Ross & Caleb
Ross & Caleb; thanks for your comments. Ross, FWIW, I always thought "hand tight" meant the same thing as "hand loose" -- i.e., if it was hand tight, it could be loosened by hand. But I see your point; for $75/hr I can learn a lot about fiberglass repairs.Caleb, my goodness; if your Tartan 27 weighs 4 tons, the Ericson 26 I'm looking at must not be overbuilt at all. It weighs 5,250-lbs, which is only a little over two and a half tons.
If it weighed 4 tons I wouldn't be able to tow it with my truck. My GMC Jimmy 350 V8 has a 3-ton hitch and only weighs 5500-lbs by itself. Even so, while I'm not too concerned with being able to tow it, I am wondering if the wheelbase of the truck might be a little short and contribute to oscillations. I may have to get a weight distribution hitch, with (what are those things called?) torsion bars? Anyway, you know what I'm talking about.Well, I'm happy with the idea of the hull and standing rigging being overbuilt; I'm not interested in racing and I am interested in strength and endurance. Well, maybe the odd regatta after I learn enough to sail like I halfway know what I'm doing, but racing for the sake of racing is not my gig.The Ericson 26 does have a trailer, but the boat has only been on it once, so saith the owner, and even then that trailer was on a flatbed being hauled somewhere. So the trailer has never been on the road. I'll check it carefully, though; the owner said he built it himself. I'm not sure it would help much with the mooring fees, though; between the launching fees and the storage fees on the hard at the lake I don't think I would be saving much. Towing it up and down that long hill to the lake wouldn't save me much in wear and tear on my truck, either, and there is no place to park it down here in the valley -- I'd still have to pay for storage. Aside from the fact that if I give up that slip, it is gone for my lifetime -- you know how that story goes.That's good about checking the decks for sponginess, I can do that easily. OH, and I managed to find Don Casey's "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat" at a local bookstore (Thank you Warren Milberg!) and I'll be studying it pretty closely.I am informed the older 4-HP outboard runs, but I don't know how well. It might not run very well, since the owner bought a 7.5-HP to replace it, only to find it is too big for the motor cover. But motors I can deal with and get my hands dirty; I've been doing that since I was sixteen. Besides, I have a brother-in-law in California who's a marine mechanic and used to own a boatyard.Let's see, the towing hitch I discussed above ...YES! Stepping and unstepping the mast. That is a good thing to know, isn't it?
If I get any closer to this boat, I'll ask him about that. Or any boat.As I mentioned earlier, the surveyor wants $489, including travel fees to the lake, and the insurer won't cover the boat for any more than liability. If push comes to shove, though, I will check around some dedicated boat insurers. And I will have it surveyed if I decide to buy it -- like my wife said; "If you're going to do it, do it right."Thanks for the link to the surveyor; I will study it.I want you all to know I really appreciate your helpful suggestions.