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Old 03-17-2018, 01:50 PM   #1
Steve91T
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City: Huntersville NC
Vessel Name: Abeona
Vessel Model: Marine Trader 47’ Sundeck
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 898
Has anyone bought a bit of a fixer upper??? 46’ Jefferson

Hello all! Last summer we bought a 31’ Mainship and have loved it more than we ever thought we would. Many of you said it was a great starter Boat and we’d eventually wanted larger. We thought that was ridiculous. Well...the Mainship is going up for sale soon because we are looking for a bigger boat. Lol

My wife and I have always wanted a bit of a fixer upper. Our first house was a 1980 that we totally renovated. Now we are in another house that’s a 1988 and are also renovating it as well. We do everything ourselves (except removing popcorn ceilings....awful job). Anyway, we see a lot of larger older travelers that are really just a little neglected and ugly. It would be fun to renovate one. But of course we know if we aren’t careful, the boat could end up costing much more money than we ever planned. So we are looking for something that’s mechanically sound, just need some TLC.

We have a 4 year old little girl and a little boy who will be here in a few weeks. We really want 3 staterooms. Not only so the kids could have their own rooms in case little man sleeps at different times than our daughter, but also so friends could stay with us and the kids could sleep in the V Birth bunks. We plan on keeping this next boat for a very long time.

This brings us to “Therapy”. She’s a 1988 Jefferson 46’. We love everything about the lay out. I love that it has two helms, a large fly and back deck, and lots of room inside. Now, this particular boat has some rather outdated pics and info. A hurricane destroyed the isenglass and blew away most of the cussions on the fly. Bimini is still there. The inside is as pictured except it’s a mess...so dirty. Also it comes with no electronics.

I have videos of the mains firing up with no smoke and the generator running. It’s currently in the water and the owner is using it. Being mechanically inclined, I’d check it out myself. I’d also send oil and gearbox samples out to be analyzed. All systems work except for an AC, has an error code. I’d have the owner have it serviced and make sure it’s working.

Our plan would be to update the interior, remove the built in benches on the fly and use patio furnature and because there’s a helm in the saloon, we’d leave the isenglass off and just keep the bimini for shade.

He is asking $60k. These boats go for $80-100 in nice shape.

We plan on flying from Charlotte to the Boat and moving it to the keys hopefully by the winter. After we get tired of the keys, we want to go to the Bahamas and eventually end up in Southport NC.

Our trips would be about 3-4 days at a time, once or twice a month leaving the boat at transient slips along the way. I think we’d get to New Orleans and leave it there for a bit, taking a break from moving it and focus on getting some work done while enjoying a cool city. Then when we are ready, we’d continue until we want a break again.

I’d love to hear some experiences with anyone who has bought a boat that needed TLC. And as always, and and all opinions are welcome!

Thanks guys.
Steve

Here’s the link:

http://www.boats.com/power-boats/198...erson-6092066/
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