Cheer Men PT41 potential acquisition

[tdoriot]

Hi Gents,

My name is Tracy Doriot. I am 64 and a custom homebuilder in Vancouver WA. I have the opportunity to pick up a 1984 Cheer Men PT 41. The boat is probably a 7.5 out of 10. It has pretty new electronics, twin Perkins auto pilot, even a washer/ dryer. The downside is the exterior teak is in need of some love. Much is bare ( good thing) some still has decent varnish. Personally I prefer oiled Teak. The quandary here is this: (Don't kick me the hell off for this) while this boat is quite amazing, my first love is the 90's Bayliner 3888 Motoryacht. Surprisingly enough, good ones of that vintage are a touch scarce. And sometimes pricey. Obviously the Taiwanese boat is likely a much better boat. The expanses of Teak are delightful. The walk around decks are super nice and safe. This one is essentially a single cabin, head model. That makes a great down forward storeroom and very generous Salon with a hidabed couch and 3 chairs. Lots of great stuff. I can probably pick this one up for a song. Likely cheaper than the 3888. My issue is regretting "settling" for a design that was never on my radar. I see a few old posts from Cheer men owners, but not many. I know Trawler folks are a tight group. Is appreciate some sage advice.

 

[ufish2]

tdoriot, I have a 1983 PT Cheer men 38' and I've owned several other boats to compare. I am impressed with the interior teak, maneuverability, and efficiency. I won't lie, I'd prefer a 37' Nordic Tug but I was looking at 3 times the price.

Although the previous owner was not into keeping the boat meticulously clean, it is now. We enjoyed cruising SE Alaska last summer with few boats out there and no cruise ships.

There is a lot of exterior teak to maintain which is the only reservations I had purchasing the boat. We ran into several surprises the seller failed to disclose and the survey missed but they are repaired now. Leaking windows was a major issue with the wooden frames. I don't care for the short covered rear deck but the railings all the around the boat are quite nice. Otherwise we have been quite pleased with the PT Cheer Men.

 

[ljk]

I had a 1982 or 83 (I think) PT-41. It was a heavy built boat, I informally would tell people that, in overall quality, it was better than the Albin 43 but not as good as the Grand Banks 42.


Due to its age and the fact I was workign full time and only used her on summer weekends, maintenance was a big deal, took most of my time on board, and was the main reason I sold her.


PM me your number if you want to discuss in detail. Mine had twin Lehman 120's..

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Paint that teak, Man. It took me about two months to paint all the exterior teak but it looks great, doesn't leak and updated the looks of my 1978 Albin by 20 years.

Forgot to say, Buy the T.T.

pete

 

[rgano]

I think the difference in cosmetic maintenance requirements between the two is astounding. You do not live in a climate too conducive to the constant exterior care of the teak-heavy Taiwan boat nor to the continued good health of same. If you want to enjoy USE of the boat on a sunny day instead of wondering if you should not do some teak work instead, go for the Bayliner.

 

[Comodave]

We are gradually painting the exterior teak on our boat. We love the look and it does update the look of our boat. As to which boat is best, no one can answer that question but you. What are your needs and wants and which boat fits them best. Also which boat looks better to your eye. I can’t own an ugly boat because every time I would walk up to the boat, I would have to clinch my teeth because it was ugly. But that is me, you have to do what is right for you. Good luck.

 

[ljk]

Exterior teak

I had a 1982 or 83 (I think) PT-41. It was a heavy built boat, I informally would tell people that, in overall quality, it was better than the Albin 43 but not as good as the Grand Banks 42.


Due to its age and the fact I was workign full time and only used her on summer weekends, maintenance was a big deal, took most of my time on board, and was the main reason I sold her.


PM me your number if you want to discuss in detail. Mine had twin Lehman 120's..

Like a previous post said, Sikkens is your friend! If I was going to own another PT-41, I think I would have someone paint the teak, except for the deck, with a quality 2 part marine paint. Then I would redo the decks with Plas Teak or one of the other artifical woods. I had Plas Teak on my last boat, inside and out, and it worked great!

 

[koliver]

Teak maintenance is scary if you haven't done it. Once you have, you learn shortcuts. Some you learn not to repeat, others become part of your routine.
On a 41ft Taiwan boat from the early 80s, your routine for keeping the teak up, if followed without any long period of neglect, will not be too daunting. You may even come to look forward to the results every time you attach the project.

