Fire99
Well-Known Member
A slight thread veer but you did a cracking job with your Princess. It looks brilliant..
HItting the wall. Thinking about bailing out.
- Thread starter Princess35
- Start date
Princess35
Member
Hi Everybody.
Thankyou for all your comments and help.
I don’t plan to give but it’s got alittle daunting to say the least. Especially when your doing those sums.
I ran the London marathon in 2012 and 2013 so I know what that feels like. lol.
I’ll tell you alittle bit about me.
I’m a qualified electrician by trade and have been so for many years.
I’ve done it all over the years. Everything from changing a light switch to a full house renovation.
I’ve brought a 2nd old crappy house. Completely gutted it. Started again with new kitchen, bathrooms. Absolutely everything. Then sold it to a family to enjoy. Took me 3 years to complete. I had some help. Obviously I didn’t do the plastering, windows, patio doors, driveway, garden. etc etc.
I’ve brought a old nackered classic car and turned it into something absolutely beautiful. Then sold it on. Took me 5 years to complete. I didn’t do the engine, respray or leather work etc. Either.
I know exactly what I’m taking on and what I’m doing.
This time I wanted to do a boat.
I brought the biggest boat I could get. I was looking at something much much bigger but decided to go for this boat as it’s a more sensible size.
it’s living in the river Thames after all. It also local so I can go to it quickly. Straight after work and stuff.
A Birchwood TS54 was my main choice until I learnt that it wouldn’t fit under the bridges lol. Gutted.
Obviously I’m not going to do absolutely all the work myself on this boat either. You can’t. It’s physically impossible.
Repairing the fibreglass and gellcoat is a professional job. Just like car bodywork.
The engine rebuild needs somebody professional to restore it.
I can’t make the new covers that are being made.
But I can and will do everything else. Wiring, plumbing, carpentry, trimming, finishing.
So this boat is going to be a love it or hate it relationship.
I’m not going to give to much away But I know when it’s done it will be spectacular. A baby super yacht for sure.
So hold my beer lol
Thankyou for all your comments and help.
I don’t plan to give but it’s got alittle daunting to say the least. Especially when your doing those sums.
I ran the London marathon in 2012 and 2013 so I know what that feels like. lol.
I’ll tell you alittle bit about me.
I’m a qualified electrician by trade and have been so for many years.
I’ve done it all over the years. Everything from changing a light switch to a full house renovation.
I’ve brought a 2nd old crappy house. Completely gutted it. Started again with new kitchen, bathrooms. Absolutely everything. Then sold it to a family to enjoy. Took me 3 years to complete. I had some help. Obviously I didn’t do the plastering, windows, patio doors, driveway, garden. etc etc.
I’ve brought a old nackered classic car and turned it into something absolutely beautiful. Then sold it on. Took me 5 years to complete. I didn’t do the engine, respray or leather work etc. Either.
I know exactly what I’m taking on and what I’m doing.
This time I wanted to do a boat.
I brought the biggest boat I could get. I was looking at something much much bigger but decided to go for this boat as it’s a more sensible size.
it’s living in the river Thames after all. It also local so I can go to it quickly. Straight after work and stuff.
A Birchwood TS54 was my main choice until I learnt that it wouldn’t fit under the bridges lol. Gutted.
Obviously I’m not going to do absolutely all the work myself on this boat either. You can’t. It’s physically impossible.
Repairing the fibreglass and gellcoat is a professional job. Just like car bodywork.
The engine rebuild needs somebody professional to restore it.
I can’t make the new covers that are being made.
But I can and will do everything else. Wiring, plumbing, carpentry, trimming, finishing.
So this boat is going to be a love it or hate it relationship.
I’m not going to give to much away But I know when it’s done it will be spectacular. A baby super yacht for sure.
So hold my beer lol
Tranona
Well-Known Member
'cos its got flappy white things on it (which cost a fortune) and progress posted mainly on PBO forum. Complete running boat when I bought it a year ago. Target was to get all major work done this year, finish off over winter to sail next year followed by another winter of upgrades. So this year was new engine and stern gear, bow thruster, re-rig, new sails and canvas, re-upholster, rewire, paint and varnish (lots of!). Achieved most and launched 16 September. Winter jobs are mainly finishing off the rewire with shorepower, battery chargers and some cosmetic improvements down below. Next winter final upgrade of interior, adding bookshelves, lining hull sides with cedar. Engine and bow thruster mostly professionally installed, professional rigging and underwater prep (blasting epoxy etc). Rest mostly me. Important to break work down into smaller projects and decide what to DIY and what to pay somebody else to do. Not always straightforward and some projects mixed like the engine where I did all the prep - new beds, clean up etc and dealer did engine removal and installation. Important to be clear who is responsible for what.
As I said, virtually a full time job and a challenge if one still had to work to earn a crust.
