I went through the mechanical systems in the boat and updated and replaced items.
The first was the water pump and lines to the various faucets.
Water System
The water system in the boat was a typical set up with a 40 gallon tank for the fresh eater feeding into a pressurized pump which is turned on at the main breaker panel. It fed the head sink and shower, the galley sink and the hot water heater. There was no outside shower on the boat.
Upon inspection of the water system, I found that the electrical lines had been cut to the 12 volt water pump that was mounted by the hot water heater tank in the cockpit of the boat under a seat. I hooked up a battery to the pump only to find it had no suction. I replaced it with a Flowmaster pump that could handle the flow needed for the boat. I decided to move the pump into the cabin and place it under the port settee near the fresh water tank. This required less travel distance to the faucets meaning less lines to worry about.
I ran fresh wires from the main fuse panel to the water pump and hooked it up. The cold water runs great to the faucets int he head and the galley.
Hot water heater
The hot water heater which was electric 110 volt was missing. The only evidence I saw were the wires remaining under the seat in the cockpit. I purchased a tankless hot water heater that runs off of propane. I mounted the unit in the cockpit under the port seat so it has plenty of air flow and ventilation. It works great. On demand hot water. It only kicks on when the hot water nozzle is opened.
Air conditioner
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the aftermarket marine air conditioner on the boat worked well. The controls are analog so no digital panel as of now. That can be replaced and upgraded by the next owner. I didn't want to mess with it as it works great.
I did replace the hoses coming in from the raw water and the circulating hoses and clamp. I dismantled the raw water strainer and cleared out the debris. the separate high end raw water pump now throws a ton of water through the unit and out the through hull fitting, thus keeping the compressor cool and cranking out a lot of cold air.
Bilge Pump
As with many other systems, I am baffled by the previous owner cutting the wires for the bilge pump.. I did find the bilge pump mounted int he center of the bilge under the sole of the boat. It didn't work though. i replaced it with a high end, high output pump which I rewired into the main fuse panel. It now discharges a huge amount of water in seconds from the bilge.
Refrigeration
The boat has an ice box style refer that you place ice in and has a teak grates . It is totally mechanical and uses no form of power. I am placing a small 110 volt refer into the boat where the chart table was removed. if there is room, I will replace the chart table over the refer.
Propane system
There is a single propane tank in its own hatch in the cockpit. It has a line that runs to the galley. I had new hoses made to connect the new tankless hot water heater and the stove/ oven. New tank of propane in the well. I then tested the connections for leaks and it was good to go.
12 volt electrical system
The 12 volt system is in tact and working well. I am replacing several of the 12 volt lights int he cabin with new lighting. Each of the 12 volt switches / breakers on the main panel work well.
110 volt electrical systemThere is a 30 amp shore power receptacle on the boat in the cockpit. The 110 system was plugged in and works well. The boat is equipped with a Rareitan Crown 2 marine converter system that also has a battery charger installed. The converter wasn't working when I first checked it but I found that one of the 7 amp fuses was fried so I am replacing it and will fire the converter up and attach the battery charger.
Ray Marine 4400 SL Auto Pilot
The boat is equipped with a Ray Marine brand autohelm. The previous owner decided to rip out the wires from the $500 Fluxgate compass. No worries, I found a new one on Ebay for $50 and bought it . I will be installing it soon. Also the belt that turns the ships wheel was destroyed so i also ordered a new one for install this week. I need to track down the 12 volt power source for the actual head unit with the screen. I will get that working and we will have a functioning $3000 totally rehabbed outopilot... Comes in very handy when you need to go down below and mix another Captain Morgan and diet !!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Columbia 10.7 Rehab Log entry #7 Engine tweek
So... I mentioned in the transport log entry that when I was delivering the boat on the maiden voyage, the ignition switch caught fire... I didnt know the extent of the damage but I was confident that it didn't affect the engine at all. It didnt damage any of the fiberglass or the boat in general. Just melted the plastic guage cluster.
