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1979 E30 2 Sunk during Isaias, worth saving?

tufan

New Member
Dear Forum Members,

Unfortunately our 1979 E30 2, located in Nyack, NY on the Hudson River broke away from her mooring and beached during Isaias. She is sunken, I don't yet know whether if there is hull damage and if so how big. She has a Yanmar 2GM20F in good shape that I just worked on and replaced the exhaust elbow. She doesn't have many electronics so I believe electrical wiring may not be a big issue if she is in reparable condition.

I would appreciate any advice on how to decide whether to try to save her or let her go. Is it worth trying to save the engine even if the hull damage is too big? If so, what would be the best way of doing that. Anything else worth saving?

This would be our third season with her after buying her end of the 2018 season. We couldn't sail her last year due to an injury and was really looking forward to finally getting to sail her this year.

Thank you for the help and advice! Best regards,

Tufan
 

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Bolo

Contributing Partner
UGH! Sorry for the loss of your boat. I have no experience in dealing with something like this but maybe consulting a marine surveyor might be the way to go after you get the boat up on the "hard" again. I'd be interested in reading what others think and how you make out. Hope you had insurance. Yes?
 

tufan

New Member
Hi Bob,
I have liability insurance, so the insurance company will pay to remove and dispose of the boat if I choose not to save it. I had changed the full insurance coverage to liability last year as I was not sailing it. Not a good move in hindsight.
 

nquigley

Sustaining Member
I'd suggest getting her pumped out and hauled out asap (to save the internal wood and the engine).
Find out how/why she sank - maybe water just filled the cockpit and poured down below (instead of a through-hull hole?).
Get advice/help to save the engine: getting possible water out of cylinders asap, getting them re-greased and the engine turned over to prevent rust.
Look for (reparable) through-hull damage.
I would bet she's very salvageable. With just liability insurance, what choice to you really have but to at least try to save her? ... the new cabin cushions are going to look spectacular!
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I agree with nquigley about options, and to save the engine it needs to be cleaned out and restored to running condition ASAP. Purely from a market standpoint, the diesel holds quite a bit of the 'retail value' of the boat.
So much depends on the condition of the hull, too.
Bob saved his Ericson, but only with VERY swift work. And, ultimately, a Lot of work. He did end up with a much newer boat in most ways... !
 
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supersailor

Contributing Partner
Salvaging the boat will not make any economic sense. Salvaging Terra Nova didn't make any sense and it had $52,000 insurance coverage on it. All that little stuff that goes bad in salt water is extraordinarily expensive when bought individually. Also, I can't emphasize enough how many hours were spent rebuilding her.

From what I've seen, 30-2's list for about $6,500 to 18,000. Subtract the broker's fees and taxes, there's not much left. It took me a year and a quarter of full time work to bring Terra Nova back and I went way beyond the estimated hours to bring it back. I didn't care. This was my love and she would live. It was not an economically sound decision. If she had been worth $15,000, I would have scrapped her.

Too bad about the Insurance. A note for everyone on insurance. If you only have liability insurance and you are hit by another boat that is at fault, your insurance company will not go after the at fault boat for you. It's your job to do that. That process is very expensive and time consuming. Your company will only act if the other party pursues an action against you. Having full insurance looks very cheap on that basis.
 

Kenneth K

1985 32-3, Puget Sound
Blogs Author
Really sorry to hear of your misfortune.

If you had insurance coverage for damages, they would likely be totaling the boat. It doesn't mean it can't be repaired or brought back to life, it just means, like Bob said, there is no rational economic reason to do so. It would be a purely emotional decision to spend (considerably) more in time and money to bring an old back than to just cash out and replace it with another one.

However, on a purely rational economic basis, very few of us would own boats to begin with. Their's a high degree of emotional content in a great many of our boat-owning decisions.
 

