New old Swan

Hi guys,

I posted a while ago about a swan 37 mast base, in the end I bought the boat!

I wouldve told anyone else who was going to buy a boat in this condition they were mad but hopefully it ends well. She has been neglected for a very long time and I am told hasnt left the berth for more than 10 years. The engine died one day 12 years ago and the boat has not left the marina since. Thankfully the climate in Lanzarote has been kind and I think with a lot of work we can fix most of the issues.

The boat is a Swan 37 built in 1973 with the hull number 55 I think. Formerly named Altair and currently Sadhana although this will change soon.

Here is a link to some photos

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151896658234478.1073741825.792299477&type=1&l=916457eba1

You shouldnt need a facebook account to view them just click on the link, let me know if it doesnt work.

There are four main issues to fix, the teak decking, the mast base, the bottom and there is no engine. For me none of the problems are big on thier own but it is a lot of work to do them all at once, we'll get it done tho.

Obviously fixing an old boat isnt really a dream of ours but is the only practical way for us to own our own yacht. Hopefully we can have some luck and be sailing soon. We have a lot of very skilled friends who can help a lot too. We have already had a bit of help from the good people on this forum which is much appreciated, hopefully you guys can help us out some more.

Ill try to add photos as we go along and I have no doubt we will have a lot of questions.

Cheers

Fletch

Dear Fletch,

What a fantastic project, and well done for getting her, every best wish to you in what you want to achieve. I hope this forum will be of help to you - it is a deep resource of information.

Rob.
Sarabande 47/029

Flecth.

Good buy, some advice, don't rush with the resotartion, its costs a lot of money and time. It is easy to make mistakes. Set about a big job every. Sail the boat and find out how you want it set up, ie for long distancecrusing, racing, coastal hopping etc. Then set about the jobs. She will not sink because of osmosis, poor teck deck or needing a new engine.

 Good luck John B Swan 411 010

Hello Fletch,

Congratulations for your new acquisition. I had one 37 some years ago and I restored her thoroughly. Then some came by and bought it. Now I am with a 47. Also a fantastic yacht, on which I am doing some work. If you like, you can look at the facebook page of "farouche"; that is the name of my 47.

https://www.facebook.com/farouche.swan?ref=tn_tnmn

Cheers//Philippe
(Farouche 47/050)

Thanks guys!

We've been working away for a little while now and have finally got all of the rubbish and collected items off. Shes floating at least 50mm higher now:).

Started to try and remove the deck hardware so we could take the teak off but discovered that all the nuts are "captive" and glassed over. This would be really cool as it would save us removing the interior lining but this is clearly the first time in 40 years that the bols have been undone and some are breaking and others the nut breaks loose:((( 70% are ok but the others dont want to cooperate. Nothing else to do really but remove the lining where we have to and dig out the offending nuts. The forward cabin deck lining looks like it will be very difficult to remove so I am hoping that we dont have any problems there.

Ive added photos of the interior to the facebook link I posted earlier for anyone who is interested. There are some pics there that show the mast base issue too. I hope the link works for everyone who would like to have a look.

A lot of work ahead but we are getting off to a good start!

Fletch

Hi Fletch,

Congratulations!  I hope, that like me, you enjoy the work of boats as much as the sailing!  I am in the process of restoring my 1969 43, with the great help of everyone on this forum and especially the Professor.  This is a fantastic resource and so much more.  Despite the fact that I have not met any members personally, I feel that I have made new friends indeed!

I read the good advice on this thread of setting out each project with an eye to use and usefulness and your personal preferences.  I don't expect my restoration to be completed for several years and hope to sail every one of those seasons.  Although I keep thinking about this or that project, I have tried to remain faithful to safety concerns and those other issues; e.g., water intrusion, that can hurt the boat, before moving to the fun stuff.  Meanwhile, I hope to sail enough to understand whether any changes are in order.

Good luck!

Chris Mabel's Casse Tete  003/43

Although a big project, this looks like a beautiful original example. The early 37's like my one had Koto (like white teak) woodwork which was very light but suffered very badly from water staining. Having so few modifications is quite unusual for a boat of this age and when renovated she will be fantastic. Not sure I like the look of the heads on your facebook page!

Well done, Gavin