Wansworth
Well-Known Member
Locate a good cafe nearby,place of refuge and getting thoughts together
Canopy Locked
Well-Known Member
having read your comments in your original post (rushing to get it back on the water due to demands of the yard you were using) so as to be able to carry on working, my tuppance worth of advice would be to find a location, on the hard, where you can work on it slowly and carefully. Everything is SOOOOO much easier when the boat is NOT in the water.
Find a location, hire a crane/transport and look at the job as a longer project than perhaps you'd anticipated.
Find a location, hire a crane/transport and look at the job as a longer project than perhaps you'd anticipated.
penfold
Well-Known Member
When it comes to boats the rule is buy a project boat if you want to do a project, buy a going concern if you want to go boating. That said keep us updated with your activities; there's many thousand man-years of boating experience available to tap on here if you get stuck on something.
Mr Googler
Well-Known Member
We need to nick name you flip flop…..you keep changing your mind ???
Portofino
Well-Known Member
Apples + pears yours is not a shell , nor have you skipped everything ( lack of templates) and a big “ and “ you are gradually doing it up as a runner ( engine work + other machinery excepted ) …..Can you kip on it ?
Mr Googler
Well-Known Member
Thanks! If your bored…page 27-38 ?A slight thread veer but you did a cracking job with your Princess. It looks brilliant..
55-landscape.pdf
DavidJ
Well-Known Member
That’s a great write up, Paul
The pdf page numbers were 14 to 19
Mr Googler
Well-Known Member
Little trip down memory lane!
oddly….the chap that bought Riverdancer back in 2018 has just bought my latest one! Scary I’ve done 3 more boats since that article!
Having a rest for next 12 months….see what the market does. I feel like I’ve got one more big one in me but I want to go 60ft plus.
Seastoke
Well-Known Member
You will have to rely on Bruce K for the big one , count me out. Great to here you have sold the seeker.
Princess35
Member
Hi everybody.
I haven’t changed my mind lol. I’m just being careful. I don’t want to go past the point where when the boats finished it’s only worth half of what it spent. Like on cars. You loose everything you’ve spent.
I’m continuing to get the boat back on to the water so at least all the external lower hull and engine work has been done.
I think now when I write a update I should include fanny cradocks theme tune at the start. lol.
I haven’t changed my mind lol. I’m just being careful. I don’t want to go past the point where when the boats finished it’s only worth half of what it spent. Like on cars. You loose everything you’ve spent.
I’m continuing to get the boat back on to the water so at least all the external lower hull and engine work has been done.
I think now when I write a update I should include fanny cradocks theme tune at the start. lol.
Bigplumbs
Well-Known Member
+ 1 to that
harvey38
Well-Known Member
We certainly can sleep on it but we also slept on ìt whilst various cabins were a shell but there's the key, one cabin at a time.
Bigplumbs
Well-Known Member
When ever I hear someone say they gutted it with reference to a car, boat or house project I just know things will end in tears. When they 'gut it' and throw it all away that is a double red flag
ridgy
Well-Known Member
Hi, I think you are making the number 1 mistake here of taking the view that the boat must be utterly perfect before you can use it, however many months and years that may take. I actually think stripping it was probably the right thing to do if it was as disgusting as you say. I'm sure you can find another owner who will be pleased to let you go and measure things on their boat.
It seems that the boat is a going concern in that it floats and can be used even if the engine is a little smoky.
I would suggest that if the yard is keen for you to relaunch then just do this and put the engine off until next winter. It's not like you are wanting to cross the north sea and if you were that worried about it you could strap an outboard on the back just in case which combined with the thrusters will get you out of any trouble.
Then after a thorough clean I would rewire it and then put in a very cheap, minimal, basic, and temporary interior out of cheap 9mm exterior ply and cls timber to get the boat usable again. Somewhere to sleep, a basic galley, and some benches in the main cabin. Somewhere to eat, cook, and sleep. Adding some nice colourful fabrics and cushions will have it looking homely again in no time. Hire a domestic joiner for a week and you will be back up and running in no time. Stick some battens to the cabin ceilings and you can just screw vinyl covered ply to it for a simple but quick effective headlining.
Then, whilst enjoying fine days on the river I would deal with one cabin at a time over the next couple of years to get it how you want it. It may take a bit longer but you will remove all this stress that you have created and have frequent reminders of why you bought it in the first place.
There will be days when you just can't be bothered doing any work (you must know this from the other projects that you have done) so no problem, fire her up and go for a cruise and a few pints overnight and try again the following weekend.
If you take the engine out now then you will have a worthless hulk and loads of pressure. Keep the boat functioning, take it easy, and enjoy the process.
It seems that the boat is a going concern in that it floats and can be used even if the engine is a little smoky.