I had the oil and temperature guages replaced and mounted under the cabin bulkhead so I have a good look at them while underway. I finished refitting the actual panel that you see above so that it only houses the new ignition switch and the glow plug toggle. ( See photos)
Turns out that the ignition switch that was previously installed had been a cheap switch. The contacts corroded, got hot and caused the fire.
I had the oil and temperature guages replaced and mounted under the cabin bulkhead so I have a good look at them while underway. I finished refitting the actual panel that you see above so that it only houses the new ignition switch and the glow plug toggle. ( See photos) 
I hired a well seasoned Marine Diesel mechanic to go through the engine and electrical system and fix anything that wasn't right. He has done a great job so far. The following work has been done.
1) replaced the corroded ignition switch with a mac daddy marine ignition switch.
2) replaced the thermostat to keep the engine running cool.
3) replaced the 2 batteries in the boat with brand new 750 cranking amp deep cycle marine batteries.
4) replaced the alternator with a new OEM model. The old one was bad.
5) checked all fluids and topped off.
6) replaced several wires that were showing wear and age to ensure the best possible performance and dependability.
7) replaced all the guages to new and replaced all the wires as well.
8) installed new switch for the glow plugs.
9) Installed 4 new glow plugs
10) installed new starter.
11) installed new battery isolator switch.
The boat boasts a nice Westerbeke marine 4 cylinder diesel that runs strong and starts with ease. it only has 1400 hours on it so its got a long long life ahead of it. The total spent on the engine to make it perfect was $2200.00
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Columbia 10.7 rehab log entry #6 The comsetics
Now that I have the interior of the boat clean and smelling good, I am ready to begin the cosmetic work on the cabin. I decided to look at the rehab of the cabin as 10 small projects versus 1 large one.
Rear Quarter berth
With this in mind, I proceeded to work from the rear quaterberth back to the port settee area and around to the starboard settee and finally to the galley. I am leaving the front berth,v berth , the head and the floors for later. of fiberglass in the cabin.
Photo of: Completed Rear Quarter berth with new wall liner, headliner and carpeted walls
The Setee Areas of the Cabin
Photo of before the demo and rehab of the Starboard Setee area
I then repeated the entire process on the starboard side settees with the same awesome results.
The bottom cushions were removed and are going to be recovered. I haven't decided on the color to redo them in yet.
The V berth
Before Photo
Next I moved to the front V berth. It was a mess. I removed the cushions, tore out the side vinyl on the walls and removed the topper panels. I removed the cabinet front on the starboard side as a window had leaked and it was in bad shape. I replaced the side walls with the same carpeting I had in the rear quarterberth. I cut and vinyled new topper panels and replaced them as well. I cut away the remaining headliner that the previous owner attempted to remove. I sanded and polished the teak in the cabin and cleaned it all up. It is looking much better. My big challenge is to \now replace the headliner. Its a 4 x 6 ft area but had a lot of twists and turns. I can use carpeting because it wont come out smooth and will look like a cheap redo. I decided to the following.
Before Photo
Photo after stripping out v berth before the new liners
I took 1/2 inch wide cedar and glued furring strips along the top and sides of the ceiling, making level surface to attach the new headliner to.
I purchased 1/4 inch wood stripping that I used to create a template for the ceiling headliner. I simply measure each section of the ceiling, cut a piece and screwed it to the piece i just measured and cut. so and a so on.... This ended up making an accurate template with all the curves and angles of the ceiling.
Rear Quarter berth
With this in mind, I proceeded to work from the rear quaterberth back to the port settee area and around to the starboard settee and finally to the galley. I am leaving the front berth,v berth , the head and the floors for later. of fiberglass in the cabin.
Photo of: Completed Rear Quarter berth with new wall liner, headliner and carpeted walls
The first area I tackled was rear quarter berth. I carefully removed the pieces of vinyl covered board that made up the header. This was old, dirty, warping and smelled. I then bought some 1/4 inch luan backer board and traced out the replacement pieces. I cut them and used a 30 year white sign vinyl as the facade of the backer board. This was a very easy fix since the vinyl is adhesive backed and it was thick and durable, made for outdoor signage. The results were impressive. I then used a quality marine carpeting to reface the sides of the berth. I then gave the teak molding a good cleaning and teak oiling and reinstalled with fresh stainless screws and finish washers.
