Sailplane Refinishing Advice - 1973 Berkshire Concept 70

On Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 9:48:37 PM UTC-8, Shaun Wheeler wrote:
On Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 4:58:48 PM UTC-6, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 12:54:02 AM UTC-5, Shaun Wheeler wrote:

It's not that I can't manage to come up with 25 grand to paint it, I'm just a little hesitant when I see sailplanes that are current and inspected for less.


I guess you want to do the refinish it as a sentimental labor of love, or preserve history, or just for the hell of it. If you don't feel that way, maybe you should sell it (now and as-is) to someone who does feel that way.

What are you hoping it will be worth resale after you spend $25K on it? Are there any buyers?

In the worlds of one of most famous American aviators, Larry Walters, "A man can't just sit around."

I don't hunt anymore, not really that into fishing and I don't play golf. I'm single and my kids are all grown. I don't drink, smoke, or gamble and, well, it just didn't seem right that I didn't have any vices. So I thought to myself, what better way to kill time than running a sander stripping gelcoat?

I knew at the price I could end up with a halfway decent rebuildable covered trailer with some pieces parts of an aging limited production sailplane that I *might* be able to sell to somebody else who needs to do a repair. But.....value?

The only one for sale right now on W&W is asking 12K. The paint is in slightly better shape, but not much. I don't realistically expect to get the 39:1 it had the day it left the factory but it'll probably do better than some of the fabric and dope versions out there.

I suppose if somebody made me an offer on it before I take a sander to it I'd sure give it some thought.

I hope you stay healthy. Doesn't sound like you have any vices to give up if you get sick. Stay healthy and active.