1911tex

Sustaining Member
I support the "no rational common sense to restoring a sunken or severely neglected or damaged boat". It can and has been done with a huge labor and financial investment. Used boats are extremely cheap compared to most interests. Airplanes are just the opposite...super expensive new or used...simply because a used airplane has to be maintained to the highest manufacturer's standards annually as required by the FAA. Boats on the other hand...no answer necessary.

Scrap it, collect whatever your insurance will cover (most likely a far less than you thought) and buy another...lots of great buys on the market !!!
 

steven

Sustaining Member
Very sorry to hear of this.

Re economics, the parts and gear can be worth quite a bit on the resale market. Maybe more than the boat. If you have the time to salvage and are patient waiting for buyers. Of course parting and selling is a pain in the neck unless you enjoy that sort of thing.
 

JPS27

Member III
So sorry for this situation you find yourself in and the responses are informative to me and I suspect others. One thought that comes to mind with regard to economic rationality and irrationality... I see little economic rationality in owning any boat, unless money is not an issue. For the rest of us, it's an irrational decisions, like so many decisions related to things we love. So consider your own situation and decisions rules and go forth.
 

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Hi Tufan,

Bummer. I think the 30-2 is a rare-ish Ericson with the transom hung rudder. You are in fresh water, right? That should help with corrosion in the future. Will insurance pay to pump it out and move it? There was a boat (Columbia 26?) here in Santa Cruz that sunk in it's slip 10 years ago. It was pumped out immediately, cleaned and has been sailing almost everyday since.
 

kapnkd

kapnkd
Our hearts sincerely go out to you! All of us have this one fear in the back of our minds we hope and pray will never occur.

I’d say obviously first get her up and out of the water so you can properly assess the damages. It is amazing the damages that can be properly repaired on fiberglass hulls so don’t be to discouraged at first sight. A friend of ours back in the 70’s bought a 30’ Soveral that fell off a truck trailer and wiped out the whole side of the hull at the waterline. He bought it for pennies on the dollar and did the repairs himself. ...Sailed it offshore and through the Bahamas without any problems or mishaps. ...He named the boat, properly enough, “Incredible”.

Engines are surprising as well but talk with some experts as to what to expect. While outboards are nothing like an inboard, I soaked my little dingy kicker in about 25’ of salt water, retrieved it and actually got her running again as well.

Guess what I’m saying is don’t give up or be discouraged until you have facts to work with and even then - some good old “Can Do” determination can save the day (or Ericson in your case.)

Good luck and keep us posted for sure!!
 

Tin Kicker

Sustaining Member
Moderator
Being that far up the Hudson, are you in fresh water? If so the boat very well may be saved if you can rinse and oil the engine and transmission. I'd also buy a gallon of ACF50 and liberally spray anything metal anywhere in the boat just to buy time for making decisions before corrosion sets in, especially if the water is brackish.

If you do salvage her and have the time and space, the scrap value of the lead in the keel is currently $.43/lb, plus you have the value of the engine, transmission, mast, boom, sails, etc. The fiberglass, wood, and most of the rest go to the landfill.

The pirates are the salvage guys who try to come in and tell you that you need to pay them to take it away. With a trailer they know that a sawzall or chainsaw can cut these boats into manageable pieces in just a few days time.
 

kapnkd

kapnkd
Get her UP and see for yourself before making any final decisions!!!

Post some photos and see what everyone HERE has to say as well. Lots and lots of GOOD knowledge and “been there done it” experience to help you through it all!!
 

Tin Kicker

Sustaining Member
Moderator
Get her UP and see for yourself before making any final decisions!!!

Post some photos and see what everyone HERE has to say as well. Lots and lots of GOOD knowledge and “been there done it” experience to help you through it all!!

Best advice yet.
 

cdesopo

Member II
We're right up the road in Haverstraw & had 35 knot winds and surf on the Hudson. Quite a lot of damage. Let us know if we can help!

 

Sailingfun

Member III
Sorry for your loss. Remove all who can be sold on eBay, starting for the engine. It's a pity but it's simply not worth the effort
 
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