I have been shopping for an F-32 since last year. This weekend I am heading to Baltimore to look at a few. I've learned quite a bit in the past year on what to look for on an F-32. There is one thing that I don't know anything about and am hoping someone can help me out. What is the best way to examine the stringers?
Also, if anyone knows of a competent surveyor in the Baltimore area, I would appreciate their contact info.
Thanks,
Jim
Shopping for an F-32
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ready123
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Stringers & decks best done by sounding with plastic hammer and a moisture meter.
Obviously experience is directly related to the accuracy of results..... if you don't know what to look for use the surveyor.
If you are worried about the cost of the surveyor in a failing boat set up the survey like this, many good one's work this way:
surveyor to start by checking decks and stringers for wet/softness with the option to stop at that point if you decide to....
then you pay travel costs and the time up to stop point.
Obviously experience is directly related to the accuracy of results..... if you don't know what to look for use the surveyor.
If you are worried about the cost of the surveyor in a failing boat set up the survey like this, many good one's work this way:
surveyor to start by checking decks and stringers for wet/softness with the option to stop at that point if you decide to....
then you pay travel costs and the time up to stop point.
Michael
Rum is the reason Pirate's have never ruled the world
Done Dreamin'
1987 President 43' Twin Lehman 225SP Turbo
Highfield 310 Ally 15 HP Yamaha 2cycle
1978 F32 Sedan twin 318 Chry SOLD
Safe Cove Marina, Port Charlotte, FL
Rum is the reason Pirate's have never ruled the world
Done Dreamin'
1987 President 43' Twin Lehman 225SP Turbo
Highfield 310 Ally 15 HP Yamaha 2cycle
1978 F32 Sedan twin 318 Chry SOLD
Safe Cove Marina, Port Charlotte, FL
Hey there...You can save yourself alot of expence and grief by going over the boat yourself very well before you even consider an offer or hiring a surveyor.
Walk around the decks very slowly...you'll feel the soft spots if there are any. Pay peticular attention around the cutouts...ie; fuel fills, water fills and holding tank. Also, at the pulpit and around hatches and on the F/B, around the pedistal seat base.
Get a flash light and look for discoloration on the stringers...what I mean is like a brown weeping. It is not foolproof but a pretty good indication of water intrusion.
Soft spots in the decks of these boats is pretty common so don't feel discouraged if you feel them. The idea is to find the extent of them. The decks are very important to the overall structure of the boat and excessive rot and even settleting of the superstructure is a big red flag.
Good luck to you, the F-32 is a super boat and so well built, you'll be able to find a good one.
Also, one last thing. Stringer problems are more prevalent in fresh water settings than they are in salt water.
Walk around the decks very slowly...you'll feel the soft spots if there are any. Pay peticular attention around the cutouts...ie; fuel fills, water fills and holding tank. Also, at the pulpit and around hatches and on the F/B, around the pedistal seat base.
Get a flash light and look for discoloration on the stringers...what I mean is like a brown weeping. It is not foolproof but a pretty good indication of water intrusion.
Soft spots in the decks of these boats is pretty common so don't feel discouraged if you feel them. The idea is to find the extent of them. The decks are very important to the overall structure of the boat and excessive rot and even settleting of the superstructure is a big red flag.
Good luck to you, the F-32 is a super boat and so well built, you'll be able to find a good one.
Also, one last thing. Stringer problems are more prevalent in fresh water settings than they are in salt water.
That boat is pretty bow heavy in most situations so standing water may have gathered there.. You can pull the V-berth cushions and plywood supports to see the most forward ones. The hatch in the floor just at the head door is another access place but I can't think of any other access. The engine compartment and aft areas are easy to inspect.
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ready123
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No way round lifting the floor boards which are generally screwed down there. That far forward is not such a big worry, leave that area for the survey. Lifting the galley seats and removing the drawers might give you a little look from afar.JimK wrote:Regarding the stringers, is there any area in the lower portion of the boat (galley or V-berth) that that makes viewing the stringers possible?
I would think if there were problems there other things would be looking negative too... Look where the forward bilge pump is under floor aft of V berth, does it look dry and clean?
I would look at the stern stringers (thru aft hatch) and under engine mountings... strike with a hammer and also look for fibreglass delamination on the main stringers there.
