Ishtarsdog

Every boat and every owner is different. Dogbark was the beneficiary of a ton of low cost support, some sponsorship, and we did a lot of the work ourselves or with the help of some highly skilled mentor-types. But I think the $200k number isn’t a crazy starting place if the hull is sound and if you are not trying to get back into race trim. You could spend less with used sails, a used mast section, and scavenged parts from other boats if you happen to know a bunch of big boat people and if you are handy. But you could spend a fair bit more if you went for a new mast, if you actually want a bit of interior, new electronics and an engine that will push the boat at hull speed. When you are done you have a boat that is one of the fastest, toughest, most comfortable cruising boats on the planet. What is that worth? (Hint: Less than you paid for it, regardless of how much you spent. It’s a boat.)

Wow, what a neat project, thanks for sharing! I own Dogbark/ex-Jarkan Yachts Open 60 that Kanga Birtles raced against Duracell in 1990. I think Mike beat Kanga by 3 days, if Wikepedia is accurate. Dogbark got re-purposed for cruising, and we have taken her to the Arctic and the South Pacific in the last year, covering 19,000 miles safely and comfortably. Even with smaller sails, these old girls cover water quickly and easily. My two daughters (11 and 13 now) can basically sail her themselves, with help from one electric winch. Different boats for different folks, but I know of no better cruising platform for us. This era of Open 60 is a go-anywhere-safely and comfortably boat that could be used for expeditions, sail training, or just a go fast and see the world platform. I hope you find someone who can bring her back to her former glory. Whoever takes on the project will not regret it! As an aside, props, and maybe a starting place, the folks at PT Rigging did all new standing rigging for me, and Ballard Sails did a full set of cruising sails for us plus running rigging. While the $ it takes to fix up an old Open 60 are real, I can't say enough good things about the work that both teams did to get us launched. We saw 50-70 knot blows multiple times, and rig and sails were absolutely bomber and confidence inspiring. So are these boats. Good luck, PM me if I can help in any way!