussie woodenboats with some lines drawings drawings of the many old time Aussie boats... but sadly they left out how to get a hold of the ruddy plans... ahem excuse me Doc Mik but that sort of thing just isnt good enough you know? Surely if your going to offer up a book with long gone designs and names of builders or designers surely where one can get hold of them would have been eerr shall we say useful?

audience "Yeah give us the Aussie boats!!"

I mean for instance how would one get hold of the plans for a Carina or a Albatross or even a simple Couta boat? the designs of David and Alan Payne?? this is information that should be readily available to any Aussie woodenboat nut surely!

audience in fine form now "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi give us the Aussie boats!"

prompter sitting cradling his head as he realizes his jobs just gone south and he may as well be sailing... mmmm sailing suddenly he jumps up smiles hugely and buggars off followed closely by the audience

mmmm seems were alone Doc Mik... so why is it deamed a problem if one is more interested in the building process than the actual finishing process?

Why is the journey to complete the boat so all encompassing that the end result often fails to satisfy and the poor boat builder finds themself in such a quandry that he simply starts building another boat?

The work involved in a simple restoration can be immense depending on the level of finish the restorer aims for what drives one to want to restore an old worn out wooden boat

Why wouldnt one just simply start building a new one?

In your years as a boat cycologist have you come across that staggering heart rending problem of "boatwood confusionitis"? sorry for the veiwers boatwood confusionitis is that appaling affliction wherein some poor backyard boatbuilder has finally found and bought the design that takes their breath away from some far flung museum designed by some long dead designer who has demanded that the builder use some obscure timbers for the build! timbers available in some far flung corner of outter mongolia but totally out of the question in good old Aussieland, so the poor sods left tryin to figure out what to use instead of White Oak Elm Hickory or some such from our own timber selections! I mean Doc how does one then go about figuring out should I use say Spotted gum instead of Elm or should I use Jarrah maybe some Ironbark would do instead of Purpleheart... and so the poor boatbuilder is now stuck for years in a disastorous situation called boatwood confusionitis often the poor dopey buggar ends up tossing their hands up in frustration... but where does he find an Aussie boat design of the same vintage that takes his breath away??

Well thank you for your time today Doc Mik and I for one look forward to your syndicated show!!

mmmm well I would ask the audience to cheer but seems theyve all buggared off... look a sign!

Wanders over and has a read "gone sailin" and runs out the door yellin "Seeeya Doc!!"