I assign an hourly wage of zero for my hobbies. wink It keeps me from crying when I think about how much time I put into them. We don't have the means to purchase even a used boat right now (brand new baby, other kids in extra curricular activities, etc.), so a free, serviceable fixer-upper should be a good way to test the waters and decide whether we love sailing enough to start fixing this one (or buying a rebuilt boat later) or if we should just give up on the idea altogether!

I met with my buddy for lunch the other day. We spent about an hour talking about the boat. I told him my wife and I are leaning towards no, even if it just means not getting our hopes up about something that will be too big for us to take on. He understood, and explained that the only reason he's giving it to *me* is because if he gave it to another of his friends, it would drive them to bankruptcy trying to fix it--they aren't handy, and would go broke paying somebody else to repair the all the small things it needs. I build things for a living, I build furniture in my (rare) free time, I can install plumbing and wiring is my paycheck, so he figures that I can fix everything on it myself.

So, first: It's hull number 15. He's the third owner. The previous owner, 86, only sold it because he was just not able to handle it anymore and wanted to see it go to somebody who would use it. He pulled it from the water two years ago and painted below the water line. Didn't test the hull for water or decay, though. My buddy had a survey done a little less than a year ago. Again, exterior below the water line was not tested.

First, and only real main issue: Engine needs an alternator. I don't have the details on the make/model of the engine yet, but am looking into it to see what's involved. I've had my hands in a few engines, so unless there's something crazy about this one, I'm not too worried...yet.

There are a few leaks in the deck over the cabin. The hardware mounting points leak. It's not enough to be a problem, but an annoyance. If I understand it, the correct way to repair this in a fiberglass boat is to remove the hardware, drill the mounting holes oversized, refill with thickened epoxy, allow to cure, and then redrill for new hardware. Is this correct? Is the deck balsa core like the hull? If so, and it's leaking, I guess it's safe to assume the core is wet and rot is happening or is imminent, no?

Sails are in great shape; they're only a few years old. It has the main and three jibs of varying sizes. He has sailed it on his own several times, usually with just the main, as it's easier to handle single-handed.

Winches are in good shape. Most of the lines are good, too. Shrouds are only a few years old and are in good shape.

Rudder is in good shape, as far as he knows. Can a DIY-er make one with marine ply and fiberglass if a replacement is needed? $2700 is scary.

Wiring needs some attention, but that's not an issue. I literally build wiring harnesses at work. I know I need tinned wire rated for marine use.

All electronics work, if old and outdated.

He suggested buying a cheap solar powered trickle charger for the batteries, especially if I'm not going to run the engine a lot in the first year. Thoughts on that? Seems to make sense to me.

Head works and, as far as he knows, the tank doesn't leak.

It has an alcohol stove. This really doesn't matter much to me, as I doubt I'll take it overnight anytime soon.

He mentioned that I should likely get a bilge pump for it. I need to ask him more about that. For some reason, it's one of the few things I didn't write down.

It needs a fire extinguisher and smoke detector.

He suggests getting a small two stroke motor to hang off the back if I get caught with a dead engine after fixing it to make mooring easier.

So, we're hoping to get together next week to go check out the boat. My wife will go with me, for while she has absolutely NO handyman skills, she wants to see what she's attaching her name to. I'll have camera in hand.

Your thoughts?