1988 F36 w/wet deck - considering making offer anyway
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 3:48 pm
Hi Freedom owners!
My partner Chuck and I went to see a 1988 F36 sloop on Saturday. For the first time since we started looking for a blue water boat $60k or less, we've previewed a boat we really like and could see ourselves cruising in.
Our plan is to sail from the west coast across the Pacific for a long term South Pacific tour... maybe more if the boat, our health, and our budget are up to it. We have been searching fruitlessly (and disappointingly) for a 35-40 foot cutter or ketch with solid fiberglass hull, center cockpit, modified full encapsulate keel, skeg-hung rudder, and excellent engine access.
We recently picked up a copy of "Blue Water Sailing on a Budget" by Capt Jim Elfers, and the Freedom 36/38 is counted in as a top 20 blue water boat which can be found for $50k or less. So when we found one on Yachtworld in our area, we had to go check it out.
The F36 sloop with its aft cockpit, cored hull, spade rudder, fin keel, narrow engine access, and stand-alone CF mast is REALLY "out-of-the-box" thinking for us.
We had an unexpected reaction to this boat, even though she doesn't meet any of our most basic criteria other than size. We are very fond of her. We love her simplicity and the idea of no standing rigging!!! This is the first time we've had an "emotional reaction" to any boat we've seen. We might say we "have a feeling about her" -- which makes no sense to us logically because her features are so far departed from the criteria we'd previously decided on. We spent all day Sunday obsessively researching Freedom yachts and were comforted a lot by what we read on this forum. You guys really seem to love your Freedom boats! Also nice to see so many of them hitting blue water.
I do have a serious question though and I really need your help and insights! The broker told us that a recent survey found two moist delaminated spots on the deck, one of which is 8" from the mast partner. This defect may put the cost of the boat WELL under our purchase budget. (We plan on spending three years to refit and prep our boat for offshore and expect to put $40k - $50k into a refit.)
My most critical question is this: If we invested the time and money in repairing and recoring the deck, will it be "good as new" again or would the deck strength forever be compromised? My biggest concern is that the larger of the two moist spots was near the mast partner. Once repaired, will the deck be able to support offshore stresses placed on it by the mast?
Also, I've noted that the hull coring ends at 12" before the keel and that all factory through-hulls are installed in this area, so that no core material can get wet from leaky through-hulls. Is the same true for the mast partner area on the deck? Is it balsa-cored all the way to the mast partner, or did the builders leave a margin of solid fiberglass around it, as they did around the keel and deck-to-hull joint?
My last question was about keel bolts. Before we met the F36, we were very leery of bolted-on keels. The recent survey showed good sound keel boats with no signs of corrosion. I would love to hear from other Freedom owners about their keels and how sturdy (or not) they have been over the years.
Of course, if we do make an offer we will get our own survey done, including haul-out for hull and keel inspection. If there's delamination of the hull, we'll probably back out of the deal. That might be more work and cost than we are willing to invest.
Thank you all in advance for your helpful insights. Your time is very much appreciated.
Mary
My partner Chuck and I went to see a 1988 F36 sloop on Saturday. For the first time since we started looking for a blue water boat $60k or less, we've previewed a boat we really like and could see ourselves cruising in.
Our plan is to sail from the west coast across the Pacific for a long term South Pacific tour... maybe more if the boat, our health, and our budget are up to it. We have been searching fruitlessly (and disappointingly) for a 35-40 foot cutter or ketch with solid fiberglass hull, center cockpit, modified full encapsulate keel, skeg-hung rudder, and excellent engine access.
We recently picked up a copy of "Blue Water Sailing on a Budget" by Capt Jim Elfers, and the Freedom 36/38 is counted in as a top 20 blue water boat which can be found for $50k or less. So when we found one on Yachtworld in our area, we had to go check it out.
The F36 sloop with its aft cockpit, cored hull, spade rudder, fin keel, narrow engine access, and stand-alone CF mast is REALLY "out-of-the-box" thinking for us.
We had an unexpected reaction to this boat, even though she doesn't meet any of our most basic criteria other than size. We are very fond of her. We love her simplicity and the idea of no standing rigging!!! This is the first time we've had an "emotional reaction" to any boat we've seen. We might say we "have a feeling about her" -- which makes no sense to us logically because her features are so far departed from the criteria we'd previously decided on. We spent all day Sunday obsessively researching Freedom yachts and were comforted a lot by what we read on this forum. You guys really seem to love your Freedom boats! Also nice to see so many of them hitting blue water.
I do have a serious question though and I really need your help and insights! The broker told us that a recent survey found two moist delaminated spots on the deck, one of which is 8" from the mast partner. This defect may put the cost of the boat WELL under our purchase budget. (We plan on spending three years to refit and prep our boat for offshore and expect to put $40k - $50k into a refit.)
My most critical question is this: If we invested the time and money in repairing and recoring the deck, will it be "good as new" again or would the deck strength forever be compromised? My biggest concern is that the larger of the two moist spots was near the mast partner. Once repaired, will the deck be able to support offshore stresses placed on it by the mast?
Also, I've noted that the hull coring ends at 12" before the keel and that all factory through-hulls are installed in this area, so that no core material can get wet from leaky through-hulls. Is the same true for the mast partner area on the deck? Is it balsa-cored all the way to the mast partner, or did the builders leave a margin of solid fiberglass around it, as they did around the keel and deck-to-hull joint?
My last question was about keel bolts. Before we met the F36, we were very leery of bolted-on keels. The recent survey showed good sound keel boats with no signs of corrosion. I would love to hear from other Freedom owners about their keels and how sturdy (or not) they have been over the years.
Of course, if we do make an offer we will get our own survey done, including haul-out for hull and keel inspection. If there's delamination of the hull, we'll probably back out of the deal. That might be more work and cost than we are willing to invest.
Thank you all in advance for your helpful insights. Your time is very much appreciated.
Mary