Don
The advice you are receiving regarding the systems and survey considering your purchase of a Baba read very much like my work list for my Baba 30, 1980 hull #88.
I purchased a neglected lady, who had been moored on the Columbia river (fresh) for 11 years.
To date I have repaired or replaced all the items on Alan Sugarman's list, with the exception:
> of the rubber seals and glass in the port lights,
> no frig,
>Rebedding of teak deck
>Rebedding of ports

Things I have done not on Alan's List include.
 Survey items requiring Urgent Attention and Recommendations and Findings by Matt Harris,CMS; has been my working list.

>removal of 110 water heater, corroded power cable junction (110V demand system is on wish list).
FYI: I have been advised that propane demand heaters are not considered safe by the ABYC at this time for installation on boats.Matt could not have passed the boat for insurance if I had installed one.
>changed out the old welding cable originally installed for batteries (in addition to complete upgrade of wiring and grounding system)
>installed new stainless bolts and nuts on aft stay chain plate.
>rebuilt step and truck on original spruce mast.
>rebuilt aft end of boom. Epifane varnish - 7coats on both spars.
>new stainless rigging-necessary every 10years in our lat49 climate anyway,norse-man upgraded fittings, with inclusion of Emergency running backs allowed for by Bob Perry's sail plan.
>relaminated the bow spirit and varnished.
>rebuilt the dorade vent boxes
>pulled fuel tank at same time as upgrading the fuel and vent hoses to meet new ABYC & Coast Guard regs.Lifted and cleaned the sludge out of the tank, used KrudKutter and a pampers, then wiped dry with solvent. Wire brushed the tank exterior and coated with cold galvanizing. painted the tank bilge with bilge coat.Replaced the butyl gasket with new "bunyle". The open inspection port provided a hand hold and made it easy to remove this 35 pound tank from accessable bilge location.(Bob Perry was thinking on this detail)
>Had a blister problem (many small acne size blisters along tumble-home @ mid ships) which was caused by the bilge not being pumped out for many moons.( moisture wicked out to the hull) The hull was peel- stripped using a power planer and was dryed out to an average of 11%, during a 3 month period of June -Aug 2006.Then System 3 epoxy was applied as an barrier coat with Pettit Trinidad anti fouling applied (2 coats).
In October 2004 Matt Harris,CMA, first surveyed the boat with the just the barrier coating and no bottom paint. We could see how TaShing would splice the molds from the Tayana production to make this smaller after-thought of the Baba.There was a clear mold line on the hull, just aft of mid ships running a reverse zig-zag down to the skeg.
 (In 1983 the PO hand-scraped the orig. gel coat and applied Inter-Lux 2000, which was the 2-part epoxy tech of the decade. The blisters were small however numerous which caused for this action.)
>installed backing plates on all winches and pulpit stancions.
>New steering cables and SS clamps.
>Replaced are steel worn gear hose clamps
>Fresh water advantage! The bronze thru hulls needed only polishing and lubrication to get smoothly working again.
> all upper bilge area have been cleaned and painted with bilge coat and mast step has been cleaned and sealed with anhydrous lanolin.

Each boat will have her own needs. The Baba's of that era have a good deal of solid construction and any repairs will add to their value.
(The oil crisis of the early 1980's changed the recipes for fibre-glass resins and applications for boat building.)
Notice I did not say upgrades, Baba's in the original are a durable, tough and sea kindly little auxiliary sailing vessel. This can not said of every boat.
  
Baba's are already a "silk-purse" that is not made from a sow's ear. But bearing in mind you keep money in a purse, then the following acronym of
BOAT=Bring Out Another Thousand may be apt. But if you are able to do a lot of the work yourself with the help of a good EMail group Like the Baba-1 group, it could be BOAH (H=hundred).
I also have to opportunity to upgrade the electronics to the current, as most were obsolete except for the Single Side Band, transducer and speedo.
You might want to read Fred Bagley's article in August 2006 Sailmagazine about the New Old Boat,pg 59. Your public library periodals section is a free source.
New and Old doesnot necessarliy mean "works" and "doesn't work".A good tutorial for any sailor considering the value of redundent systems and the preceived value of "new".
Keep us posted about your pursuit of happiness.

Sincerely,
Pam Hooper
Pamarno
  

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Don Van Valkenburg <valkenburg@verizon.net>

> Greetings Baba owners
> I am not yet an owner of a Baba, but currently have an offer in the
> works (on a Baba 30), and I would like to probe your collective
> knowledge of Babas. I don't think I should mention the boat by name or
> say what the current offer is since the deal is not finalized, however I
> think it may be safe to say that it is at the bottom of the scale for a
> Baba in good condition, and may be priced right considering it is very
> sparsely equipped; None of the following are on the boat: GPS Roller
> furling, heater, dingy, auto pilot, dodger. Good news (I think) is the
> boat has been kept in fresh water for most of it's life, and appears to
> have been maintained.
>
> So, here are my questions of the group:
>
> * It has had a survey, should I get a second?
> o Survey said it "is in good condition compared to other
> vessels of similar type and age"
> o Survey showed some small blisters on hull which it
> characterized as cosmetic and do not need immediate attention.
> * What, if any, are known deficiencies of Babas that I should look at
> * I am thinking of having a diesel mechanic check out the Yanmar,
> but is there anything specific I should check?
>
> Any other comments would be appreciated
> Thanks
> Don
>
>
>
>
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Received on Fri Sep 8 10:17:57 2006