Boat that needs some love in Kemah Texas Area

[Caggie]

We are in the final throes of purchasing a boat in Jacksonville, FL that desperately needs some love! We are tapping into the collective wisdom on this site for recommendations to get this done in the Clear Lake/Kemah/Seabrook area. Our initial work scope includes ripping out the carpet and replacing with flooring, building some cabinets (and possibly a dinette), canvas work including replacing cushions and bimini, rebedding the portlights, buffing and waxing the hull and a bottom job. Phase 2 will tackle replacing the 12 year old electronics, but that can tackled later in the game.

Please share with us your good, bad or ugly experiences! Thanks in advance!

 

[obthomas]

We are in the final throes of purchasing a boat in Jacksonville, FL that desperately needs some love! We are tapping into the collective wisdom on this site for recommendations to get this done in the Clear Lake/Kemah/Seabrook area. Our initial work scope includes ripping out the carpet and replacing with flooring, building some cabinets (and possibly a dinette), canvas work including replacing cushions and bimini, rebedding the portlights, buffing and waxing the hull and a bottom job. Phase 2 will tackle replacing the 12 year old electronics, but that can tackled later in the game.

Please share with us your good, bad or ugly experiences! Thanks in advance!

Bottom job, rebedding port lights and waxing see Pepe at clear lake marine center on NASA 1.

Canvass and cushion work, best do it in FL. Take you forever here.

Same with carpet and woodwork.

Good Luck

 

[Caggie]

I have heard that Pepe’s is the place to go. I need to mull over the thought of managing woodworking and canvas projects from a distance.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

You should separate the jobs into two categories. One to be hired out and the other as a do it yourself job.

It almost sounds like you are planning on having some if not most of the jobs hired out. IMHO, you should not buy a boat that "needs love" if you are going to hire that love out. It makes for a bad balance, and expensive.

You will never build any equity by paying for maintenance. You don't really build equity on a boat anyway but throwing money at a boat is never ending, especially one that "needs love"

pete

 

[Caggie]

Thanks Pete for sharing your opinion. I agree with you on the nonsensical notion of building equity with a boat, but this is about an experiencal adventure for my wife and I as we prepare to do the Loop in 2022.

 

[LaBomba]

My last boat I spent “Loving” it. After 6 years and an incredible amount of time and money we decided to sell for a bigger one. We lost money on the material added only with nothing for all my hours. I would never buy another project boat unless it is just cleaning and waxing needed or minor repairs.

 

[BandB]

Thanks Pete for sharing your opinion. I agree with you on the nonsensical notion of building equity with a boat, but this is about an experiencal adventure for my wife and I as we prepare to do the Loop in 2022.

Have you gotten estimates from yards on the work? Do you really have an idea of how much it's all going to cost?

Reading your posts scares me because I picture someone about to find out it's going to cost them two or three times their most conservative estimate and take two to three times as long. DIY refurbishing is not for the beginner or faint of heart, not for the one on a budget, and not for the one lacking in patience.

Did the surveyor give you an estimate? There are good yards in Jacksonville you could have estimate the job for you. I just fear for you, fear it won't be done for a 2022 loop, may never be all done as the cost might deflate you and your wife totally toward the idea.

 

[mvweebles]

We are in the final throes of purchasing a boat in Jacksonville, FL that desperately needs some love! We are tapping into the collective wisdom on this site for recommendations to get this done in the Clear Lake/Kemah/Seabrook area. Our initial work scope includes ripping out the carpet and replacing with flooring, building some cabinets (and possibly a dinette), canvas work including replacing cushions and bimini, rebedding the portlights, buffing and waxing the hull and a bottom job. Phase 2 will tackle replacing the 12 year old electronics, but that can tackled later in the game.

Please share with us your good, bad or ugly experiences! Thanks in advance!

How does the boat get from FL to TX? If by truck, you may want to have the bottom done by whoever receives the boat and launches.

As many know, I'm refitting/restoring my Willard 36. I can tell you I have had a difficult time getting quotes from anyone, even when the boat is in their yard.

1. Yard Work - bottom, waxing hull
2. Canvas work - subcontractor who specializes in canvas (same as a yard would do). Same one who does upholstery. You will want to do this close to home for fitting. It always takes longer than they say it will take.
3. Carpentry - cabinets, flooring. Also needs to be close to home as multiple fitting sessions are usually needed, and final finishing. If all goes well, you'll love the work and add-on more cabinets.

For #2 and #3, you're probably better off asking around for satisfied customers near your marina in TX. Or ping this forum for a specific question on canvas/carpentry in Kemah/Clear Lake TX. I don't see this as a major undertaking (says the guy who's engine is 2-miles away from the boat). I understand why you're doing this.

Good luck!

Peter

 

[Caggie]

Thanks for your insights Pete. We spent a beautiful day visiting various vendors in the area trying to get a feel for the skill sets and cost. However, cost is hard to pin down without seeing the job with their own eyes. Fair enough.

 

[Caggie]

Sorry, I meant Peter, not Pete. To answer your last question, we are going to bring her to Texas on her own bottom. We will have a full service on her twin Yanmars and have Bo Bohanan from First Mate Mechanical Services in Jacksonville look her over good! Going to be a fun adventure!

 

[GFC]

My opinion when it comes to things like this "project boat" is this: Do I want to USE the boat or FIX the boat?

I always seem to answer my own question.

 

[mvweebles]

My opinion when it comes to things like this "project boat" is this: Do I want to USE the boat or FIX the boat?

I always seem to answer my own question.

This doesn't sound like a project boat to me. Sounds like a boat that probably didn't show well and needs some cosmetic stuff addressed, and some carpentry modifications to better suit their usage. Regardless, request was for referrals, that was it. I only chimed in to support the notion the work needs to be separated and how to best find folks to do the work.

BTW - if had some really decent upholstery done Mail order, though it was over 10 - years ago. I had them do a fan tail settee from patterns and it turned out really well - I was in San Francisco, they were in St Pete FL (ironically, about 15-mins from where I now live). Because of passage of time, I cannot recommend them. But at the time, I found their work solid and costs reasonable (though not cheap). I was stunned at how well the settee cushions fit. Sorry, only Pic I could find shows the engine in the way, but you get the idea - it's a complicated settee.

https://www.islandnautical.com/

 

[Caggie]

This doesn't sound like a project boat to me. Sounds like a boat that probably didn't show well and needs some cosmetic stuff addressed, and some carpentry modifications to better suit their usage. Regardless, request was for referrals, that was it. I only chimed in to support the notion the work needs to be separated and how to best find folks to do the work.

Spot on Peter and thanks!