Looking at a 1972 65 foot wooden Romsdahl

[slowgoesit]

I got a 58’ William Garden fall of 2020. Built 1952. Has had really good care. Total refit in 2002 ($750k+) and the previous owner had funds and able to keep her up. I had a 40 Year shipyard vet walk through it as well as a marine electrician. Got thumbs up, my friend said “you got nothing big to do for 10
Years, it’s been done”
Did hull and mechanical surveys in Port Townsend (Mecca for wood boats) All good…We are thrilled with our boat.

View attachment 125575

Yes, but you're in PNW. Cooler water, and not as hard on a wood boat as Socal. My last two boats were woodies, but our current (and probably last) is fiberglass, granted it's 2" thick, but still fiberglass.

 

[Comodave]

I got a 58’ William Garden fall of 2020. Built 1952. Has had really good care. Total refit in 2002 ($750k+) and the previous owner had funds and able to keep her up. I had a 40 Year shipyard vet walk through it as well as a marine electrician. Got thumbs up, my friend said “you got nothing big to do for 10
Years, it’s been done”
Did hull and mechanical surveys in Port Townsend (Mecca for wood boats) All good…We are thrilled with our boat.

View attachment 125575

Wow, $750K, do you have that kind of cash sitting around for a refurb? Even half that? It can be a money sink if there is a lot of deferred maintenance. Make sure you get an excellent survey and walk in slowly and with your eyes wide open.

 

[Gotwex]

I owned a 83' Wheeler very similar to Lepke's 23 years ago. They say you never really own a boat, you are merely the current caretaker. What are you willing to pay for that privilege? There is a simple test that will prove if you have what it takes to own a wooden boat. First step, go to your bank and withdraw $1000 in $20 bills. Go home and get a metal container and soak the cash in gasoline, light it on fire and throw it in the container. If you can do this without hesitation, and actually take pleasure in doing this, you're ready for the next step. Step two, go to this link https://www.sailingyaba.com/ and watch all 66 episodes of this extremely enthusiastic couple restore a wooden schooner about the same hull length and only 1/3 the age. Finish both of these steps and let us know if you still want to pursue the purchase.

 

[eclinden]

You guys are scaring me!
That's probably a good thing. I just acquired the survey on the boat from 2017. The surveyor was concerned about the hall but it was repaired but there were still lots of other things that I wonder if they were ever repaired. It's entirely possible that this is just too much for me to handle. It is late night and I'm tired. I'll feel better in the morning.

 

[alormaria]

She's beautiful.

 

[Comodave]

You guys are scaring me!
That's probably a good thing. I just acquired the survey on the boat from 2017. The surveyor was concerned about the hall but it was repaired but there were still lots of other things that I wonder if they were ever repaired. It's entirely possible that this is just too much for me to handle. It is late night and I'm tired. I'll feel better in the morning.

Going into a big wooden boat you should be scared. That is a good way to be. Don’t fall in love with it. Be dispassionate and logical. Good luck.

 

[mvweebles]

Famed investor Warren Buffett used to frequently quote Swanson Rules of Management. As a matter of fact, he had them published into a small pocket sized book and would send a copy for free if you asked (I did).

https://www.allbusiness.com/swansons-rules-3874513-1.html

Note #2 - "It's easier to get into a deal than out of it." Except for perhaps marriage/divorce, I can think of no better example than buying/selling a wooden boat.

Careful.....

Peter

 

[FF]

A vessel like this will require work weather its a dock queen or actually out cruising.

IF you plan on a great cruise it would be worth the effort, to use it as a cottage afloat , why bother?

Yes, there are trawler owners that like to strut the dock , but never cast off, don't be one of them.

The key to a wood boat is NO LEAKS! If you can keep it dry inside,,, everywhere , she wont dry rot .

The fear is much hull repair work , which today is an art.

Nice boat , good luck.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1972-custom-north-sea-trawler-8152540/

Represented by a broker now.