Michael
Rum is the reason Pirate's have never ruled the world
Done Dreamin'
1987 President 43' Twin Lehman 225SP Turbo
Highfield 310 Ally 15 HP Yamaha 2cycle
1978 F32 Sedan twin 318 Chry SOLD
Safe Cove Marina, Port Charlotte, FL
Rum is the reason Pirate's have never ruled the world
Done Dreamin'
1987 President 43' Twin Lehman 225SP Turbo
Highfield 310 Ally 15 HP Yamaha 2cycle
1978 F32 Sedan twin 318 Chry SOLD
Safe Cove Marina, Port Charlotte, FL
-
1967 seavoyager
- Moderate User
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 1:01 am
- Location: Liverpool, NY
- Contact:
We've got a nice 1976 f-30 up here. Twin engines, flying bridge, real clean. J&S Marine 315-622-1095 ask for jimmy http://www.jsmarinejim.com
Also a 1989 12 meter.
Also a 1989 12 meter.
They'll pry a rotten plank from my cold dead fingers before i go "Tupperware". http://www.photobucket.com/restless
seavoyager36@hotmail.com
"Restless"
1967 Trojan 36' Sea Voyager Express
seavoyager36@hotmail.com
"Restless"
1967 Trojan 36' Sea Voyager Express
Jim, Here is my story.
I looked for a F32 for about a year, I live out on Long Island and found none locally that did not have mega hours on the engines or a soft deck on the bow. So I expanded my search, started looking on Yacht World and every site I could think of. I traveled near and far and my search came up empty.
I am sure everyone is thinking "there are plenty of nice F32s out there" right? Wrong... there are plenty of F32s out there but the nice ones are on this forum, and there not for sale! The guys here from what I can tell pour there heart and soul into there boat and they don't give them up easy.
The F32 was by far the best boat I could find for my family of 5 and my $25,000 budget, my problem was I was looking for perfection and that was not going to happen when your looking for a boat that was last made over 20 years ago.
My breaking point came, or should I say my vision cleared when I took a 5 hour drive up to Burlington Vermont in January! Brrrrr. The boat was just listed on Yacht World and claimed to have newly rebuilt engines and no rot.
When I got there the boat was under shrink wrap but you could still see most of the hull, it looked great except for a faded patch right on the bow.
I climbed up and took a look around. The interior was beautiful, more than I could ask for. I opened up the doors and looked at the engines and was owe struck, one of the nicest rebuilds I have ever seen. The engines were pulled the bilge was repainted and spotless. New carbs, new risers and manifolds, complete new fresh water system throughout the whole boat with a custom aluminum 70 gallon fresh water tank, two new gas tanks and a brand new hardtop, new electronics!!! Heaven on earth... I thought.
I walked up on the bow, it was January remember. As I got near the bow pulpit all I could hear was the crunching of frozen fiberglass under my feet, soft decks, I let out a loud f#/*k in disgust. It took me a minute or two to regain my composure before addressing the situation with the broker. He said there not that bad and that if I thought I was going to find something better for the $19,999 they where asking I should continue my search. I through in the towel made a offer of $17,000 which he accepted and left a $500 deposit, "i'll be back in March with a surveyor" I said. My thinking was if I could get the boat for $17,000 that would leave me $8,000 to get the decks fixed.
Sorry for the long story, hope it is worth the read.
Fast forward to March. Five hour drive and a hotel room for the night as I was meeting the surveyor at 9:00am the next morning. First thing he does is check the hull and gives a thumbs up. Then the running gear "needs new shafts, there pitted" he said. The emotional roller coaster begins. He then confirms what I already know about the decks, from the mid section up needs to be replaced. The upper part of the front deck is fine as is the fly bridge and cockpit, not a total loss.
He enters the cabin and says "nice interior" then opens up the engine hatch and says, they look great! a complete engine overview with a compression check confirms that both engines are mint, "Top of the world Ma" He checks the electrical system and says "I love fresh water boats"
Everything checks out above average except for the decks and shafts. One last thing, the gas tanks. He climbs down into the bilge and reports everything looks great, solid as a rock, then the roller coaster starts it's downhill slide. I can't find a certification tag on these gas tanks, there illegal and need to be replaced.
The previous owner who did a great job on most everything tried a shortcut. He took two saddle tanks off a tractor trailer had them cut down to fit in the boat pressure tested and installed them with gas caps still on them. I was not going to get this boat insured by any company which was a requirement for me.
