Flooded O'Day Mariner - Am I Crazy?

Oct 10, 2019
114
Signet 20 0 Ithaca
For the record, BierBarge, this fat boy was just urging you not to be cheap. Since like the boat and you obviously have the energy, you'll be sailing next weekend at this rate, and that's worth more than a few hundred bucks. Send pictures...
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I'm somewhat of a masochist...


I am, indeed! The following facts are been considered: 1) I'm a masochist (see prior response); 2) Trailer is in excellent shape (galvanized and much newer than the boat itself) and is worth much more than my offer or his ask; 3) Standing rigging and spars are all in tip-top shape and have been stowed indoors; 4) Sails are serviceable, though I won't win any races with them; 5) the top deck and cockpit is in good form with no core rot. All of this translates into a boat that can be sailed as soon as she's unladen of her current liquid cargo.

Of course, all of this is dependent on the owner draining the boat and me confirming that none of the interior has core. I'm thinking of it exactly in this manner: if the interior contains no core, as I'm being led to believe, then there is no "restoration" required other than a power wash, a scrub, and a hefty dose of bleach. Naturally, there won't be any electrical but, since she'll only be on small, northwest Connecticut lakes, and I have no intention of overnighting or night cruising, it is a moot point. It's also small enough that sculling in and out of my usual launches would not be burdensome and therefore eliminate the immediate need for an outboard, thus the additional expense.

So here's the thing: everyone is saying RUN LIKE HELL, and I appreciate and share the sentiment, at least with the logical part of my brain. The romantic in me sees this boat as a being worth the effort
Cheers
Well now that we have established that part of the attraction is the romance of the restoration... and not the worthyness of the purchase.... proceed.

I am guilty of this seven times over (I've done this seven times already) and here are a few photos from various boats I've rebuilt to prove it... none of these were sound "investments"...:yikes:

The first is a Coronado 23 I purchase with busted stringer and many cracks in the hull...
1633381026699.jpeg


The next three are of a keel I repaired on a Balboa 26
Keel - Starboard.jpg
Keel out.jpg
Ready.jpg



and I really do not think your sails are servicable. You said mice had holed them and they have been sitting in stagnant water. Guessing they will rip the first big blow you get....

Have fun with your project and post pics as you go along.
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
however, if you want to continue telling me to run, I'll accept that, too, for the entertainment value alone!
Cheers
If you are hell bent on a Mariner, at least do yourself a favor and check availability and price of similar boats that are sailable now. My quick search on sailboat listings shows a few Mariners with listing prices of $1000 to 4000 dollars. You are about to acquire a boat that will have to have the interior gutted, has no outboard, VERY questionable sails, and totaled electrical system and no telling what else is wrong with the boat until you dismantle it. You're going to be up to your ears in expense and time expended before you ever sail this boat. You have already stated that you are presently working on a project boat, so RUN away from this one.
 
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Apr 22, 2011
865
Hunter 27 Pecan Grove, Oriental, NC
I'm curious about how much water is inside the boat. Is it over the settee cushions? Typically, wood coring is used on large panels where stiffness is needed, such as on the horizontal surfaces of the settee and v-berth. The wood should be fully encapsulated with fiberglass and impervious to water damage. The reason there are so many failures with deck coring is because of numerous bolt and screw penetrations where the caulking has failed.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
totaled electrical system
This is unlikely, as these boats usually didn't come with an electrical system in the 70s, but it is possible and many owner install them. I have plans to do so myself, as I want to sail at night. However, there probably isn't much there to even worry about.

I think heritage is right about the interior coring. The vertical glass won't have core. Only the v-berth, the quarter-berth horizontal surfaces and the cockpit sole. Along with the deck, of course.

I'm curious as to why there's water inside? Leaking hull/deck seam, chain plates, dead lights, tabernacle, clogged and leaking scuppers, thru-deck hardware, hatch?
Is this boat where it freezes? Something else to consider.

Send pictures...
:plus:

I'm not saying, "run". I'm saying, "eyes open".

-Will
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
This is unlikely, as these boats usually didn't come with an electrical system in the 70s, but it is possible and many owner install them.
Don't know; however, Bier Barge stated that everything electrical would have to be replaced. Guessing that the boat must be rigged with at least navigation lights.
 
Oct 2, 2021
8
Macgregor, O'Day 2-24 Canton
She was moored for some time on LI Sound so it is very possible I did not notice navigation lights on deck. I did note a few lamps and some hanging wire and it's quite possible this was a PO addition - one is barely distinguishable laying on its side, top-center in the second picture, below.

As for pics, ask and thou shall receive! I expect nothing but laughter and responses such as "Buddy, are you feeling all right?" or "Perhaps you should lie down and think this one through a bit more." I should have taken pictures of the hull and topside as these would at least somewhat explain my interest!

