I just found this post that I wrote back when we were still looking at boats. Since the boat is still for sale, I figured it might be useful to some folks out there if I put it up. I had written up my comments on the boat shortly after we saw it, but I guess we were still waiting to put the pictures in and for Margaret to add her comments when we both got sidetracked with Bear.
While we were en route from Indiantown to Harbortown Marinas, we realized we would be done looking at the four boats Wally was showing us by the early afternoon. So, we decided to call another broker and see if we could get on one more boat before we headed back across the state again to my folks’ place. The Fort Pierce-Stuart area seems to be the epicenter of used boats, not just in Florida or the United States, but really the entire world. So, we had a couple boats to choose from once we consulted our spreadsheets. Margaret was still rather high on the Bayfield, so we decided to inquire about a well outfitted model in Fort Pierce that had just been reduced by 18,000 dollars. The broker had no problem fitting us in that afternoon, so it would be a five boat day.
A few hours later, we were in another fabulous boatyard – the Riverside Marina – looking at Audrey Paige, the Bayfield 36. Her bottom had just been repainted and she looked wonderful from the ground. And she did not look too bad from on deck either. However, there were some rather old looking Hood Seafurlers on the forestay and inner forestay. The chain also looked like it could use regalvanizing, and the Bruce anchor was rusting. Heading aft, I noticed that the winches on the mast could use servicing as one would not even turn.
She looks sharp from the ground
The windlass – looking here, I like the idea of having access to the chain locker from the deck
The furlers on the forestays
The topsides, with the dinghy that has now been sitting out in the Florida sun for two years
Back in the cockpit were four self-tailing winches and two cabintop winches that all were in good shape. The same could not be said for the binnacle compass, though, which was yellowing and would need replacement. Opening the lazarettes in the aft revealed a different – and presumably safer – propane locker setup than on the bachelor Bayfield. But, like on that earlier Bayfield we looked at, there really were no handholds when moving forward from the cockpit to the stays. Of course, that could be easily remedied with a quick and relatively cheap trip to any marine store.
The binnacle compass
Two of the self-tailing winches in the cockpit
Down below, the cabin was a welcome relief from the previous Bayfield we had looked at. Things were clean and orderly, and there were no strange items or shoddy “improvements” visible. Apparently a couple had owned and cruised the boat extensively before deciding to buy an RV and travel the country. Looking under the sinks and in the bilge, the hoses all looked good, but the boat had Marelon seacocks, which always makes me wary because they are, essentially, plastic. However, many experts say they are a good substitute, and these were clearly new.
Nice, neat wiring on much of the gear
The batteries and autopilot
The galley, with flip-up counter over the stovetop
I think this is the raw water intake and strainer for the engine with Marelon seacock
The salon
Some water staining, presumably from a leak
The navigation station, forward like in all Bayfield 36s
In the bilge
Some sort of sump in the bilge
When I looked at the chainplates and mast step, though, I had no doubts; there was trouble. The chainplates were heavily rusted and corroded, as was the mast step. There was no question that these things would have to be addressed before the boat saw the water. What is more, because of all the corrosion at the mast step, I worried that the bottom of the mast would be similarly corroded and need to be shortened or, even worse, replaced. The engine compartment revealed similar problems, with a ton of rust covering nearly everything. Considering the level of rust and the fact that the engine was original to the 1987 boat, it seemed likely that a full repower would be in order soon.
Corrosion around the mast step
Another look at the mast step
Corrosion and rust on one of the chainplates
More corrosion on another chainplate
A nice looking electrical panel
The engine
Rust on the aft starboard engine mount and elsewhere
While I was a lot happier with the overall condition of this Bayfield 36 than I had been with the one we looked at in Punta Gorda, it was still not hard to see why the broker was having such a difficult time selling it. And although I cannot really imagine a sailboat I would be unhappy owning, I still did not like the layout – especially the nav station – and the overall feel of the Bayfield.
A blog of the owners travels on Audrey Paige.
The Yachtworld listing – the boat was originally listed at 79,000, was at 61,500 when we were aboard, and is now listed at 55,000.
