Please note that this boat is seriously for sale and has been priced accordingly. List price of the engine, generator,
water maker, auto pilot is close to the selling price. The steering wheel alone is worth $1,000 new.
This 46 foot ketch was built in 1969 by designer Bill Tripp. It was his last design it is officially a US46 and built
in Bristol Rhode Island. Older boats have some distinct advantages. The teak deck was laid down with 7/8 inch teak.
The deck is was rebuilt four years ago. It was replugged, recaulked, and sanded smooth. Yet it still is much thicker
than is laid down on new boats, typically only 3/8 inch.
The hull is two inches thick solid
fiberglass. That's too expensive to build a new boat this way. If you ever run hard aground, you will
bless that two inch thick hull. The boat will never get blisters because it was built in 1969. Boats built in
the 70's get blisters because the chemical compounds used were altered due to the oil shortages at the time.
The
boat was damaged in hurricane Katrina that came close to Miami. It pulled up anchor, the dingy wrapped on a piling fortunately
stopping any further drift. But the stays on the mizzen mast caught the piling which pulled down the mizzen mast.
The life line and bow railing are also damaged. The centerboard had the tip nipped off due to a stay being caught on it when
the mizzen fell. It ortherwise is fine and swings perfectly. The fact that the boat didn't sink is testimony to
its seaworthyness as many boats did in the same anchorage. The forward edge of the jib is torn and will need to
be trimmed back. It is an oversized jib so will not detract from your speed. I usually sail with it half furled
- an advantage of a self-furling jib is you can make your jib any size you desire. The hatch cover were blown off but are
currently being replaced brand new.
The bottom needs to be painted anyway. 90% of the hassle of a boatyard is done once you already taken it in
the marina for a bottom job. Additional repairs just mean a larger bill. The additional repairs should cost between
$5,000 for workable to $20,000 for pristine condition. I suggest trying it without the mizzen, which would be most of
the repair cost. Mizzen's are too small to add much to you speed and you'll have so much more deck space without
it. I always felt it was there more for beauty and cosmetics then for functionality. Mizzens do add a sense
of balance when sailing with just the jib in heavy winds. However I cannot recall one instance where really was needed
in the slightest. Just the jib by itself works fine. You have to remember that there is the rear centerboard which
always gives the boat tremendous stability.
The mizzen was recovered. The mizzen mast is snapped but the boom, sail, and sail cover are fine. The centerboard
is damaged, but only the lower tip.
The boat's extensive wood interior provides a cozy atmosphere.
The center cockpit design provides tremendous privacy by separating the two cabins to each end the boat. It also for extremely
comfortable cruising as most of your time is spent in the large center cockpit.
There are two heads, both
with showers. One is in the aft cabin and one by the foward cabin. When staying in the aft cabin, one can shower
in the morning before ever presenting themselves to the world. This always gave me the sense of being on a huge ship.
Large
plexiglass hatches allow for lots of fresh air and sunlight down below. A very important point - lots of fresh air below.
The bimini top frames are fine, but the canvas needs replacement. The bimini design provided maximum sun protection.
The bimini is very wide to begin with because the center cockpit is very spacious. Mine was unique by simply adding
four extra flaps, one on each side. These fold up over the bimini and stow away in five seconds flat with bungy cords.
When down, they obstruct neither view nor breeze, but vastly reduce the amount of direct sunlight. On a day the Miami
summer heat is at its hellish worst, the most pleasant spot in all of Miami is under my bimini top. I don't exagerate.
I've left the flaps down in 50 knots without any problem. Direct sunlight is minimized to such an extent that one can
stay out all day without getting sunburn.
A second bimini I designed can be put up in minutes and covers
the forward half of the boat. It uses PVC poles slipped through pockets so that is Bimini has a rounded appearance and
is very easy to walk under. It also allows the breeze to pass under it and can be left up in high winds. With
these two biminis up, one could stay anywhere indefinately in maximum comfort. The boat is paradise with
both these bimini tops up.
