Considering a Penn Yan

[thegammas]

Considering this boat - the price (assuming it goes for around that amount) is really good, and for once the subject boat is close by. Would either keep this one, swap my Merc 100 hp onto it, and sell the Thompson/Holsclaw - or swap the trailers and flip the Penn Yann.

Would depend on the condition of the Penn under the floors.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1961-PEN ... 27bf5a0efe

[Torchie]

Nice looking boat.(Aren't they all).
Would be great if you could check it out in person. Looks to me as if there are no keel rollers on the trailer so I would think that a bottom inspection would be in order. I would keep them both
Karl.

[txcaptdan]

sweet looking boat. Like the decks...

[Phill Blank]

thegrammas,

I agree with Karl. I see rollers as well as no bunks on the trailer. Along with no rollers on the keel especially at the bow. WOuld want ot look it over before taking it on. But from th pictures it look like a nice boat.

Would be nice if you knew someone in the area that could look it over for you.

Good Luck,

Phill

[thegammas]

Well, mentioned to the wife - thinking of going after it and why and if the price stays real low and she was ok with it (Isn't she great!). It's only about an hour away, so an inspection is in order. add to that that I am off this week, what reason do I have NOT to go. Other than of course the last thing I need around here is another boat.

And lets not forget that c 1961 v4 65 hp Evinrude three doors up that the guy wants to be rid of AND for which I think the controls on this boat would fit.......

This does not bode well for garage space.....

[Phill Blank]

thegrammas,

If I were you I would be taking a road trip NOW. Why not?

Go for it. One only livse once and one can never have to many wooden boats.

Good Luck,

Phill

[thegammas]

This is true - Too Many and Wooden Boat don't play well in a sentence
I wrote to the guy to see if the framing under the floors is accessible. If he says not and isnt willing to let me lift the floors to see it, I'll likely pass. So we shall see.

[richnle]

I finished restoring a very similar Penn Yan (one foot shorter) last spring, and am working right now on a Grady White. The Penn Yan is a very nice looking and fun to drive boat, - really enjoyed it this summer, and it is well made.

I would be concerned about the lack of forward keel rollers. My Penn Yan's interior keel is not nearly as beefy as the Grady White T Keel, so I think the rollers would be even more important. My Penn Yan bottom near the transom has some minor hogging from improper trailer support, so this is also a concern on the advertised boat.

My Penn Yan has a small removable panel under the rear bench that allows viewing the keel and rib ends. I am a little surprised that his does not. I can understand your being hesitant on proceeding if you cannot see under there. I was able to see this area on the Grady before buying it, but my problems ended up being cracked ribs at their tightest bend points just under the floor boards at the sides. It is very difficut to fully inspect any wood boat with flooring in, so I guess there is always risk. The price seems low enough that this one might be worth it. Good luck whatever you decide, and let me know if you have any other questions.

Rich

[LancerBoy]

Blasphemy. The Inquisition is being sent to your home to cure you of your sins.

Kidding.

How is the planking connected to the adjacent piece. I do not see bolts/nuts or clinch nails.

Here is a link to a 1961 brochure page describing the planking connection method use by Penn Yan: http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Fi ... b60004.jpg

I wonder how that stuff held up for 50 years?

Andreas

[thegammas]

LOL, I've dug the moat Andreas, and when the inquisition arrives I'll fling bits of fiberglass hulls at them!

Well, the guy wrote me back and said the floors are all out of the boat for inspection by potential buyers, and says the framing is solid - of course we all know there are different interpretations of solid. So with that I am making arrangements to go see it

I'll be taking a long look with a critical eye at the bottom. I know what it's like to have a hogged boat, and I've no appetite for fixing it. If I were to bring it home, I'd reconfig that trailer right away with bunks and keel rollers.

He claims to have had 43 calls of interest just today and tons of peeps watching the auction. So if she goes she goes. Whats attracting me to this boat is the price which provides me the opportunity to have a working boat while I having my shop fun on the Thompson.

[Torchie]

Good luck with the auction should you choose to pursue it. Don't worry about the number of watchers as I 've listed cars on Flea-Bay and had as many as 100 watchers and no one bidded.
I always figure that at least half of the watchers have something like I am trying to sell and just want to see what theirs is worth.
Everyone stay warm this winter.
Karl.

[thegammas]

yep - I had a few instances like that on pee-bay when I spent time selling stuff there (not so much any more)

There's one bid on it now at the starting price of 1K. IU'll let it cook for the next couple of days and if by Friday afternoon it's gone no where I'll go see it.

Film at 11:00

[richnle]

To follow-up on Andreas' question, there are screws through the outer overlapping plank into the inner plank, but they do not protude through the inner plank. To tighten, you need to uncover the head of the screw on the outside. My Penn Yan was leaking between the planks before I recaulked, so the original bonding material was definitely not sealing after 49 years (but the screws were holding the planks in place). I sure appreciated having the nuts on the inside of the grady I am working on, although the inside of the Penn Yan is very neat looking.

One other difference between the Penn Yan and the Grady I have noticed is the stability of the boat. Keeping in mind that my Penn Yan is 16 ft (Baltic) and me Grady is 17 ft, the Penn Yan is much more round bottomed and less stable. It banks like a fighter jet in turns, and is a blast to drive on smooth water, but if you somehow take a large wake from the side, it can be pretty exciting in the Penn Yan. The one for sale is a 17 ft Magellan (I believe), which might be more stable, but it might be something to be aware of.

Rich

[thegammas]

Well, just got home from visiting the boat. The floors were completely out so the boat was totally assessable. here's the deal.

The framing; Keel, ribs, rib ends, are all rock solid - I mean really good.

The bottom has two areas that would have to be repaired. In both these areas it looks like the boat bottomed out and badly gouged the plywood. In neither case was the bottom broken through, and the frames (ribs) in that area are original and show now evidence of cracking or repaired. It appears that The repairs were done poorly and did not last.

There is standing water at the transom and stem, but no leak through.
The transom looks rock solid and all original.
The 85 hp Johnson turns over.
The deck looks very good - no delamination.
The seats are complete, no splits.
The Top is orignal, or near original, but a mouse ate some large holes in it. Could be repaired
The entirety of the boat needs to be re-varnished

So the bad news:
It sat on those rollers for 2+ years full of water. No keel support. At each roller location there is a hog about the size of a dinner plate, varying degrees. The worse is about an 3/4 of an inch, the least, about an eighth of an inch. This is the only thing that gives me pause.

Will those hogs straighten out once properly supported and wet for a some period of time?

[Torchie]

Sounds interesting.
The hogs should be able to be reversed with proper bunking and some weight to push the high spots back down. The shallow ones could even be taken care of with fairing compund.
Having said that I would be concerned about the boat being full of water for two years. Thats a long time and I would expect there to be some sort of damage and decay. Also in what shape was the keel? I would think that depending on the amount of water in the boat there would be some distortion to the poorly supported keel due to the weight of the water.
Good Luck.
Karl.