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Do I Take The Doeruperer?


Drop Bear

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Hey gang,

I was offered a boat for free from a mate. It is an old timber river trawler.

It has not been out of the water for at least 6 years. Most of the super structure including the roof is soft and needs replacing. As far as I can see the hull is in ok condition. 

We took if for a sea trial today. It started ok but the battery that had been on charge for a day was a bit slow and will need replacing.

The fuel must be more than 6 years old. It blew a lot of black smoke when I upped the throttle. 

It goes ok. 

We broke the steering and had to get Dave to manually turn the rudder from under the back deck. The steering looks easy enough to weld back together.

It started to steam and was running very hot. We cut the sea trial very short. 

So to the questions;

  1. Should I take on this project? I have the ability and tools to rebuild it... and perhaps the time but is it worth it?
  2. It is costing $600 per month to berth it where it is. Is there a way or place to more it that would be a lot cheaper? Need to be able to access it to work on it. 
  3. Does anyone know the best place to slip her so I can anti foul? It is very dirty. 

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What a ripper boat Robbie.

Firstly I would be looking in to finding a swing mooring somewhere as they are very cheap or just do what others do and go make a mooring somewhere,lol.

There is also plenty of empty moorings around the canal houses so you may be able to find a private wharf to use at someones house.

6 years without slipping and painting is a worry for a timber boat as she may be full of grub now but she will need to be slipped to see what damage may be done.

I can show you how to kill the grub easy enough and the good thing with grub is they do not cross planks so if they are in a plank, they will only eat out that single plank.

The timber planks are not an issue as you can replace them but if they are in the keel you will have serious problems.

To paint her bum you will need some scrapers to remove the barnacles, pressure washer, brushes and rollers.

You will also need some caulking, caulking tool, putty, antifoul and replacement anodes for the rudder and shaft if there is one on it and possibly a shaft bearing.

It may have keel cooling so they would need anodes too but I would presume the engine water pickup will be a standard through hull fitting.

The cooling pump should be a standard Jabsco Pump so a new impeller will fix the heating problem. It may also just be the debris screen over the pickup clogged up with algae and barnacles.

Ring around for slipping options or hard stand options to find the cheapest and go from there but make very sure that the place you pick allows you to work on your own boat without having to use their shipwrights or laborers as that will cost you a small fortune.

I will come and slip it with you and then we can check her bum out and see if there is any issues there, hopefully she will just be filthy dirty and after a good clean and paint she will be good for many more years to come.

Then we can go right through the engine room, steering, gearbox, shaft ect and sort out any other little issues she may have.

The old diesel may be an issue as it is probably full of algae so we would need to look at that very closely to find a solution to fix it.

Anodes, Bearings and Impellers ect I can get them for you at cost and stuff like the painting gear you can get throw away rollers and brushes from Bunnings.

I would not worry about the roof or any structure above the decks for a long time yet, just get the hull and engine room sorted first.

Sort out the bottom, engine and fuel as priority and the rest when ever you feel like playing with the boat.

 

 

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It looks great from a distance, Robbie, and it is pretty close to the dream lifestyle, chugging around the bay and anchoring up at picturesque spots for a night or two.  But, the closer we got to it today the more problems became visible. I am no boat builder but I suspect it would be a very long and expensive restoration.  Having said that, sometimes you just have to follow your dreams, even if they turn into nightmares.

 

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3 hours ago, aussie123 said:

What a ripper boat Robbie.

Firstly I would be looking in to finding a swing mooring somewhere as they are very cheap or just do what others do and go make a mooring somewhere,lol.

There is also plenty of empty moorings around the canal houses so you may be able to find a private wharf to use at someones house.

6 years without slipping and painting is a worry for a timber boat as she may be full of grub now but she will need to be slipped to see what damage may be done.

I can show you how to kill the grub easy enough and the good thing with grub is they do not cross planks so if they are in a plank, they will only eat out that single plank.

The timber planks are not an issue as you can replace them but if they are in the keel you will have serious problems.

To paint her bum you will need some scrapers to remove the barnacles, pressure washer, brushes and rollers.

You will also need some caulking, caulking tool, putty, antifoul and replacement anodes for the rudder and shaft if there is one on it and possibly a shaft bearing.

It may have keel cooling so they would need anodes too but I would presume the engine water pickup will be a standard through hull fitting.

The cooling pump should be a standard Jabsco Pump so a new impeller will fix the heating problem. It may also just be the debris screen over the pickup clogged up with algae and barnacles.

