3 Years After We Featured This Boat…We’re Back Aboard! | Southern Cross 39 | Full Tour

@boatfools #southerncross #sailboatrefit #bluewatersailing #sailing #diyboat 3 Years After We Featured This Boat…We’re Back Aboard! | Southern Cross 39 | Full Tour Three years ago, Canadian Ken and I traveled up the Penobscot River to Winterport, Maine, to check out a very special sailboat: Southern Cross 39 Hull #1. At the time, she was listed for $48,000. Today, she belongs to Save The Day Jay. And Jay didn't pay $48,000. He paid $15,000. There's a lesson in that: Don't ask, don't get. But there's another lesson that's every bit as important when buying an older sailboat: Know what you're buying—and know your own limits. Fortunately, Jay knows his way around boats. BoatFools viewers may recognize him as the guy who helped save our asses this spring when we were scrambling to get our boats ready for the charter season. Around here, he's become known as Save The Day Jay, and now he's taking on a much bigger project of his own. Jay is refitting Southern Cross 39 Hull #1 with plans to head south for the winter, and in this episode we're going back aboard to see what $15,000 bought him, what he's discovered, what he's fixing, and what it's really going to take to bring this classic bluewater cruiser back to life. The Southern Cross 39 was designed by renowned naval architect Thomas Gillmer, who also designed the Allied Seawind—the first fiberglass sailboat to circumnavigate the globe. Hull #1 was built by C.E. Ryder in Rhode Island in 1981 and, importantly, was factory finished; many Southern Cross sailboats were sold as kits for owner completion. Her construction was noteworthy for the era, with a closed-cell Airex-cored fiberglass hull, a technique C.E. Ryder became well known for, along with balsa-cored decks. When we first toured her three years ago, we saw a serious cruising boat with an impressive pedigree that needed work. Today, we're seeing what happens when the right buyer looks beyond the cosmetics, makes an offer—and then has the skills, time and determination to deal with what comes next. Because a $15,000 bluewater sailboat can be an incredible opportunity. It can also become a very expensive lesson if you don't understand what you're getting into. Don't ask, don't get. But know your limits. Come aboard with us as we catch up with Save The Day Jay and revisit Southern Cross 39 Hull #1—three years later. See you next time! LOOKING FOR HELP WITH YOUR PROJECT? CONTACT JAY THROUGH OUR CONCIERGE PAGE: https://boatfools.com/consulting CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 00:47 Meet Save The Day Jay 02:21 The Southern Cross 39 08:20 The Deck and What Buying an Old Boat Entails 13:25 What Does Deck Core Look Like? 15:00 Better Engine Access Than We Originally Thought! 16:21 Below Deck 16:51 Organization is Key 19:21 The Head Now & Then 21:05 Buying Parts The Smart Way 26:15 Final Thoughts Real boats, real people, real fun! Sailboats for the Rest of Us! Join us for full boat tours, expert insights, and sailing adventures—all with a touch of humor.