LeComte Northeast 38 Project

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 11:14 am

On yachtworld.com, 25 k and it's floating.

In CT

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/ ... slim=quick&

Jason K · Post by **Jason K** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 12:13 pm

I wish my project started off like this. I might be done now...

Post by **Tim** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 1:55 pm

Seems like a lot of boat for the price. New engine 2001, new Awlgrip 2004, decent-looking wiring. It looks like she needs mostly interior cosmetic work.

This boat isn't a project...she just needs a little TLC.

Jason K · Post by **Jason K** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:18 pm

This boat isn't a project...she just needs a little TLC.

Hmm... usually when I read that, it does mean PROJECT!

In this case, though, you may be right.

Challenger949L · Post by **Challenger949L** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 7:59 pm

I think it is a little worse than it looks (perhaps the photos are from before some work was done) according to some discussion on the Le Comte owners web site. Here is a link to a description from someone who visited the boat a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.lecomteowners.com/index.php? ... 90&catid=4
Jimmy Small

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:36 pm

More pictures of her here.

Post by **Tim** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 8:17 am

Challenger949L wrote:I think it is a little worse than it looks...

That's probably true! Rarely have I ever seen a boat that looked better in person than in the photos.

These are nice boats, with that gorgeous Tripp hull.

Post by **dasein668** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:26 am

That sure is a sexy hull! Something about the ports doesn't sit quite right with me though... maybe I should buy her and cut the house off, replacing it with a teak one? hehe

Is the large "port" next to the companionway hatch standard on these boats?

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:09 pm

That's my color!!!

I actually left a note on this boat over the summer, asking the owner to give me a call and tell me which paint he used. Never did hear from the guy.

She's a STUNNER in person. I think this may be the rare case of the boat that looks better in person than in sales photos. Can't speak for the interior, though.

Post by **Tim** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:53 pm

Stars & Stripes blue (so named for the color, originally termed "gunsmoke blue", with which the boats of Dennis Connor's winning 1987 America's Cup campaign in Freemantle, Austraila were painted--all of which were named Stars & Stripes) can be a very nice color when used correctly. I like it a lot, at least in concept. It's still a rarity, and I've seen both successful uses, and others that were not so much. It comes down to the details.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 9:04 pm

That's a great bit of boaty trivia, Tim!

For months I was pecking around trying to find the right color. I've seen a bunch of boats that were near the same color, but far enough off each other that I assumed them to be different paints. I'm learning more and more that a given paint color can have a very different look from one boat to the next.

I'm still not entirely certain that this is the perfect color for me, but it's alluring enough that I'm willing to give it a shot and live with the consequences.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 5:48 pm

You can always re-paint next season...

-Britton

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 8:31 pm

Yeah, that's pretty much my thought, Britton. If I hate it I can always go red in a year or two.

Oh, and another reason for the seemingly-low price occurred to me. A 38' boat in that yard costs something like $7,000 a year. That'll motivate ANY seller.

Post by **Tim** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:43 am

Figment wrote:A 38' boat in that yard costs something like $7,000 a year.

Ouch! Thank heaven for home transport.

Costs like that make building boat barns seem almost financially reasonable!

Post by **Tim** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:58 am

Here are a couple of my opinions on making Stars & Stripes blue (I liked it better when it was gunsmoke blue, personally) look good. Or at least what makes it look good in my mind.

1. There needs to be a clear demarcation between the hull and deck. A varnished wood toerail/rubrail would be excellent, or, lacking that, a nice gold leaf cove stripe. Both together would be nice, actually. There needs to be a significant contrast to bring the blue to life.

2. Boottop and bottom color choices are important. There aren't that many options that would truly look good. I'd go with a double white boot top, as a single white would be too plain in this instance. I don't think red would have the proper contrast with this blue, and can't quite envision how something like green would work, either. Maybe silver, but that may not be enough contrast. An off-white like you used on deck might work too, and "warm" things up a little. The problem with off-white boottops is that they mostly just look like they should be white, but have become dirty or stained.

