So, yeah, about that Islander 36 project boat… Confronted with a boat like the Islander, my first impression is “Ugh”. My second is “Get rid of all the crap and clean the sucker up and there might be a good boat in there somewhere”. And, my third reaction is “I need to do the math!”. …
For starters, it’s a monohull somewhere between 26 and 38 feet long and, while there are a few outliers, the average falls somewhere around 30 feet. By current “Yachting” standards it is too old to be fashionable and its age is somewhere on the wrong side of 25. The main thing you can say about …
Practical Boat Owner, otherwise known as PBO, has a small article talking about the Westerly Cirrus and Tiger that is well worth reading. That said, I have not a frelling clue as to what a decent sofa actually costs so, if anyone out there does maybe you could let the rest of us know in …
Just after I got up this morning and cleaned off the reindeer turds from the coach-roof, I saw that Voile & Moteur had a write up for a design that resonated with me big time. Since buying a fixer-upper Islander 36, I’ve had this somewhat hazy idea of how I wanted to adapt the design …
The nice thing about most classic plastic boats is the fact that they were mostly built like tanks. Fiberglass and polyester resin were cheap and did not require much in the way of expensive labor to slap together so, for the most part, a lot of very strong boats got made in the late 60s …
In one of Lin and Larry’s books they talk about their yearly purge of getting stuff off the boat that is not needed or not earning its keep. One of the best bits of advice I’ve encountered where boats are concerned. Just this morning I spent several hours going through boxes of the previous owners’ …
Once I get finished with the electrics, a bit of engine messabout, and sorting out new navigation lights, then it’s on to making the Islander something more approaching home. First on the list is ripping out the old toilet and building in a “composting head” (and yes, I know that composting heads on boats don’t …
I keep trying to sort out a cunning plan for that 30-footer but have been somewhat distracted by the fact that I’ve been distracted by another for sale boat. So distracted in fact that I decided to buy it. Which leave me being that guy with two boats, an endless supply of needful projects, and …
So, here’s a hurricane boat for sale that Drew linked to… As far as hurricane boats go it’s actually in pretty good shape providing the photos are current. The asking price of $2,350 is, from where I’m sitting silly but I’ll say more about what sort of budget I’d consider doable to make the boat …
Being that we live in a consumerist society, it’s sometime very easy to feel out-of-sync with the general view on the subject of value. For instance, at a local marina there are several dinghies selling for $9K or more while a 36-foot sailboat is selling for less. How is that even possible? For starters, the …