The Setee Areas of the Cabin
The next thing on my list was the settee areas of the cabin. I removed all the cushions and sent them out for reupholstering. I then removed the vinyl that was on the lower section of the settees and replaced that with the marine carpeting. The top half of the setees and the book case areas were in good shape so I primed and painted them with a durable flat white paint that comae out amazing. I also followed the same lead with the header that was under the book cases, using the luan board and white vinyl as I had in the front quarterberth. Again the results were dramatic as everything is now white and bright. I proceeded to teak oil the port side trim and all the vast teak wood, giving it a super bright, clean and shiny look.
Photo of before the demo and rehab of the Starboard Setee area
Note the headliner falling down.
The bottom cushions were removed and are going to be recovered. I haven't decided on the color to redo them in yet.
The V berth
Next I moved to the front V berth. It was a mess. I removed the cushions, tore out the side vinyl on the walls and removed the topper panels. I removed the cabinet front on the starboard side as a window had leaked and it was in bad shape. I replaced the side walls with the same carpeting I had in the rear quarterberth. I cut and vinyled new topper panels and replaced them as well. I cut away the remaining headliner that the previous owner attempted to remove. I sanded and polished the teak in the cabin and cleaned it all up. It is looking much better. My big challenge is to \now replace the headliner. Its a 4 x 6 ft area but had a lot of twists and turns. I can use carpeting because it wont come out smooth and will look like a cheap redo. I decided to the following.
I took 1/2 inch wide cedar and glued furring strips along the top and sides of the ceiling, making level surface to attach the new headliner to.
I purchased 1/4 inch wood stripping that I used to create a template for the ceiling headliner. I simply measure each section of the ceiling, cut a piece and screwed it to the piece i just measured and cut. so and a so on.... This ended up making an accurate template with all the curves and angles of the ceiling.
Template completed
Luan Headliner cut out The template works great
I then placed the template onto my new luan board and traced it out with a sharpie marker. I had a perfect outline of the new headliner, curves and all.... Now I need to cut it out with my jig saw, apply my white 30 year smooth vinyl and screw it up to the furring strips... ( See the Photos above)
Photo of The finished headliner with the vinyl applied.
Galley
The galley was a mess when I got the boat. The great thing was that it was simply elbow grease and a lot of chemicals to get her looking and working well again. The sink was refitted and I still need to replace the incoming water lines and the drain lines. Just simple plumbing...
Before Photo of Galley
After Photo of the Galley
The Head
Next project I am tackling is the head. The walls and shower base floor needed to be scrubbed and cleaned. I managed to get the floor back to white with some soft scrub and elbow grease.
The previous owner had removed some supports under the shower floor I assume to be able to get tot he shower drain line. This made the fiberglass shower pan unstable. I went under the floor and made braces out of very hard wood that wont rot and sured the floor up and reconnected the shower drain line.... A 1 hour fix and it is solid as a rock now....
The previous owner had also torn out the headliner for some reason. I used my tried and true method of making a template for the headliner then cutting thee new liner out of the luan board. I did the same for the entry way ( hall way) that leads into the head.
For some reason, the previous owner also decided to remove the bathroom door and all of the wood that surrounded it. I am buttoning up the headliner and will be placing with an according door or a nice shower bar on the entrance to the head.
The plumbing was in good shape but I am opting to replace the hand held shower head and replace the lines going into the sink to make the fresh and clean.
The teak wood work is in great shape so I just oiled it and move on.
The walls have a covering on them that when I scrub, want to fray a bit. I am going to be placing a good primer on the vinyl and an enamel paint that will be easy to clean and will be water proof.
The interior of the cabinets are in good shape so i am going to just paint them to a fresh crisp white.