One could get really snazzy and put some red in between the double white, where it would stand out. That might be a little jazzy for a Triton, though.

For bottom paint, I'm afraid that black would be the best choice; I normally don't care much for black bottoms, but don't see another good option here. Dark gray, if you can find it. I sure wish we could still use the bright colors of TBT-based paints! Sadly, the paint worked, so of course it couldn't be used any longer.

3. I think you should definitely try this color. It is still unique, and can be a real standout when used correctly. Hull #124 used to be painted this color, though she's now claret. The photos I saw of the boat when she was freshly painted with the blue looked nice.

Feel free to completely ignore my unsolicited opinions!

MikeD · Post by **MikeD** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 11:46 am

Ariel #50 on the Ariel Forum has this color. It looks really nice on an Alberg hull! It would look especially good with the varnished rub/toe rail as Tim points out... I think a white boot stripe would look better too.

Mine is not quite that color, and, as Tim could attest, a less than perfect paint job, but I really like to overall aesthetics.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:06 pm

Ya gotta wonder about a guy that goes so far as to give the hull such a nice paint job and then DUCT TAPES the for sale sign to the hull.

the white stripe with red bottom is a nice combo.

I KNOW I've seen it with a green bottom as well (don't cringe. it worked.), but I cannot for the life of me remember what they did for the bootstripe in order to pull it off. black, probably.

Post by **Tim** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:34 am

I could see green on the bottom, though I think you'd have to stick with white or silver on the boot regardless. The darker the green, the better, I think, in this case. Greens and blues normally go together well (though something like kelly green here would be atrocious! Eeewwww!)

Or maybe a black boottop would contrast enough...I'd have to see it, though, as I have trouble picturing how it would work. Some combination of white and black, perhaps? (Again, that's getting kind of racy for a Triton, though; multi-colored stripes belong on things like J-Boats, not traditional designs.)

The thing with highly-contrasting boottops is important, I feel, because even if less of a contrast looks pretty good up close, from a distance you tend to lose the effect of the contrast, and it makes the boat look more plain. I like the boottop to have enough of a contrast to be readily apparent from virtually any practicable distance, which is why bright white works so well with all dark hull colors.

It would be fun to have a program where you could plug in these various color combinations and see them on an actual boat. One of the paint manufacturers ought to have something like that. Maybe then we'd see fewer white (or off-white) boats with blue trim and blue bottoms.

Back when I was a launch driver, we had a running joke about people who would come down and, in describing where we were to take them, would say "it's a white sailboat with blue sailcover". Of course, there were (and are) 200 of them out there!

Figment wrote:Ya gotta wonder about a guy that goes so far as to give the hull such a nice paint job and then DUCT TAPES the for sale sign to the hull.

Even worse are the thin paper signs, favored by many brokerage firms, with an adhesive back. These adhere tenaciously and seem to become permanent once they go through a few wet/dry cycles. An awful choice.

Put the signs on the BOTTOM, people, not the topsides!

JonnyBoats · Post by **JonnyBoats** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:04 am

I am planning to go to Conn to take a look at this LeComte 38 and I will also be looking at another LeComte 38 "KI" in Florida next week while I am there on vacation.

Both my fiancee and I like the look of these boats, having see one in Rockland. I currently have a Bristol 32, and we feel we would like a larger boat since we plan on living on the boat and crusing. We are definately open to looking at boats other than LeComtes.

Anyway I am hoping to get a second opinion on LeComtes and any things in particular that I should be aware of or looking for when I see these two boats.

Thanks

JetStream · Post by **JetStream** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 9:51 am

John,
The LeCompte owners have a website and forum at http://www.lecomteowners.com/index.php. There are several 38 owners there that are very knowledgable and I'm sure they could give you some great advice. By the way, my boat is very similar to the LeCompte (same designer, similar construction etc.) you might find some helpful data on my website that hasn't been updated forever. http://www.javelin38.com/ They are really pretty boats. Good Luck

JonnyBoats · Post by **JonnyBoats** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 11:48 pm

The LeCompte owners have a website and forum at http://www.lecomteowners.com/index.php.

