Thread: First Wooden Boat Purchase!

Don't worry about disappointing your partner, worry about sinking the thing :eek:

I won't comment on the repairs as it's not something I've had to do yet.

please.

Richard

Congrats Darren on the new addition

From (recent) experience, more you worry about things the more chances there are to mess it up.

You'll get some great advice from the forum, put that together with any books etc you read about it, make a decision and if you want throw it by some people.

But remember opinions are like bottoms everyone has got one. Use your best judgement and go for it !!!

Andrew

Congratulations Darren

How old is she (the boat,that is )?
What type of construction? You say the deck is ply, how thick?.
My experience is that it's best to keep digging to be sure you have eliminated all possible rot, delaminated ply, rusted screws, failed glue joints, loose rivets, etc.
On a boat that size you could be up for quite an investment in epoxy, paint etc and it would be a shame not to have established a sound base to work from.

We're slipping boys. No-one's called him a 'silly bugga' yet

Richard

Shouldn't the surveyor indicate the approximate cost of repairs in his report?

We do have a forum member who is a boat surveyor, perhaps you could direct a question in his direction???

40 ft is a big boat, never built anything over 14ft. myself.

Originally Posted by Daddles

We're slipping boys. No-one's called him a 'silly bugga' yet

Richard

ssssshhhhhh well let that cat out later

Yeah and what onthebeach said. I found so many iron nails that when removed left huge holes. Take your time, suss out what needs to be done then go for it.

Originally Posted by onthebeachalone

Congratulations Darren

How old is she (the boat,that is )?
What type of construction? You say the deck is ply, how thick?.
My experience is that it's best to keep digging to be sure you have eliminated all possible rot, delaminated ply, rusted screws, failed glue joints, loose rivets, etc.
On a boat that size you could be up for quite an investment in epoxy, paint etc and it would be a shame not to have established a sound base to work from.

It was built in 1960 originally but was rebuilt from the water line in about 1986. That's it's current fitout. The hull itself and all structural wood is spotted gum. The hull from bow to stern are complete planks, no joins. I am not sure how thick the deck is however there are a couple other areas where I can see the thickness and I would say either 6 or 8mm. Could be different though as they are on a different part of the deck.

Originally Posted by jow104

Shouldn't the surveyor indicate the approximate cost of repairs in his report?

We do have a forum member who is a boat surveyor, perhaps you could direct a question in his direction???

40 ft is a big boat, never built anything over 14ft. myself.

The surveyor did give me a quote, around $10 000, for a few wood issue to be resolved however he says they are simply to do yourself.

We have already determined the size of the rot and luckily it's only the plywood and nothing else. He explained it was simply a case of cutting out the affected piece with a jigsaw with an additional 10% for safety. Utilise that piece as a template to cut a piece larger than the cut out piece and another the same size as the rotted piece.

Epoxy the larger piece on the inside of the deck then epoxy the replacement deck piece into the gap. Fill the edges with epoxy filler. Allow to dry. Sand the area and re paint.

Two of the other affected pieces are maple coapings. I can see the screws where the planks are attached. He said just unscrew, have new pieces cut, refit and repaint.

Originally Posted by darrenyorston

The surveyor did give me a quote, around $10 000, for a few wood issue to be resolved however he says they are simply to do yourself.

We have already determined the size of the rot and luckily it's only the plywood and nothing else. He explained it was simply a case of cutting out the affected piece with a jigsaw with an additional 10% for safety. Utilise that piece as a template to cut a piece larger than the cut out piece and another the same size as the rotted piece.

Epoxy the larger piece on the inside of the deck then epoxy the replacement deck piece into the gap. Fill the edges with epoxy filler. Allow to dry. Sand the area and re paint.

Two of the other affected pieces are maple coapings. I can see the screws where the planks are attached. He said just unscrew, have new pieces cut, refit and repaint.

$10,000!!! for a wee bit of ply and epoxy work??? oooh geez I can see Ive gotta get a business up an runnin repairin old woodenboats!!!

On the other 'and... Woooowwwwweeee now see mate Ive got this big old bridge I need to shed since Ive moved to the West Coast I have no need for it anymore so I tell you what I will let you have it for just that amount okay... often called the coathanger it spans Sydney Harbor has great views and mate I tell you what Ive even got the local council to give us the pre-approval to sub-divide! So hows that!!!

ahem sorry couldnt resist ... and if you notice nowhere have I called you a silly bugga!!

