Pro's and Con's of a old boat

[dazzlar3]

I've been spending days and days looking around the country for a idea on prices. I was recently viewing boats at Sawley Marina...which as it happens is not too far away from me.

 

Anyway, one of the boats caught my eye...I'll admit mostly because of price but it does look a very useful boat too...Obviously at this stage I'm not looking to buy immediately but I want to cover as many bases as possible beforehand.....and learn as much as I can as I move forward.

 

The main thing that caught my eye in it's listing was it was from the year 1980.....it looks a honest boat

 

So what do other members think of buying a boat which is clearly an pretty old girl........?

 

What are the ultra main things that I should be cautious of ?

 

I have experience of old boats but my knowledge ends at just leisure boating.....and obviously I am now looking for a liveaboard all year round.

 

I'm not afraid of taking on a old girl but I would like to be fore warned before I become fore emptied in pocket !!

 

As usual I bow to other members opinions and suggestions and it would help me in my quest.......

 

 

 

( this was the boat I was looking at https://bwml.co.uk/brokerage/sm-9335-spotty-dog/ )

[Laurie Booth]

Just get a survey.

[NB Lola]

Once you have the survey, be prepared to spend money.

 

Post survey, we needed new alternator, new batteries, within a year, new engine. We have re-designed much of the interior and had the boat re-painted. Surveys give you very little but I agree are an absolute necessity even if it's to get insurance and the limited confidence in shell standard/thickness. Be warned shell inspections have limited value if the surveyor is not permitted to scrape away blacking anywhere they like or have it pressure washed first.

[adam1uk]

An old boat here normally means one from the 1930s.

[zenataomm]

...... 'wot Laurie just said.

I bought one built in 1969.

Be there for the survey and look, listen and ask.

[Naughty Cal]

One of the cons of buying an older boat is you are buying someone else's to do list and you are reliant on their repairs and maintenance being safe and up to the job.

 

Be prepared to carry out a lot of running repairs as and when bodged jobs rear their ugly head.

[Catnip King]

Mines from the 70s and hull is great. Its had some overplating in areas but its to be expected in my opinion. You will struggle to get fully comprehensive insurance if you don't have the survey anyway. Its got a good engine my last boat had one in. Looks decent to me but I'd have expected some sort of hull work to have been done or due some time in the not to distant future all depending on thickness of steel used. Anyway good luck

[bag 'o' bones]

One of the cons of buying an older boat is you are buying someone else's to do list and you are reliant on their repairs and maintenance being safe and up to the job.

 

Be prepared to carry out a lot of running repairs as and when bodged jobs rear their ugly head.

Similar scenario to buying an old car - your inheriting the previous owners list of repairs.

 

The trick is to identify the expensive repairs and agree on a sale price that reflects the existence of those faults (easier said than done) leaving you with a repair budget to bring the boat up to scratch.

[dazzlar3]

Obviously a survey is a MUST.....

 

Yes...I agree on the front of "You inherit someone else's to do list"

 

The thought of overplating had slipped my mind...you would expect something in that area by now wouldn't you on a boat from 1980......

 

I would envisage that checking the engine history is on the MAKE SURE list and also the usefullness of the fitted items like batteries, water tanks, toilet facilities, gas appliances......

 

Personally I can think of a few things but are there some obvious things I am not thinking of because of my lack of experience....I guess what I really mean is from YOUR experience of having and living on a boat.....are there some things that I'm not seeing and really should not forget...

[Alan de Enfield]

There are only two items that are expensive to replace :

 

1) The Hull

2) The drive train (engine, gear box, shaft and prop)

 

Any thing else can be replaced at reasonable sums (£100s rather than £1000s)

 

Personally I would rather buy a thin-hulled boat and have it replated (at my cost) to known standards, than one that has already been replated, may leak, may be ready to drop off, may be welded to unsound metal, may well have water between the 'two plates', etc etc.

 

Windows can be removed and resealed

Cookers, fridges, etc can be replaced for a few £100.

Furniture can be 'ripped out' and replaced

Walls are just 'stud walls' and can be removed / moved to suit (as long as the windows are not in the way)

Beds can be removed, changed to cross beds or lengthwise beds.

Rotten floors can be relaid.

 

However - if all of the above need doing keep your hands in your pocket and walk swiftly away.

[spadefoot]

A boat of that age could be very poorly insulated. This is an important consideration for a year-round liveaboard.

[Traveller]

 

 

The thought of overplating had slipped my mind...you would expect something in that area by now wouldn't you on a boat from 1980......

 

 

A couple of years ago we bought a circa 1980s boat (Peter Nicholls hull) and as recommended here had a hull and general condition survey undertaken. The hull passed with flying colours and no overplating has been done or is deemed necessary. She has spent a lot of her life on rivers and had no shore power; that all may have helped. There was stuff like leaky side hatch and some rotten boards that required attention. Got a price to fix same from a couple of yards, took the average, got this knocked of the asking price - then I did the jobs myself. Worked well for us.

 

There are certainly bargains to be had but keep your eyes wide open :-)

Edited August 25, 2016 by Traveller

[J R ALSOP]

Built in Cosgrove, GU South, plenty still around, that have not been overplated.

[Joe the plumber]

It's now under offer. Have you taken the plunge?

 

If not, don't be disappointed as the boat finds you, not the other way round, so it wasn't 'yours'.

