How much could someone get a strong "fixer upper" Pearson Triton (28') sailboat for?

Question

I've seen fully restored heavilly advertised ones for 12-16k

What kind of deal could I be hoping for. I don't care if the inside is gutted and there are no sails etc. Just has to have solid fiberglass..no trailor even.

Answer 1

If you're willing to take one on in that basic a condition then as little as $1000.  Pearson Triton - great boat!

Be real careful about the condition of the glass below the waterline - nothing particular to Pearson, ALL 'glass boats of age that have been in water.  Hydrolysis (not electrolysis) is a big problem - the gel coats are not water tight and water eventually finds any partially cured resin and creates a witches brew of chemicals that can cause blisters and leach the glass layers of their resins leaving a compromised hull.  Sometimes it's even worse in some older glass boats because it's harder to spot, but the effects are even worse - the gel coat had a looser matrix which allowed invading water to leave in the form of chemical compounds WITHOUT leaving the tell-tale blisters - while the outer coat LOOKS better, but what happens is that even MORE resin may have got pulled out of the glass.  This sometimes leaves spongy glass.  'Sound' the hull carefully - or better yet, have a surveyor check the hull - out of the water is essential.  Although you may question the fee for a relatively cheap boat at purchase, you may be well rewarded as you invest tons of labor and many dollars in the project.  Even extreme hydrolysis can be repaired but it is costly and very labor intensive.  More minor cases are not terribly hard to do, but must be done right to avoid repeats (gel coat 'peeling' (specialized job) and glass rejuvination with polyester / resins and barrier coat to replace removed gel coat - which you can do).

You can find out more about hydrolysis on the web by doing a search - worth the read if you're going to mess with an older 'glass boat that spent considerable time afloat.

Good luck and happy restoration / sailing!

Answer 2

From what I've been reading, a bargan priced "fixer upper" can easily cost you more in labor, materials, time, and energy than it will ever be worth. Many project boats can be bought for a song due to someone vastly underestimating the expense and amount of work involved in getting them seaworthy.  Some almost will pay you to take them off their hands just to be rid of them.

All this info has me convinced that the better deal for me would be to purchase a good condition used boat all ready to get wet.  The fact of the boat being ready for sailing now as opposed to years from now and being able to put money into improving an already seaworthy vessel seems to be the desirable path for me.

You can also build from ground up if you like.  There are companies with plans and kits of all types.

Here are some links:

http://www.goodoldboat.com/fixer-uppers....

http://forums.boatdesign.net/showthread....

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/showthread...

This may be interesting to you.  Here's a blurb:

>> There are some things to look out for if you buy a Triton. These boats were built in the 1960's and like any older boat, you should be prepared to make an extensive refit if the previous owner has neglected her. Suspect areas are the balsa-cored rot-prone decks (on the East coast built Tritons only), worm-eaten wood rudders, corroded masts, undersized chainplates, cranky gasoline inboard engines and electrical systems in need of replacement. There will always be plenty of repairs needed on an older boat, but of course you can still sail with a less than perfectly outfitted boat, provided the main components are in sound condition. There are scores of other small boats that make good cruisers, some of which can be found in the book, Twenty Small Sailboats To take You Anywhere, by John Vigor, Published by Paradise Cay Publishing, 1999. Another source is the cover story in July 2000 issue of Cruising World: Best Bargain Boats: The Under $15K Club, by Jeremy McGeary.

...and the link:

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:GNx...

Another part of the same link:

22. Is it cost effective to rebuild an old boat?

No, usually not. Even if you do 95% of the work yourself, it's cheaper and saves you much time and hassle to buy a Triton or similar older boat in well-maintained condition and fully fitted out and pay top dollar than to get a cheap fixer-upper and do an extensive refit. For example, you could possibly buy a broken-down Triton for say $3,000 and then spend six months full time working on it and spending easily $15,000 in materials and equipment, like rebuilding the engine, replacing the mast maybe, installing a windvane, replacing a rotten wood rudder, replacing rotten balsa deck core, etc. Or you could try to buy one fully fitted out and repaired for $15K-20K and save yourself the work with the same cost in the end. Or you could get something in between these two extremes. For many people it makes sense to pay the extra money to get a boat that is as close to perfect as you can find in order to save money and time. On the other hand, you might never find a boat already set up just the way you want it. If you do refit a boat yourself you then have it exactly the way you want it. You don't need to trust in the workmanship and equipment choices of the previous owner. You will also have the satisfaction and the useful knowledge and skills acquired rebuilding your own boat that will be needed later when the time comes to make repairs or another refit. Just don't expect to "get your money out of it". Rarely does anyone buy an older sailboat, refit and use it, and later sell it for near the amount they have invested. Your return on investment should be calculated by dreams realized rather than dollars accumulated.

http://www.triton381.com/

Best Wishes and Good Luck

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Oh.  Plans and Kits >>

http://www.by-the-sea.com/bplans.html

http://www.glen-l.com/designs/sailboats....

http://www.bruceroberts.com/public/HTML/...

http://www.clarkcraft.com/cgi-local/shop...

http://www.devlinboat.com/sgfp.htm

I think there is no end to the info that could be gathered.

Best Wishes once again.

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