Surveys and Sea Trials

What happens next?  After the offer has been accepted then your work as a buyer really begins.  Thanks again to Curtis Stokes for providing us with a list of marine surveyors as well as engine surveyors, this was very helpful.  In some cases, the seller may have already had a survey conducted on the vessel as was the case with Mandalay, but it is still wise to have your own survey performed by a different surveyor if possible.

The process of choosing a surveyor starts with what exactly needs to be done.  You need to find a surveyor who can conduct the work needed to give you a complete picture of the condition of the vessel.  In our case, because we were dealing with a steel boat, we were looking for what is known as an audio-gauge test.  What this test does is it determines the thickness of the metal left on the hull.  This specialized test narrows down the field of surveyors dramatically.

Ultrasound thickness measurement.

We had actually contacted a few surveyors to obtain pricing and to inquire if they would indeed be able to fit the survey work into our schedule.  I was very surprised at how many surveyors assumed that we were hiring them without our confirmation or agreement.  This was a bit frustrating when trying to schedule the survey and coordinating the sea trials with our next visit down to the boat.  We also had to schedule an engine surveyor to look over the engines and send off oil samples from both main engines, the transmissions and the generator.  The challenge that the engine survey provided us was the type of engines that Mandalay had, as not everyone will survey a Detroit Diesel 8V71 N, 2 stroke diesel.

Port Engine Outboard View

At the end, we decided to use John Pepe and Robert Bainbridge for the boat and engine surveys, we were very happy with our choices.  Once we were able to set up the surveys, Curtis Stokes arranged for the haul out of Mandalay and arranged the timing for the Sea Trials.  We made arrangements for two good friends of ours to meet us in Maryland to look the boat over and join us on the sea trials.  Karen and I drove down the day before the trials and stayed at a hotel just outside of Baltimore.  The next morning we picked up our friends at the airport and headed out for the sea trials.  We were all excited, along with the excitement I was feeling a little anxious.  This would be when I would get to drive the boat, but most importantly this was the only chance I would get to figure out if this was too much boat for me or not.

Approaching on the big day.

At this point the boat is not ours and although we were responsible for paying for haul out and all the surveys, the owner is responsible for the expenses related to taking the boat out for sea trials.  When we arrived the mechanic was in the engine room and the surveyor was in the lazarette checking on a few things there.  The generator was running along for the load test, the two brokers were aboard and the owner was present.  We spoke with the owner and brokers, then my friend and I went to speak with the engine surveyor about the condition of the engines.  Both the engine surveyor and my friend were very impressed with the condition of the engines and the engine room.  We then were introduced to the surveyor and he sat with me and gave me his first impressions.  We all agreed that it was time to fire up the main engines and start to head out for the trials.



As we backed out of the slip I noticed that the owner moved the vessel at a very slow speed.  He had me sit with him and began to explain that the boat speed should be kept to 1 kn or lower.  He also showed me how she responded to prop walk which is the sideways momentum induced by the rotation of the propeller.  With a dual engine boat you have the advantage of using both props where prop walk is compensated for, or you can use either prop to move the stern of the vessel in which ever direction you want.  Our boat, Tropical Horizons, does not respond terribly well to prop walk since the propellers are housed in tunnels, to have this effect that I can use to help maneuver will be welcome.

Leaving the slip.

My first time at the helm listening to the owner
explain how the stabilizers are working.

Karen's first time at the helm.

Making our way out into the bay.

Underway from the bow with our friend enjoying
the view from the bow seat.

We headed out of the marina and into a channel leading into the Chesapeake Bay where we would then bring the engines up to higher RPM and eventually Wide Open Throttle to see just how the engines respond and to check the cylinder temperatures and oil pressure.  Needless to say everything worked quite well.  We returned back to the slip and the owner brought Mandalay to rest perfectly with little effort.  We then powered down and spent the rest of the afternoon speaking with the surveyors to get their initial impressions, enjoyed some lunch and then asked if we could return the following day with questions that we might have for the owner.

