10 years worth of weekends and when you're done the boat will be worth a quarter of what you spent. Sounds fun!

Stu is no dummy he’s just being polite.... Great videos!!!!!

Thanks for taking us sight seeing Sydney, A free boat is the most expensive one to have.

You couldn't pay me enough to take that on, huge money pit.

To quote a song lyric " RUN DON'T WALK AWAY"

I'd pass on that one....looks like a huge money pit to me. Thanks for the video.

Run run run rrrruuuuunnnnn fast as fast as you can

Run or swim far far away while its still close to shore.

Done a few trips skippering this out of Pyrmont when it was a working trawler bagnatos from Sydney owned it unreal sea boat solid old girl!!!

Wood boats are often some of the neatest boats on the water, but they are the most work by a spectacular margin. Glass boats are not as elegant usually, but they are immortal with basic care. A wood boat is totally a passion project. And big money to maintain, but they are wonderful when done.

I agree Stu, fiberglass over a wood boat is not ideal for knowing if you have a problem before it's worse to fix. Wood swells and contracts. Fiberglass doesn't! A good wood will last forever but needs care. Drydock is the best way to maintain but the cost is expensive as you found out.

Leo (Tally Ho) recently said he doubted he'd have started the project if the extent of the rebuild needed was known. This boat hides its state of repair/disrepair; to discover its state major "uncovering" is needed and only owning it would make that possible. Save the Yanmar and then use it as a fire boat to set the French fleet alight or burn in an Up Helly Aa festival.

Thanks for the tour Stu, looks like more interesting content 👍👍

That puppy though 😍

That looks like a good old chugger Stu..I hope the genny and aux engines and hardware are salvageable and rebuildable for him..I noticed that the starboard gunnel was a bit stressed from the cable stay pulling on it so I hope that hasn't sprung a plank lower and causing the leak..Wise words to prospective buyers there as well mate..Thanks for the tour

Welcome to the school of dangarStu. Today looks a lot videos and I felt like a student. more than thanks Stu !!

Very good, sound advice Stu. Lots of sense to point to an end. Thankyou for sharing your knowledge with us.

Great vid stu i can definitely relate to the boat that finds you hit the nail on the head 👌

Thank you for the Tips Stu

You said a bunch of wise words about what are you going to do with a boat and I love your Pterodactyl birds👍

I think you hit the nail on the head when you talk about investing in a proper marine survey. Getting the boat out of the water and getting it looked at by someone who’s heart is not leading their head. For me this one looks like a money pit but there is also the question of why all the concrete and ballast? If you want the space back and strip out weight how will the boat ride?

Hey, an Acorn to Arabella T-Shirt! Great videos of guys building a sailboat. Nice one, Stu.

You may be able to tell the rough area of the leak if you use a thermal imaging camera pointed at the fibreglass lining.

That boat scares me. I wouldn't want to leave the harbor in it.

Nice goin m8, I'mm goin to have to rethink a couple of things. Thanks m8, you and yours stay safe and well.

That's a lot of matches floating there. I love my wooden boats but anything that's been sheathed in fibreglass ain't worth the cost of the petrol to set fire to it.

Valid points awesome job 👍🏾

Nice video. Thank you for your candor. Cheers!

The purchase of that trim little craft would guarantee Heart palpitations ,recurring nightmares , and probable bank foreclosure.

Thanks for the tour mate,,looked like a nice day down on the harbour. Glass Slipper too...classic track from the great man :)

Thank you for sharing that video that was pretty cool

Stu, thats a good looking boat. No negative comment. we already know she can ride the waves.

Nothing $1M USD can't fix. Go for it, STU!!!

All good points Stuie. I brang a 45 footer back to life after a major fire. You tube was my best friend for 12 months. Great stuff. Keep em coming.

I think also should be added that don’t start a new project until the first one is done ! I know a few guys with a yard full of projects and non will get done because of lack of interest !

Always concise, insightful information. The boat looks like a lot of work but it could work out for the right person.

Sadly I think he would have you pay you to take it. It is floating, but that about it. Could change moment to moment.

Ten minutes in and I'm already terrified.

