Opportunity to Salvage a 1983 Hunter 34

woodster · Feb 16, 2015

enidlan773 said:
I have stumbled upon a 1983 Hunter 34 that has been out of the water since 2006 or 2007. It is a TERRIBLE mess. It looked like someone broke into it and tossed every loose item into the cockpit. The cockpit drains plugged, resulting in a 2' deep "soup" of life jackets, bimini canvas, tools, cookware, etc. that sat for years. The water also backed up into the cabin, and there was about 12" in the stern (the boat is on a cradle with bow high). For what it is worth, the boat appears structurally sound. Of course, a survey is needed. Rigging/furling/boom is intact and toerails and stanchions, hatch covers, etc seem OK. An asymmetric spinnaker + sock was onboard and appears fine (I unpacked it and inspected it). There was also a storm jib that was badly stained. The owner has yet to confirm whether he has the main and headsails. He thinks that boat is worth $6000 - $10,000. I think more like $1500 - $2000.

For the right price, I am willing to take a gamble with resurrecting this boat unless this form tells me I am crazy. A few questions - 1) what is the realistic salvage value of a boat like this? [i.e., weight of rigging X scrap value + weight of keel X scrap value + cradle + used winches, etc...], 2) how well resin coated are the sub-floor structure and sole of this boat - could it possibly have survived years of being "sunk on land"?, and 3) what experience have people had with restarting a diesel that has sat for that long (the crank case/oil pan appear to have remained water tight; I pulled the dipstick and it appears to have oil only inside).

Any thoughts/input are appreciated. Thanks!

if you have the time and the money to tackle this job ...the lowest price you can get is best (no more than $1,000.00 to $1500.00) you will be able to e-bay your parts and recover your investment...now if you are going to refit it and use it then you will find that it will be about 4 to 5 years effort and a lot of deal mongering on your part ...otherwise you will have a lot tied up in this boat ...don't know what you do for a living but if you are better at making money in your profession you may be better off buying one ready to sail and just make the payments ...on the other hand if you would rather work on the boat and get great pleasure and satisfaction in doing so go for it and you will be in tinkers heaven ...just make sure you are able to do all of this without paying someone else to do the work ...good luck on your choice ....oh and another thing if you can get the engine to run at minimal cost it will help on parting it out

Jackdaw · Feb 16, 2015

Depends. Unless your time has no value, you're crazy.

You can find decent H34 for less than 20K. A re-power and sails will cost you most of that, not including:

The rest of the work
The cost of your time

Plus the most important to me: The cost of the lost sailing while you beaver away on this quixotic project on solid ground.

py26129 · Feb 16, 2015

Like the others have said. GO into this with eyes wide open. One thing you may want to check is the stat of the motor. If it is non functional, then I'd say walk away.

Matt

kloudie1 · Feb 16, 2015

Time and money.. If you have the time to part the boat out and don't have to pay storage fees and have a way to get rid of the hull(k?) afterwards, then have at it.. If the engine turns over by hand with the compression release on, and has no oil in the crankcase, it will probably run as is. If the water got as high as the starter, ya may have some corrosion problems in the transmission and the dampener plate .. A clean, running, 3 GMF is worth +$1000 by itself.... but ya have to get it out, clean it up, and market it.
A couple of forum members have restored 34's with pretty much the same problem of water inside.. Betzhunter did a beautiful job with his and now he and his wife are living on it.

1981ZigZag · Feb 16, 2015

Sounds like a parts boat

Maine Sail · Feb 16, 2015

Run....!

Even if this boat were free, and he were to deliver it to your house for free and pay you $500.00 to take it off his hands, you lose.....

You can buy complete boats, ready to use for far less than what you will have into this heap before it is ready. Free boats are not a deal..... Boats that should be free that someone is trying to sell are simply fantasies...

betzhunter · Feb 16, 2015

kloudie1 said:
Time and money.. If you have the time to part the boat out and don't have to pay storage fees and have a way to get rid of the hull(k?) afterwards, then have at it.. If the engine turns over by hand with the compression release on, and has no oil in the crankcase, it will probably run as is. If the water got as high as the starter, ya may have some corrosion problems in the transmission and the dampener plate .. A clean, running, 3 GMF is worth +$1000 by itself.... but ya have to get it out, clean it up, and market it.
A couple of forum members have restored 34's with pretty much the same problem of water inside.. Betzhunter did a beautiful job with his and now he and his wife are living on it.

Once again Claude, thanks for the kind words, and yes it can be done. As most have stated time and money. We were lucky to have a friend let us keep the boat at his dock so we could make repairs and start the restoration. Once we got to a semi-completion stage we moved it closer to home. As you can see by the pictures it can be done and yes we are living on it 3-4 nights a week in (Mississippi) and return home (Louisiana) for weekends. I have a ton pictures before and after if interested.

Bub

jleblanc31 · Feb 16, 2015

Im also in the process of looking for a boat to restore everyone thinks im crazy wanting a basket case. but for me Its kind of part of the romans to rebuild the boat . I found a Hunter 30 Cherubini its a Katrina victim. Mast and boom are fine. Needs a skeg all the railings , motor needs a rebuild, and has 6-12" of water in it. its on land and has been since after Katrina . owner said I can work on it right where its at if I want just need to negotiate a price. A friend of mine told me about it after He spoke with the guy and told the guy I was looking for a boat in the 500-1000 range and he said tell him to give me a call. I was going to start at 5 and see where it goes.

spraygun · Feb 16, 2015

how well resin coated are the sub-floor structure and sole of this boat?

Pull out the sole if it has been submerged. They are not coated. You will be glad you did.

Then you coat your own.

Mark48 · Feb 16, 2015

Generally speaking you will need to make your "deal". Find the boat you want, negotiate and if you can't reach the price you think is good, walk away. Also, make sure your purchase has contingencies based on survey and sea trial. If it is an as is, that is the time to really look at the boat and low ball to cover contingencies. If you walk you can always revisit it it doesn't sell. Winter is a great time to negotiate as storage fees are increasing the owners costs.

Benny17441 · Feb 16, 2015

Sails, engine and structural condition are the big ticket items. Mast, rudder and riggin follow. Consider instruments, wind and depth sounder. Might helpful if you do a complete project assessment of what would be needed to get boat back into sailing shape and also do a budget. Don't forget yard fees for the term of the project. Compare your figures with models for sale and then make a determination whether it would be a good deal, just marginal or awful.

Stu Jackson · Feb 16, 2015

Do a Google search on "Project Boats" and read away.

Yes, it can and has been done, in maybe 1% of the cases.

It is usually a looser. In all respects. Like: "If you have to ask..."

Good luck, either way.

Opportunity to Salvage a 1983 Hunter 34

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