Westsail 43 salvage

prius12002 · Mar 4, 2010

Well, that's just laying the temptation right out there. I can see the broken marriage already.

Great name for that boat, though, in so many ways.

Bill

pjacobs55 · Mar 4, 2010

Gia Andato - Italian - "Already Gone".Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial St.
Portland ME 04101
207/772-2191
Fax 207/774-3940

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From: prius12002
Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 10:50 AM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: Westsail 43 salvage Well, that's just laying the temptation right out there. I can see the broken marriage already.

Great name for that boat, though, in so many ways.

Bill

wemccourt · Mar 4, 2010

It's big enough to live on! Give you a place to land until she serves the papers on you.

Hopefully you'll have the restoration far enough along.

Bill
Reston, VA

TJBurkett · Mar 7, 2010

This boat is at the marina where I keep my vega. While they were pumping her out I got a chance to go aboard and look around-it would be a Major Project! And I'm an optimist by nature.

frankdeba27 · Mar 7, 2010

My wife and I are considering looking at this boat. I'm sure we could get it for $1.00. Our plan would be to restore it over four years while sailing the Vega. After that we would keep the Vega in storage until we were older and the Westsail became too big to manage then out would come the Vega for the last of our years. TJ, I am a cabinet maker
so the interior woodwork wouldn't be too big a problem, I could rewire and re-power it with a Beta. What do you know about the spars, the teak deck, sails, rigging, ground tackle, etc. Can you put a ballpark number on what you think this boat needs, within, say, $10,000.00?

Thanks for you insight. It would be a six and a half hour drive one way to take a look at this boat. Shipping the boat back to Massachusetts would run about $4300.00 plus I'd need a crane to get it off the trailer at my place since I'm fresh out of Travelifts.

Thank you,
Frank & Tena DeBaggis
Carpe Diem, Vega 2141

kanderson4unc · Mar 7, 2010

I shot off an email to the auctioneer. She sits at a tad under 5000 bucks right now, with two or three weeks left on the bidding. I'm toying with the idea too. haha. However i simply dont need a boat that big.

karl

TJBurkett · Mar 8, 2010

As far as I can tell the deck equipment (spars, shrouds, fittings, etc) all looked servicable. The big work looked to be interior and maybe electrical. If I was looking at an extended cruise in a couple of years and had the time and skill to fit the boat out I'd seriously think about it-from what the last post said of the auction price you could probably recoup that just by parting her out on e-bay if the refurbishment was too big a job.

I don't know about estimating the cost of refurbishment-any estimate I could provide would be purly guesswork and as reliable as pulling numbers out of the air.

dougpol1 · Mar 8, 2010

I would think that if the engine was under water. Just a new engine
would be $15,ooo. All the wireing would have to be replaced. The amount
of mold that is behind and under everything would be a huge job to fix
such as maybe tearing the complete interior out and at least cleaning if
not replacing. You don't want to live on a boat that is full of mold. If
there is very much of it it will grow and you guys will end up with
respiratory problems. Just working on her is a huge health problem.
If you get on the telephone and call marinas and ask how may boats they
have setting on the back lot you will find there are nationwide
thousands of them. Many have been partially redone and you can buy them
sometimes just by paying the yard bill.
I have never known anyone who came out ahead money wise on one of these
boats. I'm not saying don't buy her but man do your homework. If you do
decide to buy her Have her hauled to your house so you don't have to pay
a yard bill for 5 years while you redo her. Also buy the best breathing
apparatus you can, to use while cleaning her up.
I belong to a couple on line boat building groups on line and everyone
is saying don't build a boat you will loose money on it. Remember this,
used boats are really cheap right now. You can buy a good boat and
finance it, live on it and have it paid for in ten years. Living aboard
you won't have a lot of other expenses so you can pay off a note pretty
quick.
As to your Vega I would say sell her. A boat that is stored unless you
can keep her inside goes down pretty quick. You will be able to buy
another when you retire and likely pretty cheap. I'd think the whole
thing over some. DougFDEBAGGIS@... wrote:

frankdeba27 · Mar 8, 2010

Thank you, TJ. I know what you mean about pulling numbers out of the air. I can be far off on estimates also. The reason for asking about an amount to restore the boat is because I found two Westsail 43's for sale on line. One is this one in Maryland. They had advertised it for sale for $29,000. The other is in Dana Point CA. It's listed at $99,000.
The pictures and description of the Dana Point boat seem to indicate a very well kept and well equipped boat. (Although I am still very tempted to take a ride to Baltimore to see her, if only to tell her that I'm sorry and she deserves a good owner who will bring her back).