I was emotionally wrecked, so close yet so far. I paid the surveyor and thanked him jokingly for doing to good of a job. I then turned to the broker and gave him a piece of my mind. Between the trips back and forth and the surveyor I was a thousand dollars in the hole with no boat!
Just short of screaming I said this is a joke and they would never sell the boat! I then said half heartedly, the boats barely worth $10,000 and got in my car tires screeching and dust flying for the 5 hour ride home.
I don't think I got 3miles down the road when my phone rang, it was the broker. Mike, you got us, $10,000 and the boat is yours. I was speechless, the numbers started running through my head, decks, new tanks, new shafts, what else might it need. I was an emotional wreck, then in a split second my vision cleared and I simply said, Ok.
We have had her two years, my family and friends have already spent countless hours aboard fishing and cruising and she has performed flawlessly. I had the shafts changed before we left Vermont. Two friends took the 3day trip down the Champlain Canal into the hudson and then the Long Island Sound, an awe inspiring trip. I then changed the gas tanks and me and my family took our first trip from Port Jefferson to Sandy Hook New Jersey to visit the in laws for a 3 day weekend. Now i'm ready to tackle the decks.
What's the moral, I don't really know. I started out writing my story and had so much fun that I forgot what my point was. I guess i'm saying don't look for perfection, just for that split second when the fog lifts and your vision is clear and you just know that this is the one.
Thanks for listening,
Michael
1976 Trojan F32, Sweet Caroline
I looked for a F32 for about a year, I live out on Long Island and found none locally that did not have mega hours on the engines or a soft deck on the bow. So I expanded my search, started looking on Yacht World and every site I could think of. I traveled near and far and my search came up empty.
I am sure everyone is thinking "there are plenty of nice F32s out there" right? Wrong... there are plenty of F32s out there but the nice ones are on this forum, and there not for sale! The guys here from what I can tell pour there heart and soul into there boat and they don't give them up easy.
The F32 was by far the best boat I could find for my family of 5 and my $25,000 budget, my problem was I was looking for perfection and that was not going to happen when your looking for a boat that was last made over 20 years ago.
My breaking point came, or should I say my vision cleared when I took a 5 hour drive up to Burlington Vermont in January! Brrrrr. The boat was just listed on Yacht World and claimed to have newly rebuilt engines and no rot.
When I got there the boat was under shrink wrap but you could still see most of the hull, it looked great except for a faded patch right on the bow.
I climbed up and took a look around. The interior was beautiful, more than I could ask for. I opened up the doors and looked at the engines and was owe struck, one of the nicest rebuilds I have ever seen. The engines were pulled the bilge was repainted and spotless. New carbs, new risers and manifolds, complete new fresh water system throughout the whole boat with a custom aluminum 70 gallon fresh water tank, two new gas tanks and a brand new hardtop, new electronics!!! Heaven on earth... I thought.
I walked up on the bow, it was January remember. As I got near the bow pulpit all I could hear was the crunching of frozen fiberglass under my feet, soft decks, I let out a loud f#/*k in disgust. It took me a minute or two to regain my composure before addressing the situation with the broker. He said there not that bad and that if I thought I was going to find something better for the $19,999 they where asking I should continue my search. I through in the towel made a offer of $17,000 which he accepted and left a $500 deposit, "i'll be back in March with a surveyor" I said. My thinking was if I could get the boat for $17,000 that would leave me $8,000 to get the decks fixed.
Sorry for the long story, hope it is worth the read.
Fast forward to March. Five hour drive and a hotel room for the night as I was meeting the surveyor at 9:00am the next morning. First thing he does is check the hull and gives a thumbs up. Then the running gear "needs new shafts, there pitted" he said. The emotional roller coaster begins. He then confirms what I already know about the decks, from the mid section up needs to be replaced. The upper part of the front deck is fine as is the fly bridge and cockpit, not a total loss.
He enters the cabin and says "nice interior" then opens up the engine hatch and says, they look great! a complete engine overview with a compression check confirms that both engines are mint, "Top of the world Ma" He checks the electrical system and says "I love fresh water boats"
Everything checks out above average except for the decks and shafts. One last thing, the gas tanks. He climbs down into the bilge and reports everything looks great, solid as a rock, then the roller coaster starts it's downhill slide. I can't find a certification tag on these gas tanks, there illegal and need to be replaced.
