How to Assess Quality of Restoration Work

[Triocd]

[I may soon buy a 1972 STANDARD 13 boat] that the seller said was just restored. [In] pictures online [the boat] looks nice, but, if I buy it, I want to make sure it isn't just a fresh coat of paint slapped on to make it look new.

Q1: What should I be looking for and asking about to assess the level and quality of the restoration?

I want to make sure that fresh paint isn't hiding [defects] below. I also don't want a boat that was prepped poorly and have paint failing next season.

Q1: (repeats) What should I look for?

Q1: (repeats) What should I be asking [the seller]?

[The asking price of this 1972 STANDARD 13] is not sky-high like some pro restorations. It's a bare bones STANDARD 13 with tiller steering and with a questionable trailer for under $5,000. A similarly-restored 13-footer is for sale for $15,000. We are not talking that amount of money.

[jimh]

In order to assess the quality of any Unibond hull boat, I would use the same methods that are used at the Boston Whaler factory to assess the quality of a Unibond hull after it has been newly created. There are three methods used:

1. The hull is given a very close and careful visual inspection and tactile inspection, looking for any surface defects or irregularities;
2. the hull is weighed to determine if its weight is in the expected normal range; and,
3. the entire outer surface of the hull is tapped with a small mallet that won't cause damage and the inspector judges the sound produced on the basis of his experience that areas with voids in the underlying foam will produce a distinctly different sound than areas where the foam has completely filled the space and is properly adhered to the laminate layer.

I an not aware of any other method of assessing the hull by just inspection.

As I already recommended to you in your post about this boat in MARKETPLACE asking for an assessment of its asking price, you should be able to have the seller put the boat in the water. This will allow you to see how the hull floats, where the static water line is located, and the static fore and aft trim. From this you can make an inference about the hull weight, that is, if the boat sits much deeper in the water than normal, the hull weight is greater than normal.

Further, I would ask the seller these questions:

1. How long have you owned this boat? The purpose of this is to determine if the seller is a long-time owner of the boat or if he is a "flipper", that is, a guy who buys low and sells high after owning the boat for a short time and really has no history or experience in using the boat.
2. Who did the restoration work? If the seller did the work, ask for more details of what was done.
3. Is the boat currently registered with a state registration authority? If not, that is a sign the boat probably has not been used much at all in the past three years or so. Find out when and where it was last registered.
4. Can we have a sea trial?
5. What is that weird engine shaft extension?
6. Who installed that weird engine shaft extension?
7. Why was that weird engine shaft extension installed?
8. Does the trailer have a current license plate and registration?
9. When was the trailer last used on the highway and how far was it towed? A trailer that has been sitting for years or only was used twice a year to launch and recover the boat can typically have problems if you try to tow it 100-miles at highway speed.
10. Can we start the engine right now while on the trailer? Any reluctance to demonstrate that the engine will start and idle smoothly using a hose adaptor is a sign of possible trouble.

In general, in the three times I have bought a used Boston Whaler boat, I made an assessment of the seller, his motives, and his veracity. Once you hand cash to the used-boat seller, you are generally committed to owning the boat, no matter what you might later discover.

[Triocd]

Thanks Jim, all of that info helps a lot. Great questions to ask.

I also watched an in depth series of videos on youtube showing a complete restoration so I have a much better idea of what a complete restoration involves.

Greg

[Triocd]

jimh—Thanks again. I viewed the boat today. [Your comments were] a good guide, and I decided to pass on the boat.