Underway heading back.

Returning to port

The following day, without any brokers present, we met with the owner and his wife.  While myself and my friend met with the owner, Karen and the ladies went below decks to talk about different things.  We discussed many questions about mechanical and electrical systems and then spent some time in the engine room going over the systems, looking at the bilges, lifting hatches, and going over the electrical system.  We then thanked the owner for spending the extra time with us and were on our way.

Over the next few days Karen and I waited to see the survey report and oil analysis.  Once these reports were received, we reviewed them and accepted the findings waiving the final condition on the sales agreement.  We were ready to close on the deal.

Oil Sample Analysis results

Honey...I found a boat!!!

This is how it all started.  As we often do when we are dockside in the early morning enjoying our coffee, Karen and I were browsing the pages of Yachtworld and looking at anything to do with boats.  In some cases we are looking to see what we can do to improve our own boat; in other cases, we are simply dreaming.  Our dreams normally end up looking at larger boats but not just any boat, mostly Burgers, Browards. and many of the Dutch built cruisers.  Karen and I first came upon a Burger some years ago when we happened upon "Silver Cloud" an 80 foot Burger!  This boat was a gem and for the asking price, we should have jumped at the opportunity.  Still at 80 feet, she was just a bit too much for us and soon, "Silver Cloud" found another owner.  We do hope that some day we will cross her wake.

The Burger that started it all!

From that point on, the Burger name was always in our searches.  Now, you can find Burgers out there in various condition and at various price points.  Some owners try to sell their boats for far too much as they try to recover the funds they put into upkeep over the years, and others are simply trying to avoid sinking more funds into their boat.  Some people have failing health and simply can't enjoy their yacht, while others simply acquire yet another project boat to fill their days with.

Back to our search, when we came across "Mandalay" something caught our attention.  We were at a point in our lives where we would either going to settle with "Tropical Horizons" or we were going to do something grand.  So began our adventure.  Some of you not familiar with yacht listings, may not know that sometimes the photos show a yacht in far better shape than she really is.  You get your hopes up, only to have them crushed as you visit the boat.  Karen and I were fully aware of this when we first saw the listing.  The first thing we did was research.  Lots and lots of research, Karen is very good at this and we trolled the internet searching for anything to do with the yacht named "Mandalay"  We did find a few bits of information such as her former name "One Too Many" which personally I liked!  In any case we contacted the listing broker and asked if she was still on the market and for further details as we were interested.  My first impression with the broker was that I was not  being taken seriously....so we contacted Curtis Stokes and asked if he would entertain being our buyers broker.  That was the best decision we made.

Photo from the listing

Curtis was great, he traveled out to see the boat in Maryland, took many stills and a walk through video to give us a good idea of the condition that she was in.  He then sent me the link to his dropbox account and we downloaded everything for review.  Curtis gave us his honest opinion.  To be fair to Curtis, he could have pointed us towards other boats that he was listing.  He had a Burger for sale too!  But that isn't the kind of person he is.  Curtis is straight, honest and most of all, he works for you.  So he gave us his assessment of her condition and told us that he was surprised that she was in such great condition.  Now you have to take into account the asking price and the vintage of the vessel.  Se will need some work and some upkeep as do all boats in this age class.  Well that goes for just about any boat really.  I spend plenty of time working on "Tropical Horizons" to keep her running smoothly.

Now we had a decision to make, it was time to book our flights and head down to Annapolis, MD for a weekend visit to see if "Mandalay" was a fit for us.  So we packed an overnight bag, drove down to Rochester NY, hopped on a flight to Baltimore MD, rented a car and checked into a hotel in Annapolis MD.  Well didn't it turn out to be a football weekend Navy vs. Memphis and add to that the Kunta Kinte festival and the entire town was buzzing.  Well we made it down and had a serious look at "Mandalay".  As we walked up to her it soon began to sink in that this was a bigger boat than we were used to.

