buying advice for a newbie

[jchristiansen]

I am looking at a sailboat being offered for sale and desperately need some advice. I have found a very nice looking boat, but being very new (only sailed when I was a kid) I know nothing about sailboats, what to look for, or if this would even be a good fit. The gentleman selling it, said he bought it in the 80's, and has been working on refinishing it since. He says it is a 16' Finn. It has a single sail with a wooden mast. He did say that he had uncovered a small fiberglass repair when he was refinishing it. The outside is painted, but probably needs another coat of paint. The top is mahogany, and beautiful, the inside is cleaned up and ready to be painted. He did buy a new sail, and it has never been used. It has been pretty much completely disassembled, as far as hardware. I worry that if I would get it, can I get it back together. He has all the parts in one box. He is asking $500 for this boat.Since I am completely new to sailing, would this be a good boat to learn on? Seems like it would be with only 1 sail. Would it be a good investment at $500 to buy, finish the refinishing project and sell it?Thanks for any and all advice!

 

[Fred]

It's not a good investment if you want

to get paid for your time. At $500, you probably wouldn't lose money. Finn is a well known and well liked boat, so there's a market for one that's ready to sail.You can do the work, but it will take between three and ten times as much time as you think it will. You won't be sailing this summer.On the other hand, for $1000 to $3500 you could go sailing right now in a Finn or similar boat (Enterprise, CL 14 or CL16, Wayfarer, etc.) There are a lot of different designs. Be careful not to get a hot rod "bathing machine", that is, a boat that tips over easily. Not the place to start.If you have lots of time and not much money, the $500 fixer upper could be your dreamboat.If you can afford something a little more modern, with aluminium spars and no wood to maintain, you'll spend more time sailing and less time working on the boat.

 

[Alan]

Sage advice

Fred is right on. 'Plastic' boats don't look as nice as wooden boats when they're in good shape. However, the maintenance factor may not be worth the investment.

 

[Ross]

Can you do the work that will be needed?

Do you love to do that type of work? Do you have a place close to where you live to put this project? Do you enjoy intense study? I ask these questions from the point of view of one who has been there. To refit a boat takes an awful lot of self discipline. You won't want to have to commute to the boat with all of the tools and material each time you try to get something done.

 

[Bikes-n-Boats]

Look around a bit

An appropriate question here is not about rebuilding this boat but is it a good boat to learn on. You can learn on almost any boat including a Finn, but be aware I belive this is a high performace over powered boat. Having once owned a Wayfarer I think something like that or another 14' to 16' fiberglass production boat might be more appropriate.Depending on where you live if you keep an eye on back yards and the storage areas of small boat sailing clubs there are lots of beginner boats out there. Your first boat dosn't have to be fancy or high tech it only needs a hull that will float a mast and sails and a way to get it to water.I outfitted my first boat a wooden Comet at the local hardware store in the late 50's and had fun sailing it for several years.Have fun on your venture.Clark

 

[CalebD]

Boats are not really an investment per se

and are more of a liability than an asset. If this boat you are considering is a Finn then $500 is probably a pretty good price. Check this website to see if yours is indeed a Finn http://sailing.about.com/od/boatsff/p/finn.htm It does sound as though Bikes-n-boats may be right in that the Finn is a challenging (read 'tender' or tippy) sailor meant to be raced by a crew of 1. If this is the kind of sailing you envision for yourself then go for it. If not, consider something like an O'Day 17' daysailor where you can take extra crew along more comfortably.What is your intended sailing area?

 

[Tom Monroe]

Ask yourself this question

Do I want to sail a boat or work on a boat? Tom MonroeCarlyle Lake

 

[jchristiansen]

Lots of good info

Thanks for all your help. To answer a few questions, I do have an indoor woodshop that would easily give me a heated/AC room to work on it, with all my woodworking tools. At this point in time since I do not know much about sailing, the most appealing part would be the restoration, as I love restoring anything wood. Once I have it restored, I will probably take it on a very small lake and see how it floats. I may find that it is not the boat for a starter, and that is OK, as long as I can sell it for something more than I paid for it. It seems that for a nice Finn would maybe bring $1000 in the right market, and then again maybe I am dreaming. But yes, I would enjoy the restoration part. I live in the middle of Iowa, so sailing is not a big thing here, that is why I am jsut looking for a chance to try it, and if it doesn't work out, I can sell the boat, and not be out anything (except the time to refinish it, which is fun for me).Some additional questions:Would this be considered a desirable boat for avid sailors with the mahogany top, and all wood construction? I am thinking for people that may like collectible boats, would it be considered collectable to any degree?I checked the website listed above, and I had looked at the website last night, but I can't find anyway to verify what I am looking at is a Finn. All I can say is that it has a slide in fin in the center, and the mast is at towards the bow, and it is all wood construction, with a mahogany top.Would there be a place were I could get pictures or drawing on how to re-assemble this boat.Thanks again for your willingness to share your expertise!

