"Un-insurable, un-reliable, un-sellable, and leaky" - an ill-deserved reputation?

[svartsvensk]

Hi all, I'm considering purchasing a wooden boat (a 40' Kettenburg built in 1960), I'd like to do a liveaboard situation and eventually some serious globe-trotting aboard. I've sailed some and know the basics, I know a thing or two about carpentry and about fiberglass repair (I'm a surfer), and even about mechanics (worked on many a VW and my Land Rover Discovery).

So far most that I've heard from boat owners and sailors about wood boats as a whole is overwhelmingly negative. As soon as I mention that I'm considering buying a wood boat they all scream at me to run the other direction and buy something made of plastic. Thing is, I don't think any of them have actually OWNED a wooden boat, and base this opinion on the few floating wrecks they've seen in a marina that have to be pumped out by a staff-member every other day to keep from sinking.

I've heard a lot of rumors - like you can't get one hauled, you can't get one insured, you can't sell one, you can't get a slip at a marina, and you can't stop them from leaking (one person even went so far to say that the only wood boat that won't leak is a brand new one, and that this could only be expected for a couple years). The Kettenburg I'm looking at HAS a leak, between the lead ballast and wood keel, it was sealed with 3M 5200, which apparently shrinks as it hardens, hence the problem. I believe this issue to be fixable with a dry-haul and some proper caulking. Am I WAY off base here?

Now, knowing a little bit about Naval History (ok, I read all the Master and Commander books. me=nerd), I've read accounts of wooden ships staying in service in the Royal Navy for a hundred years before being sold to private owners to see additional service as a merchant ship or even a privateer. Wooden boats BUILT the global economy. They discovered every shore. I've also read that they require more maintenance, and that you need to be johnny-on-the-spot repairing paint dings and the like. This I expect, but the "verging on panic" type of negative reactions I keep getting to them seem oveblown.

I'm posting here to ask you all from your firsthand experience - do wooden boats really deserve their terrible reputation?

[Captain Blight]

Seems to me like you at least have your head on straight and your eyes open. I imagine that's half the battle.

Welcome to the tribe.

[CharlieCobra]

No, they don't deserve the bad rep. Sure, there are crappy wooden boats but there are more crappy plastic boats out there. I tried to buy a PCC once and would have but the seller and I couldn't get together on a deal. I'm glad I didn't because a week later I bought Oh Joy and haven't looked back.

[Dan McCosh]

I think the main issue is not the material, but the age and the relative cost. Most wooden boats are old beyond their years of intended service. New they were quite expensive--roughly $1,000 a foot or so in the 1950s. To keep one in comparable condition today is proportionately expensive, at least if you want one in something like new condition. Instead, most are patched and nursed, with a great deal of hands-on labor. Glass is cheap to build, and the hulls usually are fairly sound, even when quite old. You still are looking at major mechanical wear and tear, but overall the glass choice is lots cheaper.

[zertgold]

With the help of a proper wooden boat surveyor you should be able to avoid any surprises. One thing I have noticed repeated on this forum is that not just any surveyor will do. Make sure the guy knows his wood boats.

If you are planning her to be a live aboard, then you will be around to make sure the needed maintenance gets done. Working on a plastic isn't as much fun a those boats made of trees.

[Thorne]

As fiberglass boats continue to age and decay in the next few decades, they will begin to overtake the existing wooden boat bad reputation.

Until then, elderly wooden boats will continue to be abandoned in marinas and anchorages after being purchased by dreamers who go broke, or con men trying to make a quick buck. Here's a 30' Hurricane probably just starting that sad cycle -
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/boa/1297929646.html

[Bob Cleek]

Hi all, I'm considering purchasing a wooden boat (a 40' Kettenburg built in 1960), The Kettenburg I'm looking at HAS a leak, between the lead ballast and wood keel, it was sealed with 3M 5200, which apparently shrinks as it hardens, hence the problem. I believe this issue to be fixable with a dry-haul and some proper caulking. Am I WAY off base here?


You could be.

A K-40 is a lot of boat to maintain and it will be expensive. Not a BAD boat, but, like all production model wooden boats, they tend to have their issues.

