Hello everyone, I am being given a 1979 Hunter 33 sailboat! The sailboat was last hauled out in 2017 and had a new bottom paint job done along with the engine gone through, however it has been in the water since then. I plan on hauling the boat out and cleaning the bottom and giving her a good inspection, hopefully she is still sound and I can put in a little elbow grease and enjoy her for many years to come. If the boat appears to be in good condition, I will keep her on the hard and do whatever work needs to be done to be able to sail her safely from Virginia Beach where she is located, down to Cape Canaveral, FL where I live. Once there, I will haul her back out and spend the time going through everything to learn all the systems and making sure everything is safe and sound and getting everything cosmetically how I want. I am looking for advice for what I should be checking for and anything that I should just plan on replacing right off the bat before sailing her down to FL. The engine is a 3 Cylinder Yanmar and was completely gone through in 2017 and was running great and has been fired up about once a year since then. There is a new set of sails with the boat along with a complete set of new rigging that has yet to be installed. Also what are the chances that the hull is still in good condition vs. being damaged beyond the point of repair being as it has been in the water for the past 7 years? Any advice or experience shared is greatly appreciated!!
There’s a good chance that the time in the water hasn’t done any permanent damage. The bottom paint will at a minimum need to be sanded and a new coat or two added. There is a chance that the time in the water without any chance to dry could have led to osmotic blistering, but many boats spend plenty of time in the water without drying without that problem. Even if there is blistering it’s probably not catastrophic, it will just be more work to sand or grind down the blistered layers and recoat with epoxy.
There is absolutely no way to tell, without pulling it out and getting a survey. Do the survey before you buy anything, as free boats often turn out to be quite costly. That being said, 8 years is not forever, There is a decent chance you just need to knock off the artificial reef and put a new bottom on. Good luck with it. And make sure you clean the fuel tank, there is a good chance enough crap has grown in 8 years to be a problem.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,799
Welcome Bob. Based on your statement, a first time Sailor the idea of a free boat must sound great. Reality is that free boats aren’t free. They often have many deferred maintenance issues. A 46 year-old boat is going to need several items of refit that are costly. Jobs with high cost like replacing the standing rigging, repairing wet decks, re-powering with a new auxiliary diesel engine are tasks that are expensive making a free boat more costly than a good boat on the market.
Getting a professional surveyor to examine the boat and identify whether she is seaworthy would be money well spent, before you take possession of a free boat.
Getting a professional surveyor to examine the boat and identify whether she is seaworthy would be money well spent, before you take possession of a free boat.
Get it hauled in VA Beach, get a survey so you know what you have. A boat like this could be a sweet deal or overdue for the landfill.
Expect to spend a lot of time and money bringing her back. Most of the systems onboard will need to be replaced or refurbished. The key things to look for are hull and deck integrity, standing and running rigging will need replacing sooner rather than later, all the hoses and plumbing will need replacing along with a lot of the wiring. If you stick with it you'll learn a lot and swear a lot.
FWIW, there is a DIY yard next to the Titusville Marina.
Expect to spend a lot of time and money bringing her back. Most of the systems onboard will need to be replaced or refurbished. The key things to look for are hull and deck integrity, standing and running rigging will need replacing sooner rather than later, all the hoses and plumbing will need replacing along with a lot of the wiring. If you stick with it you'll learn a lot and swear a lot.
FWIW, there is a DIY yard next to the Titusville Marina.
All good advice above. Free boats are never "free." If, as you say the engine has been fired up every year, I'd check the oil, replace the impeller, make sure there is no blockage in the raw water cooling system and any other "pre-start" items . You might want to pre-lube the cylinders by removing the injectors and squirting a little "Marvel's Mystery Oil" or just oil and crank it over a few seconds without it starting. BE CAREFUL not to overdo the rolling it over without starting. That can cause water to back up into the cylinders and form a hydro-lock on the engine. Maybe you can just roll it by hand to move the cylinders to make sure the rings aren't seized to the cylinder wall. Then see if it will start. At this point don't worry about a some smoke on this initial startup after a long period of time idle. If it does not start, I'd consider having it checked out professionally and started before you pull it from the water. It is hard to "test start" and inboard engine when out of the water but it can be done. I just would want to have a rough idea of the engine status as a minimum before I accepted a "free boat."
I have seen diesel engines that have been started after a decade and with a little tlc put back into service.
I have seen diesel engines that have been started after a decade and with a little tlc put back into service.
To answer your question and echo what others have said, the hull itself is probably fine. Will probably need some work, but maybe not bad. Hulls are kind of designed to sit in the water. It is undoubtedly covered in growth, but that can be remedied. I don't know enough about Hunter construction, from that era, to know what you are likely to find in terms of blister/delamination. But, it is likely to be viable.
Don't be too scared off by the "free isn't free" warnings. They are correct, but if you are willing and able to put in some time, effort, and money, you can probably get a fine boat. The hull wouldn't be a focus of concern for me. More likely, your expensive problems are on the deck (such as soft spots caused by prolonged moisture in the core material) and in the standing rigging. Not sure about the engine - could be just fine.