Mandalay in her slip 

Although it was intimidating at first, once in the pilot house I did start to get a good feel for the view from the helm.  Don't get me wrong I have lots to learn about this boat, but more importantly I'm up to the challenge.  Once on her decks, she felt nice.  Wide side decks made it easy to go from the pilot house to the bow and the handrails were at a great height so that Karen felt completely comfortable.  Flush decks mean that the only stairs to be negotiated are indoors, which is nice again, the pilot house, aft deck, side decks, and bow are all at the same level.  So far so good.

Port side deck looking forward from wing door

Starbord Side deck looking aft from bow seat.

What else sealed the deal for us?  Well to start with, she was in fairly good shape.  Which is nice because although she would still need work, we could live with her as she was so that means we can tackle projects one at a time and keep them manageable.

As we had a look at the pilot house, I felt right at ease.  Yes there is lots to learn but this isn't any different than when I first took the helm of Tropical Horizons.  In many ways this helm was far more friendly, uncluttered with lots of space to open up a chart, set out a coffee, all while providing an unobstructed view to the bow.  What else?  Well she was set up so you stand at the helm, which, believe it or not I prefer.  There is a bench but you won't really steer from there, that is more in place while the autopilot does the work for you.

View forward from the pilothouse.

Helm Seat

As you make your way forward in the pilothouse, you find a companion way that leads you down to the Salon deck.  Now this is where Karen was so happy, "Normal Stairs!" You see the Sea Ray, because of the need to make the most of the space provided tended to have very short and steep steps no matter where you were going.  This was difficult for Karen with her injured knee, so to have reasonable sized steps is a welcome change.

Stairs from pilothouse down into salon.

The salon is quite spacious and there are are few things that will need to be looked after, such as new furniture, relocating the TV, cleaning up wiring, and adding our own personal touches, which may just end up including some painting along the way.  What is nice though is the amount of space that this area provides on a rainy day or night and just a great place to gather with guests.  From the Salon deck, there are stairs leading forward to the galley and crew quarters and on the opposite end, stairs leading aft to the accommodations deck.  This is a nice layout and I'll explain why later.  The galley also hides the access to the engine room and mechanical spaces again this is a good thing.

Salon looking aft.

Salon looking forward.

In the galley there is a nice small dinette that can seat 4 with two 1950's era style stools and a banquette.  The cooker is original and fits the space well.  There is a household refrigerator that I will likely replace sooner than later, and the counter space works.  There is a dishwasher which we both thought might be a waste, but having said that, we will keep it in place for our future plans.  All in  all the galley works, I'll have to see how it really stacks up when I get settled in and start cooking.

Galley looking aft, stairs heading up to salon.

Galley looking forward leading into crew cabin.

Engine room access under galley stairs.

Forward of the galley you will find a full crew quarters, complete with a heads and shower, two bunks, access to the anchor locker, lots of storage and the windlass motor mounted to the deck head along with an escape hatch.  About that windlass motor, having it outside of the anchor locker is great, simply because it is easy to service, and this also cuts down on exposure to moisture thus reducing the risk of corrosion.

Crew Quarters with chain locker access forward

Aft of the Salon deck is the accommodations deck where you will find 2 guest cabins a shared guest/day head and the master cabin with a private head.  Both the master and guest/day head are relatively identical, comprising of a toilet, shower and sink.  Nothing as luxurious as you will find on many mid-sized yachts today, really how much time do you spend in the head???  I would rather spend my time above either on the aft deck or the fore deck or even the sun deck.

Master Heads

Guest Heads

The cabins or "staterooms" as some may call them are functional with a decent amount of storage.  In the guest cabins you will find crisscrossed over-under single berths with a hanging locker to one side and a bank of drawers to the opposite side as well as an under berth drawer under the lower bunk.  Each cabin has it's own air conditioning unit, reading lamps and an opening porthole for light and ventilation.