Most all wooden boats leak somewhere because that's the nature of the beast. However, a wooden boat that is leaking "between the ballast and the wood keel" could have serious problems. Given her age and the "leak" you describe, it sounds like she could be in line for keel bolt replacement. That is not a repair job for the faint of heart and certainly not one that can be fixed with "proper caulking" (and definitely not with 3M 5200... which is an indication that whoever did that repair had no clue what they were doing.) (The K-40's ballast casting to keel faying surface is not parallel to the waterline, but rather at maybe a 40 degree angle upward towards the bow... which may make "dropping" the keel to replace bolts a rather challenging proposition.)

There's a stock answer to questions like these in here... get a survey by a qualified and experienced WOODEN boat surveyor. If, after the survey, you still want the boat, the price reduction you will be able to negotiate due to the problems any competent surveyor will almost certainly find will more than pay for the cost of the surveyor... and if not, you've saved a huge amount by just walking away from the deal against a relatively small investment in the surveyor.

[Ted Hoppe]

If the Kettenburg is in California you have a good chance of getting a knowledgeable surveyor. Contact a local long time owner for assistance. Also with weighted measure, the deal will break in your favor.

There has never been a better time to buy a used boat. The close it gets to November the price drops thousands - very few people like to sail in wet and cold. Even more hate paying slip fees to a boat of lost interest and use.

[svartsvensk]

The Kett is in Florida, sadly, as I am in California, but it has been surveyed one year ago, and I am told is in very good condition. (was taken down to the wood, surveyed, painted, etc)

The choice of the 3M 5200 has me worried as well (if the rest of the boat has been repaired or caulked with this stuff, am I right in assuming I'll need to recaulk her sometime in the next year or two?), as does the thought of the ballast bolts sitting in seawater for months on end, despite the bilge-pumps doing their best. I don't mind a little leak here or there, but would prefer a boat to be more dry than wet, I suppose.

My tentative plan was to have her surveyed, and based on the results, fly out for a personal inspection, make the transaction (if I'm not scared off by the results of the survey - it was mentioned that dropping the keel to replace bolts could really be a bear because of the 40 degree angle of the ballast (and at 8,000 lbs, I tend to agree). The next step would be to make crucial repairs and clean the interior up a bit, then make the journey up to Annapolis, where we will be moving in a month or two.

I know wood boats cost more to maintain - how much more? double? triple? How many times a year should I expect to have to haul her? I was expecting once a year, with monthly underwater inspections and bottom-cleanings. The thing about the Kett is, it has fiberglass decks, which are a lot easier to deal with than Teak, and from what I know, their hulls and construction otherwise is really quite good. I've also heard that their sailing qualities are not phenomenal due to their keel and rudder placement, especially when running with the wind over swells, but I haven't heard anything that would really deter me from buying it, except the notions of not being able to insure it, moor it, sell it, or do anything except work on it, which, if I'm reading right, depend on a clear survey...?

I'm not afraid of hard work. I'm an editor. Hard work is what I DO. I just want to make sure that if I take the plunge (new survey permitting), I'll at least be able to use the boat as intended. As a home, and with some work and maintenance, a beautiful piece of art that is also a ticket around the world.

[Bob Cleek]

How long has the boat been on the market and at what price? That will give you some idea of how long it's going to take you to sell it when the time comes.

http://www.sailboatdata.com/imagehelper.asp?FILE_id=6313

Here's that ballast keel. You'll have to block up the boat cattywhumpus in order to drop that 5000 pound ballast keel straight down and straight up. You don't want to have to be marrying it sideways... if the keel bolts need replacing, unless they are perpendicular to the waterline... which you'll have to find out by asking somebody who really knows these boats, or you can find the plans.

There's "leaking" and there's "leaking." What do you mean "if the bilge pumps keep up." If they turn on once every couple of days or so, that's one thing. How much of a leak is there. Reports of 5200 used to caulk her sound like "bananas in the crankcase" to me. You don't want that stuff used for that. It doesn't work well to stop below the waterline leaks and it's a royal bitch to remove. Obviously not a professional standard repair. Be careful. Be very, very careful. Work on a boat following the "iceberg principle:" what you see is only ten percent of what's really there!

[Bernadette]

my 42' alden malabar II is still for sale at a very good price and she is only 5 years old. shes in brisbane, australia.

[PeterSibley]

and she's beautiful !

