# Comments on an S2 8.0 B



## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Going to look tomorrow. It's on the hard. Just wondering what folks think of this boat.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Have an S2 7.3, have sailed a number of other sized S2, I think their great, all have great Bal/disp ratios, inherantly stable, fast and well built. Get a survey, good luck


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Oh, it's a 1980 BTW


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## Spiritman (Jan 10, 2008)

Would this be the one at HHN with the medium blue hull?


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Not sure. Where is HHN?


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## Spiritman (Jan 10, 2008)

Tracy's Landing, MD.


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Nope. This one is in South-Western Ontario, Canada

Eric


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## Spiritman (Jan 10, 2008)

OK. Nevermind.

S2, 1980, on the hard -- These are tags that describe a boat down here that a friend of mine is selling. He got it as part of a trade-in on a much larger project-boat that he'd been working on (read: not sailing) for years. 

When he got the S2 -- which was turn-key -- he was out sailing several times a week, usually solo. He said it was responsive and easily handled alone. I don't know much about the boat (a good survey is a must), but I do know that he enjoyed the hell out of it and is only selling it because he found a bigger boat.

Good luck.


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## JohnF261 (Sep 21, 2006)

*S2*

Love my 1977 8.0c (center cockpit) Very stable and responsive.


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## timangiel (Sep 8, 2006)

I have a 79 8.0B and we love ours. BTW what kind of engine does it have?


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Well, I went and looked. Here is the deal:

The boat has been on the hard for a year. What is puzzling is the dude never even bothered to take the mainsail in. It's still on the boat with the sailcover on it. 

The current owner has not visited the boat all summer. The first time he looked at the boat since last fall was today with me.

A sea trial will not be possible (or at least very impracticle) since it's on the hard

The original OMC 15 hp Zephyr is seized, so the owner before the current owner put a 9.9 OB on her. Apparently this original owner spent a whack of money on the OMC engine to get it running well (I saw the reciepts), but a bottom seal went shortly there after, flooding the engine and causing it to sieze? That's the story anyways. The current owner said he had an estimate to fix the motor for $1500.00

The sails are original (28 yrs old). The current owner says they are still great. I on the other hand would assume they need to be replaced real soon.

The current owner ripped out the cabin carpet and most of the fabric off the hull walls. Said it was pretty dirty and he had planned on replacing it but didn't get to it.

I didn't look in the bilge, but there was a quart of so of water in the bottom of the boat under the v berth. The current owner said a little water comes in around the chainplates.

I looked at the bulkheads where the chainplates are fastened and it looked pretty solid.

The cabin floor seemed solid (no carpet) Plywood covered with fibreglass.

The deck seemed solid. The anti slip surface in the gelcoat seemed brand new (is this an area that can wear with use?)

The alcohol stove needs some seals so is in-operative.

There is shorepower but no batteries or charger.

The guy wants $7,000

The current owner seems to have lost interest in the boat. The boat was a mess inside (junk everywhere)

The standing rigging looked great, the running rigging is original so I am thinking it all needs to be replaced.

The hull looked great. No blisters anywhere. Rudder seemed nice and solid, no slop. Nice white gelcoat, bottom paint looked newer. (maybe done at last haulout?)

So, it seems to be a project boat. I am pretty handy, and the boat seems good where it counts (except for the motor).

I was thinking it's worth maybe $3500

Eric


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

If the non-skid is new...then the chances are pretty good that a serious repair was done and the repair was re-gelcoated... on a a boat of the age to have an OMC saildrive, the non-skid shouldn't be new looking.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

I'm thinking walk away...betting that there are soft decks too with the chainplate leaks and the value of the boat is really compromised without the OMC. If you do go ahead get a real survey and a test of the outboard.


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## timangiel (Sep 8, 2006)

7 grand is over priced, you can find one in better condition for that money.


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## Sonofasonofasailor (Feb 22, 2006)

You need to:
-replace sails
-repair/replace engine
-replace running rigging
-add batteries and a method for charging them
-repair alcohol stove (should just replace it)
-add flooring and liners throughout the cabin
and you've got water under the V-berth in a boat on the hard for over 1 year, the source of which has not been identified but possible leaking chainplates and the gelcaot/non-skid is new looking...

Run, don't walk away from this one as that is only what you were able to identify at your first seeing the boat. Find one that is listed similarly or for more and is actually worth it. You'll be happier as not only will you have a better boat but you won't have to miss time on the water while you are working on her (or paying somebody else to work on her).


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

I won't likely buy this boat. At very least without an actual survey, and at this point have no intention of calling a surveyor. I am just trying to learn something about boats from this one.

I should have said the non skid surface was "like new". It was very obviously the original, but had no wear on it at all. I was wondering if this surface wears with heavy use. In other words, if this surface is not worn, could that indicate a lightly used boat?

The current owner said he used it one season. The previous owner was the original owner. The current owner said the sails were in great shape, not baggy at all. They are 28 yrs old. This leads to one of 2 conclusions:

1) the boat was hardly used, this is why the sails are in good condition and deck non skid surface looks so good.

2) the current owner is lying about the sails (we didn't raise the main, since there was a 18 knot wind - a left over from Ike - on the stern) and the non-skid surface of the boat doesn't wear much with use, and so is not a good indicator of how much the boat was sailed.

The boat seemed really solid. I walked all over the deck and it seemed solid. AFAIK leaking chain plates is fairly common on older sailboats. I did not see any evidence of water in or around the bulkhead by the chainplate attachment points, and the whole area was easy to inspect because the current dude had the fabric off here.

