10 Tips To Avoid Boat Restoration Pitfalls

Drew Maglio owns up to his boat-buying mistakes, and has some valuable tips for anyone in the market for a new second-hand yacht

After years spent refitting motorboats my wife, Avery, and I decided to buy a yacht. We’ve been working on our 1987 Ericson 38-200 Walden for over a year now and have made many mistakes along the way. From a blistering hull to sinking dinghy, and costs that just kept spiralling… here are some of the lessons I’ve learned:

PRE-PURCHASE

1. Check the climate

It’s always hard to resist buying a boat that is lying conveniently nearby, but my first recommendation, having bought a boat in South Florida, a region notorious for harsh ultra-violet (UV) index and corrosive saltwater – is to buy a boat from a temperate climate.

In the northern areas of the US, for instance, boats are used sparingly and stored away (usually under shrink wrap) for half of the year. In Florida, boats bake in the sun, causing gelcoat to oxidise and hatches and ports to craze, while plastic and leather bits become brittle and break.

Additionally, the warm salt water is a breeding ground for osmotic blistering. Our boat had dozens of melon-sized blisters, most of which were missed by our surveyors.

Compounding matters, the warm brine fuels electrolysis which can erode underwater metals such as rudder and prop shafts, struts, and even propellers.

Suffice to say that, as a general rule, it’s much better to buy a boat from a temperate climate as opposed to a tropical one. If you can find a desirable boat from a freshwater river or lake that is even better!

2. Buy as new as you can

While a fairly modern and adept design, which is notable for its speed and upwind sailing performance, our fin keel and spade rudder yacht is still 32 years old.