Darren,
the surveyor is probably correct in the extent of the work, however it may be a bit misleading. I don't want to put you off, but him saying what he has about the simplicity of the work is a bit like an architect saying that all you need to do to build a house is pour a slab, stand some stud walls and trusses, clad and line it and whack on a roof. I do think the work sounds straight forward, but if you haven't done it before it may take you quite some time. I guess what I'm saying is, don't be afraid to tackle it, don't be suprised if it seems to take forever and make sure you come here often to post pictures, tell us about your progress and ask for help if required. Have fun you lucky bugga.

Mick

Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

Darren,
the surveyor is probably correct in the extent of the work, however it may be a bit misleading. I don't want to put you off, but him saying what he has about the simplicity of the work is a bit like an architect saying that all you need to do to build a house is pour a slab, stand some stud walls and trusses, clad and line it and whack on a roof. I do think the work sounds straight forward, but if you haven't done it before it may take you quite some time. I guess what I'm saying is, don't be afraid to tackle it, don't be suprised if it seems to take forever and make sure you come here often to post pictures, tell us about your progress and ask for help if required. Have fun you lucky bugga.

Mick

I agree with you there. What I would like to know though is how to go about it if I chose too. As far as I concerned I am able to make a better judgement on the value of a service if I am aware of of what involved in the job.

Originally Posted by darrenyorston

I agree with you there. What I would like to know though is how to go about it if I chose too. As far as I concerned I am able to make a better judgement on the value of a service if I am aware of of what involved in the job.

IMHO you have been very wise getting objective advice from a surveyor. At least you can be pretty confident of ending up with a viable vessel.

It also depends a bit on whether you are mainly interested in the building/restoration project, or being out on the water or, like many here I suspect, can't quite decide. Like, when you've finished doing her up, what are you gonna do then?

Our first project in recent years took 3 years part-time work before we finally saw the light and abandonded it. A surveyor would have rightly said don't touch it but we wouldn't have missed the experience for quids. (Which it cost by the way !)

Our most recent project (now sailing) took 15 months part time and is only 16 feet. It took more time and money than we expected, but we love her.

It might be the case that, if you are mainly interested in the restoration project, go for it. If you are mainly interested in being out on the water (and you can afford it) it could make sense to the the repairs done professionally. You would be in the water much sooner, and it may be better for resale value.

Originally Posted by onthebeachalone

IMHO you have been very wise getting objective advice from a surveyor. At least you can be pretty confident of ending up with a viable vessel.

It also depends a bit on whether you are mainly interested in the building/restoration project, or being out on the water or, like many here I suspect, can't quite decide. Like, when you've finished doing her up, what are you gonna do then?

Our first project in recent years took 3 years part-time work before we finally saw the light and abandonded it. A surveyor would have rightly said don't touch it but we wouldn't have missed the experience for quids. (Which it cost by the way !)

Our most recent project (now sailing) took 15 months part time and is only 16 feet. It took more time and money than we expected, but we love her.

It might be the case that, if you are mainly interested in the restoration project, go for it. If you are mainly interested in being out on the water (and you can afford it) it could make sense to the the repairs done professionally. You would be in the water much sooner, and it may be better for resale value.

I am not talking about restoring the vessel. I am trying to determine whats involved in replacing the rotten pieces of deck ply. The hull is in excellent condition, the Cummins diesel only has 1500hrs on it, all of the bridge is glassed over but there is just a few places to fix. One for example is a starboard baulwark broekn when a Sydney Harbour ferry "apparently" lost control and ran into it. I am happy to pay for it to be professionally done if that's what is required. I am not happy for the vessel to sit on a slip in Sydney harbour and not be worked on for weeks like many I see.

I already need to get the boat back out of the water for an anti foul and some new pieces of copper sheeting attached on the keel and there are a number of other things that need to be done as well.

Does anyone have suggestions for a forum/book that can provide me with a run down how to go about fixing it whilst it's still small; because as you would all know the longer it's left the worse it will get.

Originally Posted by darrenyorston

I am not talking about restoring the vessel. I am trying to determine whats involved in replacing the rotten pieces of deck ply.

Well, it's a bit hard to answer that without having a look. Why not just do what the surveyor said? At least he has seen it. If you encounter problems I'm sure there are plenty here who will offer advice once they know what the specific problem is.
If you don't have a problem.... no problem.