Survey Day

Having made a formal offer on Elizabeth, the next step was to get her surveyed and take a real close look. I arranged for the survey to be done on 28 July by Lon Acheson. Again, I was especially concerned with moisture in the deck, the state of the keel bolts and the viability of the drive train.

Deterioration at forward end of the keel

Because the keel to hull joint was mostly covered with paint and filler I could not judge the state of the seal, nor guess if the keel bolts might have been affected. I was pleased when Lon expressed his opinion that the crack along the length of the joint probably came from the deterioration at the bow -- water was then forced from the bow down the joint. The seal beneath was probably intact, and thus the keel bolts unaffected. Good news -- major expense averted.

Soft spot between hatch and mast

The next big concern was the soft spot in the deck. Clearly there was delamination and probably rotten core beneath. As the soft area was about 2 feet square, this was no small thing. Lon ran his moisture meter all over the hull and found no moisture, nor evidence of blistering. The deck, on the other hand, did not fare so well. In addition to the known areas around the bent stanchion and forward of the mast, moisture readings were high along the side decks and outboard of the genoa sail tracks. A lot more moisture than I anticipated! Red flags were popping up everywhere. I asked Lon what his opinion was and he felt that the deck had years of life left in it. He had seen decks much worse and felt that it could reasonably be treated as an ongoing maintenance issue. First seal all the many ways that water can get into the core, then attempt to dry out the core. The possibility of extensive rot in the core was lessened by the relatively airtight and cold environment. That the boat hailed from Rhode island was to its benefit, as the colder weather would inhibit the growth of wood eating bacteria and fungi.

Was pleased to find new updated seacocks throughout

The last area of concern was the state of the drive train. I had arranged to launch the boat for a quick test on the engine and the owner arranged for the yard to commission her. The sea trial lasted about an hour whle we motored her out of Rock Creek to the Patapsco River and back. Lon ran a number of tests and was very pleased with what he found. There were absolutely no leaks anywhere and the engine ran like a top. At full RPM's the boat was moving a little more than 7 knots with the transom and exhaust submerged. Elizabeth was definitely not underpowered. At the helm for awhile I felt Elizabeth really wanted to move. She certainly had the most responsive helm I have ever felt -- like a car, turn the wheel the boat turned ... instantly! That will take some getting used to and probably suggests the need for an autopilot in the future.

So all told the survey and seatrial went well. All her systems were operational, and apart from the work on the keel and moisture in the deck appeared to be in good nick. I lowered my offer by a thousand dollars as I anticipated this was what I would have to pay to get the keel in shape, assuming I did the work myself. The owner agreed to pay half and we settled on a final price of 14K. Still nervous about the moisture in the deck I figured I could take that on as an ongoing maintenance issue considering how solid the rest of the boat was.

Elizabeth First Gilmpse

I had been watching Elizabeth online for about a year. Originally she was priced in the 20K range and so was a bit out of my league, though not by much. After the Pearson deal fell through I looked again and she was down to 15K. Now we were talking. I went to see her on July 13th, fully six months after I first started looking for a new boat.

I only spent about two hours looking over her and knew she was the one. The asking price seemed about right, about 3 grand below blue book and I figured she had about 3 grand of work needed to get her seaworthy again.

Her story is short -- she was purchased in Rhode Island and was sailed extensively by her original owner. About a year and a half before I found her she was purchased and trucked to Baltimore. Her new owner intended to fix her up and live aboard. Sadly, he lost his job and had to relocate to Texas where new employment awaited. He did not want to truck her down there. So she sat on the dry for a year and a half, untouched.

The soft spot is between the hatch and the mast.

Looking her over I had only two concerns: the viability of the drive train and moisture in the deck. The drive train was, as before, a required condition of any offer. There was already evidence of moisture in her deck - a large soft spot just forward of the mast. There was a hole in the deck that was not well sealed and water had obviously found its way in. There was also a spot where one of the stanchions was bent and the lamination around its base had cracked and lifted -- there was obviously water there, though no delamination. I figured where there is a little water there is a lot of water.

The condition of the keel was also a concern, as rust was showing through the bottom paint and there was a crack along the length of the hull to keel joint. I worried that the joint was compromised and perhaps the keel bolts would have to be replaced. The bolts are stainless and looked good in the bilge, but crevice corrosion at the joint was a real possibility.

Overall she was in better shape than the Pearson, and I reasoned worth the few gran more I would pay for her. I offered 14.5K for her.

The Story Begins ...

Seamew Sail #63

After three years of living on a 23' sailboat with 4 feet of headroom and nowhere to go, I finally had enough. Ok, the winters did it. Talk about cabin fever! Can't stand up, can't walk, can't play the guitar -- just stuck as on an eight hour flight every day after work. So the search began in March for a new (to me) boat.

I do, however, love the Seamew. She is unique and has real character -- not just another production snot (fiberglass) production boat. With a mahogony on oak frame and mahogany trip, when in good nick she is a beaut. Keeping her up to snuff has proven to be more than I can handle. I need to keep her out of the water and undercover for part of the year to protect the finish and reduce maintenance.

I had been looking online for a couple of years, just to dream. Now, despite the recession, I find my finances are in better shape than they have ever been -- as long as I remain healthy and employed; two factors over which I have no control and thus do not worry about. I decided on a price range between 10K and 20K. My needs were clear. As a livaboard I wanted enough headroom to stand upright, the ability to walk a few steps, enough room to practice the guitar and the violin, a toilet and an oven. A shower, a gas oven, refrigeration, hot water and a cabin heater would be nice as well. As a sailor I wanted a shallow draft boat, between 30 and 35 feet, that was capable of cruising the Chesapeake and the short offshore stints associated with the intracoastal waterway.

Aurora: Pearson 323

I eventually found a 1978 32'  pearson that met the bill, was the right price but needed considerable work. I made and offer, had her surveyed and all went well -- except the motor would not start after having sat for a year and a half. My one condition on the offer was that the drive train prove viable as while I don't mind restoring systems and fiberglass work, I did not want the significant expense of repowering a boat right away. Surprisingly there was NO moisture in the hull and deck and she had most of the system I wanted in a  livaboard installed. The hull was a veritable ecosystem of critters, however, and would require s significant amount of work. The deal fell through after months of stalling when I finally spoke to the contracted engine mechanic and discovered that there was a problem with the injection pump. That was a deal killer. So off I went looking again. Fortunately I had a a backup ...