"jds" wrote in message
news:z9F0f.218$i%.157@fed1read07...
thanks for the replies guys.

jose: appreciate the advice, but im 58 and i think ill learn on a little
bigger boat than a dingy. probly would learn faster, but would like at
least a little comfort.

alan s. appreciate the input on what to look for. price of the boat is
2500 american. standing rigging looks ok. didnt see any rust or fraying.
some of the sheets will need replacing, not a big deal on a boat this
size. sails are useable for what i need them to do, only plan to use this
thing for a year or so. head is a porta-potty, not ideal but
adequete(spelling?). seat cushions are in very good shape. small v-berth
is long enough and cushions good. crawled up in and pretty comfortable.
have no idea when the bottom was last done. looks like the windows have
been leaking a bit. deck seems solid. stove is an old alchohol unit i dont
think works, but also has a propane barbie that works. has a 7.5 honda
outboard for power. sink pump seems to have friction, but water tank was
empty so dont know if it works or not. in any case not an expensive fix.
if nothing else, carry some on board. boat has been in fresh water and
will be slipped at lake mead in las vegas, no trailer. have not checked
the water tanks or the seacocks, good idea and i will check it out. hatch
isnt leaking. i did a google on it and came up empty. looked in yachtworld
and found 2 of em with very little info on ballast etc. i will be using it
for weekends and day sails to get my sea legs and learn to sail. this will
not be my last boat, only a means to an end. there is also a cal 25 for
sale at a good price, but i cant stand up in that one. the american marine
has a step down floor and has quite a bit of headroom in it for such a
small craft. i would guess 5'10 or so. cant stand straight up, but not
bent over at the waist as in the cal. boat shows well for its age, deck
and hull not stress cracked, interior in very good shape. rudder and
tiller in decent shape. rudder needs some cleaning, so would assume the
rest of the bottom does also. anyway, thanks again for reading and advice.
noted and taken. best regards, j.d.
2500 USD is not a bad price for a 23 foot weekender in decent shape, but it
never fails, you will buy it and next week a better deal will stroll right
past you. Those old alcohol stoves are in use all over the world but
alcohol doesn't burn very hot and it produces a lot of moisture when it
burns. It can be kind of scary to handle as well due to it's volatility and
removing it from the boat for testing is strongly advised. I have some
information on my web site about alcohol stoves, you might be interested in
looking at it, the link is http://spirit28.com/Repairs.html . I use my
grill more than anything, you will love that. Hanging out at anchor in a
cove with a couple of friends cooking up some fajitas while the sun goes
down is nice. Since there is ample cabin room and headway it makes me
wonder if it is a fixed keel boat. If so, you might want to determine the
draft so you don't bottom out. I don't know what your lake is like but a
depth finder is a nice thing to have. Nothing wrong with a porta-potty,
tending a pump out head can be a pain and often costs money. Leaking
windows, hatches and companionways is a common problem with sailboats, an
electric bilge pump is a good thing to have. I always wire my boats with an
auxiliary battery that I can switch too if I choose. Those foot pumps on
older boats are notorious for leaking as well. If the seacocks are brass,
they will most likely outlive the boat and they usually have a way to oil
them so they don't get stiff. Fresh hoses every now and then are a good
idea. Sometimes old hoses get stiff and crack and have been known to sink a
boat on many more than one occasion. Wiggle the life line stanchions to be
sure that the deck is not rotting away between the interior and exterior
fiberglass. Most of the time there is wood between the interior and
exterior fiberglass on the deck and the lifeline stanchions or the rails
are the first place it starts to rot out because of the screws. If the deck
is obviously real soft at the base of any life line stanchions that is what
is happening. It can be fixed by drilling holes and injecting fiberglass
resin but if there is a substantial amount of overly soft decking, I would
keep shopping. 7.5 horses is fine for your auxiliary power. I would put on
a mask and go look at the bottom once just to see what the blister
situation is, that might give you an idea of when the last bottom job was
done. I am having a bottom job done on my Spirit 28 and it costs 40 dollars
a foot plus the cost of the paint (bottom paint is expensive, I bought
Trinidad Ultra and it was 186 dollars a gallon) and the whole thing will
likely run up to just under a couple of grand with a compound and wax job.
If I was buying your American Marine 23 for 2500 USD and I was only
planning on sailing her for a year, I would not do a bottom job unless I
absolutely had too simply because of the cost. Everyone that I know that
has opted to do a bottom job themselves has come back and said that they
would have someone else do it the next time around, it is a big, nasty,
toxic job. Sailing is one of those things that some people are natural at
and some are not. You may find that it comes really easy to you or it may
prove to be a bit more of a challenge than you expected. Either way, some
one on one sailing lessons from a good instructor will teach you the basics
in a relatively short time. Best of luck! and have a great time with her! I
can be contacted through the www.spirit28.com web site if you ever want to
be in touch. Oh, one other thing, there is a document at the bottom of my
documents page on the Spirit 28 site called "resources". This document is
an excellent place to find old boat parts and services.

Cheers!

- A -