Sailing Boat Leisure 23sl (partial Refurb) With Twin-wheel Trailer (part Refurb)

PARTIALLY REFURBISHED LEISURE 23SL YACHT – COMPLETE WITH
HEAVY-DUTY, PART REFURBISHED TRAILER AND LOTS OF “BITS-AND-BATS”

Please remember, this Listing is for a boat AND trailer – read on………..

The photos show the boat prior to me starting work on it, with the saildrive still fitted and the old sink and cupboards still fitted. I am away now until Monday 13th September, and after I get back I will do a video of the boat and stuff, and upload to YouTube for anyone interested, and will replace these old photos with up-to-date ones. I just wanted to get the boat listed before I went away. 

I am now having to sell my partially refurbished Leisure 23SL yacht and
trailer because, to be perfectly honest, time and family commitments are no longer on my
side, and I don’t want this boat to end up ‘dying’ where it stands on its trailer –
far better that someone else gets to finish her and have the enjoyment of
sailing her. That said, I will still tinker about and do stuff on the
boat when I can, so it’s moving forwards all the time.

I have been involved with storing boats for a long number of years
before I sold up and retired, and I wish that I had £1 for every ‘new boat
owner’ who came to my yard saying that they had bought a project yacht or
motorboat on eBay that they were going to ‘do up’ and sail off into the
horizon.

This particular boat came to me for storage before the owner decided to
sell it (it had come down from the Lake District and had only been in fresh
water), and so I ended up buying it – knowing that both the boat and trailer
needed to be refurbished and intending to do this when I retired (something to
keep me busy – but then the grandchildren came on the scene, so not the same free time available!!). 

So, I started by having the trailer upgraded with new 2-ton braked suspension units and replaced the wheels and tyres
because the old ones were in poor condition and had spare-wheel support made and fitted, along with box metal brackets for keel support legs (of which I am including 4, just in case you want to fit them as extra support for the boat). The trailer has travelled less
than 70 miles since it was upgraded and has been used as a ‘cradle’ for the
boat (the trailer could benefit from a coat of paint, which was on my “To
Do List”, but not near the top of the list). It does require a new jockey wheel, which I will try to obtain and fit.

I can’t do with ‘bodge jobs’, so I decided to strip the boat right down
and start again, refurbishing it to how I wanted it.

First thing was the engine – a Volvo Penta 7.5HP (basically a Honda
outboard) with a sail drive leg, and this engine/sail drive unit and wiring did
not look in the best of condition and had not run for years. I looked at
various replacement options, such as a new inboard with sail drive leg or a new
inboard with conventional shaft drive, but both options were far too expensive. 

The boat has a really substantial, fixed, outboard bracket on the transom, so
after a bit of research, I decided that I would invest in
a new outboard suitable for this boat (I considered the Tohatsu 9.8HP with
electric start, remote controls and power-tilt, and long shaft), and this option would be substantially more cost-effective than the
inboard options, the Tohatsu 9.8HP coming in at under £3000 fitted by Bill Higham Marine. So I purchased this outboard form Bill Higham, brand new, and had it delivered without PDI because of the length of time the “refurbishment” was taking (this is before I decided to put an end to the project), and the arrangement was for me to take the boat down to Bill Higham after the refurbishment was complete, and they would PDI the engine, fit it and start the warranty – this can still be arranged, but the outboard IS NOT included in this sale and is available by separate negotiation, so just ask. 

So, I
removed the engine and sail drive unit and intended to do a fibreglass repair
to make good the hole in the hull. To this end, I liaised closely with David
Johnson of West Systems, who was extremely helpful in telling me how to
properly undertake this job. However, I have not yet completed this work,
although I made a start by partially grinding back the taper, externally, on
the hull – ready for fibreglassing. I have now decided that my ‘tinkering’ will not include fibreglassing this hole – purely because someone may still want to refit the saildrive and Volvo Penta engine – I do still have the complete Volvo Penta engine
and sail drive leg, which is included in this sale, but would (in my opinion)
need completely refurbishing and servicing if you wanted to re-install it and
would need a new rubber seal.

I have also made a start to get all unwanted holes in the hull and cockpit ready for filling and fairing.

As I intended to use the boat at sea, I decided to replace the
non-tinned automotive wiring with marine grade, tinned wiring, so the old
wiring has been stripped out and a start has been made, both in the boat and
within the mast, to install tinned wiring. It was also my intention to fit LED
cabin and navigation lights, and the old lights (except for the masthead light,
which broke when removing it), are included in this sale, as is some new tinned cable. 

Internally, I have removed all woodwork for sanding down and varnishing
(or, in some cases, replacing) except for the bulkhead between the main and forward
cabins, which I intended to sand down and varnish in-situ. I have completed a
lot of the sanding down and varnishing of the removed items, but some are still
to complete (I have applied three coats of Le Tonkinois varnish).

All the old seacocks were thumb-screw types, and all were seized up, so
have been removed ready for new seacocks fitting. The very old toilet has been
removed, as I intended replacing it with a new Jabasco sea toilet but haven’t
done that yet. The old toilet could, I suppose, be serviced and replaced, and
is included in this sale.

Instrumentation was straight out of the Ark, I’m sure that Noah must
have used them, so they have been removed. However, I suppose that some could be re-used, so
everything that was removed is also included in the sale.

I have repainted some of the internal lockers with off-white bilge
paint.

The starboard midships stanchion had had a very bad repair done on it, so I
removed it and repaired the affected area (not perfect, but better than it
was). All other stanchions have been removed purely because I wanted to reseal
as many deck fittings as possible. I have also removed the teak rubbing strake
on both sides and stern with the intention of sanding down, varnishing and refitting –
properly sealed (when previously fitted, whoever did it had used stainless or
brass through screws, a mild steel washer and a stainless-steel nut – so the
mild steel washed rusted, and water was finding its way in on some of the
screws (obviously not properly sealed either). The varnishing has been done on
these teak rubbing strakes, and they just need refitting.