There is a raw, pump style toilet in the head but I am not a big fan as it doesn't expel the waste with much force UP to the outlet. I opted to purchase a Thetford electric portable toilet that holds 6 gallons of fresh water and 5 gallons of waste. It will be much more sanitary. I bought the one with the push button electric water feed. It works off batteries and is a nicer touch. I will mount the base to the existing floor where the other toilet was and will bring the existing water and waste tubes into the bilge to clean up the head.
Check out this before photo of the head.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Columbia 10.7 rehab Log entry #5 Clean out
So I began the process of cleaning out the cabin of the sailboat today. I swear there was stuff in every nook and cranny of this boat. I think the previous owners didn't like to throw anything away. I went through each of the 12 lockers in the cabin and removed 6 large 55 gallon trash bags of used parts, and basically useless items.
I needed to clean out the cabin completely and get her smalling good before I could start any updating or repairs. I started with the Galley. 2 hours of heavy duty degreaser and scrubbing proved to be all she needed to get the sinks, walls and stove/oven back to a gleaming white walls and polished stainless steel.
Next I moved to the port settee. I removed the deeply stained cushions and took a scrub brush and cleaner to the teak front and bottom. The white vinyl like liner that covered the back of the upper shelves came clean but I think I am going to remove all the lining carefully and use them as templates. I will replace them with a fiber vinyl material that wont mildew or stain. This is for sure going to be easy to do and will make such a huge impact on the look of the interior.
I then removed the curtains from the rods across the windows. I think they were about to disintegrate in my hands. I decided to keep them as templates for new fresh curtains that I will have made.
I then moved to the starboard side of the cabin and removed the cushions and repeated the same process as I had on the port side. I took the cushion covers off and the settee backs off and brought them home with me to wash and disinfect. I ran the covers through the washing machine only to find they are too far gone.. I think I am just going to get new foam and a backer board and redo the cushions myself. I will feel better about the entire project this way.
Now the floor... the beautiful teak and holly sole floor that lay beneath the layers of something nasty. I simply hit the floor with the hose and 1/2 a bottle of degreaser and took a scrub brush to it. Two rounds of that and into the bilge went the water. I dried the floor to find the beautiful but dull alternating light and dark woods.... I will eventually varnish the floor to bring it back to a great shine then lay accent rugs down.
Now I have 6 hours into this cleaning project and I am absolutely beat. BUT... I still need to make the boat smell good and see if I can bring back the teak walls and cabinetry to luster. I used a bottle of pledge orange oil and a clean sponge and wiped down every inch of teak in the main cabin. It came to life with rich colors and vibrant swirls that is typical of teak. I think once the renovation is finished, I am gonna teak oil the cabin then varnish it so the teak is bright and protected.
Next, I attacked the head, and the rear quarter berth. The head was an absolute mess. I used my trusty SNO BOL cleaner and simple green and a lot of water to get her shining again. I then dressed the teak with the orange oil. Wow!! It looks like a completely different boat...
The rear quarter berth was a bit simpler. I pulled the cushions and cleaned the walls then dressed them with the orange oil.... Looks and smells really good. I am going to also make a new cushion for back there and I think i am going to carpet the walls in a marine interior carpeting to make it feel cozy.
I removed the 110 refrigerator and decided to junk it and replace with a new shiny fridge. Its about $150 but it will make all the difference. The area where the fridge was used to be where the chart table was. All of the electric panel is above the area so I think I am going to replace the chart table top so it sits over the refrigerator. This is a great opportunity to modernize the boat with the new refer and to restore to the original chart table.
I decided to plug the boat into shore power to test the on board marine air conditioner. I crossed my fingers and turned the unit on..I could hear the pump starting to draw in the sea water and within 30 seconds, the water began flowing through the unit and out the through hull.. The air conditioner then began blasting ice cold air..... WOW what a find.. this certainly makes the job easier to do in the air conditioning.. The one issue I found was that whoever installed the air conditioner, didn't put a drain in the bottom of the condensation pan. This means that when the pan fills up, it drips onto the floor. Guess what.... it rotted a small section of the floor in the main v berth cabin that needs to be replaced.....
