Trying to identify this boat

Jan 17, 2022
11
Grady White 28 Sailfish Miami Outboard Club
Hello, might be a potential sailboat owner soon but I am having trouble identifying this one that has been sitting for 3 years outside our marina to do some research and see if its worth the cost to find the original owner, re-title, and transform the boat. Posted some pictures here but have no clue where to start, seems the HIN was painted over and couldn't get a good look. I tried combing over some images of Catalina's and other brands maybe matching the window trim angles with something recent but was not able to find a match, also dont know the approx length of the hull so its a guessing game, perhaps somewhere between 25 and 30 feet long. Thank you for any insight!!
 

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Jan 4, 2010
1,037
Farr 30 San Francisco
How many smoots long do you estimate it is? To me it looks like a C+C 27 with some hack work done to the transom.
 
Jan 17, 2022
11
Grady White 28 Sailfish Miami Outboard Club
How many smoots long do you estimate it is? To me it looks like a C+C 27 with some hack work done to the transom.
To be honest I dont have the slightest clue, we pulled up to it in a 24 foot open fisherman and there was plenty of room from the bow and stern. I figured the back end looked unique enough with the window angles to narrow it down but I have no knowledge of sailboats, just powerboats.
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
That is a C 27 with a tiller and powered by an outboard (missing) with the companionway steps missing. It also has a rain leak and the sail is garbage. Needing new sails and a 8-10 HP outboard engine plus a lot of work inside i would price it at $300 to $500 depending of the condition of the hull, rudder and rigging. To refit using used sails and a used outboard, fixtures and materials would cost around $5,000. Be careful as it costs money ($$$) to get rid of a trash boat once you buy it
 
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Jan 17, 2022
11
Grady White 28 Sailfish Miami Outboard Club
That is a C 27 with a tiller and powered by an outboard (missing) with the companionway steps missing. It also has a rain leak and the sail is garbage. Needing new sails and a 8-10 HP outboard engine plus a lot of work inside i would price it at $500 depending of the condition of the hull, rudder and rigging.
From my initial glance, the boat needs the underside fully scraped, lots of barnacles and growth, paint is faded completely and the wood is rotting, need treatment. Interior is gutted completely as you can see from the pictures.

The boat would be free, still floating after all this time, I haven't checked the sails at all -- was thinking of taking them off and laying it out on the grass to inspect but they were not covered for so many years so you are probably right. My budget to refurbish the boat would be around $3,000 to be bay-worthy but if that costs would exceed $5,000, maybe its best to pass this one up.
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
C&C 27? if so any chance a year can be narrowed down?
No Catalina 27, late 70s, my guess.
C&C 27? if so any chance a year can be narrowed down?
No, a Catalina 27, late 70s to early 80s my guess. If you are not into sailboats I would not recommend as project boat. You'll never get the money out that you put in it and would require a lot of your work. If you have not had a sailboat before you may likely not know the work that needs to be done and how to go about it. Do not forget mooring costs and maintenance expenses.
 
Jan 17, 2022
11
Grady White 28 Sailfish Miami Outboard Club
No Catalina 27, late 70s, my guess.

No, a Catalina 27, late 70s to early 80s my guess. If you are not into sailboats I would not recommend as project boat. You'll never get the money out that you put in it and would require a lot of your work. If you have not had a sailboat before you may likely not know the work that needs to be done and how to go about it. Do not forget mooring costs and maintenance expenses.
Never had a sailboat or any boat I have owned myself to work on. I was wondering why the friend was so quick to say sure here you go its now your boat (problem) I am still going to tinker with it here and there since its right outside our marina and moored for free as well. Thank you for your help at least pointing me in a right direction!
 
Dec 29, 2021
89
Catalina, Tanzer C 22, 16 10910 Starr SC
Many times, a "free" boat can be the most costly. For your budget, you can find a better buy if you take some time.
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
What @Light air said

you can find a sail ready boat for $3000. And “free” mooring? When was the last time the ground tackle on you mooring was inspected. You are liable if she breaks free and does damage.
 

RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Where is the galley sink and stove? I once had an older Catalina 27 and it had those and an inboard.
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
It's definitely not a catalina. Get yourself an outboard if desired and use it as is. I don't know how the coast guard is in Florida but in Chicago they rarely bother sailboats so I wouldnt bother with title/transfer/etc. Now the real question is how many hurricanes has this thing survived?
 
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DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,691
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
That is definitely not a C&C. The Ericson 25+ looks closest but it looks like it is a mast head rig and SailboatData shows it with a fractional rig.
You could probably get it sort of sailable with $3k but that would be with an older outboard and a lot of elbow grease. Nice looking boat, floating on its lines after 3 years of neglect means it is mostly watertight, above and below the waterline.
When people say there are $3,000 boats ready to sail, those boats will have plenty of work to do as well and some will have just as much as this boat. If you have somewhere to keep it and a lot of time on your hands it could be a fun project. First thing to check is all the thru hulls to make sure there isn't a hose or fitting about to give way.
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
A little more poking around and the weiner is .. Ericson 27.. They were available with a deep transom cut-out for outboard and had a masthead rig. Same window look as the original post..
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,691
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
Ericson 27 is a good boat. Very similar in size to the C&C27 I had for 20 years. It will be a great weekender boat for solo sailing or a small family. There doesn't appear to be a headsail but you could pick one up at Bacon Sails for as little as a $200 for a sail that needs a few patches, or $800 for one in very good condition. Around the same for a main sail. The interior will need some work, cushions, a stove, don't know about plumbing but that could come later.
I'm only encouraging this because the boat appears to be very recoverable and I'd hate to see it rot away.
 
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Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
I love how people try to convince someone to buy a rotting POS and put money in to it. :rolleyes: Just wow..... the OP may have moved on as it has been a while since they posted, hopefully they have moved on from this floating garbage scow and it will soon be laid to rest in a landfill where it belongs. No, not every old boat deserves to be restored.... some just don't. Kill it with fire.
 
Jan 17, 2022
11
Grady White 28 Sailfish Miami Outboard Club
I haven’t moved on yet haha I am going to go out this weekend to get a better inspection done, take some more pictures and a video to post here. It’s a lot of detective work to dive in with zero knowledge beforehand. The boat history was that it was taken to a dry dock sometime in 2015 for some work to be done to it. When the work was done the owner never came and picked up the boat. A few years later the owner of the marina sold the shop and the boat was placed back in the bay and just sat there unattended but moored to a buoy. When the new owners of the marina found out about the boat they told my friend to just take it if he wants it, no title history or way to track down the original owner. So for 3 years it sat in the bay through hurricanes and whatnot, yesterday is when my friend asked me if I wanted it lol
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,691
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
Free boats aren't free, that's for sure, but they can get you out on the water if you have more time and energy than money. Here's a great example, @TomY bought his kids a $1 boat My sons $1 Dollar sailboat, gets a re-fit.

They've been sailing it and fixing it for several years now. Of course, they have Tom's skills and knowledge available which tips the scales in their favor. Most people that acquire free or cheap boats end up loosing interest or running out of energy or money. But there are the rare few that actually make it work.
 
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