question about an albin vega i'm looking at to buy today

[plastic_white_soul]

Hey folks,
I was just wondering what you all thought a 1969 Albin Vega that needs to be rewired and no inboard should sell for these days. He's offering it at 1900 without the motor and 3k with a 99 Yamaha 9.9 longshaft he says is low hours.The prop is out of the boat but he has it have to wonder if it's the variable pitched one.I'm about to go look at it in moments but I think I'm gonna hold off until I can actually get the title on it to pay on it. I'm not gonna just hand someone cash without a notary.So that should give you all a little reply time. There have been things that seem shady about this one. This will be my first boat and I'm hoping I'm not getting too far in over my head with a wiring project like this.I already figure it will cost a couple grand by what I've read or more if I have someone else do it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260713015015+&viewitem=

That link is the cached ebay auction where the reserve wasn't met. It's still for sale but he's pulled all ads.Just wanted to bounce the idea off of people who weren't pretending to be familiar with these boats.

 

[btfag0s]

I've no idea about the boat's value in the US. Wiring is pretty easy to do,
and not very expensive, I don't know where you get the idea of a couple of
thousand $.

What's the wiring for? Nav lights, cabin lights, VHF, GPS and a control
panel. No bilge blower because there's no inboard.Alisdair

 

[tiempo2010]

A Vega is better with an inboard than an outboard. Wiring isn't that hard to
do - there are many good resources for learning how to rewire. The Vega has
a fairly basic electrical system in any case. 1900 doesn't sound too far out
of line. Check the deck for soft spots. Check the rigging and sails as well.
Here's a good link explaining what to check on any boat.

Boat Inspection Trip Tips

After reading a bit about what people think is or isn't necessary when going to look at a boat... I decided to put together this thread. Please note: This thread is about going to visit a boat to see if it is worth looking at further. It is not designed to replace a proper survey and sea...

www.sailnet.com

On Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 10:54 AM, plastic_white_soul
plastic_white_soul@... wrote:

 

[plastic_white_soul]

I didn't even check the sails because they weren't aboard and the description of the boat was so far away from reality compared to the ad I didn't push it. Where it says "new paint interior and topsides" it is more like needs new paint interior and topsides it's mostly peeled away inside and crazed alot on deck and in the cockpit. The mast base has a crack in it and while most of the deck felt solid I did feel a small soft on the port side just forward of the cabin.There was also crazing in the gelcoat and what appeared to be a drilled out blister that was filled in poorly with cracks around it and lots of surface blisters under the paint they used for the bootstripe.My general impression of this is that the ad was directly deceptive and there is no telling what all is rigged up to get by with on this boat.The glass is missing from the portholes.A pretty good bit of standing water in the bilge.It seems restorable but a fairly expensive project. It
really needs a total paint job in my opinion.The gel coat itself wasn't terrible but was crazed in some areas and had a few nicks in it.The wiring actually didn't look nearly as difficult as it was made to sound on another forum where they were talking about rewiring one.Basically they are asking 1900 for the boat 400 more now for the motor mount and 1200 for a 1998 longshaft Yamaha 9.9-it was originally 3 grand for all and now they are running ads at 3500.I think in the shape this one is in I have alot of time to turn it over in my head.The interior was actually better than the exterior contrary to the ad. Unless you really view woodwork with the finish starting to rub away as a MAJOR issue.I don't because I know how to deal with that. The flooring in it was solid which rather surprised me with how much standing water was in the bilge.I'm thinking currently it's probably wisest to just chill with this idea and go look at another Vega in the meantime
and what I can come across in Florida.I know that every person who responds to that ad as it is worded is in for a rude awakening so it's gonna be there awhile.It really damages the legitimacy of the seller in my opinion and calls into question any work they've done on it as well.Do you all really think a boat this old is worth sinking that much into-the hull seemed sound around the jackstands it definitely was done right and not caving in and it doesn't look like it's ever ran aground or been capsized.The external teak was shot though-had cracks in alot of it. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Regards,David

