Looking at a Used Whip

Hello,

I just saw a 1974 Whip for sale near me. I’ll be going to see it tomorrow (August 5, 2010.) Here is the text of the ad:



17 foot long Whip class centerboard dinghy sailboat. Built in 1974. Good condition. We fixed it up with new paint and lines and then rarely used it. Comes with all rigging, rudder, tiller, sails, and trailer. Roller furling jib. Price is negotiable. Email for pictures. Come check it out today!



Does anybody have any suggestions on what I should look at when evaluating this boat? The owners are offering it for $800, but have indicated that they may negotiate on the price. Since I don’t know the condition yet, I can’t be more specific on it in this request.

Thanks in advance for your assistance!


F. J. Talley

In my opinion, the condition of the hull is the most important thing to check. I think the deck/cockpit is next and then the mast, sails, centerboard, tiller, rigging, and hardware. These are listed in the order of the most-expensive-to-repair first. Also, you may not be able to get replacement parts for some critical items like the mast; everything else you can probably get repaired or replaced, although it may be expensive.

By the way, I can fix about anything, but I've never done fiberglass work, so that's partly why I think the hull condition is so important. Other fiberglass guys may say it's no big deal to fix up a hull, but it seems pretty tough (to do it right, anyway) to me.

I think $800 sounds reasonable, but I always offer less. I bought my Bandit 17' for $900 with a good trailer, trolling motor, battery, life jackets, mooring lines, etc. and it was in very good condition.

Dave,

Thanks. Your comments are just what I was looking for. I'll be looking at the boat later today and will take your advice. I've also noticed that people in this forum have said it's just about impossible to step the mast alone. Is that your experience too?


F. J.

Dave,

I took your advice and checked out the hull, which seemed quite solid. The deck has some blemishes and crazing (how could it not given its age?) but I could find no soft spots on it. The only thing I wasn’t sure about were the rubber pads on the ends of the spreaders, but those can be replaced.

When I went to the garage to see the sail, centerboard, jib and boom, I discovered that the sail was the original: US 33. That was pretty cool in itself. The woman who owns it agreed to sell it for $500, which is a great price. The main has a tiny hole, perhaps a half inch in diameter, and the furling jib is fine, as is the centerboard, rudder, tiller and tiller extension. They’re also including a paddle in the price. I had planned to buy a long handled one anyway, so having it included is great. The trailer is titled and in decent shape as well.

I plan to return to their home over the weekend and pay them, then go through the rigging process with them a few times until it seems to make sense. If possible, I’m going to video it so I can look it over at home.

I may just be a Whip owner in a few days.

Thanks again for your advice.


F. J.

Well, I step the 22' long mast on my Bandit by myself - after I temporarily tie the base of the mast to the step. Then I fasten the sidestays and walk the mast all the way up. Then I start pulling on the front stay, which keeps the mast upright, and walk over the cabin up to the bow and fasten the front stay. Then I untie the temporary line at the mast base and I'm done. I think it's much easier to do this when the boat is still on the trailer, prior to launching. I guess my mast is 25 pounds or so?

I've never seen a Whip, but the SailMFG Whip webpage says the mast is 27'-6"; do you think you can walk it up by yourself if the base is secured? Also, is there a way to hold the base of the mast in place while you're walking it up? I see that there's a mast "niche" or notch that supports it, but I can't tell how the base is held. If the base of the mast won't stay put when you're walking it up, figure out how to secure it temporarily.

It sounds like this boat is in good shape and a real deal at $500 - especially including a decent trailer, too. I paid a local fiberglass tub-repair guy $100 to fix a couple bad spots on my boat's fiberglass and he even painted them to match the boat. After waiting a month or so, I waxed over the whole area and I can't hardly even find them anymore.

Hope this helps,

Dave

Hard to say if this is the original mast because it just didn't look that long -- but then I didn't measure it yesterday either, since it was raining and I didn't want to be close to a boat mast during the lightning -- go figure. If it is that long, I probably won't be able to step it alone. The current owner (haven't put down the cash yet) suggested trying to find a friend and leave it with the mast up at their water front home, whether it's on the trailer or in the water. In that way, I wouldn't have to step the mast every time I went out, and I would probably use it more often, too. I'm going to explore that option. I'm just concerned about having the mainsail on the boom without a sail cover, or having the jib furled without that extra UV protection strip when it's furled. I could probably just remove the boom with mainsail when I finish sailing, and take it with me, then deal with the jbb issue separately. Do you think that would work?

Thanks again for your advice and ideas.

F. J.

I'm sure it would be more convenient if you could leave the mast up, but that may not work out. I looked at the Whip sailing/rigging instructions and it sounds like the base of the mast does not tend to stay in place by itself; my boat has a big aluminum "hinge" and the mast has pins that fit into the hinge grooves. (The Whip manual says to have someone hold the base of the mast down while you raise it - and then says you can do this yourself -huh?.) I still think you'll need to figure out how to hold it in place to make raising it easier by yourself.

I'd say removing the boom and main sail is fine - and it's much better for your sails to be protected from the sun. (Actually, I think it's best to protect the entire boat from the sun - tarps are cheap and it keeps the boat nice and clean.) After sailing, I wrap the main sail around the boom on my Bandit, being careful not to bend the battens, and store it inside. I also store the jib inside the cabin; my boat's jib has no furling arrangement. I'll have to think about that; furling the jib sounds really convenient...

If you're handy, you could probably make a sail cover of some type; they sell tarp tape and grommet kits along with cheap plastic tarps almost everywhere. I got my boat cover tarp from Harbor Freight (aka Taiwan Tools). You could probably cut up one tarp into a sail cover for the main/boom and the jib; just cut to the shape you want, fold the cut edges over and tape down, then put grommets in wherever you think you need them. I guess you'll have to use a line to pull the jib's sail cover up to the top of the stay. Even if they're not beautiful, they would keep the sun off.

Dave

Dave,

Are the tarps you're talking about UV resistant? I really want to keep as much of the bad UV rays away from the sails. I certainly am not worried about a perfect appearance -- which given some of my skills at sewing is a good thing -- but I do want the function. Perhaps a sock that can go over the jib might help. We'll see.

Thanks for the advice.

F. J.

I just get these cheap bright-blue polyetheline "tarps" from Harbor Freight:

www.harborfreight.com/19-ft-x-19-ft-6-inch-all-purpose-weather-resistant-tarpaulin-5612.html

WalMart and most hardware stores sell the same thing under various brands; they're really cheap and will probably last a few years if they're not used too hard.

These tarps should stop most if not all the UV striking them; if you want to get serious, you can also buy the same kind of tarp in a silver color, which should reflect light (including UV) and heat as well.

As I said, I just cover up my entire boat (and trailer) and store the mainsail inside:

[www.sailmfg.com]

Dave