58 Yachtfish "Mako"

[oldboat]

Sorry about the length of this reply, but you did ask if anyone knew anything about Mako.

I saw Mako a couple of years ago when she was in Alameda (San Francisco Bay). I also have watched her price drop over the last two years. I spent a few hours going over her at the slip in Alameda one day and revisited her once after that. Obviously she needs some attention. When I saw her I was told she had been used as a live aboard for a while.

The hull appeared to be sound. No holes, no delamination, just typical Hatteras rock solid. The paint on the hull looked ok. Some small dinghy scrapes around the water line, but nothing large. She hadn't been polished in some time, but the paint looked good enough that a serious cleaning and polishing would restore a shine. Not brand new boat shiny, but used boat shiny. I did not see her bottom as the water in the slip area was not so clean when I was there so I don't know if there were blisters, or how the running gear looked.

On deck you will see a few areas that need attention. Starting at the bow she does have the Hatteras pulpit that seemed sound. The windlass is there, but I do not know if it works. Neither the broker or I turned on any breakers that were off. The foredeck had a couple of soft spots, not large but you could feel them underfoot. All of the deck areas need to be painted. The windshields and other windows were good. The frames had corrosion and could use some repair. The windshield wipers were missing and the washers needed to be rebuilt. The spotlight was busted. The horns were there but I don't know if they work. They will need replating. The mast was leaning in more than one direction. All exterior chrome needs to be renewed\replated. The cleats were all there and seemed firmly attached. The side doors need serious work or replacement. The house needs new exterior paint. The forward seating area and sundeck areas were fine, only needing paint and nonskid. The biggest problem on this level was the amount of algae growing from where the cabin top meets the cabin sides on the house. It appeared that water had seeped through the top/bridge deck and leaked out around this area. The strip around the perimeter of the bridge deck was loose in many places with algae growing from most of the screw holes. The side deck rails were all there and seemed firmly attached. The windbreak panels and their attaching hardware were mostly there but will need work. They were loose with the screw holes enlarged by wear. They too need paint. The deck for the aft sundeck/porch area seemed firm, but also needs paint/nonskid. The railing in this area was firmly attached. The cockpit was ok. Needed to have the screws holding the cockpit door on tightened/replaced. The deck in this area was firm. Once again paint/nonskid are needed. There was a large teak box on the porch that the broker said he would throw over the side for me if I bought the boat. Overall the deck areas were fair but neglected. The areas with the rudders need cleaning. The rudder posts were corroded. I didn't see any bonding wires.

Inside she of course had the Hatteras smell. But don't blame her, she had been closed up for some time. The salon was in need of renewal. Carpets throughout the bought would look better in a dumpster than on the boat. The cabin walls in the salon needed attention, but there were no water stains. Some serious sanding, cleaning, and new varnish are needed. I don't recall if the window screens were there. The furniture, well that is a matter of taste for how it looks and smells. You might want to replace it. The lower helm was intact and the gauges for the mains seemed functional when we started the engines. The steering wheel moved and it felt like the rudders were moving with it. Basically everything in the salon needs cleaning and polishing.

The galley was ok. I don't know if the fridge or range/oven work. I was not brave enough to open the fridge. The current pictures on yachtworld show the galley to be much cleaner than when I saw her. The sole needed repair and cleaning and new varnish. The woodwork needs renewal, but did not have scrapes or delamination. The same for the dinette. Just needs to be restored from years of neglect.

The forward cabin needs new cushions. Again the woodwork needs renewal. The forward head looked ok. I don't know if the toilet or shower work. No mold/algae in this area.

The aft guest cabin needs the woodwork renewed, a new mattress and cleaning.

The aft master needs woodwork renewal. There was a chest of drawers on the stbd side that work look better floating in the harbor. I did not notice any water stains around the ports. The mattress needs to be replaced. Clean everything in the cabin.

The aft head (I don't recall if there were two aft heads) needs the same things as the rest of the boat. That being cleaning and painting. I don't know if the toilet and shower were functional.

The engine rooms were old but not too dirty. They also would need some cleaning and paint. Some of the stuff in the engine rooms looked poorly installed. You would need to go over everything in the engine rooms to be sure it was properly fastened. We did start the mains. Very little smoke on startup. No smoke after about a minute. They were cold to the touch before we started them. We didn't put the boat in gear. I don't know the condition of the gears. The a/c equipment looked original and tired.

The generator was kinda dirty. I do not know if it works. The generator space needs the cleaning and paint treatment. I think this is where most of the smell was coming from.

The bridge deck was the low point of the boat. Most of the deck was not just soft but had depressions in it. Water had collected in these areas. I think the water was seeping through the deck. There is some serious delamination in the bridge deck. I did not try to use any of the controls on the bridge. The broker did not know if they worked. All of the metal on the bridge was corroded. The bimini frame was ok. The bimini will make a good drop cloth for painting. I did not see any soft enclosure for the bridge. With the bridge deck as soft as it was I was not brave enough to go all the way to the aft end of it. There was a dinghy and outboard. I was told they were non-functional. From the looks of them non-functional seemed like a kind thing to say. I don't know if the davit worked.

As Pascoe would say Mako has some deferred maintenance. Actually a huge amount of deferred maintenance. Some of it is just going to need elbow grease as the boat has sat for years. But to her credit she did make the trip from San Francisco to San Diego on her own bottom. Truly a testament to the integrity of a Hatteras hull and a pair of detroit diesels that will just keep on going.

The reason I walked away was the cost. When I saw the boat they were asking around $240k. I told the broker (who is someone I know and trust) I would go $90k to maybe $100k if the generator and windlass worked. He told me that the owner would not consider anything less than $225k. I estimated at least $150 to fix everything if I did it all myself. This assumed that every piece of gear that either didn't work or wasn't there would be replaced with Hatteras quality stuff. It also assumed the engines did not need to be majored. It also did not include painting the hull. If you see the boat take your time and notice the total amount of work that needs to be done. It may not initially look like much, but when you add it all up it is a lot of work. And that bridge deck is going to take some very serious effort. The console will need to come off to repair the decks up there. You may need to completely remove the top layer of glass and replace the entire core. I was thinking I could do it all in maybe five years. Mako can be brought back to a high quality. If you don't mind some hard work and have the time and you could get her for $90k or less it might work out.

[38BAT]

WOW! Thanks for a fabulous response. Sounds like more of a project than I am looking for. What a great resource this is. Thank you again!

[spartonboat1]

Oldboat, that post is one of the most hard-eyed, yet professional assessments, including price, that I have seen on this site. Truth hurts, but imagine the pain, if your advice was not heeded.

[Paul45c]

I agree, great review and very thorough. Based on the strength of it, I can't imagine anyone coming out ahead with that much work. Labor of love plus, plus, plus...Just too much. Hate to see any Hatt that you more or less consider a total, but that one sounds like it.