lookin for some help...!

[maplebee]

Hi all,
this will be my first posting.
I have beeen lurking here for awhile and looking at getting a boat......
I think I found a good deal, its a 1976 hunter 27'.....
I was wondering is there a place I can run the hull number to get more info on the boat
like what the orig. set up was and who has owned it and is it stolen or has it been recked.....?
any help would be great I'm sure I'll have alot more questions as I will be getting a boat that needs some fixin because its the best way I have found for me to learn something new..... I am an accomplished carpenter/cabinet maker and have done do it yourself all my life and enjoy it..
Thanks ahead of time...!

 

[RichH]

If the vessel has USCG 'documentation' it is easily traceable through:http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/CoastGuard/index.html

All you need is the boat's name and home port ... or documentation number.

 

[sailingdog]

There is a website, that was setup by several large insurance companies, that will allow you to run the HIN and see if the boat was declared as salvage. I'll see if I can find the link for it.

If the boat was USCG documented, then the USCG documentation center can give you that information. If the boat has state registration numbers on the bow, it is probably not documented, since a documented boat won't have state registration numbers.

 

[maplebee]

Thanks guys,
I checked with the USCG site and there is no record of it...
My brother and I were scimming through the paperwork quickly and he said he got the hin# off a state reg. receipt....
The boats name is the Cornucopia out of Wintertport, Maine....
It looks like its been let go for awhile and will all need to be reworked......
The guy said it had been in the water two years ago....and is tented now..
It was -6 deg. when we looked at it, so we were quick about lookin.....
The motor turned free by hand, he'll take 1500 for it and the stands go with it...
he said he paid 500 for the stands and all the parts for the boat were there and the sails were good.(they looked allmost new)...there was a stack of paperwork and service receipts about 2 inches thick...
I saw a garmen gps in two milk crates filled with electronics stuff...
Looks like new paint in and out is in order and alot of TLC.......
There were no major cracks or holes, no water marks on the inside woodwork or floor..
the woodwork inside was fair,no major mold or mildew...the wood outside was weathered..
Does all that sound right?
I'm guessing his wife wants it out of the yard....

 

[sailingdog]

Maplebee-

I'd highly recommend you read the Boat Inspection Trip Tips thread I wrote, especially if you're thinking of buying this boat without a survey.

 

[CalebD]

By all means read the boat inspection tips posted by SD. Then get a marine surveyor to check it out and if there is nothing major wrong with it you can't beat the price.
Something major would be if the engine does not run or if the hull has lots of blisters etc.
Good luck.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I think a 27' boat is a real nice size to get started with if you are going to be coastal sailing. It seems like a very nice choice to me. It sounds like it is priced for a quick sale! You may not get long to think it over if it truly is in nice condition. Your assessment that the wife wants to get it out of the yard may be very accurate!

For that price, you are not risking much. A survey will be a good starting point for identifying things that should be fixed, as there will be "issues" no doubt. The seller doesn't have much to give if you think that a survey will reveal negotiating "issues".

The boat should be worth about $8 to $10 K if in very nice condition. It sounds like you may have run across a seller who has spent many good years on the boat and is simply looking for a good home for her (quickly). You may have lucked-out if you act quickly! Is the seller looking for somebody who can take her immediately? The price may change in the spring and buyers may become more plentiful.

 

[maplebee]

I read the thread, lots of valuable info thanks SD......
he said he changed the oil and filters and flushed the tank and ran the engine this fall before he put it to bed
there were no blisters in the hull, the keel looked like it needed to be pulled and reworked as well as the rudder.......I dont mind if I have to put alot of work in to it, as I said its how I learn......I have already rebuilt afew engines in my day....most of them are still running...plus I have redone a couple buses
I was thinking of gutting the inside and doing some custom cabinets with corion tops....redoing the head so its not just a porta pot.....and so on.....The way I figure is I'm not spending 10,000 for the boat just 1500 for a hull and alot of spare parts, but I dont mind spending 15,000
for a complete redo and doing all the work myself....a real custom top end job!
my brother wanted to show me how to cast differant metals like bronze, aluminum, iron........also he has a big metal lathe and a shop full of tools at my ready.....I think it will be great fun and he wants to learn woodworking from me...I think its the perfect project

any good books I should get? on boat construction or reconstruction? I already have a big book on boat wiring.....

 

[maplebee]

scott,
he will take the money now and let me leave it till spring.... Its already snowed afew times here and his place is kind of down hill.....it would be safer to get it in the spring
I told him that and he agreed......

 

[sailingdog]

Maplebee—

These three books are excellent and every boat owner should have them IMHO.

Don Casey's This Old Boat
Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual
Nigel Calder's Boat Owner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual

 

[Marcia]

As a p/t yacht broker, I was able to run the comps on used 1976 Hunter 27's sold within the last 3 years (through YachtWorld brokers, not FSBOs). There were only 3 and the selling prices were: $8K, $6K and $2.5K. The last one was the latest sold and it was $1K below the asking price. The first two were within a few hundred dollars of the asking prices. $1500 AND it has a trailer? Either a GREAT deal or too good to be true. Good luck, I hope it works out great!

 

[maplebee]

Thanks a bunch all......I think I'll be getting my first boat very soon....I'll be posting pics and alot more questions I'm sure...
If anyone else has any more to ad please feel free....