Guest Cabin Port.

The master cabin is a bit different than most would see today.  Back in the 50's when Tropical Horizons' keel was laid down, it wasn't uncommon for couples to sleep in separate beds and this is no exception.  You enter the cabin amidships and immediately to port is the entrance to the master head.  Aft of the head are two hanging lockers that are quite deep with sliding rods to allow access to your complete wardrobe.  There are two twin berths to each side with drawers under for storage and shelves and storage cutouts outboard.  The berths are separated by a dresser with banks of drawers down each side and an escape hatch cleverly concealed behind a mirror that allows for egress in the event of an emergency.  You will find that most Burgers of this vintage have been modified to have a single king or queen berth along the center line with storage to each side.  I like the separate berths since both Karen and I can have a mattress that meets our own physical needs.

Master cabin looking aft.

Finally there is the engine room.  This is one area where I did have to compromise as I did want a stand up engine room but I am still happy with a crouch down and sit down engine room.  Everything is quite accessible and for the most part it is all well organized.  There will always being something to work on, but at least on this boat, the lighting is good and the there is plenty of space to get on all sides of those big DD6-71Ns.

DD6-71N Engines 

So what other features did "Mandalay" have that tilted the scales in her favor, to start with, thrusters!  Yes she had already been retrofitted with bow and stern thrusters which is a huge bonus when cruising shorthanded as we often do.  She was also stabilized with Naiad Stabilizers which again was something of a bonus especially when heading out into open ocean and the rough waters of the great lakes.  Crew comfort is very important.  She is also equipped with a water maker, which we need to invest in to get working again, but that's fine, all the major bits are in place, we just need to plumb it back in and reconnect the pump.  The autopilot is also another bonus as Tropical Horizons does not have one and hand steering for hours on end can make for some long tiresome days.  The electronics on board were all quite good and the older CRT radar works just fine.  So all in all she is almost in turn key condition.

As we finished our first inspection of "Mandalay" Karen and I felt good about what we saw and were ready to make an offer.  We had a quick conference with Curtis and told him of the number we were thinking of and he put the offer together.  As it turned out, the current owner as a little reluctant to accept the offer, but at the end of the day it was early fall and the winter was on the horizon.  He did have another party interested but they turned away from this Burger in favor of another (in my mind, their loss).  After about a week or two of waiting, I can't recall exactly, our offer was accepted and we were now in phase two of the purchase, planning for the surveys and sea trials.

A 1958 Burger ... Are we insane??

Yes you did indeed read correctly, we ended up purchasing a vintage 1958 Flush Deck 60ft Motor Yacht made by the Burger Boat Company out of Manitowoc Wisconsin. This post will cover some of the history of this well established shipbuilder.  Most of the information can be found on various historical sites, the Burger Boat Company site as well as various personal web pages for other Burger yachts.

Burger is one of the oldest boat builders in the United States.  It goes back to 1863 where a German immigrant relocated his family to settle in the USA settling in Milwaukee Wisconsin.  Their young son, Henry, soon grew up and at the age of 18 he learned the craft of shipbuilding as an apprentice at the Wolf & Davidson Shipyard.

During the American Civil war, Henry moved North to Manitowoc, where he married and opened the H. Burger Shipyard where he applied his skill building Mackinaw Fishing Boats for local fishermen.

Photo courtesy of  www.handsondeckgb.org

Much like any other expert craftsman, Henry's reputation for building very good quality vessels soon became known throughout the industry.  The H Burger Shipyard built larger schooners including Fleet Wing and S.A. Wood.  Henry Burger then merged with the Green-Rand shipyard to form the Green-Rand & Burger Shipyard.  Together, they built many more schooners until the death of his partner Mr. Green-Rand.

