Seascout Ship 122 has received a donation of a Hunter 27ft sailboat that was partially under water for three years and not moved from the dock in over ten years. The scouts pumped the water out,the boat had sunk into the mud and the cabin filled halfway to the top with water. We are currently cleaning the cabin out--all cloth and cushions are mush,green and black growth is all over,the motor is rusted but a check of the oil dip stick showed no water mixed with the oil. the fuel tank was filled with water and numerous other problems exist. No member of Seascout Ship 122 has had experience with these problems. We need advice!!! What should we attempt to do and in what order. Remember Seascout Ship 122 has about 13 members ...the scouts range in age from 14 to 20 and are both young men and women. We have very. very limited funds, the scouts contribute $5 a month for their activities. I pay for over half the scouts because they need whatever they earn to help their family or pay for college.Seaside Heights looks like a rich vacation community but in reality the winter school population has one of the highest poverty rates in the state. Seascouts is a great program for our young adults.
SOS sailboat under water
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Sunk 27
With limited funds you have few choices. Restoring a boat like that and making it seaworthy will take several thousand dollars needing things such as interior components, engine work or a new engine, paint, the list goes on and on. What you could do is solicit donations or restore the boat over the course of several years to spread the cost out. You could also enlist the help of local businesses and volunteers to help restore the boat including marine bussinesses. Or the final solution, sell it on ebay with a reserve and full disclosure, then take what you make and buy a smaller, newer boat. Best of luck!
With limited funds you have few choices. Restoring a boat like that and making it seaworthy will take several thousand dollars needing things such as interior components, engine work or a new engine, paint, the list goes on and on. What you could do is solicit donations or restore the boat over the course of several years to spread the cost out. You could also enlist the help of local businesses and volunteers to help restore the boat including marine bussinesses. Or the final solution, sell it on ebay with a reserve and full disclosure, then take what you make and buy a smaller, newer boat. Best of luck!
Seek Donations
The first thing that came to my mind was the same situation with a scout troop in Florida that "inherited" a wooden boat named "Lord Jim". They solicited help from local vendors, got yard time, wood, fittings and great help from local boat builders. Contributions were tax deductible. If the Hunter fiberglass hull is sound and metal corrosion limited, it will take a ton of hours in labor to get her cleaned up. I will assume since she sat in the mud, the only issue may be the thru hulls and standing rigging. Engine comes last. Since its only 27 feet an outboard is feasible. Once you do clean her out, and evaluate for damage, see what the closest yard is and I am sure they would be pleased to allow you a week to clean the bottom and paint the vessel. I bet Boat US would even tow as a "community service". You MUST get the right folks enthused about this endeavor and with a chance to better a young persons life through this experience, your solicitation for help will pay off. You might want to call around to all boats yards, marine stores, repair shops, etc, in your region and see if they would contribute anything to this restoration. Consider paint, hardware, electronics, and see if any have "bone yards" where you could procure rigging (you'll have to swedge your own fittings), old cushions (get the foam), even sails. To me this sounds like a very worthy venture and could be a great group experience. The key is getting this cause out to the boating community. With a dedicated group of folks you will have that Hunter, sails up with a happy young crew before you know it. Best of luck and please keep us posted Bob
The first thing that came to my mind was the same situation with a scout troop in Florida that "inherited" a wooden boat named "Lord Jim". They solicited help from local vendors, got yard time, wood, fittings and great help from local boat builders. Contributions were tax deductible. If the Hunter fiberglass hull is sound and metal corrosion limited, it will take a ton of hours in labor to get her cleaned up. I will assume since she sat in the mud, the only issue may be the thru hulls and standing rigging. Engine comes last. Since its only 27 feet an outboard is feasible. Once you do clean her out, and evaluate for damage, see what the closest yard is and I am sure they would be pleased to allow you a week to clean the bottom and paint the vessel. I bet Boat US would even tow as a "community service". You MUST get the right folks enthused about this endeavor and with a chance to better a young persons life through this experience, your solicitation for help will pay off. You might want to call around to all boats yards, marine stores, repair shops, etc, in your region and see if they would contribute anything to this restoration. Consider paint, hardware, electronics, and see if any have "bone yards" where you could procure rigging (you'll have to swedge your own fittings), old cushions (get the foam), even sails. To me this sounds like a very worthy venture and could be a great group experience. The key is getting this cause out to the boating community. With a dedicated group of folks you will have that Hunter, sails up with a happy young crew before you know it. Best of luck and please keep us posted Bob
Another thought...
