[Rhodes22-list] Recycled Boat Advice

Mon Dec 3 14:39:50 EST 2012

Ted..... Our Rhodes purchase experience......

In about 2000, we got our first boat, a new Hunter 260 Trailerable. We kept 
it in a slip all season since it was so difficult to trailer and set 
up/break down. So, we upgraded to a new Hunter 33 in 2004 on the assumption 
a new boat would mean less maintenance and problems. We were wrong about the 
convenience and performance of trailer sailing a large pocket cruiser and 
wrong again about a new boat being low maintenance. But when all was said 
and done we were really happy with both boats. This past year we sold the 33 
due to lack of cruising use in our new location.

Over this period of experience, we knew exactly what we wanted in our next 
boat.

Trailerable
Launchable by trailer at standard boat ramp
Solid, secure rigging
No Thru-Hull Fittings below the waterline
Easy and quick mast stepping
Fixed ballast - no water ballast
No Swing keel or center board
Under 25 foot in length
Closed Transom
Shallow draft and beachable
Fast under sail and motor
Capable of handling bad weather and heavy gusty winds
Heavy duty hull suitable and safe for open water
Good cabin suitable for extended stays
Sink, stove, refrigerator, water tank, head
Shore Power and two switched batteries
Outboard 4 cycle engine

We knew the pitfalls of buying a used boat after watching many of our fellow 
boaters go through long term and expensive repairs on even good used boats. 
Buying used is a scary process. Good intentioned owners are often clueless 
about the true condition of what they are selling and very poorly maintained 
boats with hidden serious problems can still look great. Surveyors are 
poorly regulated and may be untrained and/or have ties to repair facilities 
or even to owners or brokers.

We expected to spend a year or so looking for our next boat. It took only 
about a week to find out nothing in our area fit our needs. Then we came 
across the Rhodes web site. We were sold immediately on the design. We 
compromised on speed under power and by speed I mean being able to easily 
run 10 knots or better in heavy currents which can only come from a 
substantial inboard. We also compromised on open water capability which can 
only come from a full length and deep fixed keel. Only true blue water boats 
have these features. Trailerability and launch requirements were for us, the 
pivot points in design. The Rhodes has the best mix of features we have seen 
in any boat. The negative comments or experiences we encountered in our 
research were, to me at least, the result of bad luck or poor decisions 
and/or planning. Sailing is not an an activity for the impulsive, impatient 
or unprepared and even then, sometimes stuff just happens.

The Rhodes fit our needs perfectly and the recycle program made the decision 
to buy an easy one. Even if we had problems, repairs on this design platform 
seem to be simple and straight forward. Modifications also seem to be easy 
to accomplish. In many ways, it is a blank form. You can buy it used, in 
like-new condition with a guarantee and all the features a new boat offers. 
You can then make it your own with minor modifications if there are things 
you wish to add beyond what Stan offers. We immediately started the process 
to buy a recycled model.

We believed that any problems encountered would pale in comparison to what 
we would face with a used boat from a private party. Who better to spot 
potential used-boat problems and repair them than the manufacturer? The lack 
of detailed information on the boat we selected and the process was hard to 
take. But, we had faith in the recycle process and in the boat after 
researching it through Stan and hearing from some long term owners including 
some who had bought recycled models. We were also convinced, since this is 
our last boat, that we could permanently fix any problems that came up.

We saw no way we could go wrong. We opted for a new dual axle trailer since 
our primary use will be travel. The boat will be based on the trailer, not 
in a slip. A safe, strong trailer was essential. We bought without even 
seeing a Rhodes in person and traveled 7,300 miles round trip to get the 
boat home. We are very happy with our decision and with the way the boat 
trailers, launches, sails and stores.

We hope you find your experience as good as ours and that of other owners.

Jay Curry
Port Angeles, WA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bwmcky" <bmackey at charter.net>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 5:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Recycled Boat Advice

> Hi Ted,
>
> I've been there, done that.  After a couple years of investigating boats
> that met certain restrictions I had for size, weight, trailerability and
> solo sailing, I settled on the Rhodes.  Then I started dealing with Stan.
>
> I found the process somewhat like religion.  On any large purchase, I 
> kinda
> want to know exactly what I'm getting into, and especially, what are my
> options when spending that kind of money.  With Stan, that was difficult 
> to
> achieve.  I probably drove him nuts with questions, but I could not get 
> very
> much information from him that I expected -- like a list of boats that 
> were
> available and what the options on each were, etc., like I would if I was
> buying a car, so I could pick one out and buy it.  He would simply say 
> "for
> this amount of money, you can have this one -- add what you want on it."
>
> In other words, he gives you a recommendation, and you say "yea" or "nay."
>
> I finally "got religion" and on faith said "yea."
>
> And I'm very happy.
>
> Stan originally recommended a boat and started work on it.  However, he 
> soon
> advised that he found the boat structurally unsound and wouldn't sell it 
> to
> me.  So he recommended an alternative.
>
> I only wanted a daysailer, and the newly recommended boat did not have the
> marine toilet, which was a benefit to me.  I specified new sails on my
> belief that it was the best investment I could make in terms of options 
> for
> an old boat.  I equate them to hooves on a horse -- bad hooves, you have 
> no
> horse.  On Stan's recommendation, I got the electric motor lift.  After
> that, my budget was done.
>
> Stan finished the boat two seasons ago, I drove to the plant and picked it
> up, and drove it home on the trailer Stan supplied.  The boat's an '88, 
> and
> you can't tell it from new.
>
> I had only one problem with the boat as delivered.  The tiller broke in
> half.  There was no way to know from it's appearance that it had rotted
> inside.  Stan promptly sent a free replacement.
>
> I also pranged the rudder backing the boat over uneven ground.  Stan
> promptly sent a replacement (not for free, of course) with the suggestion
> that I probably wouldn't make that mistake again.
>
> The purchase process is an odd way to buy something so expensive, 
> especially
> used, (in my experience) but it worked.  You just have to trust Stan.
>
> Other advice:
>
> I bought a Suzuki 9.9 hp outboard (new.)  It's gawdawful heavy, so the
> electric motor lift was a blessing.  Also, I don't think it runs right. 
> It
> starts fine, but it wants to stall on acceleration, and it won't stay in
> "flat out" running position -- it backs off a bit.  Once it's going, it's
> okay.  I had a mechanic tear it down and he put in a larger valve of some
> kind, but it's not improved much.   I think there must be better choices,
> but I don't have much experience with outboards.
>
> The outboard does have a "tilt up" tiller with the controls on it.  I 
> wanted
> to get the controls on the boat's tiller, but couldn't find the apparatus
> needed for that.  Without one of the two systems, I don't know how you 
> could
> control the boat for docking without crew.
>
> One last bit of advice:  spend time learning what all the sail controls 
> are
> for on the boat, and then experimenting with them.  I had a daysailer 
> before
> the Rhodes, and never so much as learned what the traveler was for.  The
> Rhodes has got 16 ways to Sunday to shape the sails, and that gives you 
> way
> more options for more sailing time almost no matter what the conditions 
> are.
>
> Bottom line:  Make your best deal, but trust Stan to give you a great 
> boat.
> He delivers.
>
> Hope that helps.
>
> Bruce
>
>
>
>
>
> --
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