I am looking at a 15' long Balboa boat. It appears to be in pretty good shape. No blisters or obvious cracks; the keel isn’t scratched up at all. The access to the top of the keel is small & I can’t see the keel bolts. But the bilge appears to be dry; looks like it has never had much water in the bilge, as it is fairly clean.
Mast is straight as is the boom. Some mast fittings have been ham fisted with oversized fasteners, but other wise it appears OK. The fittings on the boat are old, but all appear serviceable, as do the wenches. Which were stored uncovered…
The current owner says he doesn't know how old it is. It hasn’t been sailed in two years, is fairly clean, considering it is sitting in an open storage lot. He says he thinks it weighs about 1,800 pounds, with about a 700 pound keel. I have several questions:
1. The current owner has no Manual on the boat. Does anyone have one they'd allow me to copy? Or, would anyone sell me a copy? I'd especially like the specifications page and the rigging pages.
2. I copied down the VIN from the stern. Can anyone tell me how to decipher the information contained therein? I'd like to figure out how old it is, what the actual serial number is, & anything else coded therein. Before I make him a concrete $$$ offer for it. He thinks it is about 20 years old, but doesn’t know.
3. Is there a mast raiser available out there? Or, plans for one would be fine, for the boat? As small as it is I am assuming someone must have developed one. Whisker poles are few & far between here in Wyoming…
4. It appears from looking at the top of the mast to have had a mast head light, thought there is no wiring at all, running down the mast. Inside the cubby there is no battery case, no lead from the top of the cabin to the interior for power, and no stern or bow lights left. Looking at the bow pulpit, it appears there may have been 'something' attached, in the distant past from color differences. Does anyone know if originally this boat had an electrical system? Better yet - if so - does anyone have a wiring diagram they’d share?
5. The trailer – which also is labeled ‘Balboa’ - has an interesting square ‘extension pole’ with two connections for hitches attached. There is even a small (~12”) tire that apparently attaches to it for launch. He says he’s never used it & doesn’t know how to attach the tire. Suggestions on how the tire attaches to the pole or trailer would be greatly appreciated.
6. I tried researching Balboa boats on the net, but don’t find a current manufacturer’s page. I assume they are out of business, or were merged into a different company. Does anyone know?
Any information greatly appreciated. Including how these little guys sail. Is it fast, slow, stiff, does it lay over a great deal, or handle wind well.
Thank You.
Mast is straight as is the boom. Some mast fittings have been ham fisted with oversized fasteners, but other wise it appears OK. The fittings on the boat are old, but all appear serviceable, as do the wenches. Which were stored uncovered…
The current owner says he doesn't know how old it is. It hasn’t been sailed in two years, is fairly clean, considering it is sitting in an open storage lot. He says he thinks it weighs about 1,800 pounds, with about a 700 pound keel. I have several questions:
1. The current owner has no Manual on the boat. Does anyone have one they'd allow me to copy? Or, would anyone sell me a copy? I'd especially like the specifications page and the rigging pages.
2. I copied down the VIN from the stern. Can anyone tell me how to decipher the information contained therein? I'd like to figure out how old it is, what the actual serial number is, & anything else coded therein. Before I make him a concrete $$$ offer for it. He thinks it is about 20 years old, but doesn’t know.
3. Is there a mast raiser available out there? Or, plans for one would be fine, for the boat? As small as it is I am assuming someone must have developed one. Whisker poles are few & far between here in Wyoming…
4. It appears from looking at the top of the mast to have had a mast head light, thought there is no wiring at all, running down the mast. Inside the cubby there is no battery case, no lead from the top of the cabin to the interior for power, and no stern or bow lights left. Looking at the bow pulpit, it appears there may have been 'something' attached, in the distant past from color differences. Does anyone know if originally this boat had an electrical system? Better yet - if so - does anyone have a wiring diagram they’d share?
5. The trailer – which also is labeled ‘Balboa’ - has an interesting square ‘extension pole’ with two connections for hitches attached. There is even a small (~12”) tire that apparently attaches to it for launch. He says he’s never used it & doesn’t know how to attach the tire. Suggestions on how the tire attaches to the pole or trailer would be greatly appreciated.
6. I tried researching Balboa boats on the net, but don’t find a current manufacturer’s page. I assume they are out of business, or were merged into a different company. Does anyone know?
Any information greatly appreciated. Including how these little guys sail. Is it fast, slow, stiff, does it lay over a great deal, or handle wind well.
Thank You.
