Terrapin was a 1976 Ranger 33. She was no spring chicken. Besides being too small for my growing family, she also was in need of some significant repairs. I admit. I probably shouldn’t have overlooked some of her issues discovered at inspection. She had a serious case of the blisters and like an idiot, I listened to the broker explained how most boats her age had blisters. As much as that may or may not have been the truth, I decided I was going to remedy them.
I brought Terrapin up to Berkeley Boat Works which is about 50+ miles from my home at the time. I proceeded to strip the gelcoat below the waterline down to the fiberglass and then coated it with several layers of epoxy. I lost several weekends on that project and it was exceedingly tiring work because, of course, I didn’t justify renting or purchasing professional equipment. After all of that, the blisters came back a few years later. Fortunately, the next buyer wasn’t concerned either!
I bought Farriage in 2011. Although I was certainly more educated, had learned a good bit from my past experience and was working with a bit more budget, I’d buy a different boat today. Don’t get me wrong. I love the boat. She’s been safe and capable for our sailing and has suited our needs. However, I’ve come to believe that there’s no perfect boat. What was important 9 years ago has certainly been augmented. My sailing expertise has definitely grown. A bigger boat would be more comfortable. A different model would be more Blue Water-ish. A newer boat might need less work.
As I plan for some longterm cruising once I enter retirement, I’ve asked the question. Should I buy another boat? Should I upgrade the one I have? I looked around at some other boats briefly and at first blush, I’d be looking at another $300K or more and even that, I’d still have to likely redo the standing rigging, update some electronics systems, etc. Looking at Farraige, I estimate $50K or so to update her with the safety and comfort features I think is needed. This seems pretty straightforward when I look at it this way. On the other hand, we all know a boat is not an investment. I know I’m not going to get my full investment back regardless of the boat but likely even less with Farraige. That’s OK with me, especially if it gets me on the water sooner.
This section will detail all of the refit projects, small and large, I’ve undertaken on Farraige.