First Post.. Should I buy? I did.

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Bum454ss
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:40 pm

First Post.. Should I buy? I did.

Post by Bum454ss »

Hi all and thanks for letting me join. I have been looking at entry level and budget friendly sailboats for the last couple of months. My 14-year-old daughter and I have caught the bug and are dying to get on the water. No experience for either of us sailing.

A friend from work overheard me talking about this to a buddy and offered up his Chrysler 22 which I believe is a 77. Absolutely filthy dirty, no tiller handle all running rigging rotten on deck and up in the rigging. Standing rigging looks good no visible cracks except a couple small surface cracks around the mast step. Boat has been sitting in a wet slip at his dock for eight years with no attention whatsoever. This is however his wife’s father‘s boat who died about six years ago. Lots of sentimental value to them none whatsoever to me. Seven or 8 inches of water in the floor which I presume to be rain getting in through the main hatch. All the other storage areas were dry. No galley, no toilet, no electronics or analog instruments of any kind ever installed that I can see. Haven’t seen the underside at all. Rudder post did spin and could feel that the rudder was spinning freely and smoothly. He went ahead and gave me a 1977 Johnson six horse outboard which I probably brought home cleaned up and fired right up on the stand.

So now the million dollar question… I was looking for a free boat or to spend as little as possible and go through the process of remodeling a boat with my daughter that we could then sailed together for the next couple of years. I was under the impression that this was going to be a freebie but have been asked how much we intended to offer them. Based on my research for the last month it could be worth anywhere from $0 to $5000.

I’d love some insight. I’m completely out of my element here.
Last edited by Bum454ss on Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
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brigadoon
Posts: 171
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:58 pm

Re: First Post.. Should I buy?

Post by brigadoon »

I have several sailboats in varying lengths. Your personal proclivities to require all the “right “ gear will substantially influence how much your free boat costs. For casual use on fair weather days a lot of cost can be defrayed if one is willing to invest sweat equity use hardware store rope for lines and sheets etc. Replacing sheavs , sails and running rigging with proper equipment is very exspensive. Used sails can be purchased even if they were not made for your boat.The yachties will certainly never accept you but you can have a great time, that said there is no such thing as a free boat. The boat described sounds like it has potential but is a liability as it sits with the exception of the motor which you have already invested time in. If you don’t have a trailer , that will cost you. I would suggest offering a reasonable amount for the motor based on local values but if you take the boat as is expect to pay a min of 800.00 to 1500.00 to get it into useable shape. If the current owners want good money for it let them get it in shape.
Rick/ Brigadoon C 26
Holiday
Posts: 114
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:14 am

Re: First Post.. Should I buy?

Post by Holiday »

If the boat has been sitting with 8 inches of fresh water in it there may be problems with rotten cabin sole. cushions, sails etc.. You may also need to cover the cost of a trailer for the boat. Tires and brakes for an old trailer can also be expensive. I would suggest you should look for a boat in much better condition. A 40 year old boat in fair shape will have plenty of issues to fix. One that has sat unattended for for five or six years will cost more to repair (not including your labor) than one in excellent shape. Your daughter may be too old to enjoy it before it is finished. Not to be too negative but just passing on experience. I am working on my 3rd boat renovation in the last 20 years.
CLS72
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 7:44 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: First Post.. Should I buy?

Post by CLS72 »

Suggest to search recent sales of Chrysler 22's so you can get an idea of the cost of a "ready-to-sail" boat (which includes sails, outboard motor and trailer) so you have reference point.

Around here (Ontario), I have seen C22's "ready-to-sail" offered for the equivalent of $2,000 USD - $3,500 USD (fully rigged boats + trailer + outboard engine), now this year there was an abnormal surge in sailboat demand/sales so that figure may not be a typical one - sales in your area will likely vary in price/availability as well. Do not know what was the final sale price though.

A boat that has been neglected for long, will require a lot of effort and you may end up spending more money than a 'ready-to-sail' one will cost you. Also there may be areas of the boat that could not be properly inspected and fixed unless you take the boat out from the water (keel, rudder, etc).

Good luck in your process anyway -

Updated with recent C22 sales (seems prices are up!)
Last edited by CLS72 on Mon Oct 05, 2020 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Bum454ss
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:40 pm

Re: First Post.. Should I buy?

Post by Bum454ss »

Thanks for the replies everybody. I think I’ve zeroed in on an offer and we’ll see what happens. I will definitely let you know.
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Bum454ss
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:40 pm

Re: First Post.. Should I buy?

Post by Bum454ss »

Annnnnd... I bought it. $450 Pics to follow soon. Now I need a tiller.
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CLS72
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 7:44 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: First Post.. Should I buy? I did.

Post by CLS72 »

Congrats ! - there is lot of good info here for your fixes/getting it ready.
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