[alberg30] Addendum to 66 ALBERG 30

[SandersM at aol.com]

From: SandersM at aol.com


In a message dated 1/18/00 12:43:10 PM, Shawnwilliam at msn.com writes:

>You should not pay anything more than $4,000.00 for this boat.  My boat
>was in very good condition.  All it needed was new running rigging, DF, and
>varnish the wood.  I paid $8,500 a year ago.

I totally agree.  By Shawn's experience, I "overpaid" for a comparable A30 
(Shawn's is much prettier than mine) by $1,500 -- but Shawn's ballpark is a 
realistic one.  Your description of this vessel suggests that the term 
"project boat" doesn't begin to encompass the work ahead of her buyer.  

Your post suggests that you might be underestimating the amount of work and 
expense this boat requires.  For example, you say that you think you replace 
the exterior teak and refinish the interior joinery for around "a grand."   
It would seem unlikely that you could buy the raw teak for replacing the 
exterior joinery -- even before factoring in the cost of hiring carpenters, 
or the value of your own labor, to fashion and refit the missing pieces -- 
for a thousand dollars.  The materials are not cheap; the labor required is 
painstaking.  

That is not to say that you cannot or should not try to resurrect an older 
boat on a limited budget.  But you do not want to end up with a 
half-renovated hull in your backyard, and no money or time to do the work 
that she will require.   The market for older boats is rising, but it is 
still a buyer's market in the sense that the market presumes a 
well-maintained boat.  An owner rarely recovers the costs of maintenance when 
he/she sells.  You should wait for a boat that has been well-maintained -- 
the premium you pay for it over the cost of a project boat will rarely match 
the costs of bringing the project boat up to a well-maintained standard.  At 
least that seems to be the case here on the East Coast, in the Chesapeake and 
on the Long Island Sound.

It will be a grand thing indeed if you rescue a dilapidated A30 from 
near-death.  Just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into, so 
that she doesn't end up among the ranks of project boats killed by 
well-intentioned but over-optimistic rescuers!

Sanders McNew
WILD ELF  (# 297)
Oyster Bay, New York

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