[Rhodes22-list] Rhodes 22 Buyer's checklist?

[John Keyser]

Hi Michael,

Graham and the others make a lot of great points both about the Rhodes and old boats in general, so I'm not going to elaborate on shopping for a used boat . I've only had my Rhodes for three years but have had half a dozen other sailboats of various sizes and vintages over the years. All had their pluses and minuses. That being said, I think it's worthwhile to point out to you what I think are some of the best features of a Rhodes.

  1.  The IMF mainsail. This feature has totally spoiled me. No more clambering around on a slippery cabin top wrestling with a flapping mainsail. Just turn into the wind more or less and furl the sail from the cockpit by pulling a line.
  2.  The pop top is a great feature in a boat this size. In a normal 22-footer, you would have to stoop to make your way around inside the cabin. With the pop top, when it's raised it basically turns the main cabin an extension of the cockpit, enabling you and your crew to easily move around in what has become a pretty large space.
  3.  The multi-position IMF system which has two positions. When adjusted to the higher position, it enables the pop top to be raised, as well as providing space to erect a standing-room Bimini to shade the cockpit. When adjusted to it's lower position, the pop-top and Bimini cannot be raised, but is very useful for sailing in higher wind conditions.
  4.  I did add lifelines to my boat. I understand that some Rhodies are not in favor of them, but I sure am glad they are there when the little ones are on board. I have not had any issues with them interfering with the sails or lines.

Good luck with your search.

John Keyser
"Deci-Belle"
1980 R-22
Philadelphia, PA





________________________________
From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of Graham Stewart <gstewart8 at cogeco.ca>
Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2020 9:38 PM
To: 'The Rhodes 22 Email List' <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Rhodes 22 Buyer's checklist?

Hi Michael:



I have one of the older Rhodes 22 boats in the fleet having been built in
1976. Any boat that is 44 years old is going to have problems whether a
Rhodes or any other make. After I was told by a marine surveyor that my boat
was ready for the dump I set about on a 6 year restoration project and in
the process discovered that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The
rebuild was a ridiculously long and expensive effort but still rewarding
just for the sense of restoring a good old boat back to health.



Here is a list of major things to look out for:

.         Check the stringers under the floor boards for rot. Also Check
under the compression post to see if the floor is sagging. Fixing the
structure is possible but is also a big job as the entire boat will probably
need to be gutted.

.         Look for signs of deck delaminating - depth soundings with a
wooden screw driver handle or signs of sagging under foot might well take
considerable work to repair.

.         A lot of cracks in the gel coat are not a good sign.

.         Check the keel and in particular under the keel for cracks - mine
had huge cracks that I hadn't noticed for years and again was very time
consuming to repair. I don't know of anyone else having this problem. It may
have been  caused by a heavy grounding.

.         Check the centerboard housing cap. Make sure it can be removed.
Mine was glassed over and sealed with 3M 5200. Ask if the cap and
centerboard housing has ever been serviced. You want to be able to remove
the cap if and when you need to.

.         Check the condition of the hull-deck joint for signs of leaking or
separation.

.         Check the hull for osmosis.



All of the above were serious problems with my boat. Fortunately I was
entirely clueless when I started the restoration as otherwise I probably
would have taken the advice of the surveyor. They can all be fixed but not
easily and inexpensively.



My boat has none of the features of newer boats like bimminie, motor lift,
mainsail furling etc. I don't miss them as every "convenience" becomes
something that can fail and needs maintenance so I am content with the basic
boat but that is entirely up to you.



Newer boats should not have these problems - yet - but early signs of
problems should be fixed before they become major. Also, newer boats were
built much better than the older ones that were built by 3rd party
contractors so age really matters.



Good luck. There are lots of beautiful R22s out there in great condition
that I am sure will delight you.



Graham Stewart

Agile, Rodes 22, 1976

Kingston Ontario



-----Original Message-----

From: Rhodes22-list [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of
MichaelM

Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2020 4:50 PM

To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org

Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Rhodes 22 Buyer's checklist?



Hi again,



I'd like to solicit your input on what to look for in a used Rhodes.  What
are the features that you think are "must have" and which are "nice to
have"?



Also, are there specific mechanical or maintenance issues that I should look
for when evaluating a Rhodes 22?



Thanks again,



WannabeRhodie









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