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

I agree with all of the above comments, with the added caveat: Wood boats have great style, but you also said you wanted a liveaboard boat, so space inside is a key consideration. The more elegant older boats like the Kets have relatively slender hulls, and even more slender sterns with long overhangs. That means no accommodations or storage well aft. So your 40 footer has the space of perhaps a modern 30 footer. Don't get me wrong, I don't favor one of the maxi-wide sterns for a safe and sound offshore boat, but there are boats with good offshore hull designs that still have roomy berths aft, which adds tremendously to livings space and cargo capabilities of the boat. So decide first, what do you want to do with the boat? One of many books I like is The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat by John Vigor, a worthwhile read if you considering a boat for offshore. If you haven't already done so, at the next boat show, tour a number of boats so that you get a sense of size of interiors and can then understand what you would want as a minimum size.

[Tom Hunter]

First, the information your getting about wooden boats is not really accurate. You can find a boat that fits that description and you can buy it. But don't.

Bernatte's boat is new, reliable and insurable, I doubt it's leaky. Right now very few boats are sellable, but you're looking to by not sell.

When you buy an older boat you are going to buy problems. That is true no matter what the type. If you buy older wood you may buy rot and leaks. If you study the boats and take your time you will buy small problems. The same thing is true for fiberglass boats, the nature of the problems change but they are there.

Do you really love the Kettenburg? Really, really love her, above all others and have to have her? If not, look around. There are a lot of boats out there for sale right now. Go look at them. Sail on them if you can. Look at fiberglass boats too. Any time spent learning before you buy will pay dividends for ever.

Also, ask the guys with glass boats about the problems and repairs they do on thier boats. Ask people with wooden boats the same question.

Lots of people want to think their choice of boat is the best choice for everyone. It upsets them that other people choose wood, or multihulls, or monohulls, or steel, or anything else they would not choose. Asking most powerboater about sailboats will get you a list of problems with sailboats, ask woodenboat owners about fiberglass boats and we can tell you what is bad about them. Remember that when you are recieving advice.

Good luck

[Ian McColgin]

The art - at which so far I've been lucky - is to find a boat with enough issues that the price is one you can afford but not so many that you can't make a rational "aggressive maintenance" schedule. "Aggressive maintenance" is keeping the boat in the water, sailing a lot, but doing a lot that if done all at once would look more like a restoration.

This means being unafraid of fixing rot with dutchmen. It means not being intimidated about yanking off the garboard when it needs replacement and scarfing in new hood ends to the frames while you have the view. Maybe part of one side one year, part of another later. Realisticly, it means being willing to do something good for the boat at least an hour or two every day. Every day. And planning on a vacation from your day job for two weeks of long hard 16+ days, like all daylight and then some, during the time the boat's out of the water.

If you do that, you absolutely can keep up with and get ahead of things. You can have a lot of fun sailing and even some fun fixing. You can substitute "sweat equity" and money over the years for the unreasonably high purchase price a boat in top condition will run.

Insurance companies are deeply prejudiced against live-aboards and even more against wooden live-aboards. If you have a good auto company, they may be willing to write a liability policy for you boat, which you absolutely need for the protection of others you and your boat could harm and for getting anywhere near most marinas. Forget hull insurance. They won't write an affordable policy, probably won't write any policy, for a live-aboard needs work owner has no shore property also insured. Sail smart instead. The breakeven between hull insurance, if it can even be found, and non-insurance is about ten years, so try not sink more often than once a decade.

Besides, as you die with dignity alone and cold a thousand miles from nowhere, you don't want your last thought to be, "Well, at least the insurance is paid."

I have found living-aboard and working on my boats a wonderful life. Be unafraid of rot, pumps and a bit of work and you'll be fine.

G'luck

[Lew Barrett]

Tom has spoken a mouthful. It's the age of most wooden boats more than the material that dictates the conditions a lot of boats are found in. My boat is over 70 years old and at that age a boat that hasn't had the very best attention and care, and been restored twice, will need everything. My boat has been re-powered twice. It rests on a new bottom. It has been re-decked. The interior has been taken out and put back in again. It has new tanks, domestic systems, electrics, instruments, upholstery. The windless has been rebuilt. It has new ground tackle, panels, pumps, wheels, shafts, struts, and been upgraded to meet current sanitary conditions. All this in adition to annual routine maintenance that any small boat will require, like paint and small repairs. Yet there still remain a few jobs to do.

Buying an old boat is not unlike buying an old car or an old house, except in respect to buying an old house, inflation is your friend, whereas with an old boat, depreciation trumps inflation every time.

Therefore, in the long run and in most cases, even an ambitious owner who does a lot of his own work, will find there isn't much economy in buying a boat that hasn't already been fussed over by own or two very dedicated prior keepers. However, the experience of bringing your own boat around and the pleasure of owning and living with a good wooden boat can be intoxicating.