I have a 44' Taiwan Trawler from 1980. The teak (and other maintenance items ) had been neglected for 3 years, while the boat languished in outside storage. It was flaking off of the rails and widow trim, but in some places was lasting well. That sounds a similar to what you have described. I took possession 1 week before my annual vacation. My 16 yr old unemployed son was detailed to attack the varnish and he got it done before we left on vacation. Since then, with a single coat in the spring and a single coat in the fall, the varnish survived well for the first 5 or so years, until I got into a shelter. Now, for the past 20 yrs or so, I redo the varnish on an "as needed" schedule. This past summer, as I had other projects under way that took considerable time, I didn't get to the varnish at all until October, when the weather allowed me only a few short afternoons for varnishing outdoors. Despite the late start and lack of time to varnish I had many compliments on the beauty of the varnish on my boat this past summer. Painted rails will not get you that admiration.

My go to varnish is Epifanes, which goes on thicker and lasts better, making the job quicker and easier, with a great result.
Teak decks are meant to go grey.

 

[mvweebles]

Hi Tracy - you're 64 and your first love is the Bayliner 3888. There is more highway in your rearview mirror than the windshield - pay the premium and get the boat you want. It's time.

Only caveat I'd mention is to ask around about Hino's vs Perkins'. I don't know squat about Hino's so am not making a sideways suggestion, just that you don't want to trade one issue (teak) with another (engines).

My Willard 36 did not have much exterior wood - caprails and some small trim pieces. But I had it all encapsulated. Only exterior wood these days is if I accidentally drop a toothpick on deck.

Peter

 

[tdoriot]

True story on the road ahead. The off ramp is closer to the on ramp! The bitch with these things is the age. Finding a nice one is indeed a quest. I guess that's half the fun. The Cheer Man is a damn decent boat for the mission. I think it boils down to the survey. In the mean time, the quest to find a decent 3888 is alive and well. I appreciate your sage advice!

 

[tdoriot]

A bit of progress. My buddy is moving the boat to a larger slip so the decks won't get wind blown rain. As soon as everything is dried out, I will have the surveyor give it a once over. It nreds a good wash job so I can really see the decks. They look good. They are grey. The other teak ranges from bare where most exposed, to shiny varnish under the fly bridge protected areas. The overwhelming advice is varnish with Cetol, Ephihianys etc. On my Sea Ray, I use Teak oil every year or two. It looks great. I can only imagine 60 hours to re-do that without any deck work. That saying, it would be great if it was pulled off! The adventure continues!

 

[Comodave]

Personally, if the boat was mine I would rip the teak decks off then glass and paint the decks with Kiwigrip. Then the exterior teak trim would turn white with paint. Then your maintenance would diminish to a little a year maybe touching up any paint that got scratched. The interior teak is a different deal, we like that and it doesn’t require much maintenance except for cleaning it each year after we launch. Then you have mostly the best of both worlds.

 

[tdoriot]

The finished product done correctly would cure the problem, but I can't imagine all that work! One gent somewgerevalong the line said he had over 40k in Teak removal and fiberglassing. I think the decision point will be the surveyors testing of the decks for eater intrusion. What could go wrong?��

 

[Comodave]

I would do the work myself and the cost would be in the $2K to 3K range.

 

[tdoriot]

Sweet! I will fly you over and put you up while you do it! �� seriously, I get that the process is 90% labor. I'm a bit past the love for that much hard labor!��

 

[Comodave]

Right now I have one of my engines out and am redoing my hosue battery bank along with refurbishing the starboard side of my engine room so my plate is pretty full. Just get a set of good knee pads and start ripping...

 

[Fr8dog61]

Just get a set of good knee pads and start ripping...

