R22 Discussion Group

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

The Rhodes 22 Discussion Group

Graham Stewart

Rhodes 22 Buyer's checklist?