Ring around for slipping options or hard stand options to find the cheapest and go from there but make very sure that the place you pick allows you to work on your own boat without having to use their shipwrights or laborers as that will cost you a small fortune.

I will come and slip it with you and then we can check her bum out and see if there is any issues there, hopefully she will just be filthy dirty and after a good clean and paint she will be good for many more years to come.

Then we can go right through the engine room, steering, gearbox, shaft ect and sort out any other little issues she may have.

The old diesel may be an issue as it is probably full of algae so we would need to look at that very closely to find a solution to fix it.

Anodes, Bearings and Impellers ect I can get them for you at cost and stuff like the painting gear you can get throw away rollers and brushes from Bunnings.

I would not worry about the roof or any structure above the decks for a long time yet, just get the hull and engine room sorted first.

Sort out the bottom, engine and fuel as priority and the rest when ever you feel like playing with the boat.

 

 

Wow awesome post thanks @aussie123 ok I will do that. I will go down tomorrow morning, Re weld up the steering and try and pull apart the cooling to see if I can find the impeller. 

I think I want to do it. Hopefully she will be worth more than I put into it 🙂

 

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3 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

It looks great from a distance, Robbie, and it is pretty close to the dream lifestyle, chugging around the bay and anchoring up at picturesque spots for a night or two.  But, the closer we got to it today the more problems became visible. I am no boat builder but I suspect it would be a very long and expensive restoration.  Having said that, sometimes you just have to follow your dreams, even if they turn into nightmares.

 

Yes it was an interesting morning. I have a bit of time at the moment so think I will have a go. I might see about putting her out from the mouth of Wynnum Creek. 

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It may have a belt driven pump or it may run off the motor but the face plate should have a pump model on it so we can source an impeller for it.

You should see a copper pipe going from the motor to the bottom of the boat, that will be the water pickup going to the main pump.

Just remove the face plate and pry out the impeller but be careful of the small keyway that you don't lose it.

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18 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Yes it was an interesting morning. I have a bit of time at the moment so think I will have a go. I might see about putting her out from the mouth of Wynnum Creek. 

Robbie, before you start, do a marriage health check and if there is anything like say a new car that Mr's Drop Bear  wants/needs/a bribe do that first and then dig up your cash tin from the back yard, one more thing, make sure it has a gas fridge to keep the piss cold while you are working on her, one more thing, make sure there are no sharp knives anywhere within reach, because I can guarantee you will want to slit your wrists not long after you start, and most other times during the resto, hence the need for a gas fridge full of piss

MSB

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If you have the time and inclination it would be a great project. So if you want the satisfaction of returning it to former glory and deep pockets then go for it.  If you expect that it will be worth more than the money you put into then maybe its not the right project for you. You already have a massive long term project on your hands at the moment. 

I would be very interested in watching it’s progress if you do go ahead with it. Just reading Lances advice is interesting. 

Based on small ‘do up’ of my boat. 

It is very rewarding but each job undertake taken has taken a lot longer that expected and each small detail has another one to think about. 

I have enjoyed it but l just want to go fishing and don’t have the patience for a long term project. 

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Wow what a boat! It looks like a huge project and money pit much like my 1963 Ford Fairlane I inherited from my grandfather. I have spent $15000 on it and I am not sure how many hours but my marriage did kinda fall apart as I loved my car apparently more then my wife... Not true I just spent a lot of money on my car she thought was a waste of money.... Anyways I stand back and can't see where the $15000 has been spent..

Point is do have time for it with the Oyster project as well. Do you have the coin to spend as it will be loads and as MSB said sort MRs Drop ear out first then go ahead and have a great primus gas fridge full off Midstrength or gold (so you can drive home) but also a stiff whiskey! 

I would love to see end product. 

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Good luck if you bite the bullet Robbie. I have a mate who has a 50 foot wooden motor sailer and it's a cracker of a boat. But he's a tug boat engineer and knows everyone in the trade so cost isn't a biggy apart from dry docking every year for antifoul and grub detection. Handy to have when you're looking for coffee and cake after a mornings fish 🙂

If you want to talk wooden boats I'm sure he'd be happy to chat.

 

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20 hours ago, MSB said:

Robbie, before you start, do a marriage health check and if there is anything like say a new car that Mr's Drop Bear  wants/needs/a bribe do that first and then dig up your cash tin from the back yard, one more thing, make sure it has a gas fridge to keep the piss cold while you are working on her, one more thing, make sure there are no sharp knives anywhere within reach, because I can guarantee you will want to slit your wrists not long after you start, and most other times during the resto, hence the need for a gas fridge full of piss

MSB

Best post ever 🙂

 

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Thanks everyone for your comments and wise words.

