Alternative Power

[Craig]

While trying to boost the milage I discovered a simple way to reduce my operating costs. Just reverse these sails, add another mast, add square sails to the top mast and I'm off. They had an RV on the TV with sponsons that they drove in the water like a boat. could I do that and call it a true square rigger?

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[tdrown]

It's the new Stevenson 2-in-1 Monther.

[Frank Hagan]

I think you better be planning on flying a topsail on that! Light air performance is going to suffer.

Every now and then I check out the boat ads online and look for boats under $500 ... amazing what you see. There was a "houseboat" that looked like a Winnebago with sponsons ... and maybe that's what it was. It was so ugly that no one bought it even when it was under $500.

[Mike Pennington]

Frank,

Do you folks really have a boat page under $500? We're lucky to even see a boat in the paper up here.

Craig,

Brings a whole new meaning to the term windwagon.

[Frank Hagan]

There are only a few boats in our paper. If you use the on-line listings you find so many more ... sites like http://www.boattraderonline.com will have them.

There are always a ton of listings for big boats under a few thousand that are sold "as is, where is" ... usually boats that have been abandoned in a slip in a marina. Those are certainly tempting because they are usually "good boats", but you know there's been no maintenance done on them in years, and there's probably so much bottom growth that they have to be hauled and cleaned. So you would add thousands to that price just to get them into sailing shape.

[Craig]

You have to be careful down here as many are wrecks from the hurricanes that someone rebuilt. A lot of that goes on here. Flooded cars also. Dried out and shipped to other states with other than salvage titles.

[PAR]

For what it's worth, I regularly go up and down the coast here in Florida before and after the hurricane season, looking for deals. This year, there are a bunch of "please take it out of here" yachts available, but frankly most aren't worth the effort. In the Stuart area, there are probably hundreds of vessels that have been declared salvage and totaled out by the insurance companies in need of being dragged to the land fill or a new home.

At first glance, it would seem these are great deals, but after you cost out the materials, labor, storage and repairs you pay more for the rebuilding then to purchase a similar yacht on the open market.

Now I'm rather experienced at this and can perform a great deal of the work in my yard, but of the hundreds of yachts I saw, only two where of interest to me and I bought only one. It's worth about 100 grand on the open market, needs repowering, all new deck hardware, loads of weather deck cosmetics, all new cushions and fabrics, restored electrical and plumbing. I just happen to have a good engine that is the replacement for this yacht and if not for this, would not have purchased her.

It's truly a shame that these boats will be living in the local land fill before long. The yards will strip them and part them out after a new coat of Rust-oleum is sprayed on. Back in the 60's and 70's these types of projects where taken on by lots of folks, not afraid to bite into a big, hands on work of love, taking maybe years to complete. Now, you don't see much of this spirit any more which is truly a shame . . .