The previous owner who did a great job on most everything tried a shortcut. He took two saddle tanks off a tractor trailer had them cut down to fit in the boat pressure tested and installed them with gas caps still on them. I was not going to get this boat insured by any company which was a requirement for me.
I was emotionally wrecked, so close yet so far. I paid the surveyor and thanked him jokingly for doing to good of a job. I then turned to the broker and gave him a piece of my mind. Between the trips back and forth and the surveyor I was a thousand dollars in the hole with no boat!
Just short of screaming I said this is a joke and they would never sell the boat! I then said half heartedly, the boats barely worth $10,000 and got in my car tires screeching and dust flying for the 5 hour ride home.
I don't think I got 3miles down the road when my phone rang, it was the broker. Mike, you got us, $10,000 and the boat is yours. I was speechless, the numbers started running through my head, decks, new tanks, new shafts, what else might it need. I was an emotional wreck, then in a split second my vision cleared and I simply said, Ok.
We have had her two years, my family and friends have already spent countless hours aboard fishing and cruising and she has performed flawlessly. I had the shafts changed before we left Vermont. Two friends took the 3day trip down the Champlain Canal into the hudson and then the Long Island Sound, an awe inspiring trip. I then changed the gas tanks and me and my family took our first trip from Port Jefferson to Sandy Hook New Jersey to visit the in laws for a 3 day weekend. Now i'm ready to tackle the decks.
What's the moral, I don't really know. I started out writing my story and had so much fun that I forgot what my point was. I guess i'm saying don't look for perfection, just for that split second when the fog lifts and your vision is clear and you just know that this is the one.
Thanks for listening,
Michael
1976 Trojan F32, Sweet Caroline
Great story Michael...and so well stated. These boats are getting up in age and perfection is just not achievable in most cases. After all, we are not spending the 250,000-400,000 that boats in this class are fetching new these days. Glad to hear your outcome is positive. AND, that is a really gorgeous boat!
Michael,
That's a great story! Hopefully I'll be writing a similar note soon comfortably from the solid deck of my own F32.
My story from this weekend is that I lined up a number of boats to look at in the Baltimore area which is about a five hour drive each way. The one I was most interested in was a 1978 with rebuilt FWC engines, AC, generator, and a windlass. The rest of it was supposed to be in functioning and original order which I suspect it was. My first surprise is that it looked like it has been regularly stored outside during the winter with no cover. It's puzzling to me why someone would do this and leave the electronics on the fly bridge to boot.
It turned out that this boat developed significant softness in the fore deck and a rotted stringer since I lined up the appointment last week - note my sarcasm here, because I asked prior to making the trip. There was about six inches of the aft portion of one of the stringers completely gone. You could see it as soon as you opened the hatch in the cockpit. I actually pondered the idea of what the boat was worth with these issues. He was asking $18K. I could not come up with a number because I have no idea what stringer replacements cost. I also don't know what the likelihood is of other stringers being rotten as well. Does anyone happen to know if there is one rotten, are there likely to be others? Seems like the answer should be yes but sometimes things like this are not intuitive. I decided to abandon the idea of considering this one.
Thanks again for the great story and I'm glad that you wound up with a terrific boat.
Jim
That's a great story! Hopefully I'll be writing a similar note soon comfortably from the solid deck of my own F32.
My story from this weekend is that I lined up a number of boats to look at in the Baltimore area which is about a five hour drive each way. The one I was most interested in was a 1978 with rebuilt FWC engines, AC, generator, and a windlass. The rest of it was supposed to be in functioning and original order which I suspect it was. My first surprise is that it looked like it has been regularly stored outside during the winter with no cover. It's puzzling to me why someone would do this and leave the electronics on the fly bridge to boot.
It turned out that this boat developed significant softness in the fore deck and a rotted stringer since I lined up the appointment last week - note my sarcasm here, because I asked prior to making the trip. There was about six inches of the aft portion of one of the stringers completely gone. You could see it as soon as you opened the hatch in the cockpit. I actually pondered the idea of what the boat was worth with these issues. He was asking $18K. I could not come up with a number because I have no idea what stringer replacements cost. I also don't know what the likelihood is of other stringers being rotten as well. Does anyone happen to know if there is one rotten, are there likely to be others? Seems like the answer should be yes but sometimes things like this are not intuitive. I decided to abandon the idea of considering this one.
Thanks again for the great story and I'm glad that you wound up with a terrific boat.
Jim