Hello all, I am currently in the process of searching for my first sailboat and have come across my first potential boat.
She is a 1965 islander 32 however she is in need of a lot of repair. All of it seems repairable however the one major issue that stood out is the current owner said about a year or so ago he begun to see that the mast had become de laminated about halfway down and he did a repair on it. The mast looks good however speaking with a friend who is slightly more knowledgeable then me on the subject he said that you simply cannot patch a mainmast in that way. from what I was told is it has to be completely stripped down and re laminated. I was also told by the owner that this boat shouldn't be considered something that I can take out on the weekends sailing as its only use has been as a live aboard for at least the last 10 years.
While I understand that this will be a massive undertaking to put this boat back to sea, that is definitely a goal of mine. I am primary purchasing the craft for live aboard status and the fact that moorings and slips are rare in my town but I would like to take her out occasionally on day sails and even a possible long trip to Catalina island.
I am unable to fork over large amounts of cash if repairs like replacing the main mast come up. I do have time to continue looking for a better starter project however I would like to get a recommendation from the sailing community on the real scope of work that this boat could be should I try to get it back to seaworthy status. I know this is hard not looking at the craft yourself but I was hoping for an extremely rough ballpark. she has been at the mooring ball at least 5-10 years and all of her sails have also been removed as they were completely weathered over the years so I assume that nothing will be usable topside and all sails and rigging will have to be replaced. The atomic 4 does run however she is currently running off an external fuel tank which I was told is normal with age. The fuel tank is rusted out and I do plan on replacing this. She also appears to have never been modernized with new equipment since new so I will also plan on at least a few safety and GPS modifications as well as totally rewiring the boat and overhauling the engine. I do have another atomic 4 I can use for parts that I know runs so that is a big plus for me with this boat.
If the main mast is needing the scope of work that I was told I will probably consider other options however I was hoping that someone might tune in as to weather a repair like that is alright for a boat. The nearest port that could remove the mast is a days sail away and I have no idea how much a mast overhaul or how much a new aluminum mast would be. I would like to keep the boat at the mooring ball she is currently at as I do not have the funds to pull her out or pay someone to service her.
I understand this is an ambitious project however I consider myself to be a dedicated person.
Lastly, I would consider other boats if someone knew of a mooring or slip in the Morro bay area that was for sale or rent and had live aboard potential in Morro bay/ Avila beach.
Thanks all
Evan
She is a 1965 islander 32 however she is in need of a lot of repair. All of it seems repairable however the one major issue that stood out is the current owner said about a year or so ago he begun to see that the mast had become de laminated about halfway down and he did a repair on it. The mast looks good however speaking with a friend who is slightly more knowledgeable then me on the subject he said that you simply cannot patch a mainmast in that way. from what I was told is it has to be completely stripped down and re laminated. I was also told by the owner that this boat shouldn't be considered something that I can take out on the weekends sailing as its only use has been as a live aboard for at least the last 10 years.
While I understand that this will be a massive undertaking to put this boat back to sea, that is definitely a goal of mine. I am primary purchasing the craft for live aboard status and the fact that moorings and slips are rare in my town but I would like to take her out occasionally on day sails and even a possible long trip to Catalina island.
I am unable to fork over large amounts of cash if repairs like replacing the main mast come up. I do have time to continue looking for a better starter project however I would like to get a recommendation from the sailing community on the real scope of work that this boat could be should I try to get it back to seaworthy status. I know this is hard not looking at the craft yourself but I was hoping for an extremely rough ballpark. she has been at the mooring ball at least 5-10 years and all of her sails have also been removed as they were completely weathered over the years so I assume that nothing will be usable topside and all sails and rigging will have to be replaced. The atomic 4 does run however she is currently running off an external fuel tank which I was told is normal with age. The fuel tank is rusted out and I do plan on replacing this. She also appears to have never been modernized with new equipment since new so I will also plan on at least a few safety and GPS modifications as well as totally rewiring the boat and overhauling the engine. I do have another atomic 4 I can use for parts that I know runs so that is a big plus for me with this boat.
If the main mast is needing the scope of work that I was told I will probably consider other options however I was hoping that someone might tune in as to weather a repair like that is alright for a boat. The nearest port that could remove the mast is a days sail away and I have no idea how much a mast overhaul or how much a new aluminum mast would be. I would like to keep the boat at the mooring ball she is currently at as I do not have the funds to pull her out or pay someone to service her.
I understand this is an ambitious project however I consider myself to be a dedicated person.
Lastly, I would consider other boats if someone knew of a mooring or slip in the Morro bay area that was for sale or rent and had live aboard potential in Morro bay/ Avila beach.
Thanks all
Evan
