Cape Cruiser 23 Desirability

afglobemaster":yvhyl675 said:
Hey Guys, my Dad went and checked out the boat for me yesterday and had nothing but bad news to pass. Interior was basically waterlogged. Water damage, mildew/must everywhere from v-berth to under the sink to under the dinette. All the wood was basically shot and upholstery was spotted/soiled. Apparently the owner "stored" the boat with one of the windows open and it sat out in the rain for years. I suspect the hatch/window above the v-berth was leaking as well.

Anyhow, I'm really disappointed. The dealer had told me how clean and beautiful everything was. A good mechanic friend of mine told me to walk away after I sent him the pictures. I still really want the boat, but nervous about being able to resolve the problems associated from the water damage, but at the same time, once the wood is replaced, won't it be good again, or is once water is inside the cabin, can you never get rid of it?

I'll try and post some pics when I figure it out...
Joe
Click to expand...

Joe, that's a bummer. I think the dealer should be duly noted in the "good service, bad service" thread.
 
Too bad! Maybe if the dealer would knock off 15-20K you could afford to have everything done professionally to your specs; but even then I'd worry about the mechanical condition. What a waste of a good boat.
 
What engine and trailer also camper canvas does this boat have what was the price the mold can be cleaned up you can use the old teak as templates and redew cabin interior for the right price it might be a bargain?
 
Guess if you were up for the challenge and the price was made low enough to cover redoing the inside and the unknowns, you could get a bargain.

I do not think any bank would loan on it and even most novice boat owners might get scared by it. Then again, my neighbor purchased a really old ski boat which looked like it was a total beater. He had no knowledge about boats or how to fix things. It was his first boat purchase and I did not have the heart to tell him that it was going to be a major money pit and perhaps even leave him stranded on the water. After all, he was already the owner.

Let us know how the sale goes. And if you decide not to purchase, provide a link to the original ad. I would be curious to see the price and description of said boat.
 
I don't think its too bad.... but It should be priced accordingly! Our current boat was the first boat we bought that wasnt a total restoration project. The mold on the interior moulding can be removed with alot of elbow grease and a costco sized box of Mr clean magic erasers. Theres no hope for that much black mold on the upholstery so expect to have to re-do all the upholstery and seat foam. You can use all the old moldy stuff as templates including the woodwork that looks rotten. upholstery work isn't that expensive.

The things I'd be most worried about is the mechanical aspects( engine & steering systems) of the boat and if there's any water intrusion. The boat being neglected with window open makes it any more likely to have core water intrusion than a pristine boat. You can't tell until you really investigate that.

I wouldnt be afraid of this boat if it was cheap enough to re-do all the stuff thats bad inside the cabin. You can also customize just how you want it at the same time.
 
On the bright side, your boat would be like new on the inside. Also if you stripped the interior, it would provide an opportunity to add Mascoat (Spray Insulation) throughout the hull which would be a big improvement.

I would just say to tread carefully and not bite off more than you are willing to deal with in terms of time, frustration and $$$.

I have seen people purchase houses with hopes of fixing them up for profit or equity later become regretful as reality of increased cost and time to complete sets in.

Purchase wisely.
 
Your dad did fine with the video and photos!

If the owner would drop 20K off the price, then it may be a viable deal, if the engine is in decent condition. All wood and upholstery goods have to be removed from the boat. Any solid teak can be saved--the rest of the wood, may not even be suitable for patterns. All foam is thrown away. The wiring will have to be looked at anything electronic, the stove etc removed and tested. It looks as if much of the interior is formed in a mold, and should be OK after extensive pressure washing.

Next the pressure washer inside. Have at everything in the boat. with the pressure washer--hit it with chlorox, and then some detergent. Clear water pressure wash. Then start rebuilding.

Agree, if the core is damaged--no matter what, with this boat--run.

I never can figure why people let this happen to boats. We bought our Cal 46 in about the same condition--offered the owner half the listing price--and eventually he took that. Ended up selling the boat for three times what we paid for it--6 years and 0ver 40,000 miles later.Even included photos of the original, and exactly what was done to completely restore the interior (and some exterior).
 
