I feel sorry for this couple....

A while ago I came across this Youtube channel of a young couple who bought a Brazilian wooden schooner. From the get-go I thought they had made a very unwise choice and the further they get into it the more I'm convinced they have made a huge mistake. But, like a accident on the freeway I find myself having to watch.

https://youtu.be/LX1jsZ1CF3A

Parts of the series where they show the damage to the boat and how it is disassembled and repaired are interesting.

Good thing they have supporters to pay for some or all of it. Even in Brazil, that kind of work can't be cheap.

I keep thinking what most of the YT comments already say - a zillion dollars and years of work. Good thing they're young, they'll need a few decades.

I have followed this couple's videos since they bought the boat. Right now it is on the hard, the keel and the bottom half of the hull and many of the ribs are rotten and worm eaten. They are all removed and they are getting ready to install the new keel, which is almost ready for placement. HUGE, HUGE job.

M.P. ( the wife) is always excited and in a great mood. Thats probably what keeps the project going. They are into it DEEP.

I wish they would elaborate on the costs and price of materials and labor a bit more.

I wish them luck, They seem happy..

pete

I wonder if that boat is worth it. I don't mean financially/rate of return kind of thing, I mean worth it in the aesthetic sense. Sometimes you look at an old classic in sad terrible shape and think, wow, that had to be beautiful in its day. When I look at that one, even that clip of what they call "old footage" I just don't see it. Seems like an odd design combination of Chinese junk and schooner with the stern too short and blunt.

I don't see this boat as worth it. Now, if they had found an old 1950's classic European boat with great lines and good sailing performance I could see making the investment. But, this boat isn't blue water capable, so long distance cruising is out, and in general it's just not going to be much more than a floating home. And the entire thing is rotted out, so although they are doing some sistering of frames and some replacement of rotted areas they appear to be leaving a lot of rotted wood. The rotted wood remaining will continue to consume the old and infect the new wood. I was also surprised to see that they don't treat any of the new wood on the ends where joints are made. In fact, I haven't seen them treat any of the wood being installed.

My guess is that all this work will last 2-4 years before major rebuilding is required again. All this work is just not worth it for a boat like that, it has no real value.

That's the thing, in order to restore a diamond in the rough, you have to start with a diamond in the first place.

Education is expensive. never more so than with an old wooden boat as the teacher

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

The entire YT channel has been alive for 2 months. I doubt they have much of a Patreon following at this point. Enthusiasm will wane in direct proportion to available funds.

If they had a large nest egg to begin with, they probably would have bought a much newer boat in better shape. If they had the skills and knowledge to properly repair the boat, they probably wouldn't have bought it.

I think they're in a situation where they can't unring the bell. I truly wish them the best, but I'm not optimistic that that will be their outcome.

That is not a proper ballasted deep keel for a sailing vessel. Old keel or new keel. And booms are above pilot house, so sail pressure will be way high.

Doubt it sails very well.

I like these kind of more raw channels much better than the slick more commercial/fancy ones. I just watched most of these videos in sequence. Good entertainment IMO...very interesting regarding the wood repairs.

I looked and they have about 105 people already on their Patreon roster, have direct donations through paypal and sell merchandise. I bet they are bringing between $2500-$5000 a month already. Probably making some money especially when converted in to Brazilian labor. I expect their channel to grow.

Barking Sands said:

I like these kind of more raw channels much better than the slick more commercial/fancy ones. I just watched most of these videos in sequence. Good entertainment IMO...very interesting regarding the wood repairs.

I looked and they have about 105 people already on their Patreon roster, have direct donations through paypal and sell merchandise. I bet they are bringing between $2500-$5000 a month already. Probably making some money especially when converted in to Brazilian labor. I expect their channel to grow.

Click to expand...

I agree that there is entertainment value in their videos. They were encouraged to start a channel from another couple who recently renovated a unique steel sailboat, Odd Life Crafting. This channel is also worth a look IMO, the two are pretty entertaining. Another newer channel is Expedition Evans where a couple are repairing a Beneteau which was run aground. The difference in these channels though is that when they are done the boat they have will last for years and will be capable of long distance travel and have some value. The Yaba boat will not.

well, at least they're in a part of the world where labor is cheap.

I watched it and got hooked. They are a sweet couple and I am learning skills I will never use - rebuilding an old rotten wooden boat. But I can't help but root for them - ah to be young and spirited and hopeful vs my old, rotten, cynical self.

I too discovered their channel recently and have spent the past couple of days catching up on the project. As the owner of a 60 y/o wood boat, I couldn't imagine taking on such a large vessel in that condition. At least they are young and energetic!
Do I remember correctly that the boat was built in 2007? Lots of worm damage for 14 years, hopefully they have the funds to copper sheet the bottom this time.

I read a great book a few years ago called The Last Voyage of Christopher Columbus and there was a fair bit of discussion in that book about wood worm, especially in the Caribbean. Ships would only last a year in that water before they had to be rebuilt if I recall. I imaging they are using better hardwoods from Brazil than Europe did back then in the late 1400's but still a major concern in those warm waters. The wood they are using on Yaba's keel looks soft to me though, not at all like the purple heart used on Tally Ho.

