what to by

[marty15]

I need as much advice as poss! Never had a boat, never been out to sea except on a ferry.

I wish to buy and restore a large boat as a long term project. am a joiner,carpenter by trade but dont know how to start.

Any help please

 

[nickolanus]

Well the first thing to remember is that for every foot of boat there is a yard of work..!!!!!!!!!! If you want to do a big boat of say up to 40 ft get one that is already affloat. At least the hull will not have dried out. If you want to do a complete rebuild job then go for something about 20 ft LOA which is going for a song. It will have been out of the water for some time and the hull will not be watertight but at least it will be dry. The materials cost will be reasonable and it is possible to replace virtually all of the pieces using the old ones as patterns. Finally all wooden yachts require much time to bring up to scratch so the longer the hull the more it costs to store whilst work is caried out. Best advice once committed.... START at one end and keep going till you reach the other END!

 

[Mirelle]

Different way to do it...

Quite honestly, with your background and skills, I would go about it differently.

Whether this suggestion is practical depends on how much time you have and what your committments are, but have you considered doing the IBTC one year course at Lowestoft?

Not only would you (having started the course already a joiner!) come out as a qualified wooden boat shipwright, (highly employable!) but you would have absorbed so much expertise that you would be able to tackle a much more demanding restoration project than you would otherwise have considered.

Anyway, here's a link to their website:

IBTC

 

[AliM]

Why don't you join forces, temporarily, with one of the posters below who has the boat, but not the expertise. You could help him with the joinery, and he could help you with the knowledge of boats. Then you'll have a better idea of what sort of boat to go for, and you can buy one which really suits you in a few months or next year. It would be so sad if you took our advice and started on a boat that didn't really inspire you!

 

[trouville]

if the boat is a total renovation do one part at a time and finish that before starting another. i.e recalk the deck and finish, then pull out the interior piece by piece renovating bit by bit.
Put her in the water asp,and continue the work afloat,if the hull needs some work either patch and float or start and finish there.
Ive seen so many boats with seams raked out while still wet,then the deck calking taken out on and on without starting the repair! result to much to do and to long on land--abandond project
good luck! most wooden boats can be sailed even when really rotten,and as they are a "kit" of a thousand parts they can be saved but with patients care and planing

 

[Joe_Cole]

Get a Folkboat, learn to sail it, learn to maintain it. Then decide if you want to tackle a bigger boat.

Why a Folkboat? Good to learn on and IMHO one of the prettiest boats ever to be put on the water. A real beauty!