Burger then partnered with his nephew, George B. Burger and together they formed the Burger & Burger shipyard where they purchased the only dry dock in Manitowoc and focused their business on ship repair as the decline of wooden sailing ships began.  Together they continued to build new vessels as well as repair and refit existing vessels.  In 1889 they launched the CORA A., the last of the full rigged schooners to be built on the great lakes.

photo courtesy of www.nemoha.org

The diversification between new builds and repair and refit work proved to be quite prosperous during a time when most shipyards suffered.  Burger & Burger had the only dry dock from Detroit to Lake Superior and this proved to be a massive asset.  After many years of success and having been a major influence in the great lakes shipbuilding industry, Henry B. Burger Sr. and George B. Burger sold their company to the Manitowoc Dry Dock Compamy and Henry B. Burger Sr. retired.  Meanwhile 10 years earlier, Henry B Burger Sr. saw his nephew Henry B Burger Jr. start his own shipbuilding company across the river where the Burger Boat Company stands today.

Henry Jr. was a true visionary and saw the potential of the crude oil engine in the marine industry and started building motor yachts using the Khalenberg Brother's engine.  The first motor yacht to be built was the Vernon Jr., an 85 foot cruiser built for Vernon Siever of Chicago in 1901.  This set the company up for building motor yachts over the next ten years.

photo courtesy of vintagemachinery.org, Joel Havens

Henry B Burger Jr. passed in 1914 leaving behind his wife and four children who continued the Burger legacy and incorporated the Burger Boat Company in 1915 which continues to operate to present day.  During the first world war, Burger was commissioned by the US Navy to build wooden minesweepers, sub-chasers, tugboats and rescue boats.

USS Lapwing example of WW 1 minesweeper
photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

 Following World War I, Burger started to use the innovations in electric arc welding techniques in their boat building endeavors.  Burger built the first all welded steel auxiliary ketch in the country, the 81 foot Tamaris.

photo courtesy of astro.temple.edu/~bstavis/pr/tamaris.htm

Then, the depression set in and while many yacht builders seemed to succumb to the economic pressures of the time, the Burger Boat Company turned back to their roots and like Henry B Burger Sr., started once again to build fishing boats.  These boats were more utilitarian in nature than the luxury yachts that Burger had been building before the great war.  To this day you can see some of the commercial vessels on the great lakes.

photo courtesy of www.agatelady.com

In 1940, Burger then launched the first Flush Deck Cruiser, the 65 foot Pilgrim which is still in operation today.  Pilgrim has been beautifully restored and at present, can be seen plying the waters of the great lakes.

Pilgrim, 1940 65 foot Flush Deck Motor Yacht
photo courtesy of Burger Boat Company
Does this look familiar?

Then, with World War II, the Burger Boat Company began to focus on Navy commissions building 55 vessels that ranged from crash boats to sub-chasers.  Following World War II, the Burger Boat Company focused its efforts on building luxury motor yachts, using their steel boat building skills acquired over years of experience.  It was in 1952 that the Reynolds family approached the Burger Boat Company to work with a new experimental material, aluminium.

With the advances of MIG and TIG (metal inert gas and tungsten inert gas) welding techniques, the collaboration produced the first aluminium cruiser, the 36 foot Virginia.  The company underwent many changes and restructured; still, the focus was on building luxury motor yachts, both custom and semi custom designs mainly made of aluminium.   The Burger Boat Company closed its doors for a short time on November 30, 1990 under the direction of the Tacoma Shipyard, but was re-opened in February of 1993 when businessmen David Ross and Jim Ruffolo purchased the assets and continued the yacht building tradition of the Burger Boat Company that dated back to 1863.

Today the Burger Boat Company is still known for quality boat building right here in the United States of America.  The Burger Boat Company not only builds high quality luxury yachts, but they still are true to their roots and take on various commercial projects from time to time.  One thing remains at the core of any Burger Boat, quality and craftsmanship.

Scan of original line drawing for the Burger 60 Flush Deck Motor Yacht
Courtesy of Burger Boat Company. 

For more information on the Burger Boat Company, visit them at Burgerboat.com