is that, with such a limited budget, work crew size, and limited skills set, you merely clean and recondition as much as you can to bring the boat up to a "restorable project boat" then sell it to fund the acquisition of the next "project" until you reach a point where you have acquired a boat that can be sailed with a minimal amount of work. Publicize the endeavor and maybe you'll get lucky with a better charitable donation than the one you have. There is a Sea Scout unit on the Chesapeake Bay that does that very thing.
is that, with such a limited budget, work crew size, and limited skills set, you merely clean and recondition as much as you can to bring the boat up to a "restorable project boat" then sell it to fund the acquisition of the next "project" until you reach a point where you have acquired a boat that can be sailed with a minimal amount of work. Publicize the endeavor and maybe you'll get lucky with a better charitable donation than the one you have. There is a Sea Scout unit on the Chesapeake Bay that does that very thing.
Try another option
I am all about restoring something old and worn into something new but I think this may be too far gone. The boat sat for 13 years - 3 of them underwater! Fiberglass is not meant to be submerges like that (interior and exterior) - the hull is probably waterlogged not to mention the interior wood and hardware. Then you have wiring, plumbing, power, rigging, etc. With a crew like the one you have along with a maritime interest - do some PR and publicity. Scope out the local mariners and marine publications. Maybe get a story written about interest in perusing a fixer-upper with these fine kids that are willing to do the work. Perhaps a local marina will allow some type of fund-raiser with the kids as the catalyst. Heck - if I had the money I would almost donate my boat to your cause!! I bet a mariner would be all too happy to donate a boat they could write-off. There are literally TONS of neglected boats out there in need of some TLC. Look around in boatyards and properties near the water and you will be surprised. Find the right boat and dreams will be fulfilled! Good luck - Rob
I am all about restoring something old and worn into something new but I think this may be too far gone. The boat sat for 13 years - 3 of them underwater! Fiberglass is not meant to be submerges like that (interior and exterior) - the hull is probably waterlogged not to mention the interior wood and hardware. Then you have wiring, plumbing, power, rigging, etc. With a crew like the one you have along with a maritime interest - do some PR and publicity. Scope out the local mariners and marine publications. Maybe get a story written about interest in perusing a fixer-upper with these fine kids that are willing to do the work. Perhaps a local marina will allow some type of fund-raiser with the kids as the catalyst. Heck - if I had the money I would almost donate my boat to your cause!! I bet a mariner would be all too happy to donate a boat they could write-off. There are literally TONS of neglected boats out there in need of some TLC. Look around in boatyards and properties near the water and you will be surprised. Find the right boat and dreams will be fulfilled! Good luck - Rob
Send claim to donor
YOur donor doesn't sound friendly, clean, reverent, etc etc. You should send him a huge salvage bill for taking the project out of his hands! Then use that money to buy a rebuildable boat! (humor
YOur donor doesn't sound friendly, clean, reverent, etc etc. You should send him a huge salvage bill for taking the project out of his hands! Then use that money to buy a rebuildable boat! (humor
clean it
First step clean it up, haul everything that's not integrated out, and clean the thing up as well as you can. I've pulled a few boats out of the water, and one out of a swamp (hit it with the truck while mudrunning and got out to see what it was) and after a good cleanup found that there was not as much wrong with them as you'd think. my latest project, and my first larger boat is shown to some extent at the link, and the marina owner said it had been there since '93 or 94, and I almost walked away when I first saw it. but after draining, and cleaning it, there is very little wrong with it. all the oil from the A4 had floated out and was caked in a ring around the inside (worse tub ring I've ever seen) and I was sure it was frozen up, couldn't turn it with a breaker bar and socket, but after cleaning the boat out I was going to pull it and tear into it to see if it was worth rebuilding, so I started to strip it down to make it easier to get it out, and after pulling everything else off and wrecking all the gaskets! I pulled the flywheel cover and noticed a small bolt wedged in between the flywheel and housing, grabbed some vise grips and yanked it out, and was able to turn the motor over by hand. I don't know how long the boat was full of water, but all the cloth that was in the water, was rotted right away, a shirt that was on the vberth hanging down in the water looked like someone had cut it off at the water level. the only real damage were the batteries, some of the laminate on the settees is bubbled up, and one of the galley drawers has fallen apart, strangely one that was above the water! Plus almost everything that was in the drawers under the settes was trashed, most of what you see on the settes after draining was in the drawers. right now she looks good, nice and clean, and I'm glad I didn't walk away. all I realy have into it are hauling costs, a good chunk of time, a gallon of varnish, and about 4 gallons of castrol super clean, realy amazing cleaning solvent, works like a charm, (no connection with them) but I sprayed the bilge and oil ring down with it in a garden sprayer (maybe 2:1 mix water:castrol) climbed up on deck to get my brush and when I came back below most of the crud, mold and oil was floating in the bilge, spraying it down again got almost all of it. I was very happily surprised to say the least. My water was fresh, so I can't say you'd have the same results, but I'd say don't turn it down offhand, clean it up and inspect, everything looks much worse when it's dirty (as witness the 10,000,000 car lots that steam clean engines) and IF you do find that you don't want to mess with it, it will be easier to find a buyer if they aren't afraid to touch it! Ken.