Hi Stu the for and against questions that your thinking of are very good to think about, I helped my brother and two other fishermen fix up a 40f timber boat the hull had to be all sanded and corked, it was a good boat but the work involved was a lot, but in the end she was a really nice boat but you are right when you say that a boat of that size would be nice to have another person involved. It’s sensible questions that you are thinking about, anyway it was an interesting video and pulled the old heart strings for another boat if didn’t have rheumatoid arthritis but your channel is great to watch. Regards John

Stu think your project boat is perfect the wife likes it. Best of luck to your friend. Looking forward to more adventures, Jeff in LA USA

so can't lift tow or dry dock it.. leaking with some rib rot. and has been flooded halfway up the motor .looks like Barney rubble to me..bit harsh but strip and scrap might just be the go....its got some good gear

Great points...

Looks like alot of boat and alot of work !!!!

Great! Now all I need is a tour of the available real estate on Dangar Island and I'll be set! 😉

Hey Stu, Very thoughtful.. thanks for talking thru how you approach a project. This has great lines and I love stick boats but glass would scare me off this one. It could be a great project for the guy with easy, low-cost boatyard access for a long term rebuild.

In 2013 I bought 43’ fiberglass houseboat (KZfaq “Big fast houseboat”). I recently sold it. The more you look the more you find wrong. It wasn’t long before I realized the engines and transmissions were not going to last. So, I repowered it. $40,000 later not including my labor. Then updated electronics, gauges upper and lower helm, Marine Air heat pump central air, 3000 watt inverter/charger, $4000 worth of AGM batteries and much much more. I sold the boat because I have an illness, I can’t stop spending and working on a boat and I don’t make enough to support my illness.

i am finishing a 23 foot markline,never ending money pit so i bought a 20 trailer sailer,that need a lot of work doing to it. That worked,it took my mind off the 23 foot

Excellent insight. Thanks for the advice.

Always a solid presentation...

Some of the most expensive things I’ve owned were free. It’s free for a reason and if you catch feelings for it, be ready to spend.

Nice shirt, great promoting other channels as well. Love watching content from both

Two things that I have learnt you should sprint away from as fast as you possible can and never look back, one is a boat like this the other is ballroom dance classes.

Have to say, totally envious of your weather. We live in N/W BC, Canada, temperate rain forest. You could bet it will be cloudy or rainy almost every day of the year here and you would win. Love and enjoy your sunshine that we can't lol.

Great video as always. Hi! Stu. I found your channel just recently and I’m already hooked. Loved your conversations with Scott of Bus Grease Monkey. My grandson as purchased an older 30ft Grady White and I’ve found myself spending more time at the Santa Barbara Harbor. Cheers to you and the crew.

I could feel my bank account draining just watching from the other side of the planet ...

I quite like the look of this boat it sure does still have a lot of potential for restoration and conversion to a dive boat or something other than a fishing boat it will be great when it’s done.

I think what you said about taking time and searching the right way will bring you to the boat you should have is correct. People told me that about looking for a house, just keep looking, have it inspected and eventually the perfect house will be yours. I felt that everyone was being a bit too starry eyed but thats exactly what happened.

Enjoyed the vid . . my comments on Maybelle would be run away quickly unless a boat like her is free! and then think seriously about it . . then run! . . The fiberglass hold will hide serious drama and the rotten ribs more than you think to fix unless you can get her out of the water, under cover and really enjoy lots of sawdust. Lots of other old fishing boats in the sea. I finally bought the boat I'd always dreamed about a fibreglass, 30'er, 6 berth, fly bridge, good size cockpit yadda yadda . . sadly two thumping great rebuilt Chrysler V8's meant the fuel bill spoiled it a bit . . . but I did find the Mrs and I were 1 person short of a good crew when we took her out and just didn't get the use we expected from it . . . sold on and a lesson learned.

Dave's method in finding a boat has another benefit you glossed over. With a professional survey, including a haul out, you know at least 1 place that you can get the boat out of the water to work on it, or at least a starting point since that haul out facility WILL know their competition that could also haul it out if you can't work on the boat at that facility.

Love the Acorn to Arabella T-shirt.

From my experience as a welder in a marina get a professional inspection done If your really interested in a boat. Once you have a estimate on cost to fix or restore the vessel, multiply that number by at least three. Even then it's still not enough! That's just the reality of the game and I've seen many projects get scraped and hearts broken over boat restorations!

Whether you choose this one or another to work on I'd love to see another restore project. I really enjoyed the last one.

I would not ouch that one. 60 or 80$K would buy you a sound steel or aluminum boat that just needs fitting out.

Run Forrest run!

Excellent video and advice!!!! Thank You!!!!

Insure it and hope for really really bad weather

Harbour bridge and opera house in one shot!