 

[Taylor]

an Olympic class

The Finn is an Olympic class and has been since 1952, and was designed for the purpose of providing a very high performance athletic test of sailing ability. At 16' with 115 square feet of sail area, this is about as much centerboard dinghy as one man can handle, and if the wind starts to blow 15 or more, watch out... and I hope you weight 200 lbs and are under 25 years old.

 

[John R.]

In the same boat

I was in a similar boat to you a little over a year ago. I'd sailed as a teen ager and not since. Some things changed in my life and I decided to take it up again (40 years later). I've loved doing it and, among other things, regularly read the classified ads for boats for sale - just to see what is selling for what. Your question about whether you could fix it up and sell it for $1000 makes me wonder whether you are in part thinking of this as some sort of investment. My impression is that nobody ever gets out of a boat what they put into it. This does not include labor time. Just in terms of materials alone, I don't think it's likely that you'll recover your expenses.Now, if you are just doing it because you like doing it, and might enjoy sailing it, that's different. But I don't think you should think of it as an investment.

 

[Joe]

Time

Find a learner sailboat that you can immediately sail. Your interest level will be peaked more with wind and spray than clamp and wood. Or have a usable boat and one in the shop to fully satisfy your interest in sailing.

 

[dpatrick]

Does this "finn" have a trailer?

You can go to ebay and check out sailboats in the ebay motors classification and it can give you a good idea of what is available. Most of the boats have good descriptions and usually have lots of photos. I would advise against jumping on the first thing that comes along. For your money and your time it would be best to find a boat that has been taken care of and can be put in the water and checked out. Might cost you a little more up front, but you will save a lot of time and money in the long run. Are you looking to scoot around on the water with a small boat, or would you like to be able to use the boat as a base for camping, or fishing, and sleeping on board? There is so much information out there, and this forum is also a good source of wisdom and knowledge. I believe you are going about in the right direction, by gathering as much information as you can on the market and analyzing your personal preferences you will be able to make a wise decision. Decide exactly what you are looking for and then wait, it will appear. I know that Iowa may not be the mecca of sailing, but you will be surprised just how many boats are out there, even in Ia. Also you know the word says seek and you shall find. Personally I never like to start a project without asking the Lords favor. Welcome aboard!

 

[RTiffany]

I'm looking for a Finn in so CA

I am looking for a Finn For Sale, preferably in southern CA. Vanguard or newer.Thanks,RT949.830.3577

 

[Steve]

Iowa and sailboats

Having grown up in Iowa, with a river in the back yard, my experience with boating trended toward the rafts we put together as kids, canoes, Jon boats, small ski boats, etc. Have only been sailing a few months on inland lakes in Texas. You'd have thought we would have gotten the bug sometime during our 15 year stint in Florida, but that's not the way it went. I also have a full compliment of woodworking skills, but I can tell you that it's a lot more fun to be out on a boat that's ready to go than hanging around the shop working on one. Given the relatively short summer there, I'd choose to be on that water when the weather is good.If I were looking for a boat with sail capabilities for Iowa waters, I think it would be most definitely one of the trailer sailors with swing up keel and pop up rudder. These can float in a foot of water, and with a small outboard can be at home on even the smaller streams and rivers, and something like a 22 foot offers overnight camping, roomy swim or fishing platform. We have a Macgregor 22, and I can easily envision running it down most any ramp at a river or lake in your area. Heck, with a camo job, you could probably make a duck hunter out of it for opening day on the Mississippi. On days when sailing isn't an option, we simply dump the mast and head out to whatever area lake appeals to us, and motor cruise around, fish, sunbathe or simply anchor and enjoy the sunset. Not a bad way to go if you are willing to trade powerboat speed for room and comfort.