Look at buying a 1982 Pearson 28-1 as a first boat. Are these big red flags or reasonable enough?
Posted by Jay_Normous@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 18 comments
8AndAHalfInchNails@reddit
Looks like an old boat. Nothing particularly scary in those pictures. Just go into this knowing that it’s going to have problems that you and the survey don’t find, but on a boat like a $3000 Pearson 28 you probably aren’t going to go bankrupt addressing whatever comes up.
bobber18@reddit
Except the cst of repowering
8AndAHalfInchNails@reddit
Repowering is expensive, but not necessary on that Pearson if you don’t want to do it. You could 1) sail it just fine without an engine 2) attach an outboard 3) gut the engine, sell it, and look at electric options 4) sell the boat for $500 and be done with the problem
None of these things are going to break the bank for someone who is willing to spend “hobby” money, a 28’ boat that you spent $3000 on just can’t become that large of a money pit unless you try to make it something that it is not.
Jay_Normous@reddit (OP)
My wife and I are shopping for our first boat and went to see a 1982 Pearson 28 on Sunday. Originally listed at $9k but getting rapidly reduced as the season is winding down and the owners don't want to pay for winter storage. Last listed price was $3000.
We plan to get a survey but the state of the chain plates, engine, and bilge is giving me pause and I'm wondering if it's worth bothering with a survey or to just pass on the boat all together.
The bilge had a fair amount of water in it but not in the section where the pump itself is. It didn't smell like fuel or sewage but the bolts looked pretty rusty.
The chain plates had been painted over decades ago and looked like they had seen better days but for a 40+ year old boat do they still look fine?
The engine is pretty dirty and unfortunately weren't able to try starting it (the broker wasn't there, his colleague showed us the boat and she didn't know how to start it). Just because it's dirty doesn't mean it doesn't run fine but I don't know enough about engines to know if there's anything else about the way the engine looks to be concerned.
What do you think? Worth getting a survey based on these images or just passing altogether?
bobber18@reddit
If they can’t start the engine, pass
Strict-Air2434@reddit
As for get a survey, one would have to shop to find a survey for less than $1000. Just sayin'
I'm not so sure I like the very first picture. Am I looking at some sort of encapsulated chain plate? I hope not. Looking at the keel bolts. Very nice. Is that a fresh water boat? Find a mentor. This is a complex hobby/sport. It's like hunting and fishing. You need someone help bring you along. Step by step. I've been sailing for 60 years and have half a dozen mentors. Looking at the
johnbro27@reddit
There's a free 40' up here in the Western WA area. 40 year old boat gonna have issues, are you handy? Ready for some big challenges? Those painted over bolts are not a concern, the rot in the deck coring is what will kill you. Pull a cleat and see what the balsa looks like underneath it. I'll bet it's black and spongy.
windoneforme@reddit
I'd say it looks like a 40+ year old boat. Chain plates are going to flex and sooner or later they will leak when built through the deck. If the price is right and that M-25XP diesel spins free I wouldn't be too worried.
Those are great boats for space wise in the budget sub 30ft category. Plenty of access to the engine makes it easy to work on. Having an inboard diesel will always be much better than a similar sized boat with an outboard.
A bit of water in the bilge is fairly normal. Taste it to see if it's salty or fresh. If fresh it's rainwater coming in the mast or through deck leaks you'll have to chase down. If it's salty it's more than likely the stuffing box on the prop shaft could use some fresh packing.
light24bulbs@reddit
Looks normal
PracticalConjecture@reddit
There's nothing particularly terrible in the photos.
Just make sure you know what you're getting into. Budget the cost of fixing whatever needs fixing, then double that number to account for all the little stuff that you probably missed.
Boats eat time/money, and there are always projects. Sometimes, in doing one project you end up finding more issues and get yourself a whole different project.
Some projects, like rebedding hardware, painting, and fiberglass repair are labor intensive and materials cheap. DIY can save a bunch of money on these.
Others are just plain expensive - Sails, canvas, rigging, and upholstery are all custom and expensive.
Also, yard labor and mechanics aren't cheap- here in California shop rates are often $200/hr.
TenYearHangover@reddit
How much
Jay_Normous@reddit (OP)
Listed for 9, broker asking for 3
TenYearHangover@reddit
Nice. Would be a great first boat if the survey is good..
That-Makes-Sense@reddit
I fell in love with a sailboat that wasn't even for sale, on the hard, at a marina. Found out the owner forfeited the sailboat to the boat yard. Several people at the marina told me the boat was probably worth $20k. My offer for $3k was accepted. I thought I had found the deal of a lifetime. Why even bother with a survey? Well, it was going to be my first boat, so I thought it was prudent to get a survey to make sure there were no safety issues. After about 10 minutes of surveying, the surveyor told me it would cost me around $25k to replace the entire deck, which was rotted out.
So I learned why they say, there's nothing more expensive than a free, or almost free, boat.
The other lesson I learned was to buy a moisture meter. That saved me from having to get several other surveys on boats I thought were good.
thetaoofroth@reddit
Just got a pearson 35 as a first boat, but have decades of experience. I would focus on details like will you need interior cushions immediately or can you live with a molded sail. These are things that don't really affect performance but are capital expenses just the same. I have already spent more on project material than on purchasing the boat. Definitely spend money on a survey if you think there's a potentially terminal issue. look closely at the foredeck and cockpit sole for soft spots and any drop at the mast step (recording fiberglass is a liability). There are a lot of boats of this vintage that aren't selling because their owners are too old to sail, and anyone getting into the hobby would rather pay more for a modern race/cruiser or would pay for a charter/boat share to not need to maintain, repair, or upgrade the boat. All old boats have problems, a surveyor will help identify how critical or dangerous those problems are.
IanSan5653@reddit
Nothing I see here is an obvious major issue. If you like the boat and the price is right, get a survey. But also remember it's a buyers market and you can afford to be picky. Don't get too invested in the first boat you see (like I always do).
Jay_Normous@reddit (OP)
Thank you. It is the first boat we've seen so far and the broker offering to drop the price from 9k-3k made us sit up and take notice. We'll probably take him up on his offer for a sea trial soon so we can fire up the engine and see how that runs but keep looking at other boats.
Thank you
Candygramformrmongo@reddit
Doesn't look bad. Get a survey.