FS:Commander in California

[commanderpete]

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/3074

Year Length Beam Draft Location Price
1964 25.6' 8' 3.7' California $4,000


Description: Wonderful, solid daysailer/pocket cruiser. Sails like a dream! Nine-foot cockpit features refinished mahogany coaming (with Sunbrella covers) and hatchboards. Comfortable v-berth and fully plumbed marine head make the Allegro terrific for overnight trips. Partially restored, completely dry boat, very solid, very fun to sail.

Equipment: Four-horse, four stroke outboard with ten hours on it, digital depth sounder/fish finder, complete professional rewiring, working sink, water tank, marine head, good main, 3 headsails, new winches, deck cleats, compass, recent through-hulls.

Location: Ventura California
L3074 805 320-2578 Email Owner

[commanderpete]

Article by Allegro's owner

http://www.sailjazz.com/editorial/feature/63

Anybody who has ever tried to sell a boat can relate to this

"I believe that a classic boat finds her owner..."
__________________________________________________ _______________
How Not to Sell a Boat
by Turquoise Taylor Grant


I used to think I knew a thing or two about selling boats. In the last three years, I've been involved in the sale of four boats, and the purchase of four as well. That number would seem to leave me with zero boats, a misperception I can clear up by mentioning the boat my boyfriend owned when we met, and the subsequent boat he bought one day while I was at work. Thus, our entire boat inventory currently stands at two, which is still one more than we really ought to own. Until a month or so ago, had I been asked, I would have said that selling a boat is simple. We had no trouble selling even the lonely little MacGregor Venture to an enthusiastic new owner. It seems, however, that my lucky boat-selling star has gone to shine on someone else, if my efforts to sell the Allegro, our 1964 Pearson Commander, are any indication.

I've grown to love the Allegro, something I wouldn't have thought possible a couple of years ago, when I came home from work one evening to find that Patrick had purchased her at a lien sale. "Someone had to love her!" he claimed, putting a hand to his heart as I stood on the dock and fumed, eyeing the grubby deck and flaking varnish. I was in no mood to be appeased--we owned two other boats at the time--but Patrick worked hard to win me over. He stressed good points like the low purchase price and the elegant lines of her nine-foot cockpit, and downplayed less glamorous factors like dirt and mildew. "You won't have to do anything!" he promised, "We'll just clean her up and sell her!" After a while, my blood pressure returned to normal and I started to see the old girl for the neglected beauty that she is.


To make room for our new project, we sold one of our other boats and set to work scrubbing away mold and installing a new turnbuckle or two. Although I noticed that the prospect of not having to do anything had somehow faded into the past, I enjoyed seeing the improvements that even just a little elbow grease provided. Every day, we discovered something: a brand-new compass stashed in a lazarette, a digital depth sounder, a jar of peanut butter. Somebody had loved this boat and spent many, many hours bringing her to life. All the deck hardware had been replaced, and she'd been painstakingly rewired. Patrick and I would look at each other and wonder why she'd ever ended up abandoned at a lien sale.

It didn't take long for the Allegro to become a dock favorite, perfect for parties or overnight trips up the coast. Her slip was right nearby, so it was simple to turn loose and skip across the harbor for dinner, or take a friend's kids out for impromptu sailing lessons. We told ourselves we had to sell her to save the slip fee, but we never made much of an effort. Occasionally, someone would ask about her, but the inquiries didn't amount to much, and Patrick set to work refinishing the mahogany cockpit coaming and I fashioned Sunbrella covers to protect the beautiful wood. In addition to her role as a daysailer, she functioned as our ersatz guest room and, in a few notable cases, the proverbial doghouse.

Only a month or so we realized we had to get serious about selling the Allegro. We'd sold our liveaboard Ranger 33 for a bigger model, and a glance at the bottom line told us we could no longer afford the luxury of two slip fees. Having had good fortune selling the last three boats, and taking into consideration the modest asking price, we decided to forego a broker. I wrote a couple of ads to insert in online listing services, tossed in a couple of pictures, and sat back to wait for a response. I didn't have to wait long. Almost immediately, my in-box was swamped with dozens of inquiries from people writing from overseas, desperate for a chance to buy the boat. Oddly, each inquiry was nearly identical. "I saw your advert," they'd start out, "I really am in need of your 1964 PEARSON COMMANDER SAILBOAT." It was easy to recognize the messages as a scam I'd heard of, whereby a "buyer" sends an unsuspecting seller a check for an amount in excess of the asking price, then asks for the overage in cash. Naturally, the check bounces and the "buyer" disappears with the money. I didn't fall for the scam, but I'll admit to briefly amusing myself by writing back to one or two to explain that the boat was no longer for sale, as it had dissolved, or that I'd replaced the mast with a stack of Dalmatians. (Each time I did, I received a response asserting that yes, the buyer was still interested.)