Sat, 1/22/11, Brian Stannard brianstannard@... wrote:From: Brian Stannard brianstannard@...
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] question about an albin vega i'm looking at to buy today
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011, 3:53 PMA Vega is better with an inboard than an outboard. Wiring isn't that hard to
do - there are many good resources for learning how to rewire. The Vega has
a fairly basic electrical system in any case. 1900 doesn't sound too far out
of line. Check the deck for soft spots. Check the rigging and sails as well.
Here's a good link explaining what to check on any boat.

Boat Inspection Trip Tips

After reading a bit about what people think is or isn't necessary when going to look at a boat... I decided to put together this thread. Please note: This thread is about going to visit a boat to see if it is worth looking at further. It is not designed to replace a proper survey and sea...

www.sailnet.com

On Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 10:54 AM, plastic_white_soul
plastic_white_soul@... wrote:

 

[plastic_white_soul]

I didn't even check the sails because they weren't aboard and the description of the boat was so far away from reality compared to the ad I didn't push it. Where it says "new paint interior and topsides" it is more like needs new paint interior and topsides it's mostly peeled away inside and crazed alot on deck and in the cockpit. The mast base has a crack in it and while most of the deck felt solid I did feel a small soft on the port side just forward of the cabin.There was also crazing in the gelcoat and what appeared to be a drilled out blister that was filled in poorly with cracks around it and lots of surface blisters under the paint they used for the bootstripe.My general impression of this is that the ad was directly deceptive and there is no telling what all is rigged up to get by with on this boat.The glass is missing from the portholes.A pretty good bit of standing water in the bilge.It seems restorable but a fairly expensive project. It
really needs a total paint job in my opinion.The gel coat itself wasn't terrible but was crazed in some areas and had a few nicks in it.The wiring actually didn't look nearly as difficult as it was made to sound on another forum where they were talking about rewiring one.Basically they are asking 1900 for the boat 400 more now for the motor mount and 1200 for a 1998 longshaft Yamaha 9.9-it was originally 3 grand for all and now they are running ads at 3500.I think in the shape this one is in I have alot of time to turn it over in my head.The interior was actually better than the exterior contrary to the ad. Unless you really view woodwork with the finish starting to rub away as a MAJOR issue.I don't because I know how to deal with that. The flooring in it was solid which rather surprised me with how much standing water was in the bilge.I'm thinking currently it's probably wisest to just chill with this idea and go look at another Vega in the meantime
and what I can come across in Florida.I know that every person who responds to that ad as it is worded is in for a rude awakening so it's gonna be there awhile.It really damages the legitimacy of the seller in my opinion and calls into question any work they've done on it as well.Do you all really think a boat this old is worth sinking that much into-the hull seemed sound around the jackstands it definitely was done right and not caving in and it doesn't look like it's ever ran aground or been capsized.The external teak was shot though-had cracks in alot of it. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Regards,David

 

[j.hunter9999]

Given the economy, I wouldn't bother with that particular boat. You should be able to find something decent for under 10K USD; probably a lot less. I wouldn't sweat electrical work, but I would definitely make any sale contingent upon an approved marine survey (unless you are good enough to do that on your own). A survey from someone that knows what they are doing can add peace of mind.

Happy hunting!

Jack
Bella - V2620

 

[tiempo2010]

I agree with Jack. Electrical is easy and inexpensive but unless you are
skilled and experienced enough to do the finish work on the hull it will
cost more than the boat will be worth to get it done professionally.
Also, not only does a survey offer you piece of mind but any faults found
enable a lower negotiated price.
There are lots of good boats out there.

