TWL: hull insulation moisture
We are interested in buying a used 1986 twin diesel Bayliner 3270, asking
price $54,900.
A marine surveyor has determined "high moisture level" in the hull foam
insulation.
Based on this, we will probably offer considerably less to the present
owner.
My guess is that this is due to blistering or something in the hull.
However, we
have been looking for several months to trade up, and boats this size with
diesel are
rare. Is it worth our while to look into having the hull fixed? How do they
get the
moisture out? (It's been almost a year out of water and in drydock, yet the
moisture
is still there so it doesnt appear that it will just evaporate.)
I have been through the Bayliner blister repair before on my present boat
(blisters that both the dealer and the factory claim were purely cosmetic
and thus not
covered by their alleged 5-year hull warranty -- but that's another
story...) so I
know what is involved. But is there anything else I should be aware of, any
other
potential pitfalls in a boat with this malady? What can I expect to pay to
have the
situation corrected and make this a safe and worthwhile buy? And what
should I offer
to pay for the boat, assuming I have to get the repairs done?
73
Jim, K2JXW, Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, Member #001
U S Coast Guard Auxiliary -- USCGAUX, Flotilla 06-05-160
Lightship Sailors Association -- LSA
http://arlhs.com
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At 11:52 AM 06/11/2001 -0400, K2JXW / ARLHS.COM wrote:
We are interested in buying a used 1986 twin diesel Bayliner 3270, asking
price $54,900.
A marine surveyor has determined "high moisture level" in the hull foam
insulation.
Based on this, we will probably offer considerably less to the present
owner.
My guess is that this is due to blistering or something in the hull.
However, we
have been looking for several months to trade up, and boats this size with
diesel are
rare. Is it worth our while to look into having the hull fixed? How do they
get the
moisture out? (It's been almost a year out of water and in drydock, yet the
moisture
Sometime ago I read a story about a guy that wanted to rebuilt an old
wooden boat. The boat had major moisture/dry rot problems. In order to dry
it out completely, he sent the boat to the Arizona desert for a couple of
years. Unless you have fallen in love with this boat I would think twice
about it. If you buy it be prepared to spend a lot of $$$ and time to get
it right. Give us the name of this surveyor so that someone in your area
could use him. He seems to be able to spot the big problems....jd
Joe DellaFera / Margaret Murray
36' Prairie DC "Prairie Star"
Pompano Beach, Fl.
Joe Dellafera responded and asked:
Give us the name of this surveyor so that someone in your area
. could use him. He seems to be able to spot the big problems....jd
Well, it's a brokered boat and the owner hired the surveyor so I
have no idea whom he used. The dealer can't say, and the owner
won't show me the survey. It was the dealer that told me about
the moisture problem. They offered to have their shop do the
work, but I want to check out other opinions first.
On Mon, 11 Jun 2001, K2JXW / ARLHS.COM wrote:
Well, it's a brokered boat and the owner hired the surveyor so I
have no idea whom he used. The dealer can't say, and the owner
won't show me the survey. It was the dealer that told me about
the moisture problem. They offered to have their shop do the
work, but I want to check out other opinions first.
I think you got real lucky - a buyer should NEVER let the owner or
broker select the surveyor. The surveyor is working for you, to find
the problems with the boat. You should select the surveyor, and you
should be the first person to get a first-hand report from him.
| Paul Goyette | PGP DSS Key fingerprint: | E-mail addresses: |
| Network Engineer | BCD7 5301 9513 58A6 0DBC | paul@whooppee.com |
| & World Cruiser | 91EB ADB1 A280 3B79 9221 | pgoyette@juniper.net |
---==============================>Well, it's
a brokered boat and the owner hired the surveyor so I
have no idea whom he used. The dealer can't say, and the owner
won't show me the survey. It was the dealer that told me about
the moisture problem. They offered to have their shop do the
work, but I want to check out other opinions first.
---=============================
You should not be paying for the survey if you can't see it........
.
Captain Al Pilvinis
"M/V Driftwood"--Prairie 47
2630 N.E. 41st Street
Lighthouse Point, Fl 33064-8064
Voice 954-941-2556 Fax 954 788-2666
Email yourcaptain@earthlink.net
Website http://home.earthlink.net/~yourcaptain
I'd be very leery of this deal. You've got to believe that if the owner
won't show you the survey, it's not because there are so many GOOD things
reported in it. I can only presume he would take this attitude if there
were other BAD things in it that he doesn't want you to see.