First step clean it up, haul everything that's not integrated out, and clean the thing up as well as you can. I've pulled a few boats out of the water, and one out of a swamp (hit it with the truck while mudrunning and got out to see what it was) and after a good cleanup found that there was not as much wrong with them as you'd think. my latest project, and my first larger boat is shown to some extent at the link, and the marina owner said it had been there since '93 or 94, and I almost walked away when I first saw it. but after draining, and cleaning it, there is very little wrong with it. all the oil from the A4 had floated out and was caked in a ring around the inside (worse tub ring I've ever seen) and I was sure it was frozen up, couldn't turn it with a breaker bar and socket, but after cleaning the boat out I was going to pull it and tear into it to see if it was worth rebuilding, so I started to strip it down to make it easier to get it out, and after pulling everything else off and wrecking all the gaskets! I pulled the flywheel cover and noticed a small bolt wedged in between the flywheel and housing, grabbed some vise grips and yanked it out, and was able to turn the motor over by hand. I don't know how long the boat was full of water, but all the cloth that was in the water, was rotted right away, a shirt that was on the vberth hanging down in the water looked like someone had cut it off at the water level. the only real damage were the batteries, some of the laminate on the settees is bubbled up, and one of the galley drawers has fallen apart, strangely one that was above the water! Plus almost everything that was in the drawers under the settes was trashed, most of what you see on the settes after draining was in the drawers. right now she looks good, nice and clean, and I'm glad I didn't walk away. all I realy have into it are hauling costs, a good chunk of time, a gallon of varnish, and about 4 gallons of castrol super clean, realy amazing cleaning solvent, works like a charm, (no connection with them) but I sprayed the bilge and oil ring down with it in a garden sprayer (maybe 2:1 mix water:castrol) climbed up on deck to get my brush and when I came back below most of the crud, mold and oil was floating in the bilge, spraying it down again got almost all of it. I was very happily surprised to say the least. My water was fresh, so I can't say you'd have the same results, but I'd say don't turn it down offhand, clean it up and inspect, everything looks much worse when it's dirty (as witness the 10,000,000 car lots that steam clean engines) and IF you do find that you don't want to mess with it, it will be easier to find a buyer if they aren't afraid to touch it! Ken.
clean it first
Clean it first so you can see what you've got. Why did it sink in the first place? Rainwater, hull damage, bad thru hull? Before deciding if it is worth fixing you need to see what needs fixing. As far as the engine, I am not familiar with that boat but have fixed a few engines submerged in salt water. My experience has been that the exterior looks far worse than the interior. If you haven't already done so, pull the plug(s) and fill the cylinders with PB Blaster or similar penetrating oil. Then just let them soak. No water in the crank oil is a good sign. There may or may not even be any in the cylinders. Since there is water in the fuel tank disconnect the lines from the carburetor. You will probably need to remove the carb to make sure there is no water in it either. Occasionally you can get by without a carb rebuild by running carb cleaner through it. After you let the penetrating oil do its thing turn the motor by hand. With the plugs out it should turn fairly easy. If you need to use a wrench then there is a good chance that there is corrosion in the cylinders. If so, it may need to be torn down and rebuilt. If it turns ok, reinstall the carb, give it some fuel and see what you've got. You will also need to check all electrics to the motor, especially those that were submerged. Depending on the type of motor, I would expect more electrical issues than engine problems. I can't guarantee success but at the very least your scouts can use this boat to learn about engines and maintenance. Good luck.
