So, one of the guys at work is looking for his first sailboat. He's got an older 21' maxxum cuddy but the gas bill for a day on the water is killing him. This is what he's looking at:
http://www.windwardyachts.com/sb_24rivierastar.html
I know nothing of these boats, and haven't had a whole lot of time to research them. Told him that, right off the bat, if the broker is asking for 8800 for a 1974 'glass boat, he's looking for 5-6000 but the owner will be happy (lucky !!) to see 4000 as time goes on. Looks like a decent starter boat - told him I'd look it over before he talked to the broker. Anyone know anything about these boats in particular ? Things to watch for ?
Brian, like you, I think $8800 for this boat is a fantasy! :lol:
Look for leaks around the chainplates, make sure the bulkheads have not lost any of there integrity, look for water marks under/around the portlights (lift the cushions and look for stains on the bulkheads), check the bilge to look for signs of standing water, check the keel bolts for signs of corrosion. Then move topside and have a look at the rigging, there should be no signs of kinks or bends, there should be no tiny little stress fractures on the chain plates. Take a rubber/plastic hammer and tap the hull and deck, it should all sound the same.... if you hear a heavier bass sound in particular areas that indicates water intrusion in the core. Have a look at the bottom for blisters or pitted areas (the 70's and 80's boats commonly have blister problems or water in the core). Also look along the keel joint for small cracks or anywhere a repair has been made, which could indicate a hard grounding that really stressed the keel joint.
Then look at the sails and running rigging for wear. Give the winches a spin and make sure the pawls aren't broken. Run the motor under load.....THEN
NIT PICK the broker!!!!!!!
You might want to have a close look at the pop top to get more ideas.
Good luck, tell your pal.... welcome to the madness.
Brian, just out of curiousity-- because I had never heard of this boat, I did a google on both Riviera Star and Progressive Plastics.... nothing... which leads me to believe that this was really more of an experiment than anything else. If your friend has 5-7K to put into a boat, he would be much better off buying a proven brand that he can get parts and support for.... he could get an older 25' Catalina in that price range and sell it for close to what he paid for it (if he does not neglect it) when he is ready to trade boats.... he would be much better off. You should steer him away from this boat in my opinion... get him into a proven boat with a good owners support group if you really want to get him hooked.
Thanks for the tips, Angie. I was unable to find anything out myself about the builder ("experiment" is such a nice way of putting it ...), although there were a lot of small sailboats built hereabouts up until the early 80's. (Martin 242 is one of my favorites - great little boat). Figured I'd throw the post out there as a longshot. I'll definitely heed your advice on the inspection as well, if we go that route.
Speaking of Catalinas...the 22's had a poptop that I'm using as a working design for mine, with optional canvas to close it off when open. Or I may hinge it at the forward end.
That is the boat I used as the protype for mine. It works in the exact same fashion as the Catalina 22 (I owned one at the time I built Fat Chance). It simply rides up and forward on two dowels and attaches to the back of the mast. Pretty simply and a great modification, I am surprised more folks have not used it as it gives you the best of both worlds.... an open weekender or a cabin.
I did think the hinged pop top on the boat your pal was looking at was interesting, however, I think it would impair view under sail.
So are you just going to have the lid raise now, at one time I thought you had talked about taking off the whole cabin (top and sides). Good luck, let us know how you are progressing. You will like the pop top alot once you figure the location of things out. I had to spend some time in the "moaning chair" to get things to work properly, but hey.... that's part of the fun. :wink:
Hey Angie do you remember somone had posted a website that rented out sailboats with poptops, Just the lid would pop up and they had canvas to hold off the ellaments all around that looked pretty interesting i may try it ill keep on looking through the forums.
Brian if i find it ill send it to ya!
Bri
Can't think of a rental with a pop top.... the Catalina 22 I owned had a cover that went over the top of the pop top, with windows on the sides and then it snapped down tight around the base. It really added protection in the early fall and late spring.... get in there fire up the stove and put a upside down clay pot on top and you were toasty warm in no time. Hot bowl of soup and a beverage and you're good to go again.
The Cat 22 gave you the best of both worlds : good headroom in the cabin while on the hook and good visibility while underway. The problem I found with mine was that I had to install a padeye on the poptop so I could tie a line around the mast to hold it up (cheaper than replacing the 4 cheesy hatch struts that are supposed to hold it up !!). Mine also had a vang, which made popping the top a BIG hassle ! Making the forward edge of the cabintop (not sides- too much trouble with lateral rigidity) hinged will eliminate rigging issues, and give more headroom in the after part of the cabintop, where it's most valuable for sitting.
I had a later model, think it was an 88 if I remember correctly, by then they had gone to two struts and a locking slide on the back of the mast that was like a sail stop. It just slid up and and a little hook slid over the lip of the pop top and you would tighten it down. You did have to go unhook the vang before lifting the pop top up, but it was simple... a stainless hook on the vang hooked to a stainless ring at the base of the mast.... it wasn't a big deal you just unhooked it and tossed the base of the vang up on the hatch.
I also owned a Catalina 25 with a pop top, same design. It had standing head room below and the top was really too heavy to lift and hook by myself. The pop top on that boat did not get used nearly as much.