I next tackled the front V berth, ripping out the side vinyl, the front of the cabinet on the starboard side and cut away the remaining headliner that the previous owner had cut out. This cabin was going to be a jobfor sure.
Here are some before photos of the boats interior... the after photos will be posted soon.
I needed to clean out the cabin completely and get her smalling good before I could start any updating or repairs. I started with the Galley. 2 hours of heavy duty degreaser and scrubbing proved to be all she needed to get the sinks, walls and stove/oven back to a gleaming white walls and polished stainless steel.
Next I moved to the port settee. I removed the deeply stained cushions and took a scrub brush and cleaner to the teak front and bottom. The white vinyl like liner that covered the back of the upper shelves came clean but I think I am going to remove all the lining carefully and use them as templates. I will replace them with a fiber vinyl material that wont mildew or stain. This is for sure going to be easy to do and will make such a huge impact on the look of the interior.
I then removed the curtains from the rods across the windows. I think they were about to disintegrate in my hands. I decided to keep them as templates for new fresh curtains that I will have made.
I then moved to the starboard side of the cabin and removed the cushions and repeated the same process as I had on the port side. I took the cushion covers off and the settee backs off and brought them home with me to wash and disinfect. I ran the covers through the washing machine only to find they are too far gone.. I think I am just going to get new foam and a backer board and redo the cushions myself. I will feel better about the entire project this way.
Now the floor... the beautiful teak and holly sole floor that lay beneath the layers of something nasty. I simply hit the floor with the hose and 1/2 a bottle of degreaser and took a scrub brush to it. Two rounds of that and into the bilge went the water. I dried the floor to find the beautiful but dull alternating light and dark woods.... I will eventually varnish the floor to bring it back to a great shine then lay accent rugs down.
Now I have 6 hours into this cleaning project and I am absolutely beat. BUT... I still need to make the boat smell good and see if I can bring back the teak walls and cabinetry to luster. I used a bottle of pledge orange oil and a clean sponge and wiped down every inch of teak in the main cabin. It came to life with rich colors and vibrant swirls that is typical of teak. I think once the renovation is finished, I am gonna teak oil the cabin then varnish it so the teak is bright and protected.
Next, I attacked the head, and the rear quarter berth. The head was an absolute mess. I used my trusty SNO BOL cleaner and simple green and a lot of water to get her shining again. I then dressed the teak with the orange oil. Wow!! It looks like a completely different boat...
The rear quarter berth was a bit simpler. I pulled the cushions and cleaned the walls then dressed them with the orange oil.... Looks and smells really good. I am going to also make a new cushion for back there and I think i am going to carpet the walls in a marine interior carpeting to make it feel cozy.
I removed the 110 refrigerator and decided to junk it and replace with a new shiny fridge. Its about $150 but it will make all the difference. The area where the fridge was used to be where the chart table was. All of the electric panel is above the area so I think I am going to replace the chart table top so it sits over the refrigerator. This is a great opportunity to modernize the boat with the new refer and to restore to the original chart table.
I decided to plug the boat into shore power to test the on board marine air conditioner. I crossed my fingers and turned the unit on..I could hear the pump starting to draw in the sea water and within 30 seconds, the water began flowing through the unit and out the through hull.. The air conditioner then began blasting ice cold air..... WOW what a find.. this certainly makes the job easier to do in the air conditioning.. The one issue I found was that whoever installed the air conditioner, didn't put a drain in the bottom of the condensation pan. This means that when the pan fills up, it drips onto the floor. Guess what.... it rotted a small section of the floor in the main v berth cabin that needs to be replaced.....
I next tackled the front V berth, ripping out the side vinyl, the front of the cabinet on the starboard side and cut away the remaining headliner that the previous owner had cut out. This cabin was going to be a jobfor sure.