The boat has a spray hood, which could do with some TLC and a good clean.

Just prior to me buying the boat, albeit a good few years ago, the
previous owner had had all the interior cushions professionally reupholstered,
and they are in very good condition.

The internal cabin wall panels were shot, so I had new panels professionally
made to fit and these were covered in a quality carpeting, as used in
motorhomes and campervans. These panels have never been fitted. Some of the teak ply panels were past repair or re-use, so need to be replaced (but this is a simple job, using the originals as templates).

I have removed the old, galvanised metal water tank, intending to increase the size of the locker under to forward cabin
bed, we were only
intending to do short sails, so bottled water was going to be fine for us. The tank is still available if you want to refit it. The
kitchen sink was very stained and showing its age, so I have removed it with the intention of purchasing a new sink to replace the old one.

With regards to deck hardware. I have removed all the winches and rope
clutches/jammers, with a view to servicing them and refitting – I have not yet completed this work. The traveller track had a defective
plunger stop, so I obtained a new one, which needs to
be fitted.

There are some cockpit side covers, with the boat name on (“Flying
Fox”), which could do with a clean, but are in good condition otherwise.

The sails are as they came when I purchased the boat and are still
attached to the boom and contained in the sail cover – I have never unwrapped
them, but they look in good condition.

The forestay for the front sail has roller furling fitted.

I have removed the flaking metal and antifouling from the outer faces of
both keels, and have treat them with two coats of AQUA STEEL, which has worked great –
the inner faces have been cleaned off, but not yet treated. The old antifoul removal needs finishing off.

There is a load of other stuff that came with, or out of the boat, all of which I am including in the sale – but too much to list.

I can’t think of anything else to include at this time – I have been
totally honest and open with my description, and this IS NOT a
“dead-in-the-water” project boat, it can be got back in the water in
a reasonable period of time with no major work to do. The biggest decision you
will have is what engine type to fit – obviously, I had intended to go for new,
but there are plenty of used outboards available.

JOBS I THINK NEED TO BE DONE:-

*  Fit engine – either existing saildrive or new outboard (after making good the saildrive opening)

*  Complete rewire of cabin and mast, and fit lights (some tinned cable included)

*Refit newly varnished woodwork and cupboards, finish varnishing what has not been done

*  Service and refit winches and jammers 

*  Refit stanchions and guardwire

*  Finish scraping off old antifoul (which I have started to do) and re-antifoul (some tins included, not sure how useable they are)

*  Fit new through-hull fittings and seacocks

*  Service and refit existing toilet, or obtain and fit replacement

*  Finish fibreglassing the old navigation instrument holes in the cockpit

*  Fit new carpeted cabin side panels (provided)

*  Fit bilge pump 

*  Fit new vinyl names, clean and polish

*  Fit Traveller stop

Included in the sale are: –

*  New vinyl boat names (“Flying Fox” and “Leisure 23SL”)

*  2 x Anchors with rode and chain

*  Boat Hook

*  NASA Target 2 Wind (the masthead unit requires a new plastic paddle wheel, available on eBay for around the £18 mark

*  CELMAR0 AC Marine VHF aerial (new)

*  Box of removed instruments, hardware, etc.

*  “Flying Fox” side covers

*  Side guard rail wires

*  4 x lifelines

*  Masthead Radar Reflector

*  2 x tubes of Sikaflex 291i (well out-of-date, but might be of some use)

*  Box of boat cleaning and polishing products – old, but probably still useable

*  Compass

*  Traveller plunge-stop

*  Other stuff (which I will sort out and include)

On my return next week, in addition to taking new photos and doing a video, I will also find everything that is from the boat and things that I have in my workshop that could be used whilst working on the boat.

Some items that I removed were ‘past it’ and have been disposed of, but where possible I have retained the original plywood panels to use as templates.

Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask, I have been totally open and honest with all the information regarding this boat – but, please, no stupid
offers because I would rather just tinker around with it and do what I can,
when I can – and sell it later.

The boat is currently stored undercover near Holmfirth, West Yorkshire,
and can be viewed (with me) by arrangement. This undercover storage ‘colud’ be continued, subject to the owner of the building agreeing, and is priced at £15 per week.

Don’t forget, COLLECTION ONLY (I am unable to deliver), and CASH ON
COLLECTION. 

No Warranty or Guarantee is given or implied, and NO RETURNS – so please
make sure that this is the boat for you!

PLEASE NOTE: YOU WILL REQUIRE A LIGHTING BOARD WITH A LONG CABLE, OR A STANDARD LIGHTING BOARD WITH A SUITABLY PLUGGED EXTENSION CABLE!

You will also need to bring your own straps for securing the boat to the trailer – I am afraid that I had to borrow the ones currently on the boat from my farmer son-in-law when I moved the boat, and he wants them back – typical farmer 😉

I HAVE “A LOT” OF PHOTOS OF THE BOAT, TRAILER, PARTS AND ACCESSORIES – FAR MORE THAN eBAY WILL ALLOW ME TO USE – SO I WILL BE PUTTING SOMETHING UP ON YOUTUBE AND WILL ALSO BE DOING A VIDEO TO UPLOAD. ONCE I HAVE THE LINKS, I WILL PUT IT IN THE LISTING.

Current Price: £4495.00

This Sailing Boat Leisure 23sl (partial Refurb) With Twin-wheel Trailer (part Refurb) boat is located in , HD8 *** and is being sold on eBay by .