Frank DeBaggis
Carpe Diem
Vega 2141

dougpol1 · Mar 8, 2010

IF It were me instead of going to look at the boat in Maryland at a
price of $29,000 I would look for boats that I liked on line. I would
look at the pictures they supply and their description and I would ask
questions. If the guy is asking $29,000 I would say something Like I
like your boat but the very most I can pay is twenty. Way below what he
is asking. You dicker back and forth with him saying the lowest I can go
is $27,000. Write up a little contract write a check for $1,000 COPY it
and attach it to the contract that says you will pay this price but that
it is subject to a good sea trial and a good survey. When the boat is
surveyed there will be things wrong other than what the seller claimed.
If the additional repairs come to $2,000 and he agrees you have bought
that $29,000 boat for $23000. If he doesn't go along with the price you
can compromise at $24,000.
If you don't do something like this you will spend a couple thousand
dollars traveling and in motel bills and you may well spend to much on
the boat as well. If when you go see her and she is really nasty looking
take her for a sea trial and tell the man you don't like the way she
sails. You are off the hook.
DougFDEBAGGIS@... wrote:

pjacobs55 · Mar 8, 2010

Doug speaks the truth. They are giving away good boats now - best buyer's
market in 30 years.Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial St.
Portland ME 04101
207/772-2191
Fax 207/774-3940

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that is privileged or confidential. If you suspect
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frankdeba27 · Mar 8, 2010

Dear Doug,

You are correct that building a boat is a money losing proposition. Looking back, after our multi-year refit of our Vega, I would say that we essentially bought only the hull, deck, and spars, Pretty much, everything else has been replaced. The cost, in parts and material only, (no labor), including a new Beta diesel is probably in the $50,000.00 range. The reason we chose to refit a Vega is that it's a bluewater boat that is a pleasure to sail when the weather gets nasty. It takes care of us out on the big water.

I could probably sell my Vega for $15,000, therefore the math stinks. I could have bought a well equipped Vega for $15,000, but I would have missed out on the joys of spraying two-part polyurethane.

Rebuilding a boat is a labor of love. I suspect the two-part urethane had something to do with that. Buying a role of rigging tape today is a losing proposition financially for me with our Vega.

The advantage to dumping a ton of money into a losing proposition called a seaworthy boat 'though, is that out on the water you know every inch her because she's yours. You built her.

(If anyone is keeping track of the plusses and minusses, where am I?)

Our Vega, if stored until our Goldener Years, would be stored indoors. She understands that we will sail together for another few years and then move to a larger boat. She's pleased with that and pleased to wait until she's needed again. She can't wait to hear the stories we'll tell her, when we take her back to sea.

It is a credit to this forum, the Vega, and the Westsail 43, that we concern ourselves with seaworthy boats. At least I won't be told here that I should consider the room and amenities found in a floating camper. I thank you all for that.

So, to the ladies and gentlemen listening in at the edges of the Vega forum: The Vega is a wonderful boat. It's got a narrow beam. It's got a full keel with a cut-away forefoot. It's got a whole bunch of things that make it seaworthy and it will take care of you and you will love her for it.

The chances of me buying the Westsail 43 in Baltimore are about a million to one. So, everyone please relax. My wife and kids want a bigger boat, but not me. I have a little bit of pressure from them but nothing that I can't handle. I just need to come up with a better argument against the Westsail 43 than that it's a losing proposition financially. That obviously isn't going to work.

Your suggestions are appreciated.

Frank DeBaggis
Carpe Diem
Vega 2141