Here are some before photos of the boats interior... the after photos will be posted soon.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The Columbia 10.7 Log entry #4 the transport home
On Labor day weekend 2010, Tropical Storm Lee had formed in the Gulf of Mexico and was creating high winds 30+ knots and 8 to 10 foot seas in the Gulf, along with a lot of rain. I decided to transport the Columbia from its berth in Clearwater beach to mu marina in Tierra Verde Florida. This was a 28 mile run south. I had to work with the tides because the location of the Columbia in Clearwater was very shallow and the boat needed to be moved at mid to high tide.I decided to move her on Monday September 5th at 7:00 Am when the sun was rising and the tide was high enough to get her out. I planned a trek down the protected intercoastal waterway instead of the Gulf which was not sail able that day.
I fired the engine up,untied the boat from the dock and waved good bye to my wife Julie , who had driven me to the boat that morning... The winds were hitting about 20 knots and were coming directly at me me from the south, which is the direction i was headed. it was going to be a long 5 hour trip to my home port. I had a cooler, an ipod and a full tank of gas, I was ready to go...
I ventured out of the canal where the boat was docked and turned the corner into the channel that entered into the Intercoastal water way. I then smelled something burning. it smelled like plastic. I looked over to the cluster of gauges and ignition area and saw flames shooting from the panel.. I ran into the cabin and grabbed the fire extinguisher that I had found the previous day as I was cleaning the boat out. I put the fire out and looked up to find the boat was headed straight for a sand bar outside the channel. It was too late at that point. before I could turn the wheel, I felt the boat rise up and gently come to a stop. Yes, I had grounded onto a sandbar just 100 feet into my voyage.
I composed myself and called Tow Boat US who arrived 30 minutes later and towed me the entire way back to Tierra Verde marina.... Stay tuned to hear the damage report.
The damage;;;;; I am adding this entry to log the damage to the engine... It turns out that it was a cheap replacement key switch that had corroded and the progms touched each other thus shorting it out. No biggie. I called a marine mechanic who came out and replaced the switch.. I refit the guages and made a new cluster plate to replace the crispy one....
AFTER FIRE
NEW PANEL
NEW GUAGES PLACED UNDER BULKHEAD FOR GOOD VIEWING
I fired the engine up,untied the boat from the dock and waved good bye to my wife Julie , who had driven me to the boat that morning... The winds were hitting about 20 knots and were coming directly at me me from the south, which is the direction i was headed. it was going to be a long 5 hour trip to my home port. I had a cooler, an ipod and a full tank of gas, I was ready to go...
I ventured out of the canal where the boat was docked and turned the corner into the channel that entered into the Intercoastal water way. I then smelled something burning. it smelled like plastic. I looked over to the cluster of gauges and ignition area and saw flames shooting from the panel.. I ran into the cabin and grabbed the fire extinguisher that I had found the previous day as I was cleaning the boat out. I put the fire out and looked up to find the boat was headed straight for a sand bar outside the channel. It was too late at that point. before I could turn the wheel, I felt the boat rise up and gently come to a stop. Yes, I had grounded onto a sandbar just 100 feet into my voyage.
I composed myself and called Tow Boat US who arrived 30 minutes later and towed me the entire way back to Tierra Verde marina.... Stay tuned to hear the damage report.
The damage;;;;; I am adding this entry to log the damage to the engine... It turns out that it was a cheap replacement key switch that had corroded and the progms touched each other thus shorting it out. No biggie. I called a marine mechanic who came out and replaced the switch.. I refit the guages and made a new cluster plate to replace the crispy one....
AFTER FIRE
Ships log entry #3 the purchase
I contacted the gentleman who showed us the boat and agreed to purchase the boat for the asking price of $6900.00.. We met at a ship yard that day which was owned by a marine salvage guy who is well known in the area. This immediatley looked suspicious, since this salvage guy would bring sunken boats up from the bottom of the ocean and also would buy abandoned boats from the city or county... I now began to investigate the history of the boat by asking the salvage yard owner a ton of questions... the following is the back story on the boat.
