Buying a boat to live on and travel has been a long dream of mine. So far the boat buying experience has been a nightmare. It’s been one costly learning experience after another.
This is all completely new to me. I’ve never bought a boat or a house before (I keep hearing it’s a similar process). I hired a surveyor and thought once I had a survey, I could make good decision on whether to purchase or not. The survey said that the prop shaft and coupler needed to be replaced. He failed to mention anything about the transmission. I thought the survey was very thorough too, it lasted almost 8 hours.
There’s also a bad leak that the survey did not catch. It was a nice day during the survey and I think the leaks that I was aware of (leaky hatches) hid this other leak. I found that one the morning after closing when I slept aboard and then it rained.
This is why I bought my car from Carvana, no hassle, no sales people to deal with and I knew it had already passed thorough inspection.
I feel like I’m all in at this point. I just want to get this boat down to Green Cove Springs so that I can pull it out of the water to make all of the needed repairs.
I quit my job for this and winter is quickly approaching FML.
Robert,
Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. The good news is that all problems can be fixed (generally by the boat owner) and the hull of the 26 is solid fibreglass so you don’t have to worry about water penetration in the hull.
All old boats develop water leaks, even Nonsuches. The Nonsuches develop them at the opening ports (remove and re bed) The hull and deck joint (a two person job, one inside and the other on the deck. Sometimes simply tightening the nuts will work but it is better to remove and re bed the bolts. The person on the deck has to hold the head of the bolt still, especially if you are simply retightening without new caulk). They also develop leaks at the cabin top hand rails ( there are plastic plugs inside on the cabin top, remove them and using an allen key remove the hand rails and re bed them). On the cabin top above the head you will find two stainless steel plates about 2" x 1 1/2". These can also develop leaks. If you have a leak there let us know and we can give a description of the repair. Some of the boats also develop leaks in the large overhead hatch. It might leak around the joint between the lens and the frame or around the frame. If you are wanting to get to home waters. Cover the hatch with heavy plastic and tape it down. This will stop the leaks until you can get home and fix it properly. Check that the screws on the mast collar at the deck are tight and that the bolts at the base of the mast in the forward locker and the mast hold down cable are tight.
Before you head south you will want to check the steering cables. Put on a pair of leather gloves and get yourself some Kleenex. Lightly spray the Kleenex with WD40 or a similar product and run the Kleenex both directions along the steering cables. If there are broken strands on the cables they will snag the Kleenex. If there are broken strands the cables should be replaced before you head down the ICW. While you are down in the back of the boat lubricate the rudder post. There will either be a grease fitting or a small round cup on the front side of the fibreglass tube holding the rudder. If it is a grease fitting you know what to do. If it is a round cup, check to see that it contains grease and then turn it in a couple of turns to push grease into the tube.
Based on the photos your boat has a stuffing box.The corrosion on the coupling and back of the transmission may be from a stuffing box that is throwing too much salt water. It needs to be adjusted so that it has 2 -3 drips per minute when the shaft is turning. It might have to be re packed. If you are checking the stuffing box yourself, make sure you are well clear of any moving parts. Also make sure you do not have lose clothing that can get caught. Finally make sure someone is around when you go into the back lockers and engine compartment.
You really should do something about the coupling and the transmission before you head out. Based on what I read there is a lot of motoring to do going down the ICW and that coupling looks like it is ready to fail at any time.
Remember to keep asking questions. Someone in our group will know the answer or will know of someone in the area that can help out.
Engine. Get an oil test kit from Caterpillar, or from Blackstone. For about $30 they will run an oil analysis that will tell where the boat is in terms of wear. It may be best to change the oil / filter, run the engine for 10 hours then test the oil. Total cost 2.5 qts of oil and a filter. Be careful filling the oil as it will not take much over 2.3 qts.
Water leak. The leak at the mast, not a huge immediate issue as it is well sealed there . The one in the cabin is most likely the hand rails, remove the plastic caps, you’ll need a Philips screw driver to remove the screws. Don’t re use the screws. Lots of info on that process here in past posts. Other deck fixtures like fair leads are also candidates. The two metal tangs you see on deck, if they leak that will show up on the face of the aft bulk head starboard side and on the front of the starboard bulk head.
That coupling is a major concern but not a huge expense to replace. I’'d clean up the transmission when you do the coupling and change the oil. May take some time and effort to remove the drain plug on the transmission. It is a cast casing so penetrating oil, and a small amount of heat. Keep the penetrating oil well away from the shaft seals as it will ruin them. Never pays to be in a big hurry doing this type of work. I had an old British car held together largely by rust. Took days to free up some bolts, but they eventually came loose. Oil, tap tap tap, oil, tap tap tap. There is great penetrating oil that freezes the bolt as you apply it. It did all the heavy lifting. Found it at Autozone.
This is neglected boat and 90% of the work to get her seaworthy will be labour intensive. Nothing extraordinary in terms of complexity, but lots of time and dust. If you are relatively handy it will just take time.
Thanks for the great tips. I have calmed down a bit from this morning. I think the stresses from the last month just reached a crescendo.
One of the things I was looking forward with boat ownership was having constant projects to attend to. I’m pretty handy and have a decent reference library for a lot of this stuff plus youtube and this Owner’s group has been amazing so far.