 

[j.hunter9999]

Oh, I forgot to mention, if you're not married to the Vega, I looked at a Rawson 30 Ketch last week. Its in Wisconsin and she's asking 9000 USD. It was in pretty decent shape. I didn't like the ketch rig (this one had the mizzen mast at the forward end of the cockpit). I'm not opposed to the ketch, just didn't like the placement of the mizzen mast.

However, I totally understand if you're set on a Vega. I didn't look at the boat to upgrade...just because I was in the area and needed something to do before cocktail hour.

Jack

 

[dougpol1]

On 01/23/2011 02:32 PM, j.hunter9999 wrote:

 

[svgeminidreams]

Buy it! Buy it with the motor! You can go sailing right away and then you can get your 1100 back when you actually decide to buy a Beta. That is what I did and still waiting to make enough for the Beta. I paid more than that but time and demand. I had to out offer a local guy and I was 600 miles away. There has been a piece of junk near this boat for sale for 5k, I offered 500 and he wouldn't even return my email. There was one other one in florida for 4500 but he was not reliable.

wiring for 6 interior lights, 5 running lights, a bilge pump, a stereo and what else do you need. 400 bucks at high priced west marine and some of your time.

I have some items left over from my projects so send me an email off list.

wes

 

[pjacobs55]

My thoughts:
If you want to go sailing the most inexpensive boat is the one someone has either taken good care of, or fixed up to a decent standard of workmanship, and is in sailable condition. Initial cost is higher, but it's a lot less expensive than rebuilding a basket case that's suffered years of "defered maintenance".

There'll be enough work to do on any boat you buy, but it sure is a lot more fun if you can sail it while you're fixing her up.

Unless .... you want to completly restore a boat and put off sailing for a couple of years. Then, as everything will be replaced or rebuilt anyway, you could rescue a basket case that otherwise might be cut up!

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'

 

[n6ric]

I paid $1500 for my 1975 Vega, and trailer last April. It has an internal diesel that has low hours on it and is in much better shape that what you have described. I bought mine with the intent of gutting it and completely rebuilding it, so I knew what I was getting into when I bought it. I also have two thirds of an acre and I nice RV pad to store it on so I don't have to pay to store it while I rebuild her. I wouldn't give the guy more than $500 for it, including the motor, but would probably pass on it and look for another Vega that has a better starting off point. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Ric
s/v Blue Max
#2692

 

[plastic_white_soul]