I am not against a project boat, as long as the hull and deck are good. I would expect that most boats of that vintage would need a fresh interior, so the fact that this one has the carpet and liners out isn't such a turn off for me. Even the motor doesn't scare me. I am pretty handy, I do all my own work on my cars, even such jobs as timing chains and stuff. I could pull the motor, dissasemble, inspect, and send out for rebuild or whatever.

Anyways, I will leave this boat and look at some more. The more boats I look at, the more I will know what I can expect in a 25-30 yr old boat.


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Here is a way nicer boat for similar money: 28 ft Newport Sailboat - London, Ontario Boats For Sale - Kijiji London, Ontario


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## mikehoyt (Nov 27, 2000)

If you like the S2 then consider it but know exactly what you are getting into.

Some questions.
How old is the outboard? If it is recent and running well consider that a 9.9hp long shaft outboard is approx $3000 new. If it is not then remember the same thing.

Leaks around chainplates are common and need to be sealed. You should also get a moisture meter on this area (and other areas of deck) to see if the core is wet in this area - it probably is. Recoring a small area around the chainplates is not a huge deal or a deal breaker - but it is work. Also remember that boats such as the suggested Newport are also close to 25 yrs old and even without obvious water intrusion likely also have wet core on the deck in places - this is pretty common - but you want a boat with the least amount possible. Wet deck core means work at the least or money at the worst.

The sails are a concern. You should be able to get a look at them fairly easily. If the main was on the boat you should have been able to look at it. They are probably usable but expect at least 5000 to replace main, 150% genoa and 100% genoa over the next few years.

The OMC may be junk or may not be. There is a Yahoo group called saildrive owners where you may be able to peddle parts such as the lower leg - if it is any good. I would suggest you remove it and glass over the hole. Again - not a huge job but a big one. Not beyond the DIY realm but it must be done properly.

Then there are instruments, cushions and other gear. If the only problems were the leak areound chainplates, ancient sails and seized saildrive then the boat may be viable. Use these deficits as bargaining tools to lower the price a lot - the owner is probably paying for storage.

There are a lot of S2 boats available so if you really like it look around for another. In all likelihood you can get one under 10K with new sails.

The one thing that really concerns me about this boat is not the engine or the sails. It is a sail left on over the winter. This indicates indifference or neglect by the owner and may be a sign of the overall level of care put into this vessel.

Hope this helps and enjoy the looking.

Mike
J27 #150


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

Thanks for all the replies. What a great forum! I am going to take that S2 off the list for now.

Eric


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## Hesper (May 4, 2006)

I've got an 8.5 (the one you see on my post) and love it. It is ruggedly built, easy to single-hand, but a bit tender - you want to reef early. The one thing to look out for is water penetration of the cored deck, especially around the chainplates, forward hatch and mast. If she passes a survey, you'll be very happy with her.


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## BobS2 (Sep 16, 2008)

*S2 at HNN*

Hmmm, I just bought an S2 27 that was on stands at Herrington. 1986. I'm very happy with it. The survey is very important. Get someone to sound for wet balsa core as these boats are cored hull as well as deck. I hear it's a messy repair job.


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

S2's have a cored hull? That I did not know. I knew they had a balsa cored deck.

Eric


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## rperret (Apr 11, 2003)

different s2's had different hulls.

the G&S designed boats - 7.9, 9.1, and S2 27 had cored hulls, not sure about the 7.3, 6.9.

the Arthur Edmunds designed S2 8.0 is solid glass.

I looked at a 1980 S2 8.0 - they are solid boats - but some things i did not like about them:

1) lousy jib sheeting angles since they don't come with an inboard genoa track - you need to attach a snatch block to the slotted toe rail

2) the saildrive set up - not my cup of tea

3) the tiller post setup seemed a bit wonky compared to other rudder set ups.

questions for you are - what do you want to use boat for, what is your budget, how much spare time do you have to do fixing, etc. main thing for any boat is ensuring hull and standing riggin are sound. dont pay lots of extra $$ for new sails, etc, (but do for a new motor of course!). 

$7K is probably a bit high - without seeing the boat I would suspect $5K to be reasonable if hull and rig are solid and there are no serious deck core issues - especially around the mast step.


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## rperret (Apr 11, 2003)

S2 has much better build quality than the Newport from what i have heard. Don't be fooled by shiny decks and interior....



AllThumbs said:


> Here is a way nicer boat for similar money: 28 ft Newport Sailboat - London, Ontario Boats For Sale - Kijiji London, Ontario


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## AllThumbs (Jul 12, 2008)

> questions for you are - what do you want to use boat for, what is your budget, how much spare time do you have to do fixing, etc. main thing for any boat is ensuring hull and standing riggin are sound. dont pay lots of extra $$ for new sails, etc, (but do for a new motor of course!).


The boat will be for Great Lakes sailing. Daysailing and up to week long sails. I would say mostly fair-weather sailing since my wife will be joining me.

My budget is 10,000 to get a boat that is seaworthy and ready to go. $2,000 to 3,000 per year for upgrades after that.

I am a college teacher so I have all summer off, so lots of time to work on the boat and sail.



rperret said:


> S2 has much better build quality than the Newport from what i have heard. Don't be fooled by shiny decks and interior....


Good advice. On reading up on the Newports, I have found that the owners like them but the build quality is so-so. (leaking hull to deck seals is common)

Eric


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## rkunst (Jun 18, 2007)

*Get S2 8.0C owner's manual*

Hi John,

I saw a reference you made somewhere to a scan you made of your S2 8.0C manual. I would very much appreciate getting a copy. I have a 1977 S2 8.0C ("Ashiya", in Oriental, NC), but the only manual I have previously located is for an 8.0B, with a very different layout below decks.

Many thanks in advance!

Rick Kunst
rkunst (at) humancomp.org


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