1965 Owens Tahitian

[Trent Duvall]

hello all, new to the wood boat forum, I currently am looking into purchasing a 65 Owens, Tahitian 40,
would like some feedback on this boat, good, bad ugly, whatever you have,
thanks, its been out of the water for about 3 years, and I do know a little about repairs, /wood etc, Im not afraid to own a wood boat, and figure it will outlive me, so what the hell, is there anything that I should look for , that would make it NOT seaworthy, thanks in advance
Trent

[Candyfloss]

Same thing we always say....Get a survey.

[brad9798]

Where is it?

Covered?

Winterized?

I am VERY familiar with these boats ... there are some around me, and a family friend had one for years that was destroyed in the 1993 Great Flood.

Can be beautiful boats ... but can be the biggest nightmare you have ever experienced too ... depends.

[Trent Duvall]

well, I dont think it was covered , but cannot be sure, Im only going on pictures and the broker description at the moment. as far as the survey is concerned a good friend is a wooden boat specialist and will come with me to give it a look over, but for the price that their asking, I m not expecting a show piece. But what Im looking for is a sound hull , which will make it sea worthy for many years without major repairs,.the photos look beautiful, but surely do not reveal stuctrual issues. I was just asking here if there a nightmare boat, or one that was built well, lets say like a Grand Banks, wood. I love antiques and have been working with my hands my entire life, my current boat is a 71 Trojan, which I love , but its tupperware,,,lol. anyway, the broker told me that he knows for sure from other prespective buyers that at least 5-7 planks above the water line are in need of some type of attention, now, I dont know what that means, but lets assume it means replacement, I dont know if the engines were preserved, however I am an auotmotive techinican, and am not to concerned about power . it just looks beautiful. what I always ask myself, is ,,,, will it survive my life? Im 50. I have not owned a wooden boat, but, with that said, Im not stupid, I know what everyone says, and they all say to run away,,, far away,, but they still are out there and Im not afraid to have a work in progress and to work on it alot, what I dont want is it to sink and take on water , or fall apart while Im underway, that would bother me a little. so I think thats a realistic request with having a wood.

[brad9798]

They are not built like a Grand Banks ... they are built rather lightly ... for lake/river/coastal use, really.

The reason they can be a pain, ONE reason, is the diagonal planking under the outside layer ... this can cause some real headaches and large amounts of work to 'fix' a small spot of rot.

Don't get me wrong, they have nice lines, IMO, and I love them.

Trouble spots are bulkhead leaks, window seals, deck softspots/leaks ...

These boats, needing a bit of TLC, can be had in the $10-18k range rather easily.

If you can do some work yourself, you can probably have a nice, useable work-in-progress.

I've often wanted an Aruba, the Tahitian's bigger sister by two feet ... Why? Well, they have a third stateroom layout option ... but man, there are not many out there at any price!

The smaller, 37' Grenada, is also a great layout ... really just a smaller saloon!

They all have generous layouts for their sizes ...

Good luck!

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

The Owens line were not bad boats, but not the best boats in terms of build. The tahitian suffers some of the same problems as any aft cabin boat, they rot at the back, usually seriously, and have to have a complete rear interior gut, then an aft cabin top, transom and hull work. Big boat... will require significant time, and money. If you want a Tahitian, a good one is probably cheaper to buy than getting this one and fixing it... but a survey will show.

[Bob Adams]

I worked on quite a few of them, having my shop in what was the Owens finishing shop. The aft cabin Owens had one major achilles heal, the drain for the well of the entrance into the starboard side of the salons was a simple tube through the hull, rainwater would seep into the diagonal inner planking, then follow it down and rot out the chine clamp 10 foot forward of the well. Proper repair requires removal of a large amount of planking....not hard work, but it can be intimidating. BTW, the reason for the double planking, according to an old Owens employee who used to hang around the shop, was to speed take up after winter storage by the use of thinner planking. They do indeed swell up very fast!

[Lew Barrett]

Owens, like most American factory built boats, are a mix of mostly good value that you need to balance against the specific condition of the boat you are looking at.

My impression is that they are not quite as well regarded as Chris Craft today, although outwardly they bear a lot of similarities. AMerican factory boats give you a lot of what people regard as generally good practice: bronze and copper fastening, good layout and space utilization, and a lot of bang for the buck against the usual downsides of relative large scale factory production and compromises in ride and form that usually favored speed over a soft, sea-kindly ride. That would be (and this holds true for a lot of Chris models as well); lighter, rationalized construction, generic styling and, as in the case of double planked bottoms, good initial wear balanced against considerably more complex repair requirements (if needed) later.

I think the issue for Owens is that they are seen as generally somewhat less desirable than other boats of similar build so that once restored they don't usually command a premium. I have a real fondness for Matthews, Stephens, and a few other smaller but I think more interesting manufacturers and in general, the market rewards restorations of those marques a bit better than it does Owens and certain Chris models. Although, it's hard to say anything "general" about Chris Craft as there are so many survivors and many admirers of the marque so that the market for them is quite mature and specific. On the other hand, once in good operating condition, a Chris or Ownes can be a very satisfying boat to use. So the question pops up yet again: is this the boat you want to own for many years? The effort to rebuild and restore it will be no less than the effort that will go into most boats of similar age and size, so picking your target carefully
is exceptionally important. Tahitians do not bring a premium on the market, so you have to like because as we say so often, there are lots of well priced, relatively good value boats out there that need work to bring them back.

My usual thought is that you should buy the very best boat you can support because that will save money in the long run. If this is that boat, have at it. If not, look elsewhere. Taste and preference play a big part in this, as in the end you have to suit yourself. But just off the cuff I'd say that Tahitians are not commanding a premium in today's market.