southace said..
I would have to ask the question Cisco from the pic you posted of the van de stadt why isn't you didn't get some antifouling below the waterline and stick it on the pick up some creek to finish the refit? Or perhaps crane it into your back yard?
The boat was already up the creek in Maryborough on the cheapest yard rate ($50/week) almost in Australia. I bought it 8 years ago almost to the day for $35,000 which is cheap for a VDS 34 at any time. It had problems in the anchor locker which I did not pick up at the time.
I wasn't quite ready for it at the time due to "other commitments", so I thought I will just store it there until I am ready. Maryborough is a 100 klm drive from home and the commitments dragged on for years during which I was only able to work on it sporadically. With wife and 2 teenage kids the logistics were difficult to say the least.
The rudder and prop shaft had to be pulled as their bearings were seizing on them. As we all know, rust never sleeps and the bow section was rotting out. Steel boats can be great but you have to be on top of them ALL the time which basically means you can't just park them for a year or two. You need to be living onboard and fixing rust spots as they appear.
So, prop shaft out and a rust hole in the bow and along came the floods that filled it with water to the deck, drained out and left behind about a tonne of mud. Mud dries out and becomes fine caked dust. Engine is siezed, all electrics shot, needs re-rigging and the fit out is dodgy at best.
I had discussed the back yard option with wifey who basically said what if you incapacitate yourself or better still, die,

what am I going to be able to do with it????
I am 63, financially OK, with $40k and her permission to spend it on a yacht that is working.
In my shoes, what would you have done??

I think a little Peterson 30 is right up my alley.