I was wondering why all those early '70s Westsails keep sinking in their slips.....their fiberglass melted!:eek: Just kidding, but you get my point. My 36 is a 1991, so she's 21 years old now. The gelcoat is still gleaming, the hull is sound and all of the systems work just fine. Of course, the prior owner had the hull waxed twice a year since new and I have kept up that regimen. I have the engine serviced annually and the interior is spotless. In my opinion, it's all about maintenance. I don't know your boat, but I can tell you that it will take anywhere from $ 175,000 - $ 250,000 to replace her with a new boat of similar size. That's incentive enough for me to do what it takes to keep my boat "like" new. Oh, and did I mention that my old boat has REAL teak inside? I prefer that to the plastic laminates being used nowadays. Call me a curmudgeon (or just cheap), but I'll keep my boat until she sinks underneath me.;)

Mike

You can spray gelcoat but it's not a DIY job unless you are a very good DIYer and have the right equipment. I'm not that good. But paint, if the surface is properly prepped, should not chip off. The newer one and two part polyurethanes are very durable and have great gloss. They are a DIY deal as well, had great success with that on a previous boat and it lasted well.

We have boats in our harbour built in the 60s and they show no signs of giving up. When we moved there with our 1990 C28 people commented on how new our boat was. We were like, WTF? They said our boat was newer than 99% of the boats there and we found that to be true. Perhaps freshwater boats last longer? But when you consider the cost of upgrading, it makes a lot of sense to keep what you have if it's fundamentally sound and does what you want it to do. IMHO.

It's interesting that you say that Bud. When we relocated from the Midwest to North Carolina a few years ago we purchased our 2001 36. A short while after that I was told by a dock mate that our boat was one of the newest ones in the entire marina. I could hardly believe it. Our boat has been very well maintained like many of yours; it truly pays to care for and maintain your boat doesn't it?

Gee, for some of us "Left Coasters" Atlanta IS the east coast! :D

I had an epiphany a few years ago. We were actually looking at trawlers! :eek:

Then I realized the only difference was the companionway steps. Which, even with my skiing accident and broken leg three years ago, I can still handle. Great handholds all over the boat.

I have a boat that is setup the way I want it. I know the engine (just replaced the exhaust hose, engine hoses and rebuilt our Oberdorfer raw water pump). I have replacements on board for the 26 year old fresh water pump for the sinks and the Whale foot pump. I've amassed so many "backups to backups" that I still can't believe the boat still floats above her lines!

My epiphany was that this is my boat and getting anything else made little sense. I know "her" quirks and noises and can tell, almost immediately, when she's thrown a coupling bolt, merely from the sound of the engine.

Sure, there's always something to do, improve, or fix. But that's half the fun for me.

Trawler? I already have a boat that can do 6 knots under power. But she's much faster under sail!

That reminds me of the old timer who said he had the 'same axe' for 60 years, although he did have to replace the head twice and the handle three times. ;)

My father always said, "buy a fibreglass boat, you can leave it for years, and then polish it back to new".

His boat is over 30 years old and just needs a clean!

There was some concern about fibreglass quality during the oil crisis in the 70's.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I'm turning 60 this year, so I've thought about how many more years of sailing I have left in me. My Dad's turning 96 this year and is still in good shape, so I'm hoping I have his longevity..!!! I can't see myself going the trawler route, not that I have anything against them, it's just that I hate motoring. My boat's a '97 and I just turned 500 hours on the engine last summer. So, I obviously do not motor much; if the wind's not blowing, I'm content to anchor out and enjoy being on the water. I figure that I could upgrade to electric winches and still be able to sail one whole heck of a lot cheaper than I could move to a trawler.

There are a number of older '60s and '70s vintage sailboats in my marina. Most are in very nice condition; the marina operators father has a very old Columbia that's just pristine. So I'd not be too worried about the life of fiberglass. And if you know your current boat, you won't be surprised by what you might find waiting for you if you buy a newer one.

[QUOTE=plaineolde;12505]I'm turning 60 this year........[/QUOTE]

Gary, I'm in the same "boat" as you. Allow me to share my new numbering system with you. The correct phrase is, "I'm turning fifty ten this year". :D Proof once again that denial is not just a river in Egypt. :p

Mike

I have another numbering system myself.

I'm retired from a career in IT. In my job, I often had to work in base 16 (digits 0-9 A-F). So I kinda like the sound of being in my 30's again. But if someone asks how old you are and you tell them 3C, they just look at you with a puzzled look ;) Don't want to use binary though, 111100 doesn't sound good at all, though it would be impressive.

[QUOTE=plaineolde;12529]I have another numbering system myself.

I'm retired from a career in IT. In my job, I often had to work in base 16 (digits 0-9 A-F). So I kinda like the sound of being in my 30's again. But if someone asks how old you are and you tell them 3C, they just look at you with a puzzled look ;) Don't want to use binary though, 111100 doesn't sound good at all, though it would be impressive.[/QUOTE]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who has trouble with the "S" word.:D

Mike