Hi guys,

Im hoping some of you may help me out here. Im new to the world of sailing. I've always wanted to buy a sailing boat for some time. Thanks to covid I managed to find time into looking for one. Nothing too expensive or complicated, just a simple and cheap boat I can turn into something more respectable. After months of searching I finally came across this old second hand Hood 23. Much I've read suggests that hood 23's are ideal for beginners. However, I need a bit of help to get this bad boy up and running.

The overall condition of the vessel is ok. However, the issues of the boat are more cosmetic than anything (most main features such as mast, boom, tiller etc are in good shape). However, the cabin, deck, railings and hull need a bit of work. I've booked in a bloke to come around and clean off the barnacles off the hull. I also ordered a brand new outboard. Besides that, I'm looking at giving it one big makeover before hitting the waters this summer. I want to give it a good exterior paint (hate the yellow, reminds me of an old 80's write off car), interior makeover, and perhaps add some guard rails, an awning etc. Cant add photos atm as im new to the forum but i will def add some shortly. Thanks!

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dreamer90 said..
Hi guys,

Im hoping some of you may help me out here. Im new to the world of sailing. I've always wanted to buy a sailing boat for some time. Thanks to covid I managed to find time into looking for one. Nothing too expensive or complicated, just a simple and cheap boat I can turn into something more respectable. After months of searching I finally came across this old second hand Hood 23. Much I've read suggests that hood 23's are ideal for beginners. However, I need a bit of help to get this bad boy up and running.

The overall condition of the vessel is ok. However, the issues of the boat are more cosmetic than anything (most main features such as mast, boom, tiller etc are in good shape). However, the cabin, deck, railings and hull need a bit of work. I've booked in a bloke to come around and clean off the barnacles off the hull. I also ordered a brand new outboard. Besides that, I'm looking at giving it one big makeover before hitting the waters this summer. I want to give it a good exterior paint (hate the yellow, reminds me of an old 80's write off car), interior makeover, and perhaps add some guard rails, an awning etc. Cant add photos atm as im new to the forum but i will def add some shortly. Thanks!

Take a good hard look at the deck before you spend on it, some were not so good.

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dreamer90 said..
Hi guys,

Im hoping some of you may help me out here. Im new to the world of sailing. I've always wanted to buy a sailing boat for some time. Thanks to covid I managed to find time into looking for one. Nothing too expensive or complicated, just a simple and cheap boat I can turn into something more respectable. After months of searching I finally came across this old second hand Hood 23. Much I've read suggests that hood 23's are ideal for beginners. However, I need a bit of help to get this bad boy up and running.

The overall condition of the vessel is ok. However, the issues of the boat are more cosmetic than anything (most main features such as mast, boom, tiller etc are in good shape). However, the cabin, deck, railings and hull need a bit of work. I've booked in a bloke to come around and clean off the barnacles off the hull. I also ordered a brand new outboard. Besides that, I'm looking at giving it one big makeover before hitting the waters this summer. I want to give it a good exterior paint (hate the yellow, reminds me of an old 80's write off car), interior makeover, and perhaps add some guard rails, an awning etc. Cant add photos atm as im new to the forum but i will def add some shortly. Thanks!

Clicking on your name shows your profile and the photos. The yellow you mention I'm guessing is the beige deck which is standard for Hood 23's. I would suggest just washing the deck and topsides down with acid, either Metal Gleam or an oxalic acid and scraping the bottom yourself and just go sailing. You will soon see the advantage of that beige deck. Spend a bit of time on the water before making any decisions.

Good on you dreamer90.

Informative articles here; 15hp outboard is way too big. 6-8hp more usual.

www.mysailing.com.au/arabesque-a-hood-23/

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Hood-23s?page=1

Many other Hood 23 articles on line obviously.

The deck issues UncleBob alluded to were the result of end grain balsa used in the deck as the core between two grp layers. Makes a stiff and light deck when done right. Search this forum for end grain balsa issues. If fittings are bolted through the deck and not sealed properly water will ingress and delaminate the deck making it soft and spongy.

So if you have foam cores then these might be better than end grain balsa as long as they haven't been compromised by poor sealing - suggest check and rectify all fittings so that the foam core panels don't deteriorate.

Assume you have insurance sorted - search this forum for suggestions.

How old is the standing rigging?

See recent posts by Cabron on his Cole 23 excellent paint refurb.

Besides that, I'm looking at giving it one big makeover before hitting the waters this summer. I want to give it a good exterior paint (hate the yellow, reminds me of an old 80's write off car), interior makeover, and perhaps add some guard rails, an awning etc.

STOP RIGHT THERE LAD!!!!! DON'T MOVE!!!!
Lets go through this.
one big makeover That means money down the drain on a HOOD 23.
one big makeover That means a big big time commitment on a HOOD 23.
before hitting the waters this summer That means you will still be farting around with the big makeover when summer arrives and you won't be sailing.
I want to give it a good exterior paint That means, grinding, sanding, filling, sanding, primer, undercoats and THEN your good exterior paint to achieve what?
interior makeover. That means money down the drain on a HOOD 23.
interior makeover. that means cushions, wiring, electrical panel. lights , depth sounder, mirror ball, toilet,( you are aware of the famous Hood head sticking of of the hatch toilet, I mean squatters head that is)) stove . ice box (or god help me a fridge) interior liner, bilge pump, solar panel and nuclear reactor to charge the kryptonite batteries.

The Hood is a sailboat. So sail it!

