My First Cape Dory - ADVICE NEEDED!

[SeanReeves]

Dear Cape Dory Experts:

My name is Sean Reeves and I live in Indianapolis IN. I’ve been sailing off-and-on for over 20 years in Snipes and various keelboats. I’m in the market for a Cape Dory Typhoon Weekender and I’d appreciate some advice on selecting a boat. I’ve been able to save enough to pay cash for a boat, spend a little (<$1,500) on restoration (if necessary) and buy a set of sails (if necessary). With boats all 25-35 years old I need to know what to look for to disqualify the purchase of a mortally wounded hull and/or deck. There will always be cosmetic issues with an older boat and I’m really more concerned with spotting irreparable damage and not making a bad purchase. I’m not a boat expert and wouldn’t know how to spot a soft hull, wet balsa core, loose rudder posts and other such maladies without being taught how to spot them. My questions are this:

• Are there any mortal problems/issues with Cape Dory Typhoons Weekenders (CDTW) that should disqualify a hull without further consideration? How do I spot them?

• What are the most common “repairableâ€

[BillyO]

Common areas of concern. Gel coat cracks. Mostly cosmetic.
Coring material of deck.... have a CLOSE look. Watch for soft/ rotten areas. Rigging is easily checked and repaired.
Rudder... make sure is is solid and safely attatched.
Plan on getting a new or nearly new outboard.
Pretty simple boat to own and maintain....ENJOY
BillO CD 22

[bill2]

Hey Sean

Congrats on your good taste

Here's my $.02 on the subject ( and you may already know much of this - hopefully its a good refresher ) even though my experience is more of a general nature rather than just Ty specific.

You sound well experienced with sailing and well versed in boat problems so if me I'd start with a slow deliberate visual inspection noting anything at all that stands out as unusual like:
stains inside hull - esp under chain plates - ouch
compression inside cabin under the mast ( overtightening shrouds/stays )
cracks - gel coat or worse ( new paint ? ) anywhere
fittings ( esp deck and seacocks ) properly bedded secure and don't leak
no signs of water leaks in the cabin or around the rudder
examine all wood for "softness" - ie rotten
examine all "bulkheads" for alignment and bonding to the hull
examine deck to hull joint around entire boat

Then using a rubber mallet ( or substitute ) walk around boat gently tapping the hull and deck and cabin - you should hear a solid ( like ringing fiberglass ) thunk and not a soft thud - the thud indicating water intrusion and a major labor intensive ( spelled $$$ if not done by you ) repair. Some use "moisture meters" if you can get your hands on one. Note to especially check around "penetrations" of the deck .

I am under the belief that many prize an original Ty outboard motor bracket - a plus. Also I know from personal experience that sometimes the simplest little fitting can be pain to replace and cost much more than you would have thought .

These are just some of the things I'd look at and I'm sure there are more items that others ( not as sleepy as I ) will remember.

Maybe with some luck "OJ " will see this thread and add his reply as I 'd consider his past experience with Ty's to make his opinion highly desired.

Of all these I'd say mast compression of the cabin, deck delamination ( water soaked core ) can be pretty bad . But any of these can be signs of a big problem if ignored and allowed to grow. Depending on your willingness to work - none of these problems are incurable - just takes either time or money and sometimes both .

FWIW - if you can find them I highly recommend "upgrading the cruising sailboat" by D Sprurr ( past editor of "practical sailor ) or "this old boat" by D Casey ( currently does byline on boatus web site ) as two really good books about fixing old boats.

Good Luck

[BillNH]

Hi Sean,
To get you up to speed inspecting older boats (and just a good source of boat knowledge in general) I'd recommend the following two books:

Inspecting The Aging Sailboat, by Don Casey
Surveying Fiberglass Sailboats, by Henry Mustin

Both are paperback and used copies are usually available fairly cheaply on Amazon... You seem cautious enough that, if what you read makes sense to you, you could do your own survey on a 19 foot engineless sailboat, at least as far as identifying serious, deal-breaking issues!

Good luck!

[Dick Kobayashi]

I second the advice given above and have read all the books. One key thought though. There are repairs that are like home repairs, caulking, tightening bolts, cleaning, waxing, etc. And then there are labor intensive efforts that require new skills fixing a blistered hull, delaminated fiberglass, structural problems. My advice is to find a dirty unkept boat that needs home repair skills to bring up to standard, not specialized skills - after all you want to sail this year.

[jim ventrilio]

I looked at a couple of really old ones...pre-1967, figuring I could do a restoration, i.e. offer the owner a few hundred and then invest the rest of what I had in restoring it. After looking at some really sad ones, I figured I would just look for a better one, and pay more
than I wanted to, but that's what happened, and that's the best advice I can provide.

JIm V
Typhoon San Angelo

[MarcMcCarron]

1. You want a CD25 - no reason to go smaller...... you will regret
not having at lest that size within a year.

2. Do not buy a fixerupper. You can find a CD25 in great shape
for $5000 if you're willing to look..... or look hard. In this economy
people are just happy to walk away from the yearly cost of keeping a
boat.....

[Dick Villamil]

I fell in love with the CD Typhoon in 1971 at the Newport Boat Show when I was stationed there in the Navy. 30 years later (and working through 4 boats - currently a C&C 34) I found a Typhoon in the derelict portion of the local boat yard that was very dirty and either ready for the landfill or ready for a sucker like me to be saved. I bought it for $500 and proceeded (with the help of a few friends) to completely restore her. All I needed to do was to repair a boat in really sad shape - holes between the deck/hull, damaged and missing rub rails, waterlogged core in aft deck and stbd seats, water in the keel that froze and cracked the hull in many places as well as corroded spreader to mast fittings and origial 1976 sails, cushions that were OK but with corroded zippers, waterlogged cabin seat boards - the list goes on and on. After a 2-year restoration Victoria is in near new condition and provides me a lot of satisfaction when I sail her. Also since she is a small boat, my Boat Supplies bill is a fraction of what it is for my other boat. Nice to be near the water when sailing, it is easy to launch and recover (on a new trailer I modified) and a very adorable little classic boat that draws a lot of comments. Every time someone says "What a cute boat - what is it?" I beam and remember how I fell in love the the Ty and finally own one - and know everything about it. Go for it - have fun and enjoy. Just make sure you have a tent in the driveway and an understanding spouse when you bypass desert after dinner to go out and work on your baby and have a few beers with your helping friends!

[MarcMcCarron]

If you're into restorations go for a fixer-upper.
My advise is purchase a boat that someone else
fixed up, or took good care of in the first place.
Then sail it. Living in the boatyard gets old and
expensive.

[wingreen]

Ditto on the aft deck core and cabin top. I think those two must be the worst, but everything else on a Ty is pretty low-maintenance and easy to repair.

I believe the best boat is the one you will sail the most. For me, at this point in my life, that would be a Ty. I like the trailerability so I can launch from any port within driving distance, and she fits easily in my driveway when I'm done.

[sharkbait]

Look here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/buy-the- ... ZSailboats