A water recovery system with the flip of a lever allows deck water (strained for both debris and anything that floats
such as oil) to go into the water tanks. The water tastes fine, like spring water. Sometimes people drain off
there bimini tops, but that never collects enough water and the canvas can leave an aftertaste in the water.
The two fuel tanks are connected at the flip of a switch so that either the engine or the generator can run on either
one. This way you don't have the problem of having a full generator tank but an empty main engine tank, or visa versa.
It also allows you to keep however many gallons you'd like in reserve, so you don't accidentally ran out of fuel.
Downsides of the boat
The boat has not been maintained for over
a year.
The exterior varnish needs to be redone. The
interior varnish could use a coat to give the boat a fresh new appearance. Varnishing the floor in particular would
make the boat feel new, and that's a fairly simple job.
The Bimini top frame is fine but the canvas
needs to be replaced.
The exterior cushions need to be replaced.
The foreword V-birth cushion needs to be
replaced.
The main engine from visual inspection
appears as good as new. It only has 500 hours on it. Only recently have they gotten
a little stiff. The flywheel turns 20° which means that only one piston have some corrosion and possibly could be freed
up. I understand psychological need for a buyer to actually hear
the engine run. However, people knowledgeable about engines will agree that unless
you do a full oil analysis, even running the engine will not tell you it's quality.
Oil analysis is normally done only on very expensive boats, as it is an expensive test. The
cost of fully rebuilding the engine is more than priced into the boat and you will also have 100% assurance and the quality
of your engine before setting off for the Bahamas.
The panda generator would costs about
$18,000 new. It has a thousand hours on it.
It also appears in excellent condition, flywheel spins freely, etc.. The
only thing wrong with it is that a few external wires are corroded.
The entire lifeline needs replacing. When the mizzen mast fell, it did no other damage.
The mizzen does not run through the deck like the main mast does. So it
simply fell over without damaging the deck.
The autopilot and water maker both
worked last time tested. The last time the water maker was used it was rebuilt
with a new $300 membrane and properly pickled. I chose it not to use it after that,
and instead brought water from shore in a 5 gallon containers. Therefore you have a water maker ready to go like new.
The reverse cycle 16,000 BTU AC/heater
has extremely low hours on it and still looks like it was installed yesterday.
The hatches are brand new, as they have
just been replaced.
The boat is currently at anchor in Dinner
Key Coconut Grove Miami. This is a free anchorage, and you can leave the boat
there as long as you wish. There are many boats there, and several people that
live on their boats there are my friends, and are keeping an eye out on my boat. The
dinner Key anchorage offers a free dinghy dock and free parking for your car. It's
right in the heart of Coconut Grove and really a fantastic place to live, not to mention a very expensive place to live if
you had to rent there. I greatly enjoyed living there, sharing the same view as the $5 million homes that line the shore.
The water is crystal clear and fantastic for swimming as it is only 6 feet deep with a sandy bottom where the boat is anchored.
If you were to buy the boat, you could work on the boat right where it is as long
as you wanted to. There are also several qualified people living in the anchorage that are willing to work for extremely
reasonable wages. Many of them have been working on boats for decades.
The boat does not currently have
a dinghy. However used boats up to 16 feet in length are a dime a dozen in Miami
and can be purchased at a moments notice. If you look on eBay for example, you can find dozens for sale on any given
week in the South Florida area. In order to show the boat, it is not difficult getting a ride to and from the boat and my
friends living in the anchorage are always willing to assist me.
There
are several qualified hard working people living in the anchorage that I can recommend to work on the boat, from $10 to $20
per hour for any kind of boat work, including mechanical. You could even have one of them paint the hull to the waterline
on a calm day using a dingy. Most everything can be done right there at anchor at extremely low cost.
update March 2008:
There is some stiffness in the main
engine crank. It's not frozen stiff, but the engine may need a top end job, which normally costs around $2000.
Rather then reinstall the mizzin
mast, what I would consider doing would be to install at the stern of the boat a platform of solar panels, which you could
walk under. In other words, it would serve also is a sun roof for a shaded sitting area at the stern of the boat.