The more patience and skill you have and the more you are able to dig in and do things for yourself, the more practical the ownership and experience of living through a full restoration can be. But if you have a reliable and productive day job, some things may be more practical to hire out, and you may have to strike a balance between costs and time. So I always caution people to consider several factors before springing for a boat.

1. Pick a boat you really, really want to live with, and if possible, the best example and best boat you can swing. Buying a great boat, one that is in superb condition, is actually the mark of an experienced seeker in my opinion.
2. Determine the real scope of work through diligent study and referral to experts and experienced friends if you don't have the experience to assess a new project yourself.
3. Understand that for most people it is always more cost effective to purchase a boat in excellent condition than to restore it themselves.
4. Take your time in making a decision; never buy in a rush. Even in the best markets, project boats are hard to sell.
5. If you live in a good, well stocked market, consider buying locally rather than schlepping a boat cross-country.

If you understand the process, the nature of the commitment, the scope of work and the intended goal, owing a wooden boat can be a rewarding and practical reality. Walk in blind and you get to learn the hard way. Don't fret; you'll have plenty of company if you chose the latter path. Me, for instance!
But I don't know that I'd have done it (much) differently, as all your experiences make you the sum of who you are, and restoring my boat has been one of the great ventures of my life. After my family, of course!

Wood is a wonderful material to build a boat from! Look at how long a good wooden boat can last and provide service!

[Dan McCosh]

The art - at which so far I've been lucky - is to find a boat with enough issues that the price is one you can afford but not so many that you can't make a rational "aggressive maintenance" schedule. "Aggressive maintenance" is keeping the boat in the water, sailing a lot, but doing a lot that if done all at once would look more like a restoration.

This means being unafraid of fixing rot with dutchmen. It means not being intimidated about yanking off the garboard when it needs replacement and scarfing in new hood ends to the frames while you have the view. Maybe part of one side one year, part of another later. Realisticly, it means being willing to do something good for the boat at least an hour or two every day. Every day. And planning on a vacation from your day job for two weeks of long hard 16+ days, like all daylight and then some, during the time the boat's out of the water.

If you do that, you absolutely can keep up with and get ahead of things. You can have a lot of fun sailing and even some fun fixing. You can substitute "sweat equity" and money over the years for the unreasonably high purchase price a boat in top condition will run.

Insurance companies are deeply prejudiced against live-aboards and even more against wooden live-aboards. If you have a good auto company, they may be willing to write a liability policy for you boat, which you absolutely need for the protection of others you and your boat could harm and for getting anywhere near most marinas. Forget hull insurance. They won't write an affordable policy, probably won't write any policy, for a live-aboard needs work owner has no shore property also insured. Sail smart instead. The breakeven between hull insurance, if it can even be found, and non-insurance is about ten years, so try not sink more often than once a decade.

Besides, as you die with dignity alone and cold a thousand miles from nowhere, you don't want your last thought to be, "Well, at least the insurance is paid."

I have found living-aboard and working on my boats a wonderful life. Be unafraid of rot, pumps and a bit of work and you'll be fine.

G'luck

This has been pretty much our life-style. Still, I keep in mind that that the boat was originally intended as a live-aboard--space was made for a full-time hired hand. That one of the Rockefellers was among the original owners also is somewhat sobering.

[outofthenorm]

I've always held that it's a lot of work to keep ANY boat to a high standard. The guys who maintain their glass or steel boats to the same level as I keep my woodie, work just as hard and spend pretty well the same money as I do. After all, the engines and systems are the same, the rig wears at the same rate, and the bottom needs the same cleaning and anti-fouling on the same schedule. I varnish and paint, they polish and (sometimes) varnish and paint.

Here's what I'll add to the good advice and observations above: one of the biggest differences between wood and glass is that on a wood boat, you MUST keep up with the maintenance. A fibreglass boat can usually survive a period of neglect without structural loss. Not so with most woodies. A neglected boat is an iceberg - 90% of the problems don't show on the surface, but they are there.

- Norm

[Ian McColgin]

Figure that if you live aboard you should make the same effort in time and money that you'd make in a house, with the advantage that anything about boat work is more fun than weeding.

[JimConlin]

Pick a type that is well known to those who'll work on the boat. The fact that there are over a hundred Concordia yawls means that at least to a handful of yards, there are fewer surprises.