I spent the afternoon on her yesterday.

I welded the steering back together and sat and poked in the engine room for a while. 

It is a lot worse than I thought...

Nothing has been maintained or if it has it has been patched together by someone that has no working knowledge. From the stop **** in the cooling system, to the rot in the main keel it is all corroded and needs replacing. The poorly built galley, the rusting 44 gallon drums for fuel tanks. The water that tastes like plastic and as many of you have reminded me that the fridge only runs on shore power.... I think she is a gonner. 

If it was bigger, if everything in the boat had not been let go, If it had a shower and a toilet for Mrs Drop Bear or even space to put one, If I was cashed up with plenty of time, if it was glass or steel so I could have a chance of insuring it, I might have taken it on but... I think I will let this one slip through to the keeper.

Perhaps I struggle too much with FOMO haha. 

Again thanks everyone especially @aussie123 for your incredibly generous offers for help. 

 

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6 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

Thanks everyone for your comments and wise words.

I spent the afternoon on her yesterday.

I welded the steering back together and sat and poked in the engine room for a while. 

It is a lot worse than I thought...

Nothing has been maintained or if it has it has been patched together by someone that has no working knowledge. From the stop **** in the cooling system, to the rot in the main keel it is all corroded and needs replacing. The poorly built galley, the rusting 44 gallon drums for fuel tanks. The water that tastes like plastic and as many of you have reminded me that the fridge only runs on shore power.... I think she is a gonner. 

If it was bigger, if everything in the boat had not been let go, If it had a shower and a toilet for Mrs Drop Bear or even space to put one, If I was cashed up with plenty of time, if it was glass or steel so I could have a chance of insuring it, I might have taken it on but... I think I will let this one slip through to the keeper.

Perhaps I struggle too much with FOMO haha. 

Again thanks everyone especially @aussie123 for your incredibly generous offers for help. 

 

Your a wise man Robbie, or your scared of Mr's Drop Bear more then you are letting on😎

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my old man bought a steel yacht some years ago from a bloke at a bargain basement price.  after throwing over $100K and countless man hours at the yacht over a period of 8 or 9 years just in re-builds, fit-out, breakages, general maintenance, he managed to sell it for a paltry $8K more than he paid for it originally.  And that was without worrying about woodworm!

 

To slip the boat every 18 months or so was generally a $1500+ prospect, as well as about 20-25 man hours depending on condition of annodes and propspeed and all that sort of fun stuff.  Berthing, rego and insurance was $9K/year.  And all that was with a boat that came with a crazy solid hull, a pretty good engine and an actual proper fuel tank.

 

In short, unless you have some significant business interests in the bahamas you're not telling us about and the ability to clone yourself multiple times to do all the work I would strongly suggest you have made exactly the right call shouldering arms to a good length ball outside off.

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2 hours ago, benno573 said:

my old man bought a steel yacht some years ago from a bloke at a bargain basement price.  after throwing over $100K and countless man hours at the yacht over a period of 8 or 9 years just in re-builds, fit-out, breakages, general maintenance, he managed to sell it for a paltry $8K more than he paid for it originally.  And that was without worrying about woodworm!

 

To slip the boat every 18 months or so was generally a $1500+ prospect, as well as about 20-25 man hours depending on condition of annodes and propspeed and all that sort of fun stuff.  Berthing, rego and insurance was $9K/year.  And all that was with a boat that came with a crazy solid hull, a pretty good engine and an actual proper fuel tank.

 

In short, unless you have some significant business interests in the bahamas you're not telling us about and the ability to clone yourself multiple times to do all the work I would strongly suggest you have made exactly the right call shouldering arms to a good length ball outside off.

Yep sounds about right. 

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Oh jebus, 

I know someone who did something similar but just kept. On paying the money to keep it at berth and didn't have time to fix it. Then when he tried it was more money than its worth. I know I would be staying clear of it. But if you think that you could potentially make Money from it in the future then why not do it. 

Good luck either way

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On 27/01/2019 at 3:12 AM, jhedrick said:

Oh jebus, 

I know someone who did something similar but just kept. On paying the money to keep it at berth and didn't have time to fix it. Then when he tried it was more money than its worth. I know I would be staying clear of it. But if you think that you could potentially make Money from it in the future then why not do it. 

Good luck either way

Thanks mate. I don't think it would ever make money and at $600 a month for berthing fee I think I made the right choice and said goodbye. I feel I would have been a lot like your mate 🙂

 

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