One must remember that solar panels and wind generators did not exist until recently, and only recently have designs made
allowance for them. Adding this feature would make the boat something like a 2007 Ford Mustang-combining graceful classic
lines with accommodating the latest innovations and desires for luxury. Rainwater of course could also be collected
off of the solar panel area, increasing the volume of water already going to the tanks. When of course it also added
a quick access ladder so that one could do high jumps and dives into the water from the platform.
some recent questions:
1. When was the last time
the standing rigging was replaced?
She received a new mast and new rigging
in 1985. A bridge tender negligently lowered the bridge while my father was going
through, which broke the original mast. The new mast is far more modern. It is engineered with some zig and zag patterns, intended creases in the metal running
the length of the mast, to give it added rigidity. Older masts were a simple
straightforward oval-shaped and are more wobbly. It also has double spreaders
and I believe is a little bit taller than the original mast.
2. What size water tank(s)
are on the boat?
She holds 70 gallons. Because there is it water maker there is no need
for anything larger.
3 Other then the listed
damage, is there anything that has been an issue (or will, possibly, become an issue in the near future)?
Wooden cabinetry in the kitchen needs to be redone. I am not sure if the freezer is working. Wooden hatchway planks
need to be replaced. The forward v-birth cushion needs be replaced. The center cockpit cushions are missing.
4. From your pictures, it looks like their was some work done around the base
of the mast - was this leak prevention, or something more?
What you are seeing in the photo isn't repair work. It's a large piece of stretchy tape made specifically for that purpose of wrapping around to waterproof
the mast. A small strip of sunbrella fabric matching the sail covers and Bimini
top wraps around that with a Velcro strap to hold it in place, but was lost in the hurricane.
5. Is there any serious water and/or mildew damage in the cabin
Some of the varnished teak siding strips along the interior hull had dry rot at
their edges where leaks have not been attended to. I should point these strips
simply screw on and easily fabricated by a carpenter in a matter of hours, as I've seen that done. Taking them off would allow someone to attend to the leaks and they could simply be replaced with new ones.
6. Have the steering and/or centerboard cables been overhauled recently
both cables visually inspected appear to be fine.
This steering cable got knocked off its tracks during the hurricane, shows no sign of being damaged and is simply a
matter of placing it back on the tracks.
7. I didn't notice a windlass on deck - is there one?
The boat does not have an electronic windlass.
There are four large Barient winches in the center cockpit using one to
pull an anchor has always been a simple matter of bringing the anchor line back to one on the cockpit winches or one of the
winches on the main mast. The winches are two speed (depending on the direction
you turn the handle), and I have always been able to get the maximum amount of torque possible out of them-probably more so
than an electronic one. Working the winches is one of the joys of sailing that
I would never wish to replace electronically.
8. In the cabin pic, the mast appears a little bowed - is it, or is this an illusion?
Definitely an illusion.
9. Do you have the pulpit removed, or did that go with the lifeline?
The forward pulpit was too damaged to save.
These are fairly standard and therefore can be purchased at minimal cost. The
rear pulpit can probably be bent back into shape.
10. Any pertinent information on past surveys of the boat?
It is not been surveyed for a long time.
any additional info that you could provide would really help! Any additional pics
(out of water,v-berths, aft cabin,bilge)? Could you give me the name of a marina nearby with haul-out facilities?
I am always asked for a photo of the aft cabin, and the only reason I have not
provided one is because I could never get a proper angle for the camera. My photos
always ended up with just a wall and never the entire cabin and therefore really gave no impression on the cabin. I can try to get a close-up photo of the v-birth. There are
many marinas in Fort Lauderdale where the boat could be worked on. I don't know
where to begin listing them. The bilge won't make much of a photo as it is narrow
due to the wineglass shaped hull which makes the boat an excellent ocean sailing vessel.
She was designed as a luxury class ocean racer.
There are a lot of little projects that will add up to a lot of time. The jib is in poor condition. The deck needs caulking. All exterior varnish and painting needs to be done.
The bottom does not have many barnacles but it does have a lot of growth.