bertram31.com

I wanted to get feedback over how I should proceed with selling Storm Petrel. I can't afford to keep her, and I can't afford to finish what I started to work on to prepare her for sale. I started sanding down the hull, with the idea of Awlgripping. I ran out of money and time. The boat looks like hell with the hull sanded down.

Past experience has shown me that it's not a good idea to show a boat without first shining her up.

For those of you not familiar with her, Storm Petrel is a '62 fbc. She has a lower station which leads me to believe she started out as a sportfish. She is powered by Yanmar 240's with 1500 hours from new. She has a nice custom half tower with a full back rail/rocket launcher.

The bad; the boat has been chartered for the full 1500 hours on the engines. The interior needs new. It's terrible. There are several small isues; the forward bilge pump doesn't go on automatically. There are a few other things like that- nothing major. The engine boxes and cockpit sole were done by the previous owner and are sub-standard ( I did, however replace the crappy plastic hatches with aluminum hatches) If I were to keep the boat, IF I had the money, I would convert her back to a sportfish.

The good; The Yanmars run like tops; 25 kts burning 14 g.ph. total. The half tower was done three years ago by Rick at Marine Metal Fabricators in R.I. All electronics exept for the v.h.f are recent and nice; 36 mi. sitex color radar, 1000 watt color sounder, Garmin color chart plotter. The power, the biggest single issue, is excellent. There is an 8 man offshore liferaft that will go with the boat, as well as an e.p.i.r.b.

I guess what I am looking for is opinions on whether or not it would be best to auction her off on ebay, as is, or to take the time and money ( neither of which I am willing to part with) to get her gussied up a little.

Well, what say you? I'm very interested to get the advice of the faithful.
Thanks in advance
and B.R.
Steve (A.K.A. Captain cruelty)

I'd suspect that if the sanded hull is ready for painting, paint it or get it painted. You'll get back the costs involved and move the boat faster than if you left her alone. If you do, you might want to consider painting it a nice color rather than white for a bit more sexiness. The age of your hull makes it one of the heavyweights which in my opinion makes it more desireable. Walter

I think that you would want to paint it for sure. The inside is also important to a point. The buyer might have to sell the idea of the boat to his wife and if its not painted she might not understand that its a Bertram 31 that just needs a little paint. I would think it has to look good to get the right kind of money you want. Unless you find a Bertram lover who understands the deal. Good luck.

Where is it located?

Thanks, Walter and Brewster for your feedback. Rawleigh, the boat in out of the water in Point Judith, R.I.

Steve-

The market is terrible right now. You can either put some $$ in her for paint and an interior, or sell as is....

Great mechanicals, nice tower (still got the bench?) and electronics. She's just about the perfect semi-project boat (no offense). I'd try to sell her as is...lots of guys looking for the perfect semi-project boat.

I look at it this way...no one gets their money back on a boat restoration--even if its a B31. I love my B31, but when folks ask (and they have), I tell them that if you want to get one, consider buying something like Rumrunner or Fighting Angel--it'll cost you alot less than to buy a B31 needing work and then trying to duplicate those boats.

My two cents. Hope all is well.

John F.

Thanks, John
I got rid of the bench and got one one those cool "drop-away" helm chairs. I'm not offended at all by the semi-project label. A new interior and paint job will be a project, not to mention the pile of little things I never got to because I live on Block Island and the boat is on the mainland.

As far as selling her just as she is now? I suppose one way to look at it is to take the value of the Yanmars, used, add that to the price of a bare hull, and see what you come up with. My guess is that the engines and gears would have to be worth around 20k for the pair. What do you think the hull might be worth? With the half tower? And the electronics and safety equipment?

Maybe it WOULD be better to appeal to a project buyer than to do a half-@SS job of shining it up to sell.

Thanks again John, good getting your input.

BTW, the rendezvous in Montauk was the high point of my summer that year. It sure was great!
B.R
Steve

I have to think that you're sitting on 75K to the right buyer.

Steve-

I won't guess what she's worth. It'd be just that, a guess--but she's worth considerably more than $20K for motors and the price of a hull and tower, that's for sure. I saw a nice B31 Sportfish at a broker's place 10 minutes from my house and stopped to take a look. Wound up talking to the broker. The boat has a new interior from the motors to the cabin done all in teak with teak and holly sole, nice v-berth (not all redone but painted), nice half tower, glass deck, etc., recent GAS repower. Kind of an original boat with alot of stuff redone well, but not a total restore. They were asking $69K. The broker said that they were selling boats, but it was to guys making "lowball" (his words) offers and sellers taking them to get out. He also said that anything with 454s (like the sportfish) were really tough to move--everybody wants diesel now.