Since the boat is not near where you live, you will probably be wanting to focus on reliable power and ensure the mast doesn't come down. I would not sail her until the rigging was thoroughly inspected. I am not a particularly cautious person, but the dangers of standing rigging with an uncertain past and some known neglect - those are very real. Also, if she had significant soft spots on the deck, I wouldn't move her until those are repaired. That is not a simple job, in most cases, and could easily make the whole project not worth it to you - depending on how motivated you are to sail THIS boat.
Don't be discouraged by those cautions. Everybody's boat here is falling apart - just at different stages and rates. And, nothing we do ever makes financial sense. So, have fun, enjoy the process, and keep reaching out for help.
Don't be too scared off by the "free isn't free" warnings. They are correct, but if you are willing and able to put in some time, effort, and money, you can probably get a fine boat. The hull wouldn't be a focus of concern for me. More likely, your expensive problems are on the deck (such as soft spots caused by prolonged moisture in the core material) and in the standing rigging. Not sure about the engine - could be just fine.
Since the boat is not near where you live, you will probably be wanting to focus on reliable power and ensure the mast doesn't come down. I would not sail her until the rigging was thoroughly inspected. I am not a particularly cautious person, but the dangers of standing rigging with an uncertain past and some known neglect - those are very real. Also, if she had significant soft spots on the deck, I wouldn't move her until those are repaired. That is not a simple job, in most cases, and could easily make the whole project not worth it to you - depending on how motivated you are to sail THIS boat.
Don't be discouraged by those cautions. Everybody's boat here is falling apart - just at different stages and rates. And, nothing we do ever makes financial sense. So, have fun, enjoy the process, and keep reaching out for help.
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A 1979 Hunter 33 is one of the Cherubini series if I'm not mistaken. Those are very nice boats - or were when built....
You likely have huge amounts of bottom growth on the hull. @Davidasailor26 already addressed to potential, or not, of osmotic blistering. To see if that is happening, you need to take the boat out of the water, clean the hull and let is sit for a time, long enough to let the hull dry and see if any osmotic blisters show up. You may or may not see them right after cleaning the hull. A 3 cylinder Yanmar seems to me would not be usual for that boat unless at some point in it's history it was repowered. But I could be wrong on that one.
Got any pictures?
dj
You likely have huge amounts of bottom growth on the hull. @Davidasailor26 already addressed to potential, or not, of osmotic blistering. To see if that is happening, you need to take the boat out of the water, clean the hull and let is sit for a time, long enough to let the hull dry and see if any osmotic blisters show up. You may or may not see them right after cleaning the hull. A 3 cylinder Yanmar seems to me would not be usual for that boat unless at some point in it's history it was repowered. But I could be wrong on that one.
Got any pictures?
dj
This could be a great deal. Or not.
I would give it that good inspection before you spend the money to haul and put it in the yard. That way you can avoid that expense if it turns out there are some problems you just can't or don't want to deal with. Hopefully you can just walk away if that is the case.
The seven years in the water is probably not a problem. Boats in warmer climates are constantly in the water for decades except for temporary hauls every few years for bottom jobs. You should be able to tell if there are problems with through hulls and seacocks / valves before hauling.
All great comments. Once you've got her into good condition and you're ready to move down south, make sure you have plenty of spares on board. Filters, O rings, Oil, Transmission fluid, Engine anti freeze/anti boil, tools, spare water pumps and bilge pumps, any paper info like manuals or guides. You know what I mean. When you start sorting and packing the boat, have a cheat sheet on where you put the items to refer to should an emergency happen. It may sound trivial, but you'll have peace of mind that you can get to your spares. Think redundancy!!!!
Thank you everyone for the replies! It means a lot to know I have the experience and expertise of all of you to help me out along the way. I will most certainly give the boat a good inspection before taking ownership incase there is too much going on that it is beyond what it's worth. The current owner is a friend of my brothers and he is totally fine with me not taking ownership of her if it turns out to be too much work after I haul out and inspect, so no pressure there. He said he has all new Rigging and Sails for the boat still packaged (never got around to replacing them), has all the manuals for everything, and a ton of extra parts. He said that everything worked as of the summer of 2023. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures and he no longer lives in the area so i wont be able to see the boat until we get there. As of right now I'm planning on giving the motor a quick once over and replacing filters, pump out the old fuel and replace with new diesel and putting a little oil in the cylinders. Then i will haul her out where she's at and clean and inspect the bottom and give the entire boat a good inspection. I might have to fly back home for work but during that time, I will know better what needs to be done to the boat so I can come back and take care of everything that needs to be done to get her down to Florida. That would include re packing the stuffing box, replacing ALL rigging and using the new sails. And a through inspection of all seacocks and the bilge pump. I will also slap on a couple coats of bottom paint for the journey home. Does this sound like a good plan to everyone? Any advice is beyond appreciated! I'm looking forward to learning from everyone here and putting everything to practice when I get to this boat next month. Thanks again everyone
Have you identified crew for the trip south? ICW or off-shore? What sort of electronics are on board?
