Off into the deep end...

[tenders]

Your wife’s plans may be much more sinister than you think.

My boat is five years older than yours, and has certainly had her share of structural projects over the years, but with no sentimental value attached to this boat from your side even I see no point of this restoration project, with or without your impressive shop facilities.

Not suggesting it cannot be done. Not suggesting that you can’t do it. But regardless of cost I think it will dawn on you that the end result (a 45-year-old 27’ boat) will not be a good use of 500+ hours of anybody’s time when there are thousands of boats available that need work but that are starting in sailable condition. Whether you prefer the sailing part of sailboat ownership, or the maintenance part of it, those are better starting points.

And I think my 500 hour guess is optimistic. Core repair, bulkhead replacement, chain plate fabrication, standing and running rigging replacement, engine rehab, quadrant diagnosis, rudder analysis, rewiring, sole replacement, deck painting, keel rebedding...whew. Almost every one of those by itself is an ambitious winter/spring project for us who haul out at the end of the season.

If you go with Plan B, salvaging, I suggest you hire a food taster too because your wife may also have a Plan B in mind.

[JOHN COOKSON]

Post #16 has a lot of wisdom.
A boat is a hole in the water into which one pours money.
Don't start down the road unless you are sure you can complete the journey.
The other side of the coin is it is nice to have a hobby.

TRUE GRIT

[Ram41662]

Thanks all for the input, I do appreciate it all.

As for cost vs return, that's not where I'm going. The fact is the return will never match the cost and labor involved with this project. That's something I knew well before I even considered diving in. Oh, and I do have a passion for not only the boat, but for the project as well. I'm sorry if it sounded otherwise, I was trying to stay objective.

I like using, and every once and a while stretching, my skill set. Building things gives me a rush. I've got 50 years of construction/fabrication experience under my belt. You dont do something that long without like doing it.

One consideration of why I'm interested in an older boat goes to what ndutton mentioned; the solid hand-laid hull. Many of these "classic plastic" boats were built with extra frp due to a lack of knowledge as to where they could cut corners and not compromise integrity. As weird as it sounds, after talking with several knowledgeable shipwrights, opinion is many of these older hulls are stronger than a lot of newer vessels. This gives me a good foundation to build on. Since the interior isn't in good condition I won't feel any regret doing a full strip out. This will help identify where the leaks are, facilitate alleviating said leaks, then gives me clean pallet to create upon. I can very easily upgrade/rewire the entire system and add some modern elements, like LED lighting and alternative charging systems. I can also customize the interior to my and the wife's Iiking. This also gives me very deep understanding of every element of this little yacht, that's something I can't even start to put a price on. Knowledge is my gold and my drug of choice.

This is also a "gateway" boat. Once we see if the Missus can handle the wet life, I'm planning on looking for a bigger boat to use for blue water sailing. I miss sailing the Caribbean. It seems like a nice way to spend my post-work years.

[ndutton]

One consideration of why I'm interested in an older boat goes to what ndutton mentioned; the solid hand-laid hull. Many of these "classic plastic" boats were built with extra frp due to a lack of knowledge as to where they could cut corners and not compromise integrity.

I don't think it was not knowing where to cut corners but rather the good builders knowing NOT to cut corners. As a glaring negative example of boat construction of the same era as your Newport I offer the entire Venture/MacGregor product line.

As weird as it sounds, after talking with several knowledgeable shipwrights, opinion is many of these older hulls are stronger than a lot of newer vessels.

Another factor to that end is back in the heyday of fiberglass boat construction the factories were staffed with and run by boat builders. Once the accountants and lawyers took control . . . well, you know what I mean. Just before the economic recession of the late 1970's Islander Yachts realized they were never going to compete with Frank Butler's Catalina Yachts so they stopped trying. Instead they decided to build a well appointed high quality boat and demanded a price. Once their new products got into the market stream they became the #2 dollar volume sailboat manufacturer in the country @ approximately $15 million annual production (of course Catalina was #1). It wasn't long before the failing economy did them in. Out the factory door they were damned good boats.

[JOHN COOKSON]

One consideration of why I'm interested in an older boat goes to what ndutton mentioned; the solid hand-laid hull. Many of these "classic plastic" boats were built with extra frp due to a lack of knowledge as to where they could cut corners and not compromise integrity. As weird as it sounds, after talking with several knowledgeable shipwrights, opinion is many of these older hulls are stronger than a lot of newer vessels.

I've heard a sort of summary saying when referring to "classic plastic" boats. True or not I don't know........

"The boats was built before they found out how thin they could make them".

TRUE GRIT

[Ram41662]

Again, I can't thank you all enough for the input, the encouragement, and the reasoned doubts. This let's me see how others think, and a sounding board is a good thing.

Now, this thread has gotten a bit long for "Introductions", so I'm going to move the discussion over to "General Interest" considering this project has the potential scope to cover a lot of general interest items. Please look for "Off the deep end, part II" so we can keep the dialog open.

Thanks,
Rick