[Captain Blight]

and she's beautiful !Her Alden Malabar is, too.

[redbopeep]

You've had lots of good advice here. Unless you're someone who likes old things and maintaining them yourself, an old wood boat probably isn't the best of ideas. You're in CA, thus probably familiar with the 40' Kettenburg. I've seen quite a few. You're likely to be able to find a more sturdily built boat (for cruising, etc) by another NA/yard. As far as live aboard goes--likely that boat is too small.

We looked at several boats in the 40' range--including a lovely Rhodes that I would have loved to own--but if they had good style, they had no room to live aboard. Its a pretty spartan life that one can live on a classic older wooden boat under the high 40-some foot range.

If you're looking for cheapest, most bang for the buck--go for a "classic plastic" from the late 60's or 70's and don't look for a wooden boat. It will have plenty of wood trim and good accents and "look" the part w/o having to maintain a wood hull.

It takes a lot more money to own and properly maintain a wooden boat (even if doing the work oneself) than most folks imagine. If you're got a good job and disposable income and you're the type of person who it meticulous about keeping your stuff maintained (by yourself or others) than, sure, go for a wooden boat, you'll enjoy it. But if you hate spending, always are looking for the cheap way to do something, will skimp on quality for cost usually...probably not the right choice for you.

Regarding insurance--if your boat is in good shape, it's insurable. If it's not, it's not. Don't even think about buying a boat w/o a good survey from a wooden boat surveyor. The money you pay is a drop in the bucket compared to the can of worms you could be purchasing w/o a survey. If you're hesitating about spending the bucks for the survey--you probably shouldn't be buying a wooden boat.

You can probably type-cast yourself and tell us whether you're suited to wooden boat ownership or not--just think about what others have said about maintaining the boat--do you have any hobbies or life activities that have required this kind of commitment? When you buy things--do you go for easy maintenance or something really elegant? That's not the total litmus test, but I mean, really--what kind of furniture do you own? Cars? other boats? Your habits and other life choices will point you in a direction. Be true to yourself and you'll be happy with whatever choice you make--wooden boat or otherwise.

Good luck to you :)

[Bernadette]

arh! darn! and drat! and here i was thinking peter was speaking about me!!!

well i can tell you its not easy selling a boat like DECATUR even as drop dead gorgeous as she is (im biased of course). and even though in boatspeak terms, she is NEW!

i dont know how long ive had her on the market for (ages) but despite numerous well qualified lookers and even an offer which i accepted...shes still mine.

i had a potential buyer just last week but it seems recent and ongoing economic pressures still play an important part in the decision making process. he declined to buy on that basis. otherwise he was 'smitten'.

its rather ironic really that we laud the "classic boatness" of ourselves here in australia and hold regattas and boat festivals and shows and yet when push comes to shove, most boat buyers turn to plastic goop or metal buckets for thier water craft. and dont worry, thers still money about. my broker knows this for a fact as he still continues to sell other boats.

maybe im getting of the track here...my apologies to the thread starter.

bernadette

[Don Z.]

Insurance isn't bad, if you have a survey. You will be required to resurvey as time goes by.

You've received good advice here re: leaks.

Plans for the Kettenburg should be available from the San Diego Maritime Museum.

Living aboard in Annapolis... Find the marina first.

[Henning 4148]

All good advice.

Uninsurable: When we were wooding, 3rd party was more linked to having a certificate to show that you knew the basics of navigation and sailing. Comprehensive was linked to having a survey. Initially, when we bought our boat, because of the survey, we couldn't get comprehensive, only third party. After we had sorted the structural and safety issues from the survey and had a letter from the surveyor confirming they had been sorted, we could get comprehensive as well.

Unreliable: Depends on condition (maintenance and repair) and set up. Per se, a well maintained wooden boat without repair backlog and sensible set up is neither more reliable nor less reliable in my eyes than a well maintained plastic boat without repair backlog. We once saw the forestay with a piece of the deck ripped out on a plastic boat as well as the chainplates pulled through the deck with resulting loss of the mast on another plastic boat - both happening very unexpectedly from the point of view of the proud owner and both being boats produced by companies with a good reputation. Many woods - are pretty honest materials - showing cracks before they break, bending or deforming, all to warn you in advance that you are overstressing something. Some woods aren't. GRP isn't. You may be able to damage a wooden boat of you use spectra sheets and halyards (or some other modern stuff) as it doesn't give and thus the resulting loads may be too high - but there are ways to overstress many GRP boat as well. And they do not tend to warn you in advance. A wooden boat might spring a plank - but I'd say only if it was poorly built or has maintenance and repair backlog. With a modern GRP boat with stainless steel rigging - chances are, that you don't see any damage because it all still looks good - but on cored hulls and decks, you might have delamination or (balsa core) the core may simply have rotted away, leaving the two hull shells unconnected ... There can be real substantial issues on modern boats - and everything still looks fine.