I will have a friend of mine with me who has previous sailing experience as well and I plan on having at least one or two of my brothers along as well (who aren't sailors but have gone out with me on my smaller sailboat enough times to have the basics). I'm not positive on all the electronics yet, depending on what is already with the boat and working. As of summer of 2023 the GPS/Chart Plotter and depth gage on board worked, but at the bare minimum I will have a GPS with Navionics and paper charts with compass. I will also have battery powered nav lights and mast lights incase the ones on the boat stop working. I am planning (but open to change) on taking the ICW for the first part of the journey until I get around Cape Hatteras, at which point I will head off shore into the Atlantic and should be able to make essentially a B-Line for Cape Canaveral, staying between the shore and the gulf stream. I should be able to maintain plenty of room off shore to stay safe and also stay off of the gulf stream so I'm not fighting with it.
I would imagine all your zincs are gone, and have been for years. More than likely your prop is trash, as is the cutlass bearing and some (or all) of your bronze seacocks could be affected by electrolysis.
I wouldn't start the engine before inspecting the seawater cooling system, including the pump, for corrosion, cracked hoses and the impeller.
I suggest you do not plan to move the boat anywhere under her own power until someone dives and inspects any metal (seacocks, shaft, prop & strut, if she has one).
As so many above have said, there is no such thing as a "free" boat. Consider that if you cannot complete the restoration, for some reason, you are going to pay quite a bit to have her recycled. Giving you the boat is most likely because the present owner has checked out this option. .
I wouldn't start the engine before inspecting the seawater cooling system, including the pump, for corrosion, cracked hoses and the impeller.
I suggest you do not plan to move the boat anywhere under her own power until someone dives and inspects any metal (seacocks, shaft, prop & strut, if she has one).
As so many above have said, there is no such thing as a "free" boat. Consider that if you cannot complete the restoration, for some reason, you are going to pay quite a bit to have her recycled. Giving you the boat is most likely because the present owner has checked out this option. .
You mentioned having new rigging and sails in storage. I assume that you mean running rigging lines. It's the standing rigging that must be inspected before launching. If it has never been replaced, it's very likely in sad shape. Over 40 years is a salt water environment takes a toll on stainless steel wire.
Rather than "no such thing as a free boat", I prefer, "All boats are a debt that must eventually be repaid."
I don't think I heard you say what amount of sailing experience in "larger boats" you have and the one other crew member with sailing experience and you don't say what that experience is. What kind of boats, how many time in rough water. How will you handle weather delays and will your crew be able to deal with delays. This not to discourage you but make sure you don't "over-estimate" your capabilities, especially if you intend to go offshore. With a "new to you boat" being offshore in a 33 foot boat, even if you are only 12 miles offshore, can present problems you might not have anticipated. Doesn't seem like you'll have a lot of time to check things out before you start your trip so you need to be able to deal with possible things on the fly so to speak.
Make sure you have tow insurance that will handle towing from the distance you are anticipating to be offshore. Frankly, I'd plan on sticking to the ICW if I were you until I had full confidence in the boat and the crew. Only go offshore when and if you have developed that confidence.
What is your experience in anchoring a boat of this size and the shape of the anchor tackle? If you don't feel confident in anchoring you'll have to time your stops on the ICW based on reaching a marina by night fall. How long have you budgeted for this transit, including gravy for weather delays? What happens if you can't complete the trip. Lot of things to think about and I'm not trying to discourage you but don't be "overly optimistic" and what you can do and can handle.
A good way to look at this is "Would a Charter Company approve me to charter a boat of this size with my experience and the experience of my crew?" That also assumes the boat is in "established" if not well known condition for chartering?
What is your experience in anchoring a boat of this size and the shape of the anchor tackle? If you don't feel confident in anchoring you'll have to time your stops on the ICW based on reaching a marina by night fall. How long have you budgeted for this transit, including gravy for weather delays? What happens if you can't complete the trip. Lot of things to think about and I'm not trying to discourage you but don't be "overly optimistic" and what you can do and can handle.
A good way to look at this is "Would a Charter Company approve me to charter a boat of this size with my experience and the experience of my crew?" That also assumes the boat is in "established" if not well known condition for chartering?
For reference, it is 680 sm from Norfolk to Brunswick Georgia. 50 sm days are very doable on that section of the ICW or about 2 weeks of traveling every day. From Brunswick to St Mary's Inlet/Ferandina FL it another day. If the weather is cooperative from St Mary's to St Augustine can be done in a long day, otherwise it will be 2 days. From St Augustine to Canaveral area it is 2 days, one to Daytona and then to Titusville-Merrit Island.
Figure a solid 3 weeks, from Norfolk to Canaveral.
Off shore could be faster if you travel 24 hours a day. But you need to be prepared for that kind of travel. The passable inlets are pretty far apart and weather and tides can play havoc.
Figure a solid 3 weeks, from Norfolk to Canaveral.
Off shore could be faster if you travel 24 hours a day. But you need to be prepared for that kind of travel. The passable inlets are pretty far apart and weather and tides can play havoc.