Typhoon Purchase Advice

[ronkberg]

I may have the opportunity to purchase a 1984 Typhoon that has not been sailed since 2001. The boat appears to have been abandoned and the marina is pushing through the courts to take ownership and then will consider selling for the storage bill plus some legal charges.

She is sitting on boat stands at a marina in Maine and has the remnants of a blue tarp on the boat stands. Not clear as to whether she has weathered winters uncovered. Her mainsail is on the boom under a sail cover and her jib is furled within the roller furling system. There are furling lines and other lines lying exposed on the deck or in the cockpit. I see water coming out of the drains but have not had the opportunity to inspect for other details. All of the rigging has weathered the winters holding up the mast.

Since she has sat exposed for 4 summers and 3 winters so far, I’d appreciate feedback and opinions from the experienced members. Can there be major damage that from sitting that time in the Maine weather and should I walk away and put my money on an older Typhoon that has been used and well maintained?

Ron

[Dick Villamil]

I also purchased an older Ty that had sat in the yard for several Vermont winters Lok for possible wet core in the deck - especially around the hardware (they were poorly bedded at the factory. You might see cracks in the gelcoat radiating away from the wet core refelecting expansion as the wet core froze in the winter. Also look for cracks around the cabin/deck joint - this would reflect sagging of the cabin with the weight of the mast sitting there for several years. CHeck the chainplates - there could have been water intrusion into the core there as well. You might need to replace the running rigging, may have mildew on the sails that can be cleaned. Woodwork can be refinised. Also check to see if water collected in the bilge - on mine this resulted in a delamination between the keel fiberglass and the ballast. Even though I had all of these problems I was able to thoroughly restore the boat and make it an eyecatcher whenever I sail her. Also she is beter than new, a tribute to the solid layup of the hull. Hopefully you will get the boat for less than $1500 to allow you to spend some money and sweat equity in restoring her. Good luck.

[winthrop fisher]

Hi Ron...

the boat should be fine, just ask them to see the boat inside and out and make sure very thing is fine.

all so find out how much its going to cost you, you should not have to pay all the court fees, thats there problem, not yours.

for an 84 it should be worth around $5000 and up.

with out seeing it i am going on what you are saying.

i would offer then around 2000 to 2500 cash thats it and see what happens.

i would go for it, because its a 84 and it has things on it that the older ones did not have at all, besides its worth allot more...

it only needs TLC.

good lucky.
winthrop

[ronkberg]

Hi Dick and Winthrop, thanks for the responses and I have captured them for future reference. If the '84 becomes available then I will inspect more and get a survey if necessary.

When I get a Typhoon, I will get some photos uploaded and let all see what she looks like as purchased and how I progress to make her better.

Later, Ron

[novotny]

I bought my 76 Typhoon 2 years ago, it sat abandoned in a marina, full of water, through 3 Buffalo winters, no cover. Owner let me pump her out and I found she was fine except for being filthy, a slight sag under the mast and one soft spot on the foredeck. Luckily the sails, motor and cushions were kept indoors. I got her for $1300, cleaned her up, stained the teak, raised the sagging cabin roof under the mast with a 2ft basement jack, fixed the soft spot with West epoxy and she looks like new, the boat gets a lot of looks and compliments from other boaters (motor boaters too) Typhoons are build like a tank, just check the known problem spots. One concern I would have is the sails. A new set can set you back 2-3 thousand $. Good luck

[ronkberg]

Posted: Sat 10/29/05 6:32 am Post subject:

Novotny, Buffalo is just as severe weather-wise as Maine, I appreciate your words of encouragement. I am not afraid of a challenge but do not want to start so far in the hole that I may lose the drive before the work is completed. Although I like to perform updates and repairs, I also believe that a boat is meant to be sailed and both for US as well as the boat.

I plan to talk to the marina to see how the boat has weathered previous winters. If it is not planned to be covered this winter then I will be more concerned because I saw the cockpit was filled after the remenants of Wilma dropped significant rain. The water also had left some indications that the it may have entered the cuddy so I do not know how much water is within the bilge. I will assume that water in the bilge that freezes could do damage that may cause future hull problems.

I am tending to move on another boat rather than worry about what could be a more work than I really desire.

Thanks, Ron

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I bought my 76 Typhoon 2 years ago, it sat abandoned in a marina, full of water, through 3 Buffalo winters, no cover. Owner let me pump her out and I found she was fine except for being filthy, a slight sag under the mast and one soft spot on the foredeck. Luckily the sails, motor and cushions were kept indoors. I got her for $1300, cleaned her up, stained the teak, raised the sagging cabin roof under the mast with a 2ft basement jack, fixed the soft spot with West epoxy and she looks like new, the boat gets a lot of looks and compliments from other boaters (motor boaters too) Typhoons are build like a tank, just check the known problem spots. One concern I would have is the sails. A new set can set you back 2-3 thousand $. Good luck

[dwdisbennett]

I bought mine for back storage. It too sat full of water and goo. I scrubbed her up and rubbed out the hull and she's just fine.

I did add a compression post and made new toe and rub rails, and recored part of the fantail. The boat is easy to work on, and original parts are not hard to fine

This past season I got a new working jib and main from Lee Sails. they were a great improvement from the original, and only set me back $700.00 for the pair. They are great little boats and nearly indestructable.

Good Luck

Dave

[ronkberg]

Hi Dave, and thanks for another encouragement. It puts me into the "can do" mode once again. From the feedback so far, it seems that the northern boats can survive the rigors of winter w/o a cover. Although I have never left any of my sailboats uncovered...and will not in the future....it sounds like Typhoons are built to stand up to frozen interiors. If this boat does not make it to my ownership then I have 3-4 others that are on my radar scope.

I have to sell my 17' Oday Daysailor II but a Typhoon is a definite planned purchase in 2006.

Thanks, Ron