While classic cars and trucks have sometimes been used as status symbols, boats are in another class altogether of one-up-manship. The bigger the boat, the more respect and awe one will supposedly command – but like anything else in life that you can acquire, quiet sophistication oftentimes makes as powerful of a statement as a mega yacht. At least, that’s the insinuation made by the seller of this 1979 Tayana Mariner 36 listed here on eBay with bidding up to $4,550 with no reserve. The listing highlights its many features, and also some outstanding maintenance needs that suggest it’s been docked for a while. The boat is currently docked in Cape Corral, Florida and is said to be an outstanding vessel for making global passages.
The interior of the boat is loaded with high-quality finishes, with the seller noting that the teak-laden cabin is all hand-carved. Occupants have plenty of room to stretch out and eat or relax. The seller notes that due to a unique “deep full keel” hull design, the cabin is incredibly roomy, with six-foot ceilings! The description says the Tayana Mariner is the type of vessel an affluent sailor would purchase before the days of the mega yachts that now fill the harbors of places like Monaco and Miami. While I don’t anticipate being in the position to make such a purchasing decision any time soon, I would choose a beautiful passage-maker such as this.
The interior appears to be in fine order, but I admittedly don’t know enough about boat upkeep to know if this cabin has any visible needs. The seller says he is cutting this boat loose to settle some urgent bills that have come due, and if you have time to read the incredibly long listing (I don’t), you may find there are some underlying issues to sort out. The only glaring need I could find in the description was the seller’s recommendation that the boat be hauled out of the marina to a local boatyard for a fresh coat of bottom paint, which he says “…the boat badly needs.” Is there anything else that falls into that description? Read on for those insights.
The boat is listed outside of the auction for $28,000, but will sell for the eBay price assuming no one tries to buy it privately. Right now, bidding is well short of that classified price, but the seller claims that this is a $55,000 – $65,000 boat when fully restored. So why is it going so cheaply at the moment? There’s one paragraph buried in the listing that perhaps explains why: the boat needs all of its communications equipment tested (and perhaps replaced), which hasn’t been used for several years; some of the teak needs sanding, along with other cosmetic painting projects and deep cleaning; the motor needs to be fully re-commissioned; the batteries charged; the alternator and belts checked; and more. A beautiful boat, yes, and one you may be able to snag for a steal if bidding stays low.
Boat- large hole in the water that you throw money into. Money pit, this guy would be wise to take whatever he can get for it or he will be paying someone to get rid of it. Just hauling out of the water and painting the bottom?? Surprise to the tenth power- hull is rotten.
Dock find—man you BF guys rock! Keep up the good work!!!
Cheers
GPC
you beat me to it, LOL
With the economy teetering on a cliff, I think I need to buy a big boat right now.
B..O..A..T.. Bust Out Another Thousand
“some of the teak needs sanding”
That will be an understatement perpetually as long as this thing exists.
The cost of getting this surveyed just to buy it, blows another thousand.
On the other hand as the economy tanks, you can sail away from your creditors.
Yeah, once you get it sea worthy. The inside seems nice enough overall but some cars that are salt rotted too far gone have decent enough interiors.
Hey! This ain’t Bring A Trailer, ya know…jeez.
Bring a bigger trailer!
This boat needs to come out of the water anyhow for a full survey below the waterline.
Teak looks good but it’s soaking wet and naturally shiny.
Older sailboats have no resale value. Here in St Michaels you can pick up a decent sloop for $4-5k or less.
Planes, trains, and automobiles,. what’s next? An army tank?
That’s why I stop by every day to see something new and different. If this keeps up, I just might find that vintage Schwinn
3-wheeler I”ve been looking for. Keep ’em comin’ guys, you really make my day!
There is a guy near me selling a tank!
Bring this boat out to where the Titanic is located and sink it. Install some cameras and lights on it while its sinking and sell the rights to a cable channel.
I’d dig a hole deep enough for the keel and park it in my backyard to use as a guest house…No HOA here!
Actually PaulG I’ve seen that done. It’s a cool idea. Poly the outside every couple years. Cozy digs for sure. Best one is an old house boat where the mechanics are shot but the quarters are still ok.
In the 80’s I bought a 28″ Owens cabin cruiser that had a bad motor for $500. I lived on it at pier 39 in San Francsico for a year. My slip fee was $140 a month with a view of Coit Tower and the Transamerica pyramid. We had laundry and showers in the Harbor masters office and phone water and electricity in the doc box. Cheapest apartment I’ve ever had :)
Good for you Scuderia, I looked into the idea a couple times, you really don’t need to take the boat out. Most slips are nicely maintained and some have restaurants, bars with gated access and pools in Florida. I’m looking into it out in Arizona in a couple spots. Lots of cheap boats around.
and there’s always someone needing crew should you wish to go out :)
At least your idea makes some sense.