It all depends on how patient you want to be. I was talking to Tom Ward at AC last summer. He said that if you're selling a B31, be patient--the offers will come.

Two more things, then I'm done. I watched Doug C. prep and get his Crows Nest ready for paint last spring. I learned that there is no such thing as a "quicky" paint job--he worked hard. Also, I'm not sure that Ebay is the way to go to sell, but it gets alot of exposure. Again, your boat is certainly desirable to the right guy--someone who wants a solid diesel B31 that they can make pretty down the road. Good luck. I wish you weren't selling--I've always wanted to get up to Block and go striper fishing with you. I guess we'll have to do it on another boat........

John F.

Steve

When you come up with a number you may want to post the boat out on The Hull Truth. There are several guys looking for project diesel 31's out on that site. Below is a link to a thread on B31's and a guy with the screen name of Finman in NJ is looking for a diesel 31 project boat. Don't know how hard he is looking but may be worth dropping him a line when you set the price.

http://www.thehulltruth.com/forums/thre ... 2&posts=38

Steve if you do decide to paint her, it will at the very least make it go faster. You know the old "body man method" Hire an auto body painter to shoot it wherever it currentlly is even in the water it can be done but not desirable. The first impression is the most important and will open your boat up to more prospects. You will have a lot less trouble selling her with the Yanmar Diesels than most other 31 's on the market even with it needing painted. Good luck. Dave K

Mike,
Good to hear from you. I thaink that, if my boat was a weekend tachtsman job, it would be worth around $70,000 or so. But remember, It has those engine boxes and a glass over plywood cockpit sole. As a charter boat, it's had many 100 mile trips straight into a 5' headses, things like that, that have taken their toll. The more I take an objective look at the boat, the more I do see her as a project boat. I see her as being worth around $50,000. Agreat deal for the buyer, and a good deal for me. I have around $100,000 into it.

John,
I spent over a day sanding the hull down to 220... it probably needs a few more hours of fixing the dings where a mako caused a snap swivel to rip into the hull, that kind of thing.

Waggles,
Thanks much for the link to the hull truth. Those are just the kind of guys that would love this boat.

Dave,
Thanks for your input. Luckily, she's out of the water, so that's not an issue. I guess I would rather sell the boat to someone who WANTS a B31, as I did, with great power and electronics.

Steve-

Good luck with her. For $50K, she should go really, really quickly. For whoever is looking, I saw this boat a few years ago with the half tower and motors...for that price, jump on it.

John F.

John,
I certainly hope you are right about the quick sale!!
Steve

Steve I sanded my 31 down in the fall and was going to paint in the spring was told by the owner of the yard not to leave it unpainted he said the sun light would damage the fiberglass , so I had my doubts about that so called a paint co. name escapes me at the moment, they said without a doubt that grave damage could and would occour to the fiberglass . so roll on some brightside paint primer won't protect it good luck Mike Moran

Mike,
Thanks for your post. I didn't sand everything off down to the hull, merely sanded everything perfectly smooth, to prep it for primer. I AM looking for someone to shoot it though. Any suggestions on an awlgrip guy in the southeast new england area??

Steve,

A couple of ideas.

1) Skip Helme at Brewer St. boatworks in Newport. Does great work.

2) Eddie Johnson at Johnson Boat Works - 401-255-0208

3) Call Rick Weller at Marine Metal Fab. and ask where he would go. He never ceases to amaze me with what he comes up with!

Dug

Dug,
I talked to the folks at Composite One, the major distributor of Awlgrip in R.I. They gave me the names of a few people that only do Awlgrip. I talked to one who is willing to travel to my boat and let me do all the prep and masking. Total price to prime and finish coat; $1900. That seems more than fair to me from someone who does only Awlgrip, all the time.
B.R. and thanks
Steve

Steve-

Get ahold of Doug C. He did the same thing this spring--he did the prep., and had a guy come to the yard and prime and paint with Awlgrip. He has all the numbers for materials, etc., as well as what he paid for labor.

John F.

John,
It's amazing how much they get to paint a tiny-freeboard B31 hull. I talked with several painters, they were all around the same price wise. The guy I'm going with is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of experience and the fact that Awlgripping boats is all he does.

BTW, I have gotten two calls as a result of this thread about selling the boat. If it sells to either one of the two (one is looking at it tomorrow) I will send Capt. Patrick a check for $150 as a listing fee.

I sure will miss that boat, it took me on some amazing fishing adventures. At least one was out to Hydrographer canyon, 140 miles from home! She always brought me back safe. Truly the best boat ever built!
Best Regards,
Steve