What to do with an old Typhoon

[chrisinmaine]

Hello, I'm new to the board and trying to get some information for a friend who just acquired hull number 29 in need of a little love.

The boat is not in terrible shape and could be made comfortable and seaworthy again without any major work. There's no obvious issues with the decks and hull (of course I'd be surprised if there isn't some water intrusion once we really get down to looking) plywood on cockpit sole and in cuddy is shot, however the teak is in great shape, although in need of removal and refinishing. Toe rail is non-existent, some crazing on hull, rig is serviceable.

I own an Ensign and I'm fond of Alberg designs. If this was a newer hull I might be less inclined to suggest he consider it's worth a restoration, but 29 is a pretty low number. He's been offered a small sum from a scrapper, probably just for the lead in the keel.

So I guess this is an open-ended question from someone who does not know Cape Dories, but can appreciate a boat of that style and vintage. Is this a project that you would undertake? Is there someone out there who might be interested in taking ownership of this boat in order to do the restoration themselves? I get the feeling she is pretty special to the original owner and not quite ready for the scrapyard.

Many thanks.

Chris
Portland, Maine

[Joe CD MS 300]

Maybe an organization like the Apprentice Shop in Rockland Maine would take it as a donation. They teach boatbuilding courses and have sailing programs.

[Paul D.]

I'm biased but I always think a boat with a pedigree is worth some form of restoration. I did that with our old 1976 Typhoon #10xx from a sad state stored for years in an open farm field. These things will usually keep on sailing with a minimum investment once you get it set up. Mast, Boom, trailer and sails will cost you but simply cleaning, some glasswork and new wood interior trim and toerails for a boat the size of the Typhoon should not be excessive. These Typhoons were designed by one of America's best designers and built by a solid builder, so that to me is a good recipe worth spending money and time on.

There would be more than plenty of knowledgable support from people on this board as well, which really cannot be priced.

[Ben Miller]

Is your friend trying to find a buyer for the boat, or just a little inspiration to take the project on? There are plenty of examples online of people doing some pretty major Typhoon overhauls. Here are a few I've come across:

http://www.lackeysailing.com/archived/t ... ytanic.htm
http://alvaanne.blogspot.com/
http://www.lackeysailing.com/archived/k ... asanah.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck_vxQU ... QvSTUYE2oA

That last one is the most extreme. A professional restoration shop removed the deck completely and refurbished every last square inch of the boat. In the comments they say it was a "$150k remanufacture." That's way, way, over on the extreme end of the spectrum, but I think it's safe to say that yeah, it would be worth putting forth a little effort to bring your friend's boat up to snuff. At least, it would be worthwhile to someone!

[casampson]

It's just a matter of money. It makes no sense to invest $10,000 on something that will only be worth $5000 when you are done -- or whatever the numbers happen to be. Might as well just buy a newer Typhoon that is already in good shape, spruce it up to your liking, and go sailing.

[mgphl52]

That's quite true... but it's amazing what can be done for a lot less money if one does it them self, takes their time and asks lots of questions here!

[Paul D.]

I would love nothing more than to fly out, thoroughly go over that Typhoon, assess its restoration needs to get it into sailing trim, assess any extra needs to bring to a full restoration. Give an optimistic report and fly out. Sort of like Robert D'Niro in "Brazil" where he zip lines in and fixes the air conditioner without the infamous paperwork, Central Services Form 27B stroke 6.

How much is that surveyor license again?

[chrisinmaine]

Thanks so much for the advice and encouragement. I'll keep everyone posted!

[Bill Goldsmith]

My son went through the same conundrum with a 1975 Ty acquired for free. Needed work. I advised that the decision of taking that boat versus buying one ready to sail hinged on a multi part spectrum like this. Any one person and boat condition will require a kind of matrix analysis to decide where you fall on the decision scale:

Project Boat
Want to learn fiberglass boat Restoration, willing to defer sailing it
Low outlay immediately
Lots of parts and supplies to buy over restoration period
Might cost more than a ready to sail boat but you learned a lot
Free Labor (you)
Need to have the time

Ready-to-sail boat
Want to sail now--not interested in getting boat repair skills
Higher outlay now for purchase if available
Fewer things to buy going forward (but have a budget)
No restoration labor

[Dick Villamil]

Fix her up! I have a 1976 Typhoon that had holes in the side and a leaky keel, toe and rub rails splintered and water in the aft deck core. I decided to learn how to take on this project replacing teak rails, repaired the hull cracks etc. When finally finished I have a little and handsome yacht that draws many positive comments. I learned a LOT and then took on the restoration of a CD10 that was ready for the junk yard! Now I am not intimidated about any kind of restoration - all you need is time and a computer to research the projects on this board. Good luck and give it a try!

[calderp]

Hey Chris,
I'm in Maine as well, between Damariscotta and Rockland most of the time. I've got a Typhoon (although I'm about to sell it) and I would wholeheartedly encourage that the boat be fixed up and sailed. Notice I don't say restored! I mean if he wants to do a restoration more power to him but he should keep in mind that if that feels like too much for his skills and/or budget one of the great things about the Typhoons is they're such incredibly simple boats that there's very little required to get them on the water. The toerail is mostly a cosmetic issue, the crazing is cosmetic, in a real budget pinch even exterior plywood from the home depot will last a couple years with a coat of paint and you've got that marine salvage store in portland if there's missing hardware. There's a great deal of satisfaction in restoring a boat and doing things the 'right way' but it is a lot of work and takes some drive and especially with simple little boats I think there's a lot to be said for doing the bare minimum to get in the water for some sailing. If he does I'll bet he feels inspired to tackle a few more projects for next year.

