Advice on buying an older Ocean

That looks great! Did you paint house and decks also? Awlgrip?

Looks nice.

The boat looks great.

I would get on that fuel leak very quick, because if it's the tank, you may end up with 400 gallons in the bilge overnight one day.

Change the tanks and both of them. Ocean and other builders who put saddle tanks on the side like that suffer from corrossion from the salt coming in the E.R. vents and they're at that age where they need changing. It just is what it is.

What material was used to build the tanks?

Aluminum, usually always the starboard tank goes first on the Oceans, followed by the port a year later. I think the way air flows into the E.R. has to do with that.

I just had to replace my center tank in my 63'. Not a fun job. While in the boat yard we discussed how to do the saddles... they suggested just cut the side of the boat open, remove the tank, replace with new one, and close it up.

They seemed to think that was a way simpler way to replace them than to remove your engines, hatches, etc to get them out.

you may want to inquire about that... we did not go much further in detail.

The 15kw generator is not going to be big enough for that boat especially with an enclosed bridge and air conditioning up there. Without a closed bridge that boat or the 63' needs a 20kw, if you're running all of the a/cs etc (no a/c on bridge at all). I would guestimate that you really need a 25kw. On the 63' I managed for many years. We had a 20kw on stbd side and put a 8kw on the port side for light electrical loads when we didn't need to run the 20.....the owner chose it and a 12kw probably would've been a better fit where you could run most of the a/c's and not much else.

I would agree. On our 63' I have a 12kw and 20kw. We tend to load up the 20kw often. I don't have enclosed bridge, but I would think that additional AC unit or two would definitely be too much for the 20kw. When we are running all the various systems like AC (4), water maker or ice chipper, stove, etc... often something like a coffee maker, toaster or hairdryer will trip the breaker.

I'd like to hear more about the fuel tank issue and how they ended up getting replaced if this thread hasn't gotten too old. I am looking at Oceans from the mid-80's and Capt J's comment about them (fuel tanks) being "at that age where they need changing" has piqued my interest.

SMR-PILOT, I really would like for you to keep us up to date on your boat...while I agree with the dark blue color choice, you're going to need another gen set of equal size. I've always wanted a dark blue hull, but have been told by many people smarter than me, that it's going to tax your A/C system, and could make the hull sweat, especially in tropical waters like Colombia. I'm not a big Ocean fan...never have been, never will be. I do however wish you the very best of luck with her. But then again my opinion doesn't mean anything. (Sorry guy's I tried to keep my mouth shut, It's mixed emotions, kind of like watching your Mother in Law drive over a cliff in your new Bentley.)

I manage a yacht with a dark blue hull and the hull is a lot taller than a typical SF. It does not sweat whatsoever and have never even heard of that term used for a hull. The hull is mostly shaded and about half is actual living space, so I doubt it does much in the way of a/c issues.....the deck, superstructure and windows are where the majority of energy (heat/cold) loss occurs on any yacht.

Honestly, you're going to need another 25KW generator......and if you have room for it, I'd have 2-25kws.....so you can rotate them every 36 hours......and never be inconvenienced if one goes down....and one will sooner or later......Plus spare parts are interchangeable.

Capt J, I'm usually on the same page as you are, but if the exterior of the hull is 110 degrees, and the interior is 75 degrees, condensation is going to form some where...and it ain't gonna be on the outside of the hull. What's your guess?

A hull is very insulating and thick......I have never seen a hull be anything but dry on the inside. The air conditioning ductwork in your attic don't drip on the inside of your ceiling in your house do they? Even more of a temperature differential.