Thanks, that is where I found the NE 38 "KI" for sale which I will be looking at in Florida next week.

One of the frustratations with LeCompts is that they are relatively rare as compaired to Pearsons or Bristols and therefore not as much information is available on the internet. Several people have told me that they have a reputation as being well built. That being said, even the finest builders are capible of producing an occasional lemon or a model with "quirks".

Post by **Tim** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 7:55 am

One will never find perfection in any old boat.

Most old boats share many of the same potential areas of concern, and as to the quirks...well, each individual boat, much less boat model, has its own quirks, particularly in boats from the 60s when daily construction practice seemed to vary so much.

Look at each boat on its merits, and go from there. There's no magic way to know what issues any boat will have. If you haven't found a sense from the small owners' group as to certain pecularities, then you're unlikely to find any other source that tells you more. Each boat will be what she will be, and there will almost certainly be unforeseen problems should you buy one. That's the fun--and the pitfall--of old boats.

Good luck!

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:03 pm

JonnyBoats wrote:I am planning to go to Conn to take a look at this LeComte 38 and I will also be looking at another LeComte 38 "KI" in Florida next week while I am there on vacation.

well? don't leave us hanging!!!!

JonnyBoats · Post by **JonnyBoats** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 10:50 am

well? don't leave us hanging!!!!

We ended up looking at three different LeComte NorthEast 38s, "Sea Call" in Rockland, ME, "Feather" in Conn. and "KI" in Florida. In the end we picked "KI" in Fla and are purchasing her. You can see a photos of KI at http://www.lecomteowners.com/index.php? ... 1&catid=56

I took _lots_ of photos of all three boats, and will be happy to share them with anyone who is interested.

Sea Call in Rockland is in great shape and looks beautiful on the interior, it is a lot more money however The details are at http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/ ... lim=quick&

Feather is very intriguing, with a lot going for it. The big issue with Feather is the woodwork on the interior, which has been partially re-done. The standard of the woodwork on a LeComte when it left the builder is truly exceptional, and is hard to live up to. Compared to the other LeComtes, the standard of woodwork done on Feather simply does not measure up. That having been said, it is far better than what one would find in most production fiberglass boats.

I understand that lots of people have looked at Feather, and that it remains on the market. In terms of systems, it is first rate. It has a new Yanmar engine, new wiring, three new gorgeous hatches, a Harken big boat midship traveler, self-tailing winches and more. I would guess that these upgrades alone would cost what they are asking for the boat if not more. She would be perfect for someone who was an excellent carpenter who wanted to restore the boat and replace what has been removed.

Anyway the boat we are buying, KI, is old and tired, and has not had these sort of upgrades. We plan on living aboard her and restoring her to Bristol condition over time.

Unfortunately this means I will have to part with my Bristol 32 which I purchased just last year. It is pretty much as built with hank on sails, a tiller and the original Atomic 4 which runs great. It is currently stored indoors here in Maine. If anyone is interested drop me an email at jtarbox@symdak.com and lets talk.

Quetzalsailor · Post by **Quetzalsailor** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:49 pm

John,

Sounds great! I hear that Feather has been sold as well.

Doug

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 7:29 pm

I happened upon Feather yesterday. She briefly tried bucking the 35kt easterly before ducking into Noank shipyard. Looking fine, and evidently owned by someone who refuses to let her languish the summer away, tugging at the mooring.

(ok, well I'm 90% sure it was Feather. As sure as I can be from 100 yards)

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LeComte Northeast 38 Project

LeComte Northeast 38 Project

Checking out 2 LeComte 38s

Re: Checking out 2 LeComte 38s

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