Alternately, if he does decide to let the boat go I've got a friend who's been looking for a Typhoon and might be interested, I can ask him. If I'm down in portland and the timing works out I'd be happy to take a look and talk you guys through a few things, send me a message with your phone number if you'd like.
-Paul

[Oswego John]

I have to agree with michael et Toni. Fix er up. A Tyhoon isn't just another run of the mill production sail boat. IT'S A CAPE DORY.

You would be surprised what a rank novice can accomplish with a little guidance, advice and leadership. About the time that I retired, I agreed to help a new owner of an older Ty to restore his boat. At that stage in my life I had accumulated most of the hand and power tools required to work on boats. The owner owned practically no tools but was a willing, eager worker. When we began work, his Ty was in fair to poor shape. In less than a month he was out sailing. We took before an after pictures. I tried to see that he did the actual sweat equity under knowledgeable guidance. He was totally amazed with our results. The best part of the deal is that the owner an myself became good friends to this day.

I used to search out and purchase Typhoons in poor shape, fix them up and make a good profit for my labors. (Usually less than half of what a shipyard would charge). Tys always resold well. I probably upgraded between ten and a dozen Tys.

The most interesting part of "What To Do With an old Typhoon" is the hull number. Which set of numbers are being used? One original set was used by the original Typhoon builder, Naugus Fiberglass Industries, located in Salem, Mass.

Naugus Fiberglass Industries sold the business to the present day owner who started to use a fresh new set of hull numbers. There are several ways to determine which set your friend's Ty is using. If your friend has a Naugus Hull, the hull plate will be a bronze square with a cut out on the bottom edge that sits over the rudder post. If built by Cape Dory, the plate will be oval shaped and fastened in view on rhe brightwork.

Check the cuddy cabin. The old Naugus version didn't have a port on either side of the cabin. The Cape Dory version does have port lights

Another easy way to tell what era the Ty comes from is to look at the rudder. The early Ty rudders were in sad shape. The rudder blade was comprised of three pieces of wood, through bolted edge to edge. I had a brisk, small business building new rudder assemblies. I suppose that many of the present day Ty owners are sailing with my redesigned rudder assemblies. I did remake several CD25, also.

I suggest that you look into which model Ty your friend has. He might be the owner of a golden oldie.

[Alan Stewart]

Hi Chris, I first fell in love with Typhoons many years ago when working at a boatyard on Cape Cod where I was tasked with “sprucing up” a couple of Ty’s that needed brightwork restored - I’ve been a fan ever since, despite sailing and owning numerous larger multi hills over the ensuing years. The Typhoon has a classic timeless beauty and simplicity that sets it apart. Carl Alberg was once asked which of his numerous designs he preferred, and without hesitation he replied “The Typhoon! It was (one of?), my first, and is still my favorite.”
I bought my first one, hull #378, from an old salt in Woods Hole 20+ years ago for $800., it had a broken mast, soggy decks, no sails and no trailer - I learned a Lot from that project..! More recently I have purchased and restored about a dozen Typhoons ranging from a 1967 hull #6 (!!) prototype, all the way to a 1981 D/S and most recently hull #1037 (1975). I’ve been given two complete boats for free, and have paid up to $4,500 for the latest one, which came with a Triad trailer and new Tohatsu 6hp 4-stroke.
Speaking from my own experience, the amount of work required to bring a Typhoon back from (in some cases anyway), years of neglect, is an inverse equation based upon the price paid... “You get what you pay for.” Having said that, there’s nothing so much fun “as messing around with boats...”, IF you have both the time and desire. Your friend’s Typhoon sounds like it is definitely worth “bringing back”, and probably won’t require much more than sweat equity, elbow grease, and several quarts of varnish (Epiphanes!), and paint. If she isn’t up to the task then I’m sure that someone else is, and perhaps not very far away at that!
I am in the Portland area (Bath, Brunswick et al), many times during the summer & fall and would be happy to offer whatever encouragement and advice might be needed. Get in touch with me @ 843-450-2598 anytime...
PS I also build/convert aluminum trailers to carry & launch Typhoons in case your friend needs one...
Cheers, Alan Stewart

[Alan Stewart]

Sorry, here’s a correction for my phone #...843-450-2498, (not “2598” as previously posted).
Another thought on saving a Typhoon from the scrapper: I used to tell folks that if they were still being made today, Typhoons would likely cost $40 to $50K, but when I was chatting with the owner of Rappahannock Yachts in Irvington recently (the facility that, IMHO, performs the nicest restoration work I’ve yet seen on Typhoons), he corrected me and said that the price would more likely be around $70,000! And no, you’d never be able to sell a restored Typhoon for that much, but quite a few have actually sold in recent years for as much as $25,000 - so while it’s all relative to a degree, Save that Boat if at all possible ‘cause they just don’t make ‘em like that anymore! Best of luck!

[PortTack]

Just curious - is there a period or range of hull numbers of Typhoons that are generally considered to be better, for some reason or another?