Robert,
If you need help from professionals, you might contact Luke, the service manager at Hartge’s Yacht Yard (not yacht harbor, that’s a different place). Not cheap but honest. And they’re in Galesville. They work on Westerbekes but I’ve also used Bay Shore Marine in Annapolis to rebuild the transmission on my former 26C and was pleased with their service. If there’s anything I can do to help you locally please let me know.
Robert: recommendations such as Jim’s are worth there weight in gold. Rely on them. After you get that coupling replaced, and you finally get underway, don’t hesitate to ask my advice as to traveling on the ICW as I’ve made that rip 30 or 40 times.
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
People here are giving great advice, and there’s a huge additional trove of useful information on the International Nonsuch Association website at Nonsuch.org if you’ve joined the association.
You’ve gotten so much good advice already that the only information I can add is to get some square head drivers; the Hinterhoeller factory used a lot of square headed screws and bolts rather than hex or Phillips. Many of the leak sites, particularly the handrails, will have square head slots if they’re still original.
So sorry about all the stress you’re feeling. I’ve had boats that have literally given me nightmares, so I can imagine how it feels for you on bad days. There’s an old saying that a boat will scare you to death long before it kills you. (It’s equally true for maintenance headaches and for rough weather.) Another old saying is that even an elephant can be eaten if you just take one bite at a time.
Hopefully I’ll be good to make the journey in about 3 weeks or so. I dropped all of the nasty cushions off to be redone yesterday. That will be about two weeks. I think 3 weeks should be enough time to get the mechanicals sorted.
I’m done whining and complaining. If anyone catches me doing it again, please virtually slap me upside the head.
Welcome aboard. Better a “neglected” Nonsuch than an OK so-so boat. We all have lots of ongoing projects with our boats. Nonsuches are beautiful vessels - very, very well built. There are a mountains of things to attend to that do not need to be addressed “right now” (though you might find that hard to believe). Yes, your planned schedule may have to be “adjusted” but, hey man, that’s life !! And, yes, you may have to spend a bit more cash than you may have thought but before you you hand out cash for Westerbeke parts, check in here. Many INA members have alternate places to source parts that may cost you 1/4 the price.
Talking to this surveyor is a great idea. Jim Cosgrove WILL be worth his weight in gold.
Pour yourself a drink and smile - you deserve it. You will love this boat. Everything will work out.
You’ll see !!
Ernie A. in Toronto
PS - It ain’t snowing down in Galesville, is it ???
Robert,
Puffin II looked pretty good in the photos on the broker’s site. The water stains in the forward berth were visible but otherwise she looked not bad.
One thing I forgot to mention for you to check is the mast joint. I don’t know the system used in the 1986 26 Ultra but earlier versions of the 26 used aluminium bolts at the joint and over time they failed. If the two main bolts are aluminium or the small bolts around the joint are loose the joint will need looking at. If the two large bolts are stainless steel and the small bots are tight there is a good chance the joint has been upgraded. Mike Quill’s website has a good article on the joint repair and he carries the parts for the repair. Here is the link. http://www.mqyr.com/mast_joints.html
It is interesting that you thought you might need to spend $10,000.00 on the boat to cover what is sometimes referred to as delayed maintenance. I have this believe, not based on any hard evidence, that when a person buys a boat they should expect to pay at least another $10,000 in the first year doing stuff to the boat. This will include things like new lines and blocks, maybe new cushions or instruments. It is part of the process of making the boat your own.
FWIW, I upgraded Leda’s mast joint a few years ago with the latest bolts from Mike Quill. All went well, and installation was very straightforward.
Julian Smith
Leda
N26C
Shelburne, VT
PS Thor: I’d never heard of Robertson screw heads until I moved to Calgary from Belgium back in 1979. A quick trip to the local Sears and I was all set!
The very best things invented in Canada are Poutine, Robertson (square head) screws and insulin (in that order of importance).
OK, maybe the order is wrong. But, these Robertson screws are winners. They allow you to keep a screw tightly on the driver bit. They make assembly of darn near anything a breeze. I used to work in theatre production and the two things that hold a show together (especially on the road) are masking tape and Robertson screws.
The easy way is to own one of these multi-bit (exchangeable bit) drivers that comes with some Robertson bits. Otherwise, the most common size used is a RED handled driver (fits screw size or thickness (8 - 10) and a GREEN handled driver (fits size 4-6 screw). To confuse matters, we’d sometimes call a GREEN handle a “Number one” a RED handle, a “Number two” and… yup … a BLACK handle (10 - 12) a “Number three”.
Many, many screws used on a Nonsuch (and most other Canadian boats) are the Robertson variety.
Mark Powers point is very well taken. You spend and you get WHAT YOU WANT. It is hard to beat that. Go slow, Robert. If it ain’t sinking, all is well. I lived aboard my wonderful old Carter 30 sloop with a pesky deck leak (over my head as I slumbered in the V berth). I did not fix the problem by doing a proper repair up top - I solved the problem by hanging a vacu-form wallpapaer tray (it weighed one ounce) over my head when it looked like I’d get rain (or snow). It worked very well and looked … pretty stupid.
i don’t advocate “that” method but, believe me, it doesn’t all have to dealt with lickety-split.