Un-sellable: A wooden boat is a commitment. Full stop. Buying one with an eye on resale value isn't going to make you a happy person. When we had to sell - we had one person really interested - and he bought. We got far less than the sum of the original price plus the cost of spares plus the cost of our work. But we got more than the sum we originally payed (as we had brought the boat up a lot) and we had had a few great summer holidays and many great weekends on the boat. And we had hours on hours in the boat that were a sort of hobby for us. It depends from which angle you look at it. When you want to sell - you want to sell. You than set an initial asking price that is "interesting" for the condition the boat is in, say 25 % below the asking price others place on similar boats and you advertise at the right places (with photo if possible) and hope for the best. You'll soon have invested a few dollars in advertising - but good value for money tends to create an interest. Also, of course you sell in spring, start advertising in February or March. The mistake many many many boat owners make, is, that their initial asking price is to high - so the boat stays on the hard, doesn't go in the water and the neglect starts - the hull drying out, soon you have real issues like split planks or bent fasteners or at least a complete re caulk - as well as major paint work that needs doing - so they drop the price, but not far enough - and the circle continues. Also, many don't spend the money for advertising where it is needed. When you want to sell, you want to sell and it's got to be a good deal for the buyer - then there are decent chances of selling. A decent deal from the point of view of the buyer might also include you doing some work that he'd like to have done - if he wants a yellow hull, you paint the hull yellow (after the contract and downpayment) and do your very best to make it a good paint job and not a rush job.

Leaky: Yeah? Define leaky? A cold or hot molded hull shouldn't leak, with any other wooden hull, it's the way they were built. They have a bilge so the water doesn't make anything wet that should stay dry and they have a bilge pump to pump this bilge every few days. So, what's the problem with a bit of leaky? A bathtub a day is a problem, I agree, but one or two buckets a day on a 40 footer wouldn't worry me too much. It depends where the leak is - if it is in the area of the mast foot, it can be overstress - if it is a seam where two planks don't fit perfectly, you can just smear slickseam into the crack. It's been like that for hundreds of years. A bit of water in the bilge is not a problem, it is normal, a dry bilge on a traditionally planked boat is not normal. Also, if you sail in salt water, the salt is a mild fungicid, helping the boat against rot. If you only collect rain- or freshwater in the bilge, the boat will rot faster than if it leaks a little and is in salt water. So, where is the problem with a little bit of leaky? On a traditional wooden boat, it is the way it should be.

Apart from this: 40 ft isn't just a commitment, it's a big commitment. Is there enough room in your life for such a big commitment? Many live on boards we met were divorced men - they had enough room in their lives for a big commitment - but after a few years, many got tired of the life style and were trying to sell and move back on shore and start over. Being a live on board may well be a temporary thing. If you want a wooden boat, but have to compromise in your life because of loved ones etc., look for a 26 to 32 footer, something seaworthy in that league. The maintenance is far far far less time intensive than on a 40 footer. A small boat is less comfortable, everything is a bit cramped, but if you have to compromise with regards to the commitment and haven't got the funds to let others do the work, a smaller seaworthy boat might be worth an intensive thought.

If you buy after having a survey from a surveyor with an excellent reputation whom you have payed to survey the boat - it might be a good idea to disassemble and take apart and inspect in greatest detail all through hull fittings - and equip the boat with new fire extinguishers, check that the electrical system has fuses close to the battery and inspect for other fire hazards. The main causes for loss of boats are sinking because of defect through hull fittings and fire. A boat being smashed to pieces on the open sea isn't really that common.

[py]

Mate if you can keep a Land Rover Discovery going an old wooden boat will be like a walk in the park. Provided she looks to be in reasonable nick (on close inspection) you'll be right.
Phil

[johngsandusky]

I bought my 39' ketch, insured it, sailed it home from Florida, and keep it on a mooring. So it is sellable, reliable, insured, and not too leaky. Shop carefully.

[Ted Hoppe]

Well? Did you commit or find something else?