Interesting write up on Audrey Paige. We are going to see her and another bayfield 36 tomorrow (3/23/15) I have talked to the owners and they indicated she needs about 5K of work to be seaworthy. She’s currently reduced to 40K obo. Any other boats you didn’t purchase still listed that are noteworthy? What did you ultimately choose? We are currently living in Jensen Beach, FL looking for a bluewater boat to sail to the Bahamas and beyond by 11/15. Missed out on a well equipped Tayana 37 (gabrielle) and now a Slocum 37 (free range). Any input would be greatly appreciated! Troy
Troy,
Thanks for getting in touch.
We ended up buying a Tayana 37 – Bear – that was in impeccable shape, though we are currently in the process of redoing the rigging and replacing the chainplates. Both could have been left on the boat for at least a couple more years without problems if we were not planning on doing more serious offshore work, which we plan to do in about a year.
Being in the midst of these projects, I feel like I have a little more perspective on Audrey Paige than I did at the time. I really did not look at the rigging on AP too closely when we were aboard. At the time, I did not feel all that capable of identifying issues with the standing rigging. Now, I would take a much closer look, but would also go in with the knowledge that it is nearly impossible to really know the condition of the rigging without taking the rig down and giving it a thorough inspection, literally, with a magnifying glass.
Thinking back to AP in light of our recent work on Bear, I would be even more concerned about the mast step. And I would assume that replacing the chainplates would be an absolute necessity. I am not sure how the chainplates are attached to the hull on the Bayfield, but they must have some sort of backing plate or knee that will need replacing as well. On our Tayana, replacing the knees is the labor intensive part of the chainplate job. But, with the chainplates and the knees, we are only really talking about maybe 1500 dollars in expense doing the work ourselves (over the course of about three weeks).
As for the mast step, I would think you could replace the step itself, cut off the bottom foot or two of the corroded mast, shorten the entire rig, and be on your way. But that sounds like a ton of work – albeit work you can probably do yourself – to me. It would certainly involve redoing some of the rigging, though not necessarily replacing all the rigging (though I suspect if you are planning to cross some oceans – and maybe even just do some of the Caribbean – you will find that AP needs some love there too), just shortening the wires (I can’t remember if AP has Norsemen/Sta-Lok, which will allow you to do that yourself, or swaged fittings, which would mean bringing in a rigger for some more serious cash), and recutting the sails (which again, you could do well yourself but most people would feel more comfortable taking the job to a sailmaker). Regardless, my estimate on the mast (my opinion probably not really being worth that much itself) work would be in the neighborhood of 3 grand if you do it yourself without replacing any of the rigging and maybe 5 grand if do replace it all. Maybe double or even triple that estimate if you get a rigger in to do that work. The sails would be more or less free if you have access to a hardcore sewing machine. I am totally guessing, but a sailmaker might charge a grand or two. Buying an entirely new mast, which I can see as the most appealing idea if cost was not an issue, would be really expensive…maybe 10-15k?
So, the owners 5k estimate is probably not that far off for that work, if, indeed, that is the work that the owner had in mind. I suspect that there are a lot of other things lurking that you will probably have to address as well, but that will be true on any boat. That being said, 40k for Audrey Paige sounds like it is starting to get into the right territory. Of course, it all depends upon your money situation, time frame, and comfort level doing and/or overseeing the work.
I am sure you have come to a similar conclusion yourself, but Margaret and I went through the search process keeping in mind that the rig, sails, and engine were the most expensive part of the equation. AP seems to have a good engine and, if I recall correctly, sails. The rig is a lot more questionable. But for the current list price, you might be able to swing a deal, fix the rig, and still walk away with a sweet, well outfitted boat for 40k total. Not a bad deal if you are so inclined and like the Bayfield.
I am not really sure about other boats we looked at that may still be on the market, nor are there really any that we looked at that I would steer you towards. AP seemed like a viable boat at the time, but was just way too far overpriced at something like 65k.
Best of luck with the search. I would love to hear what you think of AP after stepping aboard tomorrow.
Best,
Jeff