Went and checked out the boat for myself this weekend and decided to move forward with it. It wasn't quite as bad as I expected. My Dad has a tendency to be over critical on the condition of things, plus they'd cleaned up the boat a little by the time I got there, several days after he initially had seen it. It does need a GOOD cleaning and some cabinet work as well.

Anyhow, it's under contract now and hopefully the survey will go well. I'm still concerned that the years of rain water might have penetrated to the core though.

Anyone know anything about Infrared Thermal Imaging? Several of the surveyors I ran across use it. I haven't had a chance to read up on it yet, but one of the them told me that they can detect/pinpoint any moisture in the core...Seems to makes sense.
 
I got to spent a day on the water driving and fishing out of a 23 CC this weekend. I forgot just how good that boat handles and runs. it is powered with 2 Yamaha 60's for 120 hp. I would say that it was lightly loaded but there is a lot of fishing gear aboard for halibut, so a lot of lead. The Water was smooth on the way out and a little choppy in spots on the way in. I could cruise at 30 mph in a 1 to 2 foot chop with out really pounding. I was able to hit 40 mph at one point when the water was dead flat. The three thing that really impressed me were the speed, ride ( no banging ), and how dry it is . It's a much dryer boat when you crash in to the chop or wakes then a 22CD. It also cornered tighter and smoother. At 25 mph we were only burning 6 gallons a hour, so 5 mpg. yeah I wish they would have built this boat a year sooner.

I hope you get the boat and fix it up. They should not be left to rot.
 
we have the f-115 on our cc23 we can get 32mph tops with a painted bottom . That's quite impressive twin 60's hitting 40mph .I find the cc-23 sweet spot is about 22-24 mph . I get consistantely 4-5 mpg . I've heard of a cc-23 venture going 49mph with a suzi 150
Tom were the twin 60's big foots or regular lower units
 
I don't know if they are big foots or not. Don't think so.

on the math I typed 25mph, but it was 30 mph. It is a light boat even with me in it. :wink:
 
Joe,

You may be able to get a 'read on water intrusion yourself.

A few years ago, when we were discussing CC23 water intrusion between the hull and the inner liner I decided to investigated it myself. I went to Home Depot and found a gizmo (about $39.95 as I recall) that was used to detect water in walls and beneath flooring. Supposedly it worked through fiberglass as well. I bought it an proceeded to mark a 12" grid (using the blue masking tape) on the decking inside the boat. I then took readings and marked each area that indicated water. Darned if it didn't work! :-) I realize that this probably isn't as accurate a device as a marine surveyor might use ... but it worked and was a whole lot cheaper.

After completing the measurements I decided to cut-in three areas to install the round deck plates, and sure enough there was water in the areas indicated. I removed about thirteen quarts of water, left the inspection holes open (the boat was then in AZ so the final dry-put was Easy) then screwed-in the inspection covers.

Google: "Home Depot moisture meter" and you'll find some choices. I chose a pinless model.

Also, here is a link to an article on measuring moisture content in marine surveys: http://www.marinesurveyor.com/meters.html

Good luck!

Best,
Casey&Mary
...in Cesky Krumlov (CZ) for a week
 
I bought one of those Home Depot moisture meters when I was surveying (what became) my 22. I would usually use a "real" boat moisture meter, but was not able to bring it along on my boat shopping trip as someone else was using it. I'm sure it was not as accurate, but it worked for me because I knew what I was looking for (i.e. where the water would be) and what other signs would accompany the moisture readings. I was also only looking for a relative reading: I knew where the boat was certainly dry, and could compare that to areas I was interested in specifically (transom, cockpit bottom, etc.)

I did buy the boat, and through all my subsequent projects (involving much drilling into core), have not found anything that wasn't indicated to me by my visual inspection and the "cheapo" (and more importantly, available to me in that time and place) moisture meter. So, I can second Casey's experience with it.

The CC could be a bit trickier, due to there being two layers of cored structure near each other (cabin/cockpit sole and then hull bottom), but then you can get to at least one side of either one.
 
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