Hmmm. Wonder uf that would work here
in Florida?
S.S. Minnow.
buy it and dock it next to the Busted Flush, or next to Doc Fords
We all know this one: Two happiest days in a boat owner’s life: the day you buy it, and the day you sell it. Owning a boat (well, more accurately–MAINTAINING a boat, makes the car hobby look cheap, cheap, cheap. And. . . . with a car, if you lose interest for awhile (or, as we see on BF all the time–store it for 30-40 years), the car is still largely there, and someone can pick up where you left off. Do NOT try ignoring a boat for more than a month or so. And, even during that month, a boat this size will still require mooring fees, taxes, registration, etc.
In 2000 I bought a 36′ Columbia sloop for $17,500. 14 years later and $125,000 in improvements and upgrades (conservatively), I sold it for $20,000.00. Hmmmm, less learned.
OK, so this is a live-aboard that hasn’t moved in a while. The description has absolutely no detail at all…. Here’s what it will need: Haul-out, scrape and paint ($2-4k), running gear cleaned and resealed ($500-1k), survey ($800-1k), new electronics (only the newest electronics are saltwater sealed and most older stuff only lasts a few years in salt water..$2000-5000), diesel engine and generator overhaul ($1000-4000), sails….guaranteed to be shot ($5000-15000), rigging, winches, etc, ($1000-4000), misc systems overhaul (electrical, water/holding($500-1500), misc cosmetics ($1000-3000) So this bargain of a boat is going to double in price before the first overnight cruise. The good news is that only some of this needs to be done before taking the boat out for a few hours, or before moving aboard. But I can tell you from first-hand experiance that all the brightwork on this boat (i.e. teak) is truly tedious to keep in good shape. Good luck with the sale!
You left out recoring all the decks and chasing all the rot under the windows as the house is surely fiberglass over wood and the decks are cored in balsa.
That being said Tayana is a solid hull and if hours and hours of love are lavished on it they are beautiful.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In addition to classic cars, I am sailor and owner of a few classic sailboats, and.. the past chairman of the Museum of Yachting (which observes and celebrates classic sailing yachts).
While I am sure he is proud of his fine yacht, but, for those not familiar, if it were a car, this would be akin to, let’s say….. a GM X-car of the 80’s, with a faux vinyl top, and gold covered badges. Or.. one of those RV’s piggy backing on a small 1982 Toyota pick-up. Both fine vehicles with people who love them. But, among most sailors or classic yacht enthusiasts, this isn’t a pedigree racer, or a significant designer, despite the generous use of wood trim applied to the fiberglass to dress it up.
And, in the end, you still will have a boat with dubious lines (compared with a Pirate ship, really?) and questionable style that is not considered desirable by most sailing enthusiasts… and, by all means, very likely slow.
This would most definitely fall into the category of ownership costs in one year quickly setting the owner under water vs the value of the boat. Pun intended
Well, we can’t all be in Bermuda 40s.
Survey says ???
Loved all the comments, I don’t think I want a boat!
Found in what barn where?
@Duaney – It’s a dock find silly.
You are right and I was being silly. (deliberately)
Sold for $10,200
that will be the most inexpensive part of this project.
The bigger the anything……….the more respect you command as I’ve often found…….when I’m at the beach.,,,ba..boom!
Now back to the cars……and real classics umm…older than… lol…. 1979…(and I’m a big boat sailor………….once upon a time)
Need to “Social Distance” these days? Get a boat, load up provisions, fishing pole, crab trap and clam rake. Then go anchor out.
This guy was long winded enough to take 10k and run. This was a great boat at one time but 1979 went out with the tide. Later ……………JIMMY
no need to haul it. Just use a mask & jump in. Like any 1 who knows motor vehicles there’s some of us who know boats. This 1 is a capable blue water boat that is older. Like the multipurpose (RVs, motor homes, etc) shown here there’s the living area to assess, motor, structure, etc. One must have a lill more experience to ck the rigging (ofter 1/2 the involved costs) ‘that stuff above the deck” (sales, lines, mast, winch, etc, etc), communication and nav gear.
I would modify a great deal here to lower maintenance costs and equip for single handed ocean travel. Then I’d get a sm # of select ppl and go have some fun…such is the nature of a yhatie…
BOAT aka Bring Over Another Thousand! Don’t really have to say anything else really