As far as the Rawson 30 I like them too but can't afford what is out there currently-there is one in Ft. Lauderdale on craigslist thats sloop rigged- asking 15k for it. I'm gonna go look at a Columbia 29 and a slightly newer Vega thats farther away for the same price and the owner of that one says is in much better shape than what I'm seeing here.I agree if this one had an inboard to work with it may be more worth taking a chance on.I'm talking with local boat owners about good surveyors here and if I can find one reasonable I'll get a survey and get the owner to back down the price a bit maybe a deal can be struck.Back when it was on Ebay I won the auction for the boat with the motor without hitting the reserve and in reality I am sure some of the bidders saw the vessel before bidding and wouldn't go any higher on it in fact they topped at 1750 and that was with the motor which is less than what this lady is willing to take for her boat - the motor
mount and - the motor.Ebay bids in the motors section are nonbinding or I wouldn't have done that. I knew I could back out of it.I don't doubt it's restorable-I do doubt it's worth the money asked plus the money to sink in it is going to be equal or less than the value of the boat.If I got a survey on it the price could come down substantially making it worth doing all this work to it.The flat truth of it is I don't want to play with spraying gel coat for the first time right now unless I am getting a great deal on it that wouldn't be a total tragedy if I screwed it up leaving me flat broke broken down to nothing financially with no bluewater capable boat.I've read on that and it seems like something that is easily screwed up-even if it looks pretty you can still wind up with alot of blisters.I actually wish the boats were in better shape St. Augustine is pretty awesome for those of you that have ships already if your ever down this way.The people are
chill here and it's ultra easy to be a pedestrian here.25 dollars a month bus pass and I came in on a bus with a rolling duffle bag and literally walked everywhere in between buses
(which also had bike racks and have the radio on playing classic rock) without having to lift the bag because the sidewalks and bike lanes are perfect and you can flag the bus down you don't have to look for annoying bus stops.They have folks riding around on electric bicycles here which would be nice to have living on a sailboat bearing weight issues in mind.Definitely not what I'm use to over off the Mobile Bay area which has slips a bit cheaper.Found a liveaboard slip here pretty easily too for 7 or 10 a foot depending where you were on the pier with a 75 deposit on power-15 dollar meter reading charge and 11 cents a kw used.Having a sailboat here would be ridiculously easy to keep should finances be hard to come by and they have great services here to help you if you go broke to keep you well fed so you can put your money into keeping your boat at a slip and out of being salvaged if need be.If they had a plasma clinic this would be perfect you would
absolutely never run the risk of losing your boat regardless of the economy but you'd have to hop to Jacksonville from here for that. The pitfalls of Jacksonville is that you'll probably get cancer from drinking the city water and it's a totally different environment than here.They rank 9 in the top worst cities to live in water quality wise-Pensacola ranks #1 for well over 300 contaminants in the city water and those are the pre oil spill water reports they haven't released the current yet.Radioactive with beta particle activity.Of course both of these are areas with Naval bases.I'm sure you can do the math.Thanks for the input on it folks you all know how manic depressive feeling boat buying is. Depressed when you see what you want sold because you didn't have the money-euphoric to see an ad for one that says reasonable shape at reasonable prices-depressive to find out it was BS-back to optimistic when you see there are more boats available that are
affordable and you have the money on hand and your not gonna have to go back to waiting for something to pop within a thousand miles that is actually seaworthy-also thankful you didn't jump at that one last year that sold for 7 grand that your now seeing after it's been abandoned salvaged back on the market for 1500 bucks with the engine still not running and needing the deck reglassed due to 3 rotted areas.However I will say one thing. A good sailboat ad gave me the hope and distraction I needed to get through a bad breakup mentally maybe there are some perks to this phenomena.Needless to say I'll be glad when it's over.Thanks for the time you took to reply folks-I'll give you a shout on the next Vega I'm looking at. The guy selling that one seems more legitimate.This one struck me as deceptive right off but I went through with it because how hard it is to find one close enough,capable,and affordable.Peace and regards, David

 

[tiempo2010]

It's not the electrical, it's the other problems that make it a lousy buy.

 

[tim_klynn]

I agree with Peter, you are better off buying a boat that was well taken care of. I bought mine from a great guy that did professional and meticulous work on the boat. As a result, I don't have to back track and go back and fix anything he did and could immediately start enjoying sailing the boat. Of course, this is not to say that I don't want to do any work on the boat and don't enjoy doing it, it is just that I can do the work at my leisure which makes it much more fun.

Other unfortunate facts in the boat world is that poorly maintained boats seem to have compounding problems and that the cost to repair boats usually exceeds what you could sell the boat for once it is fixed up. I generally assume that everything "custom" thing I do or buy for the boat is probably not what the next owner would choose or in the case of electronics, will be hopelessly obsolete by the time I would ever sell the boat, so all my "improvements" realistically don't add much value (other than to me or someone else who appreciates them).

I think this guy has done a great job restoring/customizing his boat and customizing it: albinvega.nl

I'm not so keen on the modifications these guys have done, but it obviously working well for them as they wander around some pretty tough places:

You could also got the route of the kids on s/v Pestilence: http://boatermouth.com/charles-doane/2724-pestilence-low-budget-guerrilla-cruise

But for me, I plan to keep my Vega a long time and part of the fun of owning it is getting it "ready" for future big adventures while I get better at sailing. I also like keeping it close original (no second rudders or outboard motor wells for me), as it is a proven good boat and seems to deserve that. -Tim