I would suggest that if the yard is keen for you to relaunch then just do this and put the engine off until next winter. It's not like you are wanting to cross the north sea and if you were that worried about it you could strap an outboard on the back just in case which combined with the thrusters will get you out of any trouble.
Then after a thorough clean I would rewire it and then put in a very cheap, minimal, basic, and temporary interior out of cheap 9mm exterior ply and cls timber to get the boat usable again. Somewhere to sleep, a basic galley, and some benches in the main cabin. Somewhere to eat, cook, and sleep. Adding some nice colourful fabrics and cushions will have it looking homely again in no time. Hire a domestic joiner for a week and you will be back up and running in no time. Stick some battens to the cabin ceilings and you can just screw vinyl covered ply to it for a simple but quick effective headlining.
Then, whilst enjoying fine days on the river I would deal with one cabin at a time over the next couple of years to get it how you want it. It may take a bit longer but you will remove all this stress that you have created and have frequent reminders of why you bought it in the first place.
There will be days when you just can't be bothered doing any work (you must know this from the other projects that you have done) so no problem, fire her up and go for a cruise and a few pints overnight and try again the following weekend.
If you take the engine out now then you will have a worthless hulk and loads of pressure. Keep the boat functioning, take it easy, and enjoy the process.
oldgit
Well-Known Member
A half decent P35 during the recent "Staycation" hysteria would change hands for between £55 K and £40K dependant more on how desperate a buyer was to buy, rather than how desperate the seller became, lack of boats on the market in this segment then dragged up the prices of its stable mates.
The P330 also started achieving similar sums, one recently sold within a couple of days for £52K.
Pre Covid. you would have purchased a decent P330 for £37 K and a Corniche for a little less , Princess 37 that needed tidying went for under 20K.
More recently a Broom European sold for around £20K and P33 is up for sale on offers for less than that.
My previous boat sold after my buyer was unable complete the deal on his first choice of boat , a Corniche up for sale at £35K , the seller backed out at the last moment, somebody had told him the boat was worth more.
One boat on our moorings, a very neglected Seamaster had to be given away.
A Princess 415 sold for £40K about 18 months ago, it went away and has just returned after a refurb in cracking condition.
A market correction has begun and things are calming down.
Those with money to spend just went out and bought the boat they wanted regardless of the silly prices and usually the boats they sold were looked after and sold quickly.Many of the boat upgrades were in the £75K to 150K section.
Boat yards (not posh marinas ) are jammed full of neglected and long forgotten projects quietly going green, now would not be good time to put a project on the market.
As with car restorations, the hard won advice is little bit at time . get the boat able to move and be used even if its bit smelly and only moves on non rainy days in mid summer.
You really need a gritty determination to gut and rebuild, most projects in the yard s and on the hards start this way and the sad results are there for all to see. ?
The P330 also started achieving similar sums, one recently sold within a couple of days for £52K.
Pre Covid. you would have purchased a decent P330 for £37 K and a Corniche for a little less , Princess 37 that needed tidying went for under 20K.
More recently a Broom European sold for around £20K and P33 is up for sale on offers for less than that.
My previous boat sold after my buyer was unable complete the deal on his first choice of boat , a Corniche up for sale at £35K , the seller backed out at the last moment, somebody had told him the boat was worth more.
One boat on our moorings, a very neglected Seamaster had to be given away.
A Princess 415 sold for £40K about 18 months ago, it went away and has just returned after a refurb in cracking condition.
A market correction has begun and things are calming down.
Those with money to spend just went out and bought the boat they wanted regardless of the silly prices and usually the boats they sold were looked after and sold quickly.Many of the boat upgrades were in the £75K to 150K section.
Boat yards (not posh marinas ) are jammed full of neglected and long forgotten projects quietly going green, now would not be good time to put a project on the market.
As with car restorations, the hard won advice is little bit at time . get the boat able to move and be used even if its bit smelly and only moves on non rainy days in mid summer.
You really need a gritty determination to gut and rebuild, most projects in the yard s and on the hards start this way and the sad results are there for all to see. ?
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doug748
Well-Known Member
The Ebay euphemism:
"I have cleared the old interior fittings and it is a blank canvas ready to be refitted in whatever style you prefer."
The translation is:
"I got carried away watching Leo Goolden, gutted the thing and have just realised how difficult yacht fitting is, I dropped a huge clanger."
.
oldgit
Well-Known Member
Do remember a previous poster from long ago who spent a fortune on a project in the first flush.
Polishing hull, wrapping and decals, the boat looked like new externally.
Shortly after ran out of money and then interest, all the stuff able to make the boat move having been removed.
Seem to recall the asking price slowly dropping before it vanished off the listings completely.
Quite a modernish desirable boat as well possibly a P 388.
No good option.
Attempt to sell , or stick with it.
Get the boat able to move and watertight and soldier on, remembering its going to cost money just to moor and store it.