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So I've found a boat I would like to make an offer on. It's all a bit hush hush as I know there is another offer already on her, but I want to get as much info as I can before deciding how much I should put myself in debt to counter offer.

 

I have a couple of major concerns at present.

 

The teak deck is at the end of its life, and in an ideal world it would be completely replaced. The cabin top at least. So my question is how expensive will this be? I'm aware it's on the costlier side of things but she's not a boat that would suit anything other than teak decks. I've read a bit about sanding and re-caulking teak decks. There seems to be quite a few mixed opinions out there. My worry with sanding and re-caulking is that you won't see if any of the screw heads have leaked and caused any damage to the balsa core (a fair few are exposed on the deck at the moment). She has a LOA of 29" and a beam of 10", the cockpit also has a fair amount of teak.

 

The next thing she needs is a complete new set of canvas, so dodger, Bimini, Boom cover, hatch covers and a staysail cover as its not on a furler. It would be cool if the Bimini had side covers so I could enclose the cockpit in gross weather. Again I'm wondering if anyone can give me a rough estimate on where I would be looking, price wise.

 

And last but not least, she has a leak. The owner is no longer in the country, but apparently was not aware that there was one. There was a bit of cosmetic damage to the paint on the ceiling where the diesel heater flue goes thorough, this I think, is quite common? But the cabin top was also damp where the mast electrics came though. Has anyone had any experience in repairing leaks like this? What am I in for in terms of finding the extent of the damage and then the repair?

 

So any opinions and/or pointing in a direction for more information would be greatly appreciated.

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perhaps others can guess the length of string

 

not enough info for my limited skills

 

but can say

 

if owner is overseas and unaware of current state

 

hard to see how you'll get a bargain

 

easy to see how you could get stung

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I'd save for a little longer - it's a buyer's market and unless you are desperate to get into a restore project, borrowing from the outset seems risky. There's plenty of great boats with far less issues that fit a similar length on the market.

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Too hard to say without looking at it. Teak is $1000-$1500 per m2 , laid. It is very expensive! To me it sounds already like it is not worth it. There are various other faux teak options that might be cheaper. When I was in Thailand, many cruisers were getting their teak redone, as it was "only" $800 per meter! Personally I'd rip it off. 

 

Someone else here can probably give better pricing, but Id say allow up to 10K for new sails, if needed, and 4 K  + for canvas. That is if you are having them professionally done, not DIY.

 

Refurbishing old boats is not normally an economic process, its normally cheaper to buy a tidy one to begin with.

 

Sorry to be so negative! Welcome to Crew.org, mostly it will be more postive than this post... perhaps I should not have said anything?

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The owner was here until a week ago and is quite a lovely chap, and he'll be back again at the end of the month. He's aware of the canvas and decks, I just don't think he's quite aware of the costs of replacing them.

 

As of my previous offer I had 90% of the money saved up I'm just trying to get a gauge of how much in total, repairs and all, I would need to borrow from Mr Bank.

 

There are a fair amount of boats on the market at a similar size some quite nice too, but unfortunately I have quite particular tastes. She's a boat that will last me the next 15years at least. Im prepared to spend a fair amount of time and money on her.

 

The rigging was all new last year along with the Genoa and storm sails. The main was new in 2006 and the staysail is probably original. So I'm looking at a couple of new sails before I go anywhere extreme. Which is fine with me.

 

Other than those three issues, she's a pretty swanky boat. The interior, aside from needing a clean, and a couple of new Led's is near to faultless. The engine is in immaculate condition, it's been completely rebuilt and even has a crank start.

 

4K is a good number for new canvas. The teak price has blown my brains out. Do you know of anyone I can call to get some more accurate prices?

 

Negative is good. I would rather know than not know.

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Hi Lydia,

 

getting prices for replacing teak depends on where you are.  There's a good outfit in Nelson, and a couple in Marlborough, and heaps in Auckland.

 

We are in the same position of contemplating recaulking, refining,plug replacement and sanding versus new decks, but we are a bit bigger than you.  For us, recaulking and sanding would be around $8-10k, plug replacement is on top of that.  New decks are around $40-$50k for a 42 footer.

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Greetings from New Caledonia.....which is the point !

It all depends on how much you want to spend on the vessel for looks and how much you want to spend sailing. Please do no think me being unkind or smug in saying this. I work on boats for a living. (and manage a large all timber yacht)

Timber deck work is expensive because A. the materials are expensive and B. it is very time consuming. Do a quick calculation of the number of meters of seams on even a small boat.

Traditional layed timber decks leak......

They are beautiful and define a truly classic timber yacht....but....

If you want to run a small classic coastal yacht...and keeping her up to scratch is your thing...then go for it. Classic yachts need kind benefactors....

If you want to go long distance cruising either rethink or get good at timber self maintenance.

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The boat is currently in Auckland and I'm based out of Wellington, so she will be moving back this way at some point but if I find better prices up there then I'll keep her up there for a bit.

 

I have a gut feeling that there won't be enough teak left to re-caulk the cabin top. :(

 

I'm prepared to maintain all the exterior wood. Excited even, im quite a meticulous cleaner.

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Is the teak screwed into the deck? If so are the screws into the balsa core? Ideally it is just glued and your deck maintains its integrity. Tap all over the deck looking for soft/wet core. If you find it run for the hills. How thick is the teak, thicker the better as restoration is then a lot easier. You can do it yourself, time consuming but quite satisfying and you'll save the cost of all that labour. If it needs to be replaced i'd go with IT and paint or something, in which case it may not be the boat you want.

 

Also you mention a deck leak, look very carefully in that area for wet core again.

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Teak is probably the best deck type you can get for a Boat. When it is New and up until about the 20yr mark. Although that is not hard and fast, just that as soon as you have a leak, the nightmare begins. And I really do mean a Nightmare. Most all situations result in the deck being lifted and replaced. And I don't need to repeat the cost as the others have made it clear enough. Very few owners replace decks with Teak because of the cost. There are a couple of Teak look alike products available and are still expensive because of labor, but probably a 3rd of the cost of teak and doesn't look too bad, doesn't wear like Teak and doesn't leak in the future and should last longer. I would seriously look into that.
PM FNG. FNG is a member here on crew and is a top quality Auckland boat builder. He can give you an accurate costing. Failing that, PM KM, another member here. Right beside his Business "Chains Ropes and Anchors" is another boat builder that specialises in Teak Deck work. I just can't remember the guys Business name at the mo.
    The big mistake many make with Teak is to either pressure wash them or use a hard bristle broom and scrub them. It is best to use a cleaner and a soft broom. Not so sure about the Sun problem as idler has said. That is what makes Teak the timber of choice. The natural wax protects it from Sun and Water. The surface bleaches, but that is about it.

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My alarm bells went off when you mentioned an elderly boat, teak deck in need of work, screws and a balsa core.

 

As others have mentioned, if theres water ingress into the balsa core then replacing the teak deck might be the simplest and cheapest part of the job. The balsa core repair could be a nightmare.

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Best option Run away. Fast.

Alternatively get a trusted surveyor to go over it before you buy. You may love the boat now but chances are you won't after it costs you everything you earn for the next 10 years.

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Wheels - FNG can't receive messages apparently. And by KM do you mean Knot Me?

 

I'm all about the sponges and water. With a tad of oil for the fancy bits in the cockpit.

 

I think if the teak does need removing I'm more inclined to go with replacing it rather than any of the other "fake" teak options. I could probably get away with a painted deck, but she just won't have that same pahzazz, she is a classic after all, with standards to maintain.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions of surveyors out of Auckland? If they are good at finding leaks in teak decks that would be a bonus.

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