Starboard settee: waterbed edition. Naturally, I haven't been able to see what's under this cushion: if it's all fiberglass, I'll be a happy boy; if it's not, I'll just have to hope O'Day was more liberal with their resin applications than MacGregor was...
20211002_103541.jpg

Port cabin from the companionway: keel trunk is visible as is the galley. This area is of the greatest concern to me since it's hard for me to picture this being 100% glass and without core. Note that I had stirred up the water in a pathetic attempt to bail some of it out with the bucket that's floating in the picture above. I was able to see right through to the bottom just before this was taken.
20211002_103503.jpg

Cockpit and companionway: due to how the keel trunk continues into the cockpit, there is a scupper on either side up against the cabin. Assuming flooding occurred (as Will mentioned earlier) when these clogged from leaf debris and the water had no means of egress. I've walked around all over the cockpit benches and was surprised to find that everything felt solid under foot, including the sole (I was in sandals and braved the muck to test this theory). The boat was covered with some medium-duty tarps which, of course, have a very limited life span so it wasn't long before water found its way inside.
20211002_103459.jpg

Final thoughts: It's a mess; an utter disaster. It'll be a couple more weeks before the owner is home and I look at her again. As many have noted, there is a grave concern about any core within the cabin as it is surely rotted through IF it is present. The best I can do right now is wait for her to be drained and then I can get inside and do a proper inspection. As I've been saying, I have no qualms about applying a heavy dose of elbow grease to clean up the mess. All the accessories that have been lost to the moisture are of little concern to me since I am only interested in getting her out on the water.

There is, of course, the mystery of the swing keel. I may take a separate trip soon to peek underneath and see what condition it's in. I believe these boats all came with cast iron so the restoration, if needed, is not nearly as painful as one encased in fiberglass.

Cheers
 
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RoyS

.
Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
You have been struck by "Thunderbolt Love" and you will regret it for the rest of your life. Got that term and comment from the book, "The Secret of Santa Victoria." Great book and movie, BTW. I too am a victim, so I speak from experience.
 
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Nov 22, 2011
1,192
Ericson 26-2 San Pedro, CA
That boat is a biohazard. I hope you didn't contract anything fatal while taking those pictures.
 
Dec 28, 2020
48
O'Day 19 Marina Del Rey
Early Mariners used a lot of plywood as core underneath the fiberglass. My concern would be -- after all that time as a bird bath -- that most of that plywood is rotting, underneath otherwise-fine-looking glass. It's not a simple or time-effective repair to cut that wood out, re-glass, and re-skin. Beyond that, there are wood reinforcements down below that are pretty-much inaccessible that might also have rotted during the long soak...

Mariners are great boats. But almost 5,000 of them were built and most of those are still being sailed. The masochist in you should be aware that about the time you're figuring out how to un-sandwich the hull from the deck on your way to spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on your project, you're going to see beautiful, ready-to-sail Mariners up for sale (for less than the cost of their recently-replaced sails). For perspective, I found a 1989 Stuart Mariner (no more plywood, no cast-iron centerboard, other improvements) for $1,900 about six months ago. It was ready to sail and in great shape. I suspect the cost to bring your boat up to the same condition would be much greater than $1,900, even with all your labor coming for free.

This is not my image, but it'll give you an idea of what you might be in for.
 

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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Actually, I don't think it's that bad.

Use a small wire drain snake
1633453522841.png

to clear the scuppers. There have been Mariner owners who actually drilled a drain hole in the bilge just ahead of the CB trunk and put a plug in it. I wouldn't go that route. Pull the scupper hoses. Cut access ports into the bottom of the v-berth and quarter berths, run a heater and fan for a couple of weeks to get the foam to dry out or just pull it all out. Install water tight ports in these areas and if the rotted core becomes a problem when you stand or lay on it, just fix that area by opening it up or reinforcing it.

-Will
 
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Dec 29, 2021
89
Catalina, Tanzer C 22, 16 10910 Starr SC
I"m a sucker for "lost causes". Worst come to worst, you can part it, if it came to that, out for the $500 you may pay especially if the trailer is in excellent shape. The $300 difference would not bother me.
 
Jan 10, 2011
319
Macgregor 25 675 Lake Lanier
Purchased for $900. Docking for one and a half years with that $900. Normal docking is $1,800 a year. 10 years later total and it has a rebuilt motor added Bimini, new main, nav unit, and a $400 trailer. I was able to sail it on day one. The previous owner, owned the dock and it was a great place to stay. It became a great engineering problem to work on for 10 years and I love sailing and fishing. Get the boat you love.
IMG_20211227_133917136.jpg
 

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Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Way back when, straight grain balsa was used fro deck coring, not marine plywood which stiffened the deck and was light weight. However, if it got wet , water will migrate through the coring down thru the deck. You have a major problem and the value of the boat is zip zap worthless. As advised , walk away. Former dealer and I also surveyed sailboats too
Sure you can waste your money but the structural integrity of the sailboat deck is unsafe
 
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Jul 9, 2013
39
West Wight Potter, Nimble 19,26 Backyard
The internet, and the geography is littered with unfinished project boats. There are plenty more around. I'd wait until the guy realizes $200 is a good offer. And in the meantime look for a boat in better condition and or free.
 
Dec 29, 2021
89
Catalina, Tanzer C 22, 16 10910 Starr SC
If you are that intent on resurrecting the boat, you can only go so far on the internet. Take someone knowledgeable with you who can see the boat first hand and give you the advice you need. You seem to be looking for someone who will validate your purchase.