 

[PMF1984]

I love wooden boats, owned two before I scraped them.

On this one I see rust spots on the hull. I wonder If it was fastened with galvanized screws?

Also the picture of the mast tells me all I want to know about upkeep.

Ask a surveyor about the first observation, and the implications. Ask a traveling varnish crew for an estimate to redo all exterior varnish as it is beyond the ‘Maintenance’ stage.

 

[eclinden]

I saw on the 2017 survey that was the I guess the bolts going through the hall into the timbers that looked like they were rusting and indicated that it was moisture in the wood. I am thinking more and more that I should probably pass on the boat. It's beautiful but I think there's a big money hole in that thing.

 

[eclinden]

I think the pictures from yacht world are a little old. Probably 2017 or earlier. The boat trader pictures are newer. It's being sold by a private seller he probably wasn't able to sell it with the broker. The new owner when I quizzed him about various things did say that that mast needed sanding and varnishing. They have done a lot of work on the boat but it seems like they stop short of doing the things that are necessary to maybe take too long between haulouts. The owner told me that you only need to haul it out once every five years that seems like way too long to me on this boat.

 

[Mako]

Why don't you go visit the boat yourself without the surveyor. Spend a few dollars on a cheap Spirit Airways flight in the morning, grab a rental car, fly home at night. Minimal money spent. Get it out of your system.

Most of us have been through that emotional, nostalgic rollercoaster. Hell, I almost built a carvel trawler when I lived in India and then back in America almost bought an old 70ft fiberglass trawler with 7 freakin' diesels in it. What a nut case... just like you

Just do your wife a favor and don't blow too much of your hard earned money on this little fantasy. And maybe, just maybe, there will be a 1% chance that the boat works for you and you've got a half million saved up to refurb it. Then a half dozen years from now when you sell it you'll recover about $150k of that money.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

That YachtWorld listing is brand new, never before been on YachtWorld, at least not since I have been serious in my own search for the last year or so. Some of the photos I have from the owner/seller from several months ago, others appear to be new.

The video dates from spring 2018 but it’s the first time I’ve seen it, the seller never pointed me to it before, Boland sign is on the boat in the video which is weird. Maybe the brokerage agreement expired a few years ago and they are now trying it again?

The pricing has been fairly schizophrenic, between craigslist, boats.com, boat trader and now YachtWorld I’ve seen her priced from the low 60s to now the 125k.

 

[backinblue]

I have no experience with wooden boats, but wooden or not, I gotta believe any boat of that age and size is going to be very expensive to own. I don't understand why there is even discussion on what to offer on a boat listed for $95K, because whether you pay $10K or $90K, the cost of ownership will be a lot in comparison. With your budget of 50-150K for purchase, it doesn't seem like your overall boating budget is very large. I wonder what you are assuming or planning to afford as a yearly budget for dockage, maintenance, insurance, etc. I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but it seems like you are making an emotional decision to buy a boat that appeals to you that you realistically may not be able to afford owning.

 

[eclinden]

Kinda odd isn't it

 

[socalrider]

Why don't you go visit the boat yourself without the surveyor. Spend a few dollars on a cheap Spirit Airways flight in the morning, grab a rental car, fly home at night. Minimal money spent. Get it out of your system.

Another option is to just hire a surveyor for a few hours on a pre-purchase inspection. Few hundred bucks & a Zoom call should give you a pretty clear picture of whether it's a contender.

 

[Simi 60]

I think the pictures from yacht world are a little old. Probably 2017 or earlier. The boat trader pictures are newer. It's being sold by a private seller he probably wasn't able to sell it with the broker. The new owner when I quizzed him about various things did say that that mast needed sanding and varnishing. They have done a lot of work on the boat but it seems like they stop short of doing the things that are necessary to maybe take too long between haulouts. The owner told me that you only need to haul it out once every five years that seems like way too long to me on this boat.

Best thing for varnished timber in my eyes is machine sand with 60 grit and paint with single pack colour.