In 2009 the boat was sold by a private party to a man in St Petersburg. Two months later, a news story came out about a man who had visitation of his son on weekends. The son lived with his mother in Orlando. Well... the father (owner of the boat) decides that he is going to kidnap his son and sail off to Finland !!!! Yes, across the Atlantic in a 35 ft sailboat.... When the son wasn't returned to the mother as planned, she called the authorities who issued an AMBER ALERT for the missing boy. The couple who had sold the boat to the father alerted the police that they had sold him this boat 2 months prior and he was in a slip at the St Petersburg municipal marina. When the police went to find the boat, it was gone and the harbor master told them that the father had left with a small boy 2 days prior in the boat.
The Coast Guard was immediately called and began a search of the Gulf of Mexico for the boat. It happened to be a that a strong tropical storm was also in the Gulf making it very dangerous to even be in local waters.
The Coast Guard found the boat with both the father and son aboard about 100 miles into the Gulf. They rescued the two and arrested the father. The boat was towed back into port where it was impounded by the police. Since the owner had no money to get the boat out of impound and was in jail, the fees racked up and the boat was eventually signed over to the salvage company owner for monies owed.
WOW, the boat had a history and now I owned it for a fraction of its value.
I handed over the check for the boat and received a fresh title.... I was now the proud owner of the Columbia.
In 2009 the boat was sold by a private party to a man in St Petersburg. Two months later, a news story came out about a man who had visitation of his son on weekends. The son lived with his mother in Orlando. Well... the father (owner of the boat) decides that he is going to kidnap his son and sail off to Finland !!!! Yes, across the Atlantic in a 35 ft sailboat.... When the son wasn't returned to the mother as planned, she called the authorities who issued an AMBER ALERT for the missing boy. The couple who had sold the boat to the father alerted the police that they had sold him this boat 2 months prior and he was in a slip at the St Petersburg municipal marina. When the police went to find the boat, it was gone and the harbor master told them that the father had left with a small boy 2 days prior in the boat.
The Coast Guard was immediately called and began a search of the Gulf of Mexico for the boat. It happened to be a that a strong tropical storm was also in the Gulf making it very dangerous to even be in local waters.
The Coast Guard found the boat with both the father and son aboard about 100 miles into the Gulf. They rescued the two and arrested the father. The boat was towed back into port where it was impounded by the police. Since the owner had no money to get the boat out of impound and was in jail, the fees racked up and the boat was eventually signed over to the salvage company owner for monies owed.
WOW, the boat had a history and now I owned it for a fraction of its value.
I handed over the check for the boat and received a fresh title.... I was now the proud owner of the Columbia.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Ships log entry #2 The find
The story begins in Mid august of 2011 as a co worker who is a current sailboat owner expressed his interest in finding a live aboard sailboat where he and his dogs could reside in our local area of St Petersburg Florida. He then came to me with a listing on Craigslist for a 1980 Columbia 35 ft or 10.7 meter sailboat located in nearby Clearwater Florida. The boat was listed at $6900.00. Well unless it was sinking, this was a great deal. The coworker had one problem. He already owned a smaller sailboat and needed to sell that so he could have the funds to purchase this boat. I agreed to go look at the boat with him to see for myself what its condition was and why it was going for such a small asking price.
We ventured down to the boat with who we thought was the owner of the boat and proceeded to conduct a mini survey of the vessel.
The topside of the boat was in need of cleaning but the sails, the standing rigging and the gelcoat of the boat were in good shape. I was intrigued by the find... Next we ventured into the cabin where it looked like a no one had ventured in 20 years. The cabin was decked out with beautiful but nasty dirty teak wood from floor to portals. The sole of the boat was dry rotting under our feet in one area but the bilge was dry. The cushions were NASTY and needed to be replaced. It also looked as if someone had placed a pan of hot grease on the stove top and let it spatter all over the galley area. There was also some rot of the teak veneer that covered the portal area.... All in all, it was in rehab shape. Perhaps it needed some 12 volt rewiring and new fixtures but it was certainly in good enough shape to rehab and well worth the asking price.