Clean it first so you can see what you've got. Why did it sink in the first place? Rainwater, hull damage, bad thru hull? Before deciding if it is worth fixing you need to see what needs fixing. As far as the engine, I am not familiar with that boat but have fixed a few engines submerged in salt water. My experience has been that the exterior looks far worse than the interior. If you haven't already done so, pull the plug(s) and fill the cylinders with PB Blaster or similar penetrating oil. Then just let them soak. No water in the crank oil is a good sign. There may or may not even be any in the cylinders. Since there is water in the fuel tank disconnect the lines from the carburetor. You will probably need to remove the carb to make sure there is no water in it either. Occasionally you can get by without a carb rebuild by running carb cleaner through it. After you let the penetrating oil do its thing turn the motor by hand. With the plugs out it should turn fairly easy. If you need to use a wrench then there is a good chance that there is corrosion in the cylinders. If so, it may need to be torn down and rebuilt. If it turns ok, reinstall the carb, give it some fuel and see what you've got. You will also need to check all electrics to the motor, especially those that were submerged. Depending on the type of motor, I would expect more electrical issues than engine problems. I can't guarantee success but at the very least your scouts can use this boat to learn about engines and maintenance. Good luck.
dump it
sell it as scrap, donate it for tax write off if possible. I agree w/ Andy about billing the owner. The boat will have more problems than can be imagined & will cost a fortune to repair. Cut your losses & look for something reasonable to play with. Life is too short.
sell it as scrap, donate it for tax write off if possible. I agree w/ Andy about billing the owner. The boat will have more problems than can be imagined & will cost a fortune to repair. Cut your losses & look for something reasonable to play with. Life is too short.
Dump the Donation?
"Donate it" was an interesting response. They received it as a donation. They're probably tax-exempt, so I doubt there would be a write-off, but I find that attitude intersting. Why would anyone who feels that a boat that is unworthy of being restored donate it to a chartiable organization? Wouldn't you be then placing THEM in the position of either finding a way to dispose of it, or finding someone else to "dump" it on. Either a free boat is worth restoring, or it should be destroyed. If it's not worth putting back together after getting it for free, it certainly shouldn't be dumped on someone else. If nothing else, pull all the hardware off it, sell off the parts, and cut up the hull and deck. The parts should be worth something.
"Donate it" was an interesting response. They received it as a donation. They're probably tax-exempt, so I doubt there would be a write-off, but I find that attitude intersting. Why would anyone who feels that a boat that is unworthy of being restored donate it to a chartiable organization? Wouldn't you be then placing THEM in the position of either finding a way to dispose of it, or finding someone else to "dump" it on. Either a free boat is worth restoring, or it should be destroyed. If it's not worth putting back together after getting it for free, it certainly shouldn't be dumped on someone else. If nothing else, pull all the hardware off it, sell off the parts, and cut up the hull and deck. The parts should be worth something.