I say, Go for it.
Ignore my post but, take Ramona, Uncle Bob and r13's advise.

gary

Know the Hood 23 well, spent my childhood sailing and racing.
Lovely boat, like the raised foredeck and the H23 is one of the few boats that have it and still pleases aesthetically.
Some of the decks did get spongy as mentioned, but if this aspect is Ok, then really no other build related issues.
A 7.5 hp long shaft outboard is plenty. Enjoy!

Agree with the above notes from others, make the boat safe and reliable, and go sailing for the summer. Minimize costs for at least 6 months until your sure she's the one to spend time and money on.
And while tempting...avoid over capitalizing on her. It's easily done, make sure she has good bones so to speak, so much effort/money can be sunk into minor things to bring back to standard condition before actual work can begin, and when looking around you might find another Hood or other with those things done for not much more.
I flipped a couple other Coles quickly until I found the good donor to begin spending time and money, the last was in great condition, and had some good & recent gear onboard...then just needed cosmetic's, and some gadgets.

While it might seem feasible to quickly do a fixerupper, its the base starting that makes the difference, appears your rigging, lifelines and water ingress need attending to quickly, while only small things, if these haven't been looked after by previous owner, then the list will be super long, and expensive.
Honesty, question yourself, if she's the one, or consider looking for another with basic's ticked off, otherwise you'll end up spending twice as much compared to paying a little more upfront.

Good luck

Thanks for the tips guys. I dont intend to spend too big with this boat. I just want to clean out the cabin (turn it into something where I can at least sit/rest inside) clean the deck of rust and other sorts of unwanted stains, fix the guard rail (the left side guard rail is not fixated properly) and clean out the hull of barnacles etc. Just keen to get on the water!

Hi Dreamer90
Sounds like a good plan and welcome to seabreeze.
I might have come across as a bit of a smartarse, but I really wanted to to see some of the traps that I (and others) have fallen into.
Clean her up. Get her safe .
Follow Galatea's engine advice and sail.
Gary
Jezebel seems to have the idea

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dreamer90 said..
Thanks for the tips guys. I dont intend to spend too big with this boat. I just want to clean out the cabin (turn it into something where I can at least sit/rest inside) clean the deck of rust and other sorts of unwanted stains, fix the guard rail (the left side guard rail is not fixated properly) and clean out the hull of barnacles etc. Just keen to get on the water!

Buy some "Metal Gleam" it's a mixture of acids, mostly phosphoric. It's about $45 for 5 litres [enough for 20 yachts]. Mix 1 to 5 with warm water and scrub the whole boat down from the guardrails. It will make all the SS shiny, remove the rust marks and make all the gelcoat like new. Tough spots like deck tread use a stiff nylon brush. Leave for about 5 minutes and flush off with water. I just chuck buckets of seawater over it.

Where can you buy Metal Gleam.

Where can you buy Metal Gleam.

Here - they may have agents Aust wide? Ramona will advise...............

shop.nowchem.com.au/shop/heavy-duty/metal-gleam/

I regularly mention Metal Gleam and I don't have shares or anything to do with the company though my younger son was a chemist there for about 7 years. I buy from the factory door in 5 litre containers which keeps me going for a couple of years on my yachts. When I was fishing I used to buy 20 litre containers. It's widely used in the fishing industry for washing down painted hulls prior to repainting. I used it to clean the walls of the live bait tanks after they get the usual stains. the tanks were gelcoat over fibreglass and they get the same stains yacht hulls get above the waterline. I would stand bare feet in the tanks and scrub them with a soft broom slopping the acid about. the acid is harmless to your skin unless you have a cut then it stings, keep your eyes protected. I do the same routine with the soft broom on my yacht, just start at the top and work down. Stanchions, ropes the lot Takes about 10 minutes. A spray bottle and a scouring pad while your snorkelling is a good way to clean the waterline. Just splash the saltwater over to flush.
The wood deck cleaner from Bunnings with oxalic acid does a reasonable job but does not get rid of rust stains quite as effective as metal gleam.
Metal Gleam at 5 to 1 is brilliant at flushing raw water cooled diesels and also heat exchange diesels. Just watch a few barnacle busting videos and substitute Metal gleam for Barnacle Buster. It's about 1/5 the price.

The Metal gleam will discolour your antifoul a bit.

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Ramona said..
I regularly mention Metal Gleam and I don't have shares or anything to do with the company though my younger son was a chemist there for about 7 years. I buy from the factory door in 5 litre containers which keeps me going for a couple of years on my yachts. When I was fishing I used to buy 20 litre containers. It's widely used in the fishing industry for washing down painted hulls prior to repainting. I used it to clean the walls of the live bait tanks after they get the usual stains. the tanks were gelcoat over fibreglass and they get the same stains yacht hulls get above the waterline. I would stand bare feet in the tanks and scrub them with a soft broom slopping the acid about. the acid is harmless to your skin unless you have a cut then it stings, keep your eyes protected. I do the same routine with the soft broom on my yacht, just start at the top and work down. Stanchions, ropes the lot Takes about 10 minutes. A spray bottle and a scouring pad while your snorkelling is a good way to clean the waterline. Just splash the saltwater over to flush.
The wood deck cleaner from Bunnings with oxalic acid does a reasonable job but does not get rid of rust stains quite as effective as metal gleam.
Metal Gleam at 5 to 1 is brilliant at flushing raw water cooled diesels and also heat exchange diesels. Just watch a few barnacle busting videos and substitute Metal gleam for Barnacle Buster. It's about 1/5 the price.

The Metal gleam will discolour your antifoul a bit.

OK, I think you've convinced me!! :)

It's mainly for my stanchions - to keep them nice & shiny!!

Many thanks for the tip Ramona. I did find the product on the nowchem website and purchased a bottle. Will take you advice. Thanks mate!