The legitimate responses seemed easier to determine, but in the end, even the most promising lead proved fruitless. Interested buyers would call, ask detailed questions, even go so far as to set up an appointment to see the boat, then fail to appear. One promised to be there within the hour, and never materialized or answered our calls. I was worried he'd met with an accident, but then it happened again, and I began to realize that advertising online can foster development of a dance I call, with diminishing good humor, the Curiosity Tango. This dance requires two partners: one who wishes to sell a boat (Partner A, let's say) and one with apparent great interest but concealed disinclination to actually own a boat (Partner B). The partners face each other at a distance and begin a polite exchange of e-mails. Next comes a series of back-and-forth steps, as Partner B poses increasingly detailed questions and Partner A patiently answers each. A rhythm is established, and the pace escalates as, in a test of Partner A's stamina, Partner B increases the demands for information and photographs of hard-to-reach areas of the boat. Following a prolonged period of circling and hedging about appointments to see the boat, Partner B vanishes completely, leaving Partner A alone and twirling in place, wondering what happened.

Each time a potential buyer evaporates, Patrick and I shrug and go back to working on the boat. We talk about alternatives: hauling her out and keeping her on a trailer; moving her to a nearby lake, where fees are less. We've even tossed around the name eBay, but haven't had the heart to list her yet.

I believe that a classic boat finds her owner, and this one has found us and latched on like the last kitten in the crate at the pound. We saved her and now we're responsible for her. At some point, the right person will come along and appreciate the old girl for her solid simplicity and grace. Until then, we've got the sail covers off, and she's ready to go.

[c_amos]

I wish you well in finding the right home for Allegro.

I did enjoy reading your account of being her steward, am especally interested in;


I didn't fall for the scam, but I'll admit to briefly amusing myself by writing back to one or two to explain that the boat was no longer for sale, as it had dissolved, or that I'd replaced the mast with a stack of Dalmatians. (Each time I did, I received a response asserting that yes, the buyer was still interested.)Having rarely known a Dalmatian to sit still for long, I should greatly like to know how well she heels with such a rig. :D

[ebb]

Best luck on to Alegro calling her new owner in!

If you haven't done it: Latitude 38 probably has the best exposure of any venue. I'd get an ad with a picture in the for sale section in the back of the magazine. Your price is right. The boat is beautiful.

If you had a way of e-mailing photos and your great words to potential buyers, won't that help too?

Allegro HAS to find her new friend.

Isn't Ventura where 'The Way' and Geoff's boats began their deep water adventures?

[eric (deceased)]

The ariel Starcrest left from Ventura.Way back in 1985.I have fond memories of the place but I had a lot of trouble there.Something like they wanted to see my boat,they wanted to see my money,but they didnt want to see me. :confused:Infact if thats a time share resort in the background then I was at that same marina (Ventura west marina Phase One)and the same D dock.

[turquoise]

Many thanks to all of you for your good thoughts and advice. I'm happy to say that Allegro has found a new home in Santa Barbara. She sailed out of Ventura a few weeks ago, and although I won't miss the extra slip fee, I do walk by every day and look over to check on her before I remember she's gone.

So, I'm happy to say that she's been sold, but I miss that little boat already.

Turquoise

[eric (deceased)]

you had to kiss some serious booty to get a slip there.I had many friends who anchored out off the pier.I graduated the radiograghy pragram at the city college there in 1988.great view of the islands from the cafeteria

[commanderpete]

Sad to report that Allegro was washed ashore and lost


http://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/020110_boat_owners_left_reeling_in_wake_of_storms/

Boat Owners Still Reeling in Wake of Storms
A dozen vessels washed ashore in Santa Barbara County, leaving owners to clean up the mess


January’s storms washed 12 boats ashore in Santa Barbara County, 11 of them on East Beach and below Santa Barbara Cemetery.

The winter anchorage off the coast of Santa Barbara has been notorious for its southeasterly winds for more than 100 years.

More mariners than usual found that out a few weeks ago, when January storms washed 12 boats ashore in Santa Barbara County, 11 of them on East Beach and below Santa Barbara Cemetery.


Ten of them were among the 90 boats anchored in the winter anchoring zone — the free, mostly unregulated area for anyone with an anchor.

The U.S. Constitution allows free anchorage in navigable waters, Harbormaster Mick Kronman said. Santa Barbara has zoned anchoring, with three distinct areas east of Stearns Wharf.

Heading east from the wharf is a seasonal anchoring area, permitted mooring area and year-round anchorage. The mooring area is permitted and regulated, unlike the free-for-all anchoring areas. There are 46 spots given out by general lottery, at a cost of $250 per year.

Requirements for keeping the coveted spots include yearly inspection and specifications for anchor, chain and pendant weight and size. Pendants are the lines between the mooring ball or buoy and the boat. Owners are also required to regularly check their lines for chafing or wear.

Mooring spots are more permanent, while anchors are mobile and able to be stowed.