If you're in love with the boat and are going to buy it no matter what,
then I'd hire my own surveyor. The boat that I bought recently had no
major problems, but an assortment of minor ones. After the surveys (both
hull and engines), the owners dropped the price of the boat by several
times the cost of the surveys. Having your own survey done will either
prevent you from making a mistake buying the boat, or at least provide some
negotiating leverage on the price I would think.
Good luck....
Bill
At 12:54 PM 6/11/01 -0400, K2JXW / ARLHS.COM wrote:
Well, it's a brokered boat and the owner hired the surveyor so I
have no idea whom he used. The dealer can't say, and the owner
won't show me the survey. It was the dealer that told me about
the moisture problem. They offered to have their shop do the
work, but I want to check out other opinions first.
A marine surveyor has determined "high moisture level" in the hull foam
insulation.
1. What the heck does high mean - could be 50 % ,
75 %, 95 % or that the surveyor might think that 30 % is high .
Were there more than one reading - how many were taken ?- was one spot
" high " and the others not ? - were these readings averaged in total or by
area of the boat ?
This opinion is meaningless without the data that any qualified
surveyor would provede ...
Well, it's a brokered boat and the owner hired the surveyor so I have no
idea whom he used. The dealer can't say, and the owner won't show me the
survey. It was the dealer that told me about the moisture problem. They
offered to have their shop do the work, but I want to check out other
opinions first.
Opinion : RUN LIKE HELL
I wonder what the dealer offered to do - cut or dig out the foam and
reglass - or as one I saw most recently - which consisted of putting three
dehumidifiers in the bilge and " let them all run " .. Over the winter I
saw another boat dried with the use of space heaters - improperly
upported - the water line has a really nice wave to it - and it isn't just
the paint ....
2nd Opinion : RUN LIKE HELL FROM BOTH THIS DEALER AND THIS OWNER .
The surveyor may have done a good job or may not - you will never
know if you cannot see the report . GET the report, TALK to the Surveyor
, Check out the reputation of the surveyor as far as possible - With TWL -
other Boat owners in the area - etc.. If the Surveyor does not check out -
or provides only generalizations in his report .....
3rd Opinion : RUN LIKE HELL FROM THE WHOLE LOT....
Just one opinion
All the Best
Ken
m/v Mrs. Hudson
weidner@waterw.com writes:
A marine surveyor has determined "high moisture level" in the hull
foam
insulation.
Based on this, we will probably offer considerably less to the
present
owner
The following is NOT a Joke. Bought a Hullmaster 27 (notoriously
overbuilt here in Canada) from a couple that had it in dry storage
for two summers. A friend who sells marine instruments for a living.
walked around with his latest gadget. All the boats in the marina
were dry and sound - except mine. There seemed to be a persistent
roughly triangular form of moisture visible near the bow. Well it was
very early spring, the cockpit had ben covered, the keel except for a
few inches (which the moisture meter faithfully reported) all were
dry. Something was wrong - The previous owners had forgotten to
pump out the holding tank before land-storage. Big POOO!
We replaced every inch of hose, flushed the tank and now four years
later - not a whiff!
And yes, I did negotiate a few dollars discount ;-)
George of Scaramouche
P.s: If one uses enough of those blue Crystals, there is no overly
excessive odour even in Ontario Summers, that 's why the "error" was
not detected earlier.
On Mon, 11 Jun 2001 10:42:56 -0700 (PDT), Paul Goyette wrote:
... The surveyor is working for you, to find
the problems with the boat. You should select the surveyor, and you
should be the first person to get a first-hand report from him.
While I agree with what Paul has said, I would go much further. You should not
only be the first person to get his report, you should be the only person.
You can then decide whether you want to release all or part to any other party.
You paid for the survey; the report is yours. Usually the only valid reason to
release any part of it is if you will renegotiate the deal because of problems
found, and then I would only copy the broker or owner in on the pertinent
part(s).
--
Dave Goodman
M/V Dragonfly
Sarasota, FL
. A friend who sells marine instruments for a living.
walked around with his latest gadget.
And his latest gadget was ???
Ken