Some Advice please from a Newbie

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Fisherman451

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Greetings all from a newcomer. Looking for some very rough ballpark figures for restoring a 35ft wooden boat. It was last in the water about 7 years ago, seems to be pretty solid but needs some planks replacing, new decks and no doubt quite a bit more!
 
I may be about to be corrected, but I doubt it.
A very ballpark figure is almost impossible to come up with because there are so many variables. You need to take into account things like availability and choice of materials, your own abilities, how many other things are going to need replacing. Very deep pockets or a large source of raw material and plenty of skills already up your sleeve would be a good starter, but my advice would be to not even start thinking about the cost element. You could get away with doing it on a very tight budget but the chances are it's going to take more than you even want to think about. Boat renovation isn't something you want to think about budgeting for unless you have loads of spare cash
But don't let me put you off, a 35 footer would do me nicely at the moment, with, or without repair work being needed.
 
A bit more info on the boat and pictures if you have them would be good .
A ball park figure for you would be all your money and all your time with some extra help from friends /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif But its great fun !
 
Don't want to put you off, but I bought a 35' boat which is taking 2 years for a middling refit, and which took the previous owner, retired, 10 years to rebuild.

So how do you do it and keep the costs down? Some tips:

Costs: Get the boat to fit in your back garden, or move to live next to the boat. This cuts out storage costs, time and money on travelling to and fro. You may find cranage and transport on and off site for the boat pricey, but being at home has massive advantages.

Cover: Get the boat under one. Doesn't have to be fancy but you need to keep the rain off, and enable you to work at any time. Useful if you also have power on site, so being near your own back door is the best option.

Time: Make some. Get some sort of time schedule and try to stick to it. If you have to keep Swmbo (She Who Must Be Obeyed) happy, negotiate time on houshold DIY and holidays. Try to put aside at least 15 hours a week.

Knowledge and skill: These can be aquired. Boat construction is not rocket science (apologies to any boatbuilder reading) but you do have to know what you are doing and there's plenty of email advice going.

Tools: Mostly a good and saw, plane and domestic tools will be fine. If planking, you'll need quite a few G cramps and perhaps a good small bandsaw, planer/thicknesser, router, etc. These can all be bought and sold once the build has finished.

Materials: You'll need lots, of good quality stuff.

Process: Sit down with a big loose leaf book and start writing out what processes need doing, what tools and materials, etc and start putting some rough costs together, add it all up and multiply by two. Think of how long it will take and multiply by 3.

It's very easy to let the schedule slip. Do not let this happen. Break the entire thing into small task-oriented chunks. Finally, get Victorious on this forum to advise you. He did it the hard way. See his Youtube movie here for a bit of inspiration.

Good luck

And yes, put up some pics and some info. Advice can become more specific.
 
To be honest, if you have to ask the question, you should not even be considering doing it!

Better to look for a boat where somebody else has found out the hard way what it costs.

Seagreen has some good advice on ways of reducing the cost if you really want to have a go.

One way of checking out is to compare the asking price for this boat with the asking price of a similar boat in good condition to see what the difference is. Simple things like engine and new sails will be the thick end of £10k. Good planking timber if new is telephone numbers etc etc. And don't forget to factor in storage, insurance, travel costs etc for the n years it will take.
 
I reckon its very much a case of if you have to ask, you're maybe best not even going there!

I just bought a 43' boat that has had a good amount of restoration work done on it but is far from complete. The previous spent the best part of £40k on it, but there is virtually nothing to show visually for it as nearly all that went on whats below the waterline.

I reckon we'll spend the same again over the next few years doing the rest

Just got a quote today for new wooden masts, spars and standing rigging etc, that was £15k without the sails!
 
Thats got to be the best boat building video ever ! I'm off to view it another 300 times /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif You can never get bored of this one !
 
The way I look at it is are you planning to do most of the work or are you paying for help?
If you are paying for help, it is much much cheaper to buy one in useable condition.
If you are not costing your time then thats a whole different matter. The other factor to think about is the standard of rebuild you will be happy with. I've seen people buy boats and rip out parts that still had plenty of life left! Some people are perfectionists and others are much more relaxed.
Decide what the boat would be worth when completed and deduct what the buying price is. If your estimate for materials is less than 50% of this figure then you have a sporting chance ( if you do it yourself). Still even if the figures don't add up I don't blame you if you have a go .....we have all done it.....best of luck.
 
As others say..how long is a piece of string. I surveyed a Buchanan 36 built in 1964 a few years ago which needed work & to my astonishment the boat was subsequently sold and completely restored but at a cost of £180,000 with all works done professionally. Perhaps that is the ultimate expense.....the purchase price was almost irrelevant at that point.

However, there is a big leap from a plank or two to this extent, and it could be said that any timber boat could have a fortune spent on it..but keep perspective on what is important and what is improvement without real need.
John Lilley
 
I just spent 15k making sound a boat that was in the water, in commission but with quite alot of work required. Starting from one that hasn't been in for a long time will depend on lots of factors. How much is rotten? Has she been kept dry? If there appears to be some rot, there is likely to be a lot more you can't see.

I redecked my old 33 footer, which cost me aabout 6k, when I did all the work myself. With the new boat I had an apprentice boat builder do the work under my supervision, at a fraction of the cost of paying a professional yard. If I was taking on another project, I would go this route again. If you do want to consider this as a route, PM me for the boat builders details.
 
Ball park figures are impossible as there are so many, many variables.

I have just bought a teak plank, 72" X 10" X 1" - £58.00
And that is at cost price to the boatyard.
 
I am not even going to mention how much it has cost me to restore a 22fter - but it is tens of thousands.

Here are a few observations from my experience:

1. If you need a new engine, then add the cost of the engine again in your budget to cover things like controls, new tanks, pipes, connectors and exhaust system and making new beds.

2. Refitting the interior will just as long, if not longer than making the hull and deck sound. It is a highly skilled job if you want to do it right - just get the basics done and get her on the water and resign yourself to fitting out bits and pieces for the next few years, bit by bit.

3. The rig often gets left till last. Make sure you focus on this early (not just prior to launch like me) - and remember that new sails, rigging and rope alone can set you back thousands.

4. Dont underestimate the cost of tools, materials, covers, moving the yacht, builder's risks insurnace, and yard fees. Also every so often a power tools will die and need replacing at critical times!

I actually set up a boat bank account to keep things in check. This was was really useful in keeping me buying essentails rather than "what I think I need"
 
Save a bit of cash with cheap power tools i find silverline exelent!

If the engine is no good get a nice inexpencive reliable seagull to get you going for the moment.....:)...!

arh maybe no good for the 35 foot...about 25 foot max.
 
It Doesnt matter, boats are a labour of love, which is priceless.

When i first started secondary school, i completely rebuilt a mirror dinghy from a total wreck to a thing of beauty, a gleaming dark green hull, varnished decks, every seam stripped and re-glassed, new hand made douglass fir spars, even a boom tent, and i did it on pocket money. The sacrifice i made was that i didnt eat school lunches for 3 months, and i had to walk home every day to save the bus fare.

If you want to do it, just do it, you'll find the cash if you really want to.
 
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