Pricing on the old school woodies?

[GrandWood]

Hello all, as some may know been trying to sell my home and move onto a trawler. Took the house off the market over winter, and will go back up in March. I’ve been looking at trawlers now for close to two years and I like the GB 36, 42.

Budget will only score me a woodie, which I like and not stressed over a wood hull.

In woody5s most recent post on a GB32, guys are saying 15 k on it, and another said 8k, lol. I haven’t seen any decent 32s anywhere near that number, most all I’ve seen are 25 to 35k, even see one you could see daylight through the berth and they were asking 29k. 74 Glass hull there’s one listed for 52k.

Multiple 36/42s listed at 46 to 49k. Most of those are in the late 1960s at present. Those numbers seem to be the avg for that model woody. All though there are a couple 65k and up. Even seen a Alaskan49 at 49k.

I’m not familiar with hunting a boat and there market value, as I’ve only owned a 29 ft day cruiser on lake mead 30 years ago. If I visited marinas, are there more boats for sale then you see listed online?

So if I was to buy today, based on what I have seen advertised, is 49k to much to pay for a decent GB36 from late 60s. I would think there would be some wiggle room in the asking price. Was thinking winter would be a really good time of the year to pick one up, as come spring prices would rise.

As for maintenance I have electrical/ electronic experience, plumbing, carpenter, heavy equipment operator( bit of diesel experience) restored 69 camaros for a few years, and same with C5 era vettes. Do all my own maintenance on daily drivers.

Any input would be most appreciated
Joe

 

[mvweebles]

I can only offer an opinion from the bleachers.

Having decided on a specific model of boat - GB36/GB42 - will definitely help. There are a fair number of these out there.

If I were in your shoes, I'd ignore the asking price. Given a boat can easily cost >$1k/mo with slip, storage, and basic maintenance while for-sale, at least one out of three or four sellers will likely consider a bold offer, especially if it's been for sale for a while.

As an additional thought, the inverse is also true - focusing too much on purchase price may distract from the cost of ownership. Something for you to think about

Good luck

Peter

 

[Comodave]

Remember that the purchase price is only a part of the cost of a boat. First, make sure you can get insurance and a slip for a woody of that age. Then try to figure out what the ongoing maintenance cost will be, then double that cost. Fiberglass boats will be easier to insure and get a slip for. Also the ongoing maintenance costs will likely be less and certainly less work.

 

[GrandWood]

Have found a insurance company that will do wood hull boats reasonable, cruising the pnw is actually not to bad for insurance.

Plans do not include a permanent slip, will be on the hook, only visiting marinas for pump out, fuel, and supplies, maybe stay a few days at most. Summer the inside passage(should get a few years outta that alone) down to SF bay area for winter, hopefully in future years down to Mexico for a winter cruise.

 

[Moonfish]

Have found a insurance company that will do wood hull boats reasonable, cruising the pnw is actually not to bad for insurance.

Plans do not include a permanent slip, will be on the hook, only visiting marinas for pump out, fuel, and supplies, maybe stay a few days at most. Summer the inside passage(should get a few years outta that alone) down to SF bay area for winter, hopefully in future years down to Mexico for a winter cruise.

Sounds cool! Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Many owners of wooden boats do not realize the pricing structure of fiberglass vs wood. They look at the footage, the year and figure the rest is pretty much equal. Add to this, the fact that many used boat owners overprice their boat to begin with and you end up with wooden boats overpriced by as much as 50%.

Also remember that "asking" price often has only a little in common with purchase price.

Keep looking, wood should be around half the cost of glass, unless it is an exceptional boat.

pete

 

[Cold Duck]

Just an FYI, many marinas in the SF Delta area will not rent berths to woodies no matter how new or nicely kept. It's a real liability if woody sinks in berth and abandoned by owner. But there a 100s of anchorages, you can spend years exploring there.

 

[fgarriso]

The decks and house can be inspected in the water. Check for soft spots by using an ice pick and walking everywhere on the deck. The hull needs to be inspected by an older surveyor that has worked on wooden boats. The boat MUST be hauled out to inspect all areas of the hull side and bottom. Be prepared to remove some hull screws to check for rust and loose screws.
The seller should expect this also.

If the boat is kept in freshwater walk away. Freshwater is the death of wood boats. On the same subject check the deck drain areas for soft spots. Rainwater runoff can cause wood rot, and soft spots.

As far as ongoing maintenance expect to spend 10-15% of the purchase price on hull maintenance every year to keep the hull leak free and solid.

 

[mvweebles]

I enjoy old-school cruiser YouTube channels. Not many of them out there. Madison Boatworks is one - guy is a helluva craftsman and sails an old Ingrid Ketch.

Here's a video on doing a bottom job - note how many fasteners he replaces (you can ignore the section on replacing keel bolts).

And another video where he installs lifelines. Step 1: Sand cast the bronze stanchion post bases.......

Peter

 

[SteveK]

Grandwood
Sent you a PM

 

[kthoennes]

...If the boat is kept in freshwater walk away. Freshwater is the death of wood boats. ...

Huh -- never paid attention to that. I always thought the opposite, that salt water was death to woodies because of fastener deterioration and bugs and fouling. By "bugs" I mean marine organisms that eat your boat like teredo worms (actually a boring clam).

 

[SteveK]

Huh -- never paid attention to that. I always thought the opposite, that salt water was death to woodies because of fastener deterioration and bugs and fouling. By "bugs" I mean marine organisms that eat your boat like teredo worms (actually a boring clam).

yes in tropical climates.
Up here we wash the teak decks with salt water, it keeps them better.

 

[tiltrider1]

So OP wants a wood boat capable of running the West Coast. You will want a very well cared for old woodie. You need to find a really good surveyor.

I won’t say you can’t find a good woodie. I will say you are heading down a risky path so be very very careful.

It has been said more than once. The cheaper the boat the more expensive the boat becomes and nothing is more expensive than a free boat.

 

[Simi 60]

The decks and house can be inspected in the water. Check for soft spots by using an ice pick .

Can I stab you in the eye with it?

Some wanker did that on ours around ever window on both levels hard enough to ding and remove paint every couple of inches.
To repair and paint properly this windows need to come out causing more damage with sealants likely peeling fiberglass from ply.

A finger tapped around the area will register a change in sound indicating areas that may have an issue and require further inspection.
Zero destruction needed.

 

[Simi 60]

Up here we wash the teak decks with salt water, it keeps them better.

Salt loves timber - timber loves salt.

Rained for the last few days, sun coming out, time to hose the decks with saltwater.

 

[jjorgenson3]

GrandWood feel free to private message or call me to discuss further.

Best Regards,

Jim Jorgenson
M/V Jerry Land
1970 Grand Banks
Alaskan 46