Grant Kettler/Gulfstar questions

I have the opportunity to purchase, a 1973 36ft Gulfstar Trawler. The boat looks great, but the present owner could not answer the following questions.
1. Have the fuel tanks ever been replaced, and can they be replaced without removing the engine or other systems?.
2. Is the Hull a cored hull, vs solid glass bottom?.
3. Do the cleats & other hardware have backing plates?
4. Are both props/screws both right or left handed?.
5. I also read that iron & cement slurry was used for ballist in the early 70s.
The current owner admits to not being a sailor or knowing very much about his boat, but he has paid professionals to change all systems to proper standards, and he maintains this boat like a new one, and it is clean. Listing price is $34,000.00. There are a couple small fiberglass repairs to be done, but other than that, a clean nice looking boat. Would you pros help me in what to look for, or not worry about. thanks Grant Kettler

Grant,

We own a Gulfstar 44... But I can't tell you much about the 36's...but if you repost in the repair and maintenance section...there are a couple of members wh have 36's that I'm sure can answer all of your questions!

I moved it for him

I have a 75 but from what I have read we have the same hull.

1.Tanks are GRP and built into the hull.
2.Mine is not
3. I have not gotten to the cleats but the stations are backed with 1/2 FRP backings. Mine seem fine.
4. mine are both LH but no big deal for a hull speed boat.
5. I don't think the trawlers were ballasted. I think I read this in a 38 year old add. I think they took the added fuel into count.

Grant Kettler said:

I have the opportunity to purchase, a 1973 36ft Gulfstar Trawler. The boat looks great, but the present owner could not answer the following questions.
1. Have the fuel tanks ever been replaced, and can they be replaced without removing the engine or other systems?.
2. Is the Hull a cored hull, vs solid glass bottom?.
3. Do the cleats & other hardware have backing plates?
4. Are both props/screws both right or left handed?.
5. I also read that iron & cement slurry was used for ballist in the early 70s.
The current owner admits to not being a sailor or knowing very much about his boat, but he has paid professionals to change all systems to proper standards, and he maintains this boat like a new one, and it is clean. Listing price is $34,000.00. There are a couple small fiberglass repairs to be done, but other than that, a clean nice looking boat. Would you pros help me in what to look for, or not worry about. thanks Grant Kettler

Click to expand...

I've been told they have iron and cement slurry for ballast. Can'tbe very much in there by the looks of mine. The iron/cement is often mentioned as a bad thing but I'm not sure why. If it is in my keel it is completely encapsulated in frp, no problems.

By the way, anyone ever heard how many pounds of ballast are in the 36?

I removed and re-bedded all my stanchions last year. Yes, they have backing plates, but the deck is balsa cored. With use over time, the balsa will compress, the deck crack, and water will get in, turning the balsa into mush. Big source of leaks, especially over our two bunks in the stateroom. The fix was to remove the stanchion, then clean out and undercut the balsa to dry wood around all the mounting bolt holes. After plugging the bottom side, fill the spaces with slightly thickened epoxy and let it cure. Then re-drill the holes, and install the stanchions with new sealant (not 5200!!!!) The epoxy plug will transfer stress through to the backing plate, without compressing the deck. The two worst spots I cut out and installed a plywood plug, then epoxied around it. The plug was covered by the base of the stanchion. You can find some pictures on our blog site. By the way, I also moved the entry way of the lifelines to line up with the cabin hatch. I thought it was dumb to have it offset. Found out the reason it was is that the new stanchions have to be installed over the air intake box for the engines. Makes for a real tight fit to get to the packing plate and hardware, but with patience, we did it.

To answer your question about the hull, it is my understanding that all models of the Gulfstar 36 have solid glass hulls. The decks are cored but they are on most boats. With a Gulfstar unlike many trawlers I looked at you don't have to deal with teak over cored fiberglass. I like Marine Traders but most I have seen on the East coast have had the teak removed and the entire decks had to be reworked. That takes both time and money.
As far as the keel I'm told the same about the ballast being concrete and Iron but as long as the boat hasn't had keel damage it's encapsulated so no harm.
Billylll