Mariner III – For Sale with Live-aboard Moorage
A unique opportunity for someone interested in living on waterfront property in downtown Vancouver – South False Creek!
We are moving ashore and are offering Mariner III up for sale with the opportunity to also became live-aboard members at Spruce Harbour Marina.
A legal, live-aboard co-operative that was started in 1976, we are located just east of Granville Island in False Creek, Vancouver, BC. (www.spruceharbour.com).
With 55 live-aboard members (approx. 110 people ranging in age from 2 to 94 years old) it is a lovely community right in the heart of the city.
The marina includes a central ‘lounge’ building with showers, sauna, toilets/sinks, laundry (5 washers and dryers) and an upstairs party room that has a full kitchen, two full -size barbeques on an outside deck, big screen tv and sit-down dinner for 14 or stand-up cocktail room for 50. There is also an 80-car underground parking garage (for vehicle and bicycle storage with the option for 2nd vehicle parking).
At a monthly cost of just under $750 (which includes moorage, internet, water, hydro, parking) it is an extremely affordable way to live in downtown Vancouver…and did we mention on waterfront!!
We are asking $200,000 for the boat and should you want to remain living at Spruce Harbour, shares would be available, subject to Co-op approval, providing the opportunity to bypass the 12-year waitlist. The membership shares are currently valued at $50,500 (which you get back when you leave the marina).
Please contact me by email at [email protected] if you would like further information or want to come see the boat.
History and Specs
Built in the Vic Franck’s yard in Seattle, Washington, Mariner was launched on December 7, 1941. Designed by Edwin Monk Sr., she is a 47’ long, 13 ½” wide wood ketch