[Neil Smith]

Only my opinion but with your skills and help from others I would spend my £16,000 on a new shell and fit it out to your choice, saying that if you want to get on the water faster then as long as the hull is sound it would be readable as it already has a new quality engine fitted based on a yanmar.

 

Neil

[magictime]

There are only two items that are expensive to replace :

 

1) The Hull

2) The drive train (engine, gear box, shaft and prop)

 

Any thing else can be replaced at reasonable sums (£100s rather than £1000s)

 

Personally I would rather buy a thin-hulled boat and have it replated (at my cost) to known standards, than one that has already been replated, may leak, may be ready to drop off, may be welded to unsound metal, may well have water between the 'two plates', etc etc.

 

Windows can be removed and resealed

Cookers, fridges, etc can be replaced for a few £100.

Furniture can be 'ripped out' and replaced

Walls are just 'stud walls' and can be removed / moved to suit (as long as the windows are not in the way)

Beds can be removed, changed to cross beds or lengthwise beds.

Rotten floors can be relaid.

 

However - if all of the above need doing keep your hands in your pocket and walk swiftly away.

 

Just to add that a full cabin repaint will also cost several thousand pounds (£100 a foot or so) if done professionally. This is a routine maintenance job, really, but it's worth weighing up whether that cost is something you need to budget for some time in the next 10 months or some time in the next 10 years.

 

And don't underestimate the extent to which 'smallish' internal jobs can add up. As Alan suggests, a lengthy to-do list can soon get out of hand in terms of cost - although less so if you've got the skills, time and inclination to do the work yourself, of course.

[spadefoot]

 

Just to add that a full cabin repaint will also cost several thousand pounds (£100 a foot or so) if done professionally.

Yeah, we're talking about a 36yr old doer-upper here. No-one sensible would get it done "professionally". Just slap a tin of purple paint all over it.

[Traveller]

Whoever puts the paint on, it always seems to get knocked off again if the boat is regularly cruised. At least that is my experience :-) So a decent self paint has merit in my books.

[OldGoat]

Seems to me to be a wooden top and recently redecorated inside - so may be some challenges - plenty of discussions on here about such.

It's a budget hull.

The outside is dreadful - possibly because painting timber topsides needs more skill to deal with any blemishes.

 

Think you need on-site help from folks who know more about them than I.

[dazzlar3]

Repainting of a boat would not be a problem for me.....I do have rather a lot of experience with the painting of wood and metal for that matter...I used to work on portable accommadation units...the outside and inside...full painting and decorating and fitting of all services including plumbing, electrical etc so that part does not put me off in any way...on top of that I have my joinery skills too.....I have worked on a few other boats in my past as well as refitting of caravans too so I am used to working in tight spaces and do have good knowledge of using space to it's maximum.

 

I don't underestimate how big a job it would be and of course I didn't have my disabilities back then when I was working on the portable accommodation units but my brain is still pristine it just takes a little longer for my body to catch up To me the boat I had mentioned seems to be of general good condition but of course I would find out more if I intended to purchase it.

 

I do intend to be a cruiser, I want to travel very frequently....so I would more than likely set myself a running maintenance regime....plus I'm single (not by choice!, she thought the grass was greener elsewhere!).....the other consideration I have to have is for my young daughter who would visit me regularly on the boat...at the moment she is 5yrs old but I'll soon turn her into a canal captain

[magictime]

Yeah, we're talking about a 36yr old doer-upper here. No-one sensible would get it done "professionally". Just slap a tin of purple paint all over it.

 

I was talking about the 'pros and cons of an old boat' in general, as per the thread title, not about the particular boat mentioned by the OP.

 

Yes, I can certainly see why you wouldn't want to spend (say) £5,000 on a professional paint job in the case of a £15,000 'budget' boat where the quality of work done isn't likely to make much difference to its future value.

 

But I might feel very differently if I bought a good quality, generally well-maintained £30,000 boat with the potential to hold its value if well looked after or lose £10k in 10 years otherwise.

 

If you have the skills and time needed to do things 'on the cheap' but also do them properly, of course - which it seems the OP does - the calculation looks different anyway.

[dazzlar3]

Totally agree Magictime, you've hit the nail on the head....

 

I belive at the right price just about any boat can/could increase it's value if time and care are taken and any alterations done are done well...

 

Obviously there are a few exceptions as my old dad would say "You can't put lipstick on a pig!...it's still a pig at the end of the day!"

 

But careful alterations, precise work and detail can only add value in my opinion...as to a say £30k boat I would take it as a given that you would indeed take the time, care and professionalism to hold the boats value and looks....

 

Nothing lasts forever unless you put in the effort...

[Catnip King]

At least wooden top means its something easier to work with if your doing it yourself.. plus they are much nicer but that's down to personal preference

 

Seems to me to be a wooden top and recently redecorated inside - so may be some challenges - plenty of discussions on here about such.

It's a budget hull.

The outside is dreadful - possibly because painting timber topsides needs more skill to deal with any blemishes.

 

Think you need on-site help from folks who know more about them than I.

[Bod]

Semi-off topic.

How does your ex feel about your daughter being on a boat?

 

Could have a bearing on the viability of the project.

 

Bod

[dazzlar3]

No problems about the daughter being on the boat.....if anything my daughter would be a force to reckon with if she wasn't

 

A proper daddies girl