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Can This Boat Be Saved?

We’ve all seen them. Wandering the waterfront, it’s fairly common to come across forlorn-looking vessels sorely in need of TLC. Some passersby see a mess destined for the dump, but others see potential. They can imagine when the boat was delivered new with fresh cushions and crisp sails to a family with many great times ahead of them. But those times are now behind them, and it’s a sometimes-dubious prospect to consider bringing a particular boat back to the good times.

A diamond in the rough? If you like a challenge and working with your hands, boats like this may have enough good sailing left in them to make them worth a look.

latitude/John
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Last year we found Glenn Shinn, who was finishing up a restoration of a prototype for the Moore 24. At the time Glenn said, "Last year, I bought George Olson’s original [1969] prototype for the Moore 24, Grendel. I first spotted it at UC Santa Cruz."

When we spotted her in February 2016 for sale at the UCSC Boating dock, Grendel didn’t look too bad, but when we walked on her deck we could feel the soft spots.

latitude/Chris
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"She was in sorry shape," said Glenn, "not even sailable — not even close (she’d been sitting in a slip for at least 10 years!). There were soft spots all along the plywood deck, which was totally delaminated, and the main support beam down the middle was broken. I had to cut out big holes in the deck and patch it up."

That old boat? Glenn has her looking good and sailing regularly. On Sunday a week ago Glenn looped Angel Island from the Estuary and had a brisk 12-knot ride home.

latitude/John
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
Glenn Shinn, happily sailing Grendel singlehanded out the Estuary on April 1.

© 2018

Glenn is not the only one who’s found a project resurrecting an old boat now enjoying a second life. However, anyone who’s taken on one of these projects would offer words of caution. It’s easy to get in over your head both financially and in terms of time commitment. But, as Glenn has shown, the rewards can be there.

This Santana looks like it hasn’t sailed in a while, but maybe all she needs is a good wash?

latitude/John
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
For the right person, a boat like this can be an inexpensive way to get started with boat ownership.

latitude/John
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Some of these boats may need no more than a good scrub to get you sailing by the end of the weekend. Others could take a year. With many boats you can start sailing soon and spread out your improvements over months or years. The old sails may be terrible but, if they don’t blow out, you can use them for a while until you get a handle on the scope of your project and then decide what to do next. Some of those ‘what to do next’ moments will appear after a few quick sails!

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As they say, one person’s trash is another one’s treasure. It depends on your temperament, time, budget and skills. There’s plenty of ‘inventory’, so if you’re the next person resurrecting an oldie but goodie let us know.

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