You make a great point about some boats find you. I purchased a locally built "Catolina Style" boat [large bow for North Carolina Outer Banks] through a very interesting chain of events. After purchasing it I have run into people that were actually involved in the laying up of the hull, etc. This boat truly found me...and after fully going through it I have come to realize it is a great size for me and my family's needs currently. Any bigger would be cumbersome and smaller wouldn't work. Easy to trailer but big enough for rougher water we encounter. Very good points you hit on Stu. Keep pushing on as I am eager to see her underway exploring the coast.

I didn't get the same feeling when I first saw Renko. This one. If I had a barge pole I would not touch it with one.

Great advice

I agree with MrBugsier5. Glassing a wooden boat is the kiss of death.

Good to see the Acorn to Arabela shirt.

BTW, loved the old steel trawler, but on this one, the dog was the only thing I saw that was WELL WORTH the money...BUY THE DOG!!!

Stu on a different level LIKE!

What a fantastic looking dog brilliant !!! :)

I think we should just go down to the pub and have a few cold ones!

Sydney Harbor is magnificent. Australia is such a great place.

whit the fiber glass on it it has his death clothes on.. Run from this wreck.

Nice. Thanks for the video

Stu who are you trying to kid this is a pile of junk

I had the same instinctive feeling about May Bell II as (I'm guessing) most other older commenters. I love wood boats. Seeing what has happened to this one is sad. It is beyond reasonable repair costs. Two factors: purpose and size. This is a work boat. No matter how you try, it won't make a boat suitable for cruising. Compounding that is the size. With size comes exponentially higher costs, from haul-out to repair to running costs. The size is a mis-match with the purpose of trying a restore. The money you put into it (size) doesn't match what you get out (utility). I am sure that her size along with the cut of her bow is what makes Troy attached to this boat. I am afraid he is at a crisis point in his ownership. Whether the engine runs or not, the boat cannot be sold with that leak, and the leak could sink her at her mooring. To find and fix the leak and to get a survey means an expensive haul-out for this heavy, deep-draft vessel. The likelihood of a poor survey and astronomical repair costs is high. The haul-out and survey costs may not be worth it if the conclusion is to scrap. Maybe better to sell the boat for the cost of haul-out and survey and let someone else figure out how to part it out and pay to dispose of the hull. Consider that Troy will be ahead the haul-out and survey costs, instead of out of pocket. You have a good heart. Thanks for wanting to help a friend in his predicament.

Stu: hey its Dangar Stu here Me: *likes video*

I also liked the really dirty 25hp cowling on the tender - thief deterrent lol

Beautiful city

Reading the comments it appear most think it ain't worth the time or effort. I think it could be fun to getting it running and see how she scrubs up before making a decision. If it turns out to be a bucket, then you've had a good laugh, made some videos, taught us a thing or two and you walk away. On the other hand it may turn out to be a little treasure, hidden by fibreglass and a hard life. Time will tell. As always, going to be an interesting ride. Cheers for now Stu... ;-}

A lot of people on U tube and The Instgram look at me people Should Listen to your advice , Verry solid advice

I'd like to see a bit more tuck on the stern for following seas, also deep draft a bit limiting for bar crossing.

a boat is a hole in the water surrounded by ( insert hull material here ) into which one pours money. But their still a lot of fun.

i thought you were crazy for working on the trawler. This boat is a nightmare! But it would be fun to see you tackle the problems.

Good content . Love Sydney harbor

I like the idea of you finishing your current boat, selling it, working on a larger one (hopefully one that doesn't need as much work as your current one).

make a good anchor for the trawler or a dive wreck

"Came over all funny" haha, know exactly what you mean, I've just been looking at boats online; my wife's away at present :)

Eddie would like that boat. All the extra room. LOL.

VERY HELPFUL THANK'S

I've been down this rd and my problems were nothing like this boat RUN and don't look back

First valid use for your mini ROV - you could do an underwater survey to check the hull. It probably needs recaulking to stop the leaks, but those broken / rotted frames have to get fixed, or the planking will never be entirely stable.

Great advice, Stu. So many people buy “too much boat”- expensive to store, hard to drive around for fun, and just too many problems. I commend you for your work on Renko, but if you look back at those videos, you are one tired guy after a day of grinding/drilling/chasing parts. . Renko was a tremendous display of your talents. Get some rest and give Eddie a few pats for us in the “International Audience!”

Just checking the locale, Mooney Mooney, Woy Woy...wtf. What happens in Fiddletown I hate to imagine..;-) Great vid, solid advice, Nordhavn 60 for me.

OLD WOOD BOAT = RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN !