Alacrity for £40

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jpay

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I've been offered an Alacrity for £40,
It was bought by an owner of another Alacrity who just wanted the trailer...

I am yet to see the boat but apparently it sunk and the internal woodwork is ruined however he says the outside is in fair condition with the beginnings of a refit and has all rigging and sails.

It sounds like a bargain to me...

I'm thinking about just finishing the outside and using her to learn how to sail, as a trailer sailor from dinghy club compound to sea whenever I want with occasional use of drying harbour swinging morrings.

Is the Alacrity a good introduction to bigger boat sailing?
 
AntarcticPilot said:
If the interior woodwork is gone, it probably isn't structurally sound - bulkheads are usually structural.
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Find a decent quality hardwood (none rotting) tongue and grove plank, shape each one to size and epoxy in and together. Might look a bit barn door like or swedish sauna like but on boats of that era I believe it will be strong enough...

If you want a pretty and comfortable boat, you are probably barking up the wrong tree. If you want to a hull to sail and have cheap mooring it sounds like good deal, you can slowly build up the comforts as and when. Just remember she will is what she is and has ceiling value even if you give Raymarine radars chart plotters etc, at the end of the day she is what she is.

You could have allot of fun learning about boats, for very little money. Just price everything and double it then see if you can afford it or would be better spending £1000 pound for one in good (ish) condition ready to go...

If your handy with scaffolding or welding and not using it for towing on a road, a yard trailer should not be that expensive??? and you can keep the bearings simple so they do not rust..
 
AntarcticPilot said:
If the interior woodwork is gone, it probably isn't structurally sound - bulkheads are usually structural.
Click to expand...

Hehe you're not familiar with the Alacrity then? No bulkheads, no structure, very little to rot inside. Many owners added a compression post but in theory even this wasn't necessary.
 
I have a trailer which is already being changed to fit, and as the tow is only 300metres without going onto public roads I'm fairly safe. This is also not costing me anything.

Structurally I was a bit worried but I'm going to go for it as I've secured really cheap dry storage so I'm a happy camper.

Thanks everyone
 
lustyd said:
Hehe you're not familiar with the Alacrity then? No bulkheads, no structure, very little to rot inside. Many owners added a compression post but in theory even this wasn't necessary.
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No, I'm not, and am pleased to hear that Alacritys are built so strongly; it makes the OPs intentions feasible. I presume there are also no wooden stringers embedded in the layup?

But what I said is true of the majority of GRP boats, and many people who post on here asking if a wreck is recoverable are not aware that internal woodwork is usually structurally important.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
No, I'm not, and am pleased to hear that Alacritys are built so strongly; it makes the OPs intentions feasible. I presume there are also no wooden stringers embedded in the layup?

But what I said is true of the majority of GRP boats, and many people who post on here asking if a wreck is recoverable are not aware that internal woodwork is usually structurally important.
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Yes very important to mention, just made me chuckle because I know how basic these are. No wood in the construction at all as far as I'm aware, although there may be some inside the beam under the mast support. It's hard to describe as I know very little about construction techniques but I think the wood was only in there to mould around rather than being structural as the GRP is pretty solid there. Other than that there is no wood anywhere which can't be easily replaced - mostly ply locker lids or teak strips to finish edges.

IMG_6783.JPG

IMG_6788.JPG
 
lustyd said:
Yes very important to mention, just made me chuckle because I know how basic these are. No wood in the construction at all as far as I'm aware, although there may be some inside the beam under the mast support. It's hard to describe as I know very little about construction techniques but I think the wood was only in there to mould around rather than being structural as the GRP is pretty solid there. Other than that there is no wood anywhere which can't be easily replaced - mostly ply locker lids or teak strips to finish edges.

IMG_6783.JPG

IMG_6788.JPG
Click to expand...

I can also confirm that Lustyd's cabin is as comfortable as it looks in the piccies...... :D
 
Doesn't it seem how strange times are, that a good competent cruiser, in her day a dream for a lot of people, is now going for less than a tankful of petrol ?

I hope jpay has a lot of fun with her.
 
I don't know about the Alacrity, but Corribees have a known problem with the wooden beam that crosses inside the cabin and supports the mast (there's no compression post on the later ones). It's sealed inside the GRP but is structural, and can rot. The clue would be a sag in the coachroof where the mast sits, but it is fixable with a new beam and a lot of epoxy. It might be worth looking into, but with a price like that, it'd still be a fantastic first boat, so good luck and go for it!
 
I did buy it, it's been great fun so far, working not sailing tho!
And lots of learning...

1294522_10153205956375018_1222365221_o.jpg

This is her a few days ago, the anti foul is now on.

Just looking for sales at the moment as-well as a long list of other stuff...
 
lustyd said:
Yes very important to mention, just made me chuckle because I know how basic these are. No wood in the construction at all as far as I'm aware, although there may be some inside the beam under the mast support. It's hard to describe as I know very little about construction techniques but I think the wood was only in there to mould around rather than being structural as the GRP is pretty solid there. Other than that there is no wood anywhere which can't be easily replaced - mostly ply locker lids or teak strips to finish edges.

IMG_6783.JPG

IMG_6788.JPG
Click to expand...

Basic!
Looks perfect to me :-)
 
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