I can't watch videos like that! They give me bad dreams at night!

I stumbled on another one, more trawler-ish:

Oh come on now. At some point it just gets silly -- heck, I'll just give them a rotten deck plank from nearby swamp instead and tell them it used to be a glorious boat, and they can build a whole new ship around it, that'll be easier. That's a literally rotting hulk, it's a pile of decaying material that used to be a boat. I understand restoring sad boatyard orphans to former glory, I grew up near Mystic and watched the guys (endlessly) refurbish the Charles W. Morgan and others, but at some point the remains are so far gone it's just silly. I'm no virtue-signaling social justice warrior either, but at some point I can't help thinking there really are kids starving in the world, what are you going to spend your time and money and energy on in life? In the final analysis Don Quixote was tragically sad and self-delusional, not admirable.

I truly believe Yaba will sail again. The owners are becoming knowledgable and are trying to do the right thing.

The above video of the WWII vessel. It will never move again. The owners know NOTHING, don't know bow from stern or what any of the equipment is or what it is for. They need to walk away. No, run away! If they are looking for an old wooden boat to restore there are lots of them out there. Smaller, better bones and a better chance of finishing.

pete

Wow, that WWII boat couple is a sad deal. What brings a couple who know nothing about boating to make such a life changing decision? That boat will never be restored, I agree Pete.

In order to be a successful YouTube channel you need to be at a minimum:
1. Charming and entertaining.
2. Informative.
3. Somewhat capable.
4. Reasonable at videography.
5. Inspiring.

That couple is none of the above.

I had trouble trying to watch but made it to the second video where they got the engines started. The male then proceeds to gun the engines while they are stone cold and doesn't even look at the RPM's. It's clear he's never operated a marine diesel engine before.

I saw a member post 2007 build. With that damage and rope steering would it be that new? With worm damage so rampant on boats it seems wood is that worst material to build a boat for warm water?

lwarden said:

Wow, that WWII boat couple is a sad deal. What brings a couple who know nothing about boating to make such a life changing decision? That boat will never be restored, I agree Pete.

In order to be a successful YouTube channel you need to be at a minimum:
1. Charming and entertaining.
2. Informative.
3. Somewhat capable.
4. Reasonable at videography.
5. Inspiring.

That couple is none of the above.

I had trouble trying to watch but made it to the second video where they got the engines started. The male then proceeds to gun the engines while they are stone cold and doesn't even look at the RPM's. It's clear he's never operated a marine diesel engine before.

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You forgot to include that it helps to be photogenic (especially the female).

Maybe one should look at this another way.

Maybe the reason to have the boat, and the channel, is to provide a living while they work on the boat. If they ever get the boat in the water is a moot point if they get enough subscribers, viewers, and Paetron accounts to pay for their expenses while the rebuild the boat.

I would build a boat if someone would pay my living expenses...

Not a bad business model.

Later,
Dan

ssobol said:

You forgot to include that it helps to be photogenic (especially the female).

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I was trying to be nice, also is included in the "charming" category.

dannc said:

Maybe one should look at this another way.

Maybe the reason to have the boat, and the channel, is to provide a living while they work on the boat. If they ever get the boat in the water is a moot point if they get enough subscribers, viewers, and Paetron accounts to pay for their expenses while the rebuild the boat.

I would build a boat if someone would pay my living expenses...

Not a bad business model.

Later,
Dan

Click to expand...

Business model is mute if you can't fulfill at least half of my list since you won't have any subscribers/Patreons to pay for it. The Yaba channel can at least check half the boxes so they will probably be fine financially.

I have been watching since this post was made and have been enjoying the content since its not every day you get to see a wood boat being repaired. However..I just recently went to their Instagram page and in the Q&A section it states that this boat, Yaba, was originally built in 2006. Can this be correct? I figured it would have been a mid 20th century boat?

I think the Yaba folks have found the perfect YouTube project. They will be making video’s for at least a decade. Then they can continue on making video’s of their travels with the boat. The fact that it is so far gone means we will see every style of repair imaginable. I’ll be watching this project for years.

I would love to know what the costs are. I see 6 guys working 40 hours a week for a month so far. That would easily be $60,0000 here in the US, and the cost of that block of wood the keel is being made of wouldn’t be cheap here either.

Ya just have to shake your head

There is a saying about socialism, I think it may have originated during the Spanish civil war. It goes something like this.

"If your not a socialist before your 30 you have no heart. If your a socialist after your 30 you have no brain."

I think the same thing could be said about buying a boat. You buy a boat from the heart. A boat is much more than something that floats on the water. A boat represents the dreams of things to come.

I bought my first boat before I was 30, it was a sailboat. I had it for 5 years then sold it and then started chartering both sail and power boats. But after a while the heart took over, I bought my trawler in my 50's and I have been paying for it ever since. But I'm having a lot of fun, belong to a nice yacht club and get to join the discussions on this forum.

How this couple turns out with this boat is anyones guess. There are probably easier ways to get into boating. But for this couple, this is their story.

I believe the correct quote says "liberal" not "socialist".

There are many variations on it. Most people attribute it to Churchill, but that seems to be incorrect.

It was something my father said a lot.