1968 45' Convertible

[bob2307]

Hello:

My first post and thanks for any feedback I get. I am seriously considering purchasing a 1968 45' Convertible. I will be purchasing it as a 'project' boat ( although my wife is not too happy about this its the only way I will ever be able to afford a boat like this. ie do the work myself.). I am not going into this eyes shut. Several years back I bought a Sea Ray and completely refit that. Mechanically it is OK but above decks it is a wreck. I am buying this boat with the belief that it will be the last boat I buy. I am still able to do most of the work myself, I am a good finish carpenter and have rebuilt a 6-71 in a past life ( I owned 2 65 commerical long line boats). This one has 8-71's I think 435hp. The owner says it is completely original so it will need rewired, the interior stripped and redone, and the worse thing of all is that the exterior has to be repainted. I expect that alone to take me 4 months of prep work and 1 month of painting to get done ( probalby 6 months). I don't underestimate the size of the this task. Any input would be greatly appreciated, anyone done this before, etc.

Thanks again.


Bob

[Boatsb]

There are some decent boats out there and some real dogs. A decent boat may be a good deal but if its a dog the true cost in time and money will be a huge increase to most peoples estimates.

[rsmith]

Be prepared for the onslaught of nay sayers and negative comments. A lot of the exspurts on this forum have gleened their knowledge from reading what others have done. Nothing wrong with that but sometimes errors are made in their plagiarism. Read the posts and you will findout who knows which end turns the screw. Another fun thing I've found on this forum is to look at peoples picture galleries. If they claim to be a big fishing exspurt and the only pic of their boat is a couple guys bottom fishing with walmart mickey mouse rods they might not be as they claim.

[bob2307]

thanks for the comments. I understand all about the money, quality of the boat etc. However, I am not afraid of work, have the ability to do the work, and frankly, really enjoy doing it. I get great satisfaction out of working hard and seeing the end result of my labors. Plus, I am a Florida boy that loves the water. My wife and I enjoy running down to the keys, tortugas, and with this boat will certainly enjoy being able to get to the bahamas.

[jim rosenthal]

If you enjoy this type of thing, by all means go for it. But you might add up the amount of time and money and effort you will have in the boat and then think about buying a later 45C from the 1985 to 1993 series, which is a far better boat. There are a lot of them out there at reasonable prices. The 1968 boat is VERY dated and even if you completely rebuild and update it, you will still have an old hull design that is not nearly as good as the Series II 45C. Frankly, unless you are getting the 1968 boat for next to nothing, you are probably overpaying for it, as much as I love old Hatteras yachts.

[Boatsb]

If you enjoy this type of thing, by all means go for it. But you might add up the amount of time and money and effort you will have in the boat and then think about buying a later 45C from the 1985 to 1993 series, which is a far better boat. There are a lot of them out there at reasonable prices. The 1968 boat is VERY dated and even if you completely rebuild and update it, you will still have an old hull design that is not nearly as good as the Series II 45C. Frankly, unless you are getting the 1968 boat for next to nothing, you are probably overpaying for it, as much as I love old Hatteras yachts.

I don't know if that's always the issue with one hull being older and not performing as well. Series 1 36 hulls seem to outperform the series 2 although they have less interior room. The 2 different 45's are very different boats and have very different performance.

[bostonhatteras]

Hello Bob. If its a labor of love and the hobby of working on boats that you're doing it for then by all means jump right in. The 45 is a very good model for what you're looking to do. It's a big boat but relatively simple in terms of systems and access. If you want to make a buck on your labors, forget it, you'd do better loaning money to Obama. Lol. I've owned a 70 45 for 13 years now and there isn't much I don't know about them. Aside from a soggy deck somewhere there isnt much to go wrong structurally. If you need more help you can pm me. Happy to help. Russell.

[rsmith]

I don't know if that's always the issue with one hull being older and not performing as well. Series 1 36 hulls seem to outperform the series 2 although they have less interior room. The 2 different 45's are very different boats and have very different performance.

Given the choice with a limited operating budget I would pick the series 1 boat with the bulletproof 71 series engines vs the problematic turboed 92's

[bob2307]

Scott:

The boat does have 8-71's with twin turbo's, I think 435hp?? with just over 1000 hours since an inframe MOH. Is it reasonable that normal cruising should consume about 40 gph, all things considered, clean bottom, sea type, etc.? The engines start quick and smoke very little. I am going to have a local DD mechanic at the boat yard go thru them. He's been working on them for over 30 years so I feel comfortable with him.

[saltshaker]

There's a lot to consider here before you drop down the cash. Having the 871TI's is a big plus and if they have 1000hrs SMOH that's a huge bonus. These old boats aren't worth too much if the engines are shot. Even if you do the work yourself, parts and yard fees can eat up a lot of cash. Without knowing the details of the boat you're looking at it's hard to say what to expect. If the hull and machinery are sound and you have a place to work on it then go for it. The key here is you doing as much of the work as possible. As soon as you start hiring others to do the work for you, the low cost of the fixer upper becomes less of a deal. There are great deals out there on good boats. This may be the right one for you but make sure you are buying the best boat you can afford. A boat that's twice as much may be a better deal if much of the work you will need to do is already done. Sure your labor doesn't cost you in dollars but the parts and materials do. Don't underestimate the cost to put her in the shape you're comfortable with. Many of the cosmetics can be done over time while your enjoying the boat but mechanicals and safety may need to be done ASAP. Many of us got to where we are in boating by buying less than perfect boats. I've always looked for the best I could afford and most of the time that was one that need some attention. Good luck and have fun shopping and refitting!