Only one of the 11 boats that washed up was from the mooring area, because of a chafed line between the buoy and boat, Kronman said.

On either side of the orderly mooring area are the anchoring areas.



From April to October, prevailing breezes come in from the west, so mariners can anchor closer to the wharf, Kronman said.

Anchoring is allowed year-round east of the permitted mooring area — down by the Santa Barbara Zoo — but everyone has to tie up there come Nov. 1.

Not surprisingly, southeasterly winter winds cause loose boats to wash up on East Beach. If boats could anchor in the seasonal area year-round, as they could decades ago, they would most likely hit the pier and clog up Mission Creek, Kronman said.

One boat anchored north of Santa Barbara hit the Goleta pier and sank — and it was all caught on video. County waters don’t have an ordinance concerning anchoring zones, but the city is working with them, Kronman said.

Boats washing ashore is not a problem limited to storms, he said.

“Calm weather sets them up for failure,” Kronman said.

With a boat bobbing up and down, the slack line can get wrapped under the boat and accumulate marine growth, and can be weaker when winds pull it taut during storms, he said.

Prudent mariners take care of their vessels and keep an eye on the weather, but mooring doesn’t make you safe from Mother Nature, Kronman said.

During the week of Jan. 18, boats that washed up had dragged their anchors, broken their chains and snapped their lines. It’s not uncommon for boats to take out other boats as well, and Kronman advises all anchorage mariners to be aware of who is tied upwind.

As of now, all of the beaches are free of boats and debris, though some — including a concrete one — were difficult to remove.

All owners are responsible for removing the boats and cleaning the area, or the city will step in and pursue payment — through small claims court if necessary.

“A lot of people just walk away from the whole thing,” Kronman said.

The harbor’s slips are costly and in high demand, and there are boats of all kinds — from small sailboats to yachts — taking their chances at the more available, affordable areas.

While some use it as a free storage spot for their boats, others use it as free housing.

During stormy winter weather, however, all boaters are advised to take refuge in the harbor. The winter has just begun, and today’s forecasting and weather equipment makes it easier to know when a storm’s coming.



Richard Henry Dana Jr. wrote about his time in the Santa Barbara area anchorage in his 1840 memoir Two Years Before the Mast, saying he anchored three miles offshore and heavily prepared for the winter winds.

“I will always find a place for them in the harbor,” Kronman said.

The Santa Barbara Harbor is a legal port of safe refuge, so space will be found even if all the slips are full. People should never be wary of coming into the harbor during stormy weather, whether they’re moored or anchored, Kronman said.

“It’s not worth risking losing your boat or your life,” he said.

One Mariner’s Story

Mike Jablonski knows all of this firsthand.

His fiberglass Pearson Commander was “built like a tank.” He bought it about two months ago, and the 26-footer had a 45-pound and two 10-pound anchors.

It survived the first three days of the storm, but about 12 hours before the storm broke, so did his anchor line.

“What hurts the most is that I almost survived the storm,” he said in an e-mail to Noozhawk. “It would have felt good to make it through the storm when all those other veteran boaters washed up onshore. I would have felt like I earned my anchorage badge.”

He advertised on Craigslist for people to help him unbeach the boat, and he said he was extremely grateful at the offers for help.

However, the boat landed with the cabin toward the ocean, so it filled with water and sand.

“I saw it wasn’t possible to save the boat,” he said, “so now I’m tearing it up piece by piece and taking the pieces to the dump,” he said.

http://www.noozhawk.com/ssp_director/albums/album-138/lg/020110-Jablonski-540.JPG

[ebb]

Here we have a Commander new to its owner who probably had the 45LB whatever anchor out, that was holding, until chafe got the rode. Might ask yourself what age the rode is in your boat and what diameter?

Haven't a clue about the beach access or the funds available to do anything else but cut the boat up.

Could a diesel pressure washer have helped to blast out the sand inside the boat?
Could a tug have then been hired to pull the Commander off the beach?
It has been done. The Commander looks like it's fair close to the tideline.

OR the ballast could have been cut out of the keel,
which would have lightened the boat by half.
And one assumes that with a hired backhoe the boat could have been loaded onto a flatbbed.
It would be expensive but doable, I'm guessing.

How is the owner going to handle the remains, including the ballast I assume, that is embedded in the beach?

A sorry end to a fine boat.

[carl291]

I sent this owner a full size drawing of an Ariel rudder so he could replace his missing rudder (as seen in the picture) about 2 months ago, Evidently he won't be needing a new rudder now.:(
Nice sandy beach, yes I think the boat could have been cleaned out and slid back to deep water, all for a hefty price I would imagine.
Sad that the boat was junked, Much more sad is he knew about this website and didn't contact anyone interested in salvage.:cool:

[Ariel 109]

It must have cost nearly the tug haul price to rent the garbage dumpster and dispose all the cut-up parts.