36' Islander $9600 - A Good Buy??

tommays · Jul 23, 2011

Kind of depend on how Bad the rest is as making mine look good was the least of the issues

My sails and winches were only a few year old for example and had they been used up it would have really put a damper on the total cost

Maine Sail · Jul 23, 2011

marl said:
Hi:

I found a 1984 36' Islander in Ft. Lauderdale for $9,600.00.
The problem is the hull smashed against the rocks and it's got a 2 1/2 ' X 12" gash in the side. It's been repaired but poorly and it's leaking.
He says everything else is in tact, including a 50HP diesel motor.

How much work/expertise would it take to fix a gash like that?
Can a gash like that be fixed to full restoration?
Can the boat ever be worth what it would have been if not for the gash in the hull?

Anything can be repaired $$$$$$ but it will no longer be a "good buy"... In almost all cases you are far better off to buy a boat that the PO has already done nearly everything to because you will nearly always pay a lot less that way than doing these things yourself......

sailaway78 · Jul 23, 2011

Kind of depends

Two primary things. First, are you capable of doing the needed work yourself? Second, do you have the time, and do you enjoy the work? My suggestion would be that if the answer to either or both is no, then find yourself a boat that doesn't need much work. For some doing the repairs is as enjoyable as the finished product. For others just a major chore, that if not being enjoyed, may not get completed at all.

Stephen Trapani · Jul 23, 2011

I'm going to give you a different, but just as true answer as the rest have: It could be a very good deal.

Stu Jackson · Jul 23, 2011

All esle being equal (fixit qualifications, interest, experience) it seems to kinda depend on how soon you want to go sailing.

tommays · Jul 23, 2011

It took a bit over 1.5 years BUT now i have a boat i like with 2011 systems and rigging

sandsailor · Jul 23, 2011

is a 36' islander worth fixing ?
i hear they dont sail well and are a little heavy

zeehag · Jul 23, 2011

36 islanders are good boats for cruising.

Stu Jackson · Jul 23, 2011

sandsailor said:
is a 36' islander worth fixing ?
i hear they dont sail well and are a little heavy

Not true at all.

The I36 skippers here on SF Bay have made a miraculous comeback, and in the past few years many, many more have been retrofitted, upgraded and brought back.

They are handsome boats and sail very, very well.

Even with the pinched stern, their belowdecks accommodations were well ahead of their time.

They race a lot here as a one design, and maybe some PHRFs, too.

Nice boats.

Ross · Jul 23, 2011

I have an Islander 30 and I am very pleased with it. I have spent far more money than I will ever recover but I have a boat that I know every square inch of inside and outside. You must be a competent craftsman to make the repairs and to install all of the systems needed to make the boat meet your standards. If you don't have the skills or the determination to stay with the entire job then don't start. Buy many books and read many more. expect to spend a couple of thousand dollars for tools, portable and stationary. My boat came with sails and spars but needed new standing and running rigging, a new engine and all that is involved with that. A new toilet and holding tank, a new galley.
Would I do it again? Damn right because I thoroughly enjoyed making a boat that is uniquely ours. There is no other boat anywhere that is the same as ours. We don't use it as much as we would like but who in their right mind goes sailing when the temperature is in the low hundreds and there is little to no wind?

Calif. Ted · Jul 24, 2011

"Anything can be repaired $$$$$$ but it will no longer be a "good buy"... In almost all cases you are far better off to buy a boat that the PO has already done nearly everything to because you will nearly always pay a lot less that way than doing these things yourself......"
Nice try Main, very good answer.
"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!" Jack Nicholson

zeehag · Jul 24, 2011

boat was designed by either alan gurney or bob perry-is a good sailing boat and capable of long voyages in fairly decent comfort for a perfomance cruiser. cool looking and practical. if you want to do the work, you WILL have a good boat capable of going anywhere you wish to go .

Stu Jackson · Jul 24, 2011

A good book for anyone doing boat restoration: "This Old Boat" by Don Casey. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...econd+edition+completely+revised+and+expanded

The first edition is fine, too, except for the electrical section, pretty weak on recent upgrades in systems, which you can learn about right here anyway.

Ross · Jul 24, 2011

You can find many very good books on sailboat remodeling.
The work that Charlie Cobra does on wooden boats and for which he is applauded , is scorned for fiberglass boats.
That makes little sense to me.
As investments a boat is probably the worst investment after a racehorse. We don't own them because we can get a good return on our money.

BobM · Jul 24, 2011

Any more info?

Where the gash is and how the boat is constructed makes a big difference on how repairable it is. If the boat was built with a structural grid and there was damage to the grid it will be a lot harder to fix than a boat with a tabbed in interior. Repaired poorly? So now you have to go in and fix what someone else has screwed up already?

Ross · Jul 24, 2011

Maine Sail said:
Anything can be repaired $$$$$$ but it will no longer be a "good buy"... In almost all cases you are far better off to buy a boat that the PO has already done nearly everything to because you will nearly always pay a lot less that way than doing these things yourself......

This is a good way of saying that you can't get dollar value for the new materials put into a boat to say nothing of recovering the value of your labor. Buying an almost finished restoration boat can be a very good value if it gets you the boat you want.

Maine Sail · Jul 24, 2011

Ross said:
This is a good way of saying that you can't get dollar value for the new materials put into a boat to say nothing of recovering the value of your labor. Buying an almost finished restoration boat can be a very good value if it gets you the boat you want.

Exactly! Case in point a neighbor was looking at two Catalina 30's one in top notch condition needing nothing but your own fresh linens and the other needing nearly everything. Both boats were the same year, same model and only 8k apart in price with the most expensive being about 32k. Well three years later, a re-power, new standing & running rigging, new canvas, new sails, deck core repairs, wiring upgrades, batteries, interior cushions etc. etc. etc. he had over 60k into a boat still worth 28-30k.... For 8k the other boat was already there.....

Ross · Jul 24, 2011

The one needing restoration was really worth about $4000. Because when it was finished it would have all new systems.