++1

 

[Comodave]

I carry knee pads where ever I am working on the boat. After 2 knee surgeries I don’t kneel well,

 

[tdoriot]

Hi All, I appreciate all the helpful information. As the quest goes on, the surveyor I intend to employ has done this boat twice in the last year or two for the same seller. He is bound to not disclose results of those surveys unless the owner of the survey gives him permission, so I do not know the whole deficiency list. I do know that the current owner told me it had a "few" blisters. Reading between the lines the reality may be in the definition of few. I gather the few is an understatement. As we all know, blisters are a "thing". Probably the most impact they have is on salability. As we all know, epoxying a few is one thing. Peeling a bottom, re glassing and repainting is s BIG thing likely exceeding the current value of the boat. Anyone have any blister experience here? I think we all know simply running the good years out of these things then donating to charity is one avenue. I am not so in love that I want to pay a decent price, then add another $50 grand. If that is the route, I'd rather just buy a $ 100k turn key boat. I may have answered all my own questions, but still value input. Happy Thanksgiving to the community.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

There is a couple neat "timeline of Life" comparisons in these posts. "Off ramp vs On ramp", Rearview mirror vs windshield".

How about, "My Eyesight is worse but my Insight is better"

pete

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Don't let a few blisters scare you away. When it's out on stands they are pretty easy to repair. Our's had about two dozen nickel and quarter size. Mark them as soon as the boat is on stands (they shrink and hide when out). Come back soon and grind them out and let them drain - baking powder helps them dry out faster. if they are shallow, as most are, fill with two part filler, sand, paint the repairs with barrier coat, then bottom paint.

 

[Comodave]

We did a bottom job repairing blisters on a 30’ Carver. It wasn’t too bad. We used the Interlux system. I can highly recommend it. Good luck hope it works out for you.

 

[firehoser75]

A couple of thoughts.
If 2 prospective buyers hired the same surveyor, and both did not complete the deal, there must be some reason. Examples would include, major issues, a "large number of smaller issues", and maybe the seller not being flexible enough on pricing in the face of this information????
If it were me, I would ask the seller and/or his broker for contact info (or to contact on your behalf) for one of these previous potential buyers, so that you would then be able to engage the surveyor in a discussion of his earlier findings (with the owner of the survey's permission)?? An unwillingness to do this (in effect saying you must spend a bunch of money hoping) would be another sign to me that maybe it would be best to walk now.
Just a thought.

 

[BruceK]

Sounds like the surveyor gets repeat business on this one. Surely one of the two rejecting "buyers" would sell you their survey or authorize him talking to you. To have to survey it again to get the same information seems silly, paying for his time if that`s what he wants to tell you what he already knows makes more sense.
If it were me I don`t think I would persist with it. The signs are not encouraging.

 

[Propnut]

I own a 83 Cheermen PT 41 Europa.
Mines a single screw. She had experienced a lot of deferred maintenance when I purchased her three years ago. Nothing that some hands on work ,TLC and about $50,000 didn’t fix. She’s a good solid vessel with classic lines. We love the wide protected walk around decks and galley up layout. She handles well and very economical to operate.

 

[ljk]

Pt 41 Europa

I own a 83 Cheermen PT 41 Europa.
Mines a single screw. She had experienced a lot of deferred maintenance when I purchased her three years ago. Nothing that some hands on work ,TLC and about $50,000 didn’t fix. She’s a good solid vessel with classic lines. We love the wide protected walk around decks and galley up layout. She handles well and very economical to operate.

Love your boat! I had the dual cabin model, like yours much better!

 

[tdoriot]

Yikes! 50k and bunches of work! They are a classic boat for sure. Yours looks close to the 84. Is yours single queen island? Love to see more pics of yours! What were your major expenses?

 

[Propnut]

My came new with a big TV8-540 Perkins . Great engine, but not many were used in the marine world and the Marine parts for it are basically non existent. I knew this when I purchased the boat. I gutted the engine room. Cleaned, painted, new overhead soundproofing, new fuel tanks, new water tanks, new factory recon 6BT 210 Cummins, new ZF 280 gear, new battery banks, new wiring, new water heater, cleaned up all the wiring, etc.
I did keep the the 8kw generator .

 

[Propnut]

 

[Comodave]

My came new with a big TV8-540 Perkins . Great engine, but not many were used in the marine world and the Marine parts for it are basically non existent. I knew this when I purchased the boat. I gutted the engine room. Cleaned, painted, new overhead soundproofing, new fuel tanks, new water tanks, new factory recon 6BT 210 Cummins, new ZF 280 gear, new battery banks, new wiring, new water heater, cleaned up all the wiring, etc.
I did keep the the 8kw generator .

She must be sweet now. How about some engine room porn? Photos.