marine surveyor and inboard mechanic

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bobjarrard

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Hi - I am looking at a Calkins Bartender in Bellingham, Washington. This is a 22' not a 26' and is indoor kept on a trailer. She has a Chevy V8 (350) with 250HP (fresh water cooled) and 186 hrs on the motor. I am looking for a surveyor who is familiar with wood (hull is vintage 1977 but from the pictures is epoxy for sure) and an engine mechanic to take a look at the motor/Velvet Drive. I will take an oil sample for analysis also (Blackstone Labs unless there is a Seattle lab that would be faster). Any counsel C-BRATS? My truck is not up to a C-Dory 25 and a C-22 is more than twice this boat. That would pay for a lot of KEM motors (no outdirve - almost all Bartenders are shaft drive). I should have bought Ron's C-16 (Margie May in the Beagle album) for 14K but the wife wants a bit more boat. About to pull the trigger on a long term lease for a 12' x 50' storage unit in our sub-division in Boulder City, NV and need a boat to justify the cost!!! Thanks!
Bob and Kyung Jarrard
 
That's an awesome boat! If it checks out, buy it, but you have to bring it to the Friday Harbor C Brat Get Together for everyone to see and get christened!

I talked to the owner of a 26 in the San Juans 2 years ago. He built the boat over 6 years and it was a beauty.

Here's the link for others to see it.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bod/5303426154.html
 
If I Remember Correctly, AstoriaDave (Dave Kruger) built a Bartender back a few (5-10) years ago.

Might have been Diesel powered.

I wonder what advice he would have for you?

Looks like a great boat in the listing!

Good Luck!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Sea Wolf":17hhlubg said:
If I Remember Correctly, AstoriaDave (Dave Kruger) built a Bartender back a few (5-10) years ago.

Might have been Diesel powered.

I wonder what advice he would have for you? thup
Click to expand...
Man, you have a long memory, Joe. Yup, I built a 20.5 ft BT from a frame kit, with 65 hp Westerbeke IB power, gas, not diesel. Not in the same league as a 22 ft BT with a 250 hp engine, though. That boat should do 30 knots, loaded, unless it was overbuilt. Does the seller give a dry weight?

Aside from data on the engine and tranny, which I believe he has nailed, the prime concern is whether the hull has any rot. A 1977 vintage boat would have quality doug fir ply, the best there ever was, and unavailable today. I would instruct the surveyor to carefully examine the contacts in the bilge between the keelson and rhe plywood and frames. That is where the greatest chance of water penetration exists.

Not a difficult spot to restore, but it would demand removal of the engine.

A plywood boat of that vintage sbould be in good shape if its epoxy enclosure is intact. Of course, it helps if it was stored under a roof. BTW, that 26 ft BT is really cherry, with state of the art electronics, radar, etc. And a very nice hard top. Rare. The builder is a very meticulous guy, perhaps even anal. He wants a lot of money for it, but the boat is definitely one of a kind.
 
Thanks for the replies. I have owned several wood boats, one I had to re-caulk 1/3 of the hull planking, sister several frames, repair six feet of garboard, re-canvas the decks, and wood the hull. Then I pulled the stick and re-built all the rigging. Never again (I bought her because she built the year I was born - 1947 - not a good idea). There is a C-Dory in my future - just a matter of time!
Bob
 
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