Hey,
Dropping by. I just bought a Vega that was in Virginia, and after surveying it, flew out to look at it. It was so loaded with goodies that I bought it, but I considered every other Vega that I could find for sale on both coasts. It was a little pricey compared to other boats, but when I considered all of the upgrades I woud be doing anyway, it was a no-brainer.
The previous owner had something big on his mind, because it was re-powered with the 13.5 Betamarine (35 hours) 2 basically brand new mains, a new looking working jib, and a 150 genoa with just enough wear to tell that it has been sailed. Autopilot, Furlex furling/reefing, Harken main reefing, brand new dodger and bimini, and at the last second the seller threw in a Navik vane that was partly still in the wrapping. I can't list all of the other goodies that came with the boat, but it would be a lot of money to bring the average boat I saw for sale up to this level. Easily 10 grand, and all of the stuff is brand new.
There was no mast compression evident and the survey came out good with a few chores here and there. Nothing expensive.
I searched and searched for the right small cruiser and I plan on gutting this one for a total interior replacement. There was no rot, but I can rebuild it for more interior room for an absolute max of 2 berths.
I'm going to be sailing it for several months out of some place in Chesapeake Bay. Right now it is on the hard in Lewisetta, which is straight east of Richmond in the country. Any comments on marinas to live out of would be appreciated. Just email me.
I can already see the rather "wimpy" shroud chainplates as being a potential problem, but the biggest question for the surveyor was mast compression damage. This boat was OK. I looked at a lot of pictures of Vegas where this sag was very plainly visible.
As I work through the interior and beef it up, the main thing is a compression post beneath the mast, or even buy a longer mast and step it on the keel. I'll carve out all or part of the locker across from the head to get around it to the V-Berth. Sorry, but this really looks like a weak spot. All in all, from inspecting every inch of the hull interior with a flashlight, the boat really doesn't look super strong. When I have the wood out, I'll ask more questions about any new stringers. I already have a lot of experience with composites. I want to strengthen the boat for offshore singlehanded sailing, and no worries about anything structural.
While I am at it, I think that I will either enlarge the existing cockpit drains or put in two more 2 inch drains. The cockpit is fairly large and the coamings are quite high, or at least look like that to me. Then there are those long windows. Something is going to have to be done there. They are in typical old condition. Fine for weekends, but a little spooky looking.
Basically I wanted a good small cruiser that wouldn't eat me alive with money. I looked long and hard before deciding on the Vega. Some of the other 32 and other boats are too expensive, and one thing I care about is function over appearance. I'm not going to spend 40 grand on teak and brightwork.
Boat number is 1878, "Casual Observer." I'm going to rename it after my mother, Janice, who beat Leukemia. That is a tough lady.
Anyway, glad to meet ya. I'm ready for comments or I wouldn't be posting.
To sum it up, I'm going to fix the compression problem and add some bigger cockpit drains. I'm not too impressed with aluminum plates attached to that bulkhead.
Mark
The number is
Dropping by. I just bought a Vega that was in Virginia, and after surveying it, flew out to look at it. It was so loaded with goodies that I bought it, but I considered every other Vega that I could find for sale on both coasts. It was a little pricey compared to other boats, but when I considered all of the upgrades I woud be doing anyway, it was a no-brainer.
The previous owner had something big on his mind, because it was re-powered with the 13.5 Betamarine (35 hours) 2 basically brand new mains, a new looking working jib, and a 150 genoa with just enough wear to tell that it has been sailed. Autopilot, Furlex furling/reefing, Harken main reefing, brand new dodger and bimini, and at the last second the seller threw in a Navik vane that was partly still in the wrapping. I can't list all of the other goodies that came with the boat, but it would be a lot of money to bring the average boat I saw for sale up to this level. Easily 10 grand, and all of the stuff is brand new.
There was no mast compression evident and the survey came out good with a few chores here and there. Nothing expensive.
I searched and searched for the right small cruiser and I plan on gutting this one for a total interior replacement. There was no rot, but I can rebuild it for more interior room for an absolute max of 2 berths.
I'm going to be sailing it for several months out of some place in Chesapeake Bay. Right now it is on the hard in Lewisetta, which is straight east of Richmond in the country. Any comments on marinas to live out of would be appreciated. Just email me.
I can already see the rather "wimpy" shroud chainplates as being a potential problem, but the biggest question for the surveyor was mast compression damage. This boat was OK. I looked at a lot of pictures of Vegas where this sag was very plainly visible.
As I work through the interior and beef it up, the main thing is a compression post beneath the mast, or even buy a longer mast and step it on the keel. I'll carve out all or part of the locker across from the head to get around it to the V-Berth. Sorry, but this really looks like a weak spot. All in all, from inspecting every inch of the hull interior with a flashlight, the boat really doesn't look super strong. When I have the wood out, I'll ask more questions about any new stringers. I already have a lot of experience with composites. I want to strengthen the boat for offshore singlehanded sailing, and no worries about anything structural.
While I am at it, I think that I will either enlarge the existing cockpit drains or put in two more 2 inch drains. The cockpit is fairly large and the coamings are quite high, or at least look like that to me. Then there are those long windows. Something is going to have to be done there. They are in typical old condition. Fine for weekends, but a little spooky looking.
Basically I wanted a good small cruiser that wouldn't eat me alive with money. I looked long and hard before deciding on the Vega. Some of the other 32 and other boats are too expensive, and one thing I care about is function over appearance. I'm not going to spend 40 grand on teak and brightwork.
Boat number is 1878, "Casual Observer." I'm going to rename it after my mother, Janice, who beat Leukemia. That is a tough lady.
Anyway, glad to meet ya. I'm ready for comments or I wouldn't be posting.
To sum it up, I'm going to fix the compression problem and add some bigger cockpit drains. I'm not too impressed with aluminum plates attached to that bulkhead.
Mark
The number is