From: greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough)
Subject: Re: Beautiful Boat
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 03:27:21 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Keywords: hideout, not-dead, UFO, lepers

In article <3604@cvbnetPrime.COM> epresley@brazilian.leper.colony writes:
>
>	accurate or I wouldn't post it. Sorry if this posting is
>	in an inappropriate place. 
 
That's okay, we'll just do a little review here. Might not be what you
want, but heck *caveat emptor*. I was sorely tempted by these boats
when boat-shopping 6 years ago. I shied away after careful examination.

>	BERMUDA 30 KETCH - CHOEY LEE. "SERAFIN", LOA 29'7", BEAM 8'9".
>	This classic, sleek and strudy vessel is a must see. 
 
Quite a snug vessel. Very small for a 30-footer. Laden with unique 
hardware which is difficult to match, if it ever needs replacement.
The rig is quite low; don't count on it being a smart performer in
light air, or to windward. Particularly if this is the Bermuda which
lacks a bowsprit (the later Offshore 30's had one), the sailing
performance can be a bit dismal. If it lacks a sprit, one can be
added. Count on doing it.

>	Fiberglass hull is in excellent condition.
 
Most of these boats have a bilge full of concrete ballast. Bad news.
It absorbs a lot of water, makes it impossible to access the inside
of the hull (not forgivable in a vessel which tries to appear as
highly voyage-worthy), and also increases the likelihood and 
severity of damage in event of a hard grounding. This is what
scared me worst; I don't like ballast that has to be troweled.

>                                                 Teak decks,
 
...problematic on many of these boats. The fastenings for the teak
seem to be prone to allowing *a lot* of water penetration down below.
Also, the decks are apt to be too thin to hold their plugs properly.

> cabin,
 
This is a veneer of teak ply around the glass shell (sort of like wall
paneling). It takes a lot of maintenence, and if it ever goes, it's
really gone. Looks great, though. Again, if you ever have a water
penetration problem (which you just might, given the tendency of
these things to have sieve-like deck leaks), the *interior* of
cabin will delaminate in great sheets. What a mess.

>	and cockpit,
 
...with a neat feature, which allows the ice-box to be accessed
from a cockpit locker!
 
Under the cockpit...

I saw no mention of engine; many of these boats have a very ancient
2-cylinder Volvo diesel. Quite a motor in its time. Weighs ten
tons, has big compression-release levers and a huge flywheel. If
anything goes wrong, it's new engine time. They're prohibitively
expensive to rebuild. They're raw-water cooled, and going on 30
years of age.

>                    with spruce spars,
 
Beautiful. Hope they're finished bright, because it's the only way
to see if they have rot. Hope they're not, because you'll spend a 
lot of time scraping and varnishing. Look especially hard for rot
in the spreaders, and under the boot at the foot. A frequent
source of trouble is the method of attaching wires to the mast,
which allow moisture penetration.

>                                  makes it the "prettiest boat
>	in the harbor".
 
Actually, it's more like a lot of work that makes it that way. Count
on buying a full-boat cover, to protect all that brightwork. I really
believe that these boats, with all their veneers and their glass-to-wood
joins, are more of a maintenence headache than a real, wooden boat. (By
the way, the Bermuda was build in a teak-planked version prior to its
introduction in glass).

>                        Well maintained and loaded including loran,
>	autopilot and depth sounder. Seven different sails, sleeps
>	four. Sale includes stands. $22,000 or best offer. 671-431-
>	2383.

Given that I was seeing Offshore 30 ketches (which is a somewhat better
boat) at this price in 1985-6, the price seems quite high. The market
has declined since then (I know, I just sold my boat). About $15,000
is probably more realistic, and might be generous at that.

These are seductive boats. But they are a *LOT* of work, very expensive
to maintain in good shape, and have a lot of weak points.

Greg