We couldn't tell if any of the 110 worked because there wasn't any power to the dock where the boat was tied up. Nor could we tell if the on board marine air conditioner worked or if the head was in working order... So in short.. we couldn't tell if many of the systems were in working order.
Next we looked at the engine of the boat. it was the original 1980 westebeke diesel inboard. The engine started up immediately and the transmission shifted smoothly in forward and reverse.
The boat was sitting at a dock behind a motel and the water was very shallow. On the day we looked a the boat, the tide was extra low due to the new moon. The boat was resting upright on its keel with the waterline exposed down about 2 feet. The bottom was clean and free of barnacle build up... The owner told me that the bottom had been completely redone a year prior.
All in all this was looking great!! The only issue is that my coworker wouldn't be able to live in it in its current state and it was obvious that it would take several months to rehab to even be able to live aboard. At this point we discussed it and he decided to pass on the boat due to the amount of rehab work that needed to be done to make it a live aboard.
I went home that afternoon and couldn't get the boat out of my head. It was such a great find and was in super sailing condition. So I decided to take a leap of faith and purchase the boat myself. Since my wife works at a marina I would be able to bring the boat there and rehab it myself over the next several months. I planned to also sail it and enjoy the boat before I re listed it for sale after the rehab....
I contacted the owner and agreed to buy the boat for the asking price of $6900.00.
Stay tuned for the next entry. I am off today to purchase the boat and make it official.
We ventured down to the boat with who we thought was the owner of the boat and proceeded to conduct a mini survey of the vessel.
The topside of the boat was in need of cleaning but the sails, the standing rigging and the gelcoat of the boat were in good shape. I was intrigued by the find... Next we ventured into the cabin where it looked like a no one had ventured in 20 years. The cabin was decked out with beautiful but nasty dirty teak wood from floor to portals. The sole of the boat was dry rotting under our feet in one area but the bilge was dry. The cushions were NASTY and needed to be replaced. It also looked as if someone had placed a pan of hot grease on the stove top and let it spatter all over the galley area. There was also some rot of the teak veneer that covered the portal area.... All in all, it was in rehab shape. Perhaps it needed some 12 volt rewiring and new fixtures but it was certainly in good enough shape to rehab and well worth the asking price.
We couldn't tell if any of the 110 worked because there wasn't any power to the dock where the boat was tied up. Nor could we tell if the on board marine air conditioner worked or if the head was in working order... So in short.. we couldn't tell if many of the systems were in working order.
Next we looked at the engine of the boat. it was the original 1980 westebeke diesel inboard. The engine started up immediately and the transmission shifted smoothly in forward and reverse.
The boat was sitting at a dock behind a motel and the water was very shallow. On the day we looked a the boat, the tide was extra low due to the new moon. The boat was resting upright on its keel with the waterline exposed down about 2 feet. The bottom was clean and free of barnacle build up... The owner told me that the bottom had been completely redone a year prior.
All in all this was looking great!! The only issue is that my coworker wouldn't be able to live in it in its current state and it was obvious that it would take several months to rehab to even be able to live aboard. At this point we discussed it and he decided to pass on the boat due to the amount of rehab work that needed to be done to make it a live aboard.
I went home that afternoon and couldn't get the boat out of my head. It was such a great find and was in super sailing condition. So I decided to take a leap of faith and purchase the boat myself. Since my wife works at a marina I would be able to bring the boat there and rehab it myself over the next several months. I planned to also sail it and enjoy the boat before I re listed it for sale after the rehab....
I contacted the owner and agreed to buy the boat for the asking price of $6900.00.
Stay tuned for the next entry. I am off today to purchase the boat and make it official.
Ships log entry 1 the overview
This blog is intended to to document the purchase, rehab, sailing and sale of a 1980 columbia 10.7 widebody sailing vessel that I am diving into. As I write this first paragraph, I dont know what lies ahead but I am sure it will be an adventure. Stay tuned and updated on the story.
Thanks,
Eric
Thanks,
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