Ours was cheap partly because of the amount of exterior varnish work that was flaking.
Took me a day to sand it back and in our case I used self priming exterior acrylic/latex.
5 years later it mostly looks ok still.

Treat it like a workboat, not a piece of furniture

As for haulout, we do every 18 mths
This time was 2 years and that was to long.

 

[BruceK]

I think the pictures from yacht world are a little old. Probably 2017 or earlier. The boat trader pictures are newer. It's being sold by a private seller he probably wasn't able to sell it with the broker. The new owner when I quizzed him about various things did say that that mast needed sanding and varnishing. They have done a lot of work on the boat but it seems like they stop short of doing the things that are necessary to maybe take too long between haulouts. The owner told me that you only need to haul it out once every five years that seems like way too long to me on this boat.

5yr haulout frequency is different to annual mentioned previously.Too long. Paint looks very dull, what`s a repaint cost and what has to be fixed first to do the repaint properly.
A friend says when looking at a used car, grab a bucket and sponge and wash it to find the defects.
I thought it had potential,it`s been a gorgeous boat in its time, but now...old expression "all his geese were swans".

 

[magna 6882]

I dont know much about wood boats but have been enjoying the yaba saga on youtube. I find the joinery and carpentry interesting as a woodworker myself. One thing that surprised me is the worms and amount of decay and i assumed this was an antique boat but its not that old. I envision the worms in the bay watching the new food being installed and cant wait for it to hit the water.

 

[Simi 60]

I dont know much about wood boats but have been enjoying the yaba saga on youtube. I find the joinery and carpentry interesting as a woodworker myself. One thing that surprised me is the worms and amount of decay and i assumed this was an antique boat but its not that old. I envision the worms in the bay watching the new food being installed and cant wait for it to hit the water.

What sort of timber?
Never seen even a hint of worm on our 2 inch spotted gum planking.

 

[Simi 60]

. Paint looks very dull, what`s a repaint cost and what has to be fixed first to do the repaint properly.
".

Not much if already out
We had deck down repainted two years ago, quick sand, spot fill and prime, roll and tip enamel
Same again this time
2 guys 2 days.

Now if it was a plastic boat in awlgrip........

 

[BruceK]

What sort of timber?
Never seen even a hint of worm on our 2 inch spotted gum planking.

Built in UK, probably not spotted gum. Coincidentally, I`m intending a spotted gum floor at home,no risk of worm is a bonus.

 

[eclinden]

This boat is Iroko wood.

 

[eclinden]

So painting is superior to varnishing? Do you use an epoxy paint or something like that? Can you do this with the mast in place or does it need to come down?

 

[Comodave]

I think that painting will be much easier than varnish and also easier to maintain. This is assuming that you are not going for a showboat quality paint job but rather a decent job that will look nice.

 

[eclinden]

Yes I think you're right. Maintaining Teagan varnish from other boats I've had, although beautiful, kind of wore me out.

 

[backinblue]

Yes I think you're right. Maintaining Teagan varnish from other boats I've had, although beautiful, kind of wore me out.

If you are not wild about woodworking and maintaining varnish, why are you considering buying a 50 y.o. wooden boat?

 

[Sunnfjord32]

Heresy, perhaps, but I’d place her on the right plot of land, in a well draining sub-grade cradle to waterline, with drain rock, drain lines, sump pump (or daylight out drain, if on a hill slope) and enjoy her as a a liveaboard.

 

[2savage]

whether you pay $10K or $90K, the cost of ownership will be a lot in comparison. With your budget of 50-150K for purchase, it doesn't seem like your overall boating budget is very large. .

Personally I would budget $50,000 a year for ongoing ownership of this boat. Fuel consumption numbers are also a serious consideration and I don't see that mentioned. Such boats can vary greatly in fuel numbers. You're probably looking at ten gallons an hour at cruising speed of around 8.5 knots. Do your math and add the annual fuel bill to your running costs.