major endeavor
What a shame that this boat was allowed to come to such a state! As the owner of a 1982 H27 I know what a beautiful boat this is. I must say that you have some serious work cut out for you. If it is worth it would seem to hinge on why the boat sank in the first place. This should be the very first thing you look into. Was it rain water or did it spring a leak in the hull. There are several thru-hull locations to check: under the v-berth there are 2 thru-hulls for the head. Under the starboard settee in the cockpit you will find a thru hull for the sink drain. Also check the propeller shaft seal and the shaft "hose" associated with it as well as the c clamps. Additionally check the strut bolts for the shaft. these go thru the hull below the waterline. I know of a boat in benicia that sank because one of these blew out. You can check these through the side inspection panel at the back of the aft port "bed" in the cabin. While you are there check the clamps and the hose on the rudder shaft housing, and the hose and clamps on the cockpit drains. If you decide she can be seaworthy again you have another significant situation beyond the motor. All of the electrical in this boat runs under the settees. The main panel is below the seat at the chart table and the wiring runs under the port settee. It sounds like all of this area has been under water for three years so it is undoubtably corroded and will have to be replaced. not a small job! By the way the engine in this boat is most likely diesel, not gas. Mine has a yanmar 1gm, but there is another common diesel found in these as well. I do not know that much about what you will need to restore that engine, but there is a yanmar mechanic who posts to this site who can probably answer all of you questions. If you e-mail mack-boring and explain your situation they would probably give you some free help as well. Finally an area of concern involves the compression post. The compression post is wood and the bottom has been rotting in water for three years. This may can cause your deck to sag and other structural problems. needs to be checked by someone with experience. You might want to give some thought to simply restoring this to a seaworthy condition and then selling it for a nominal amount to someone who has the talent and cash to fully restore it. The H27 is a beautiful boat and worth the effort! Having said that we all know that boats involve a great deal of EXPENSE as well as time. Best of luck! chris Drifter II
What a shame that this boat was allowed to come to such a state! As the owner of a 1982 H27 I know what a beautiful boat this is. I must say that you have some serious work cut out for you. If it is worth it would seem to hinge on why the boat sank in the first place. This should be the very first thing you look into. Was it rain water or did it spring a leak in the hull. There are several thru-hull locations to check: under the v-berth there are 2 thru-hulls for the head. Under the starboard settee in the cockpit you will find a thru hull for the sink drain. Also check the propeller shaft seal and the shaft "hose" associated with it as well as the c clamps. Additionally check the strut bolts for the shaft. these go thru the hull below the waterline. I know of a boat in benicia that sank because one of these blew out. You can check these through the side inspection panel at the back of the aft port "bed" in the cabin. While you are there check the clamps and the hose on the rudder shaft housing, and the hose and clamps on the cockpit drains. If you decide she can be seaworthy again you have another significant situation beyond the motor. All of the electrical in this boat runs under the settees. The main panel is below the seat at the chart table and the wiring runs under the port settee. It sounds like all of this area has been under water for three years so it is undoubtably corroded and will have to be replaced. not a small job! By the way the engine in this boat is most likely diesel, not gas. Mine has a yanmar 1gm, but there is another common diesel found in these as well. I do not know that much about what you will need to restore that engine, but there is a yanmar mechanic who posts to this site who can probably answer all of you questions. If you e-mail mack-boring and explain your situation they would probably give you some free help as well. Finally an area of concern involves the compression post. The compression post is wood and the bottom has been rotting in water for three years. This may can cause your deck to sag and other structural problems. needs to be checked by someone with experience. You might want to give some thought to simply restoring this to a seaworthy condition and then selling it for a nominal amount to someone who has the talent and cash to fully restore it. The H27 is a beautiful boat and worth the effort! Having said that we all know that boats involve a great deal of EXPENSE as well as time. Best of luck! chris Drifter II
I agree with Andy...
...my first thought was to kick the donor in the head for palming off his major salvage expense on a charitable organization. The guy is obviously a major dirtbag. The only sensible thing to do is to strip it of all hardware and rigging, sell it all, and dispose of the hull. While this boat may not be past the point of no return, it is certainly beyond the capabilities and finances of the Seascouts. Cheers, Bob
...my first thought was to kick the donor in the head for palming off his major salvage expense on a charitable organization. The guy is obviously a major dirtbag. The only sensible thing to do is to strip it of all hardware and rigging, sell it all, and dispose of the hull. While this boat may not be past the point of no return, it is certainly beyond the capabilities and finances of the Seascouts. Cheers, Bob
don't dissect the frog yet...
I guess you get the idea by now that most of us think this donation is too far gone and too big a job for your scouts, and I would add (if it hasn't been said already below) that you may be facing some real money cost to dispose of this thing and probably should leave off dismantling any of the salvageables until you find out whether whoever will take it off your hands wants those as their reward for their effort...
I guess you get the idea by now that most of us think this donation is too far gone and too big a job for your scouts, and I would add (if it hasn't been said already below) that you may be facing some real money cost to dispose of this thing and probably should leave off dismantling any of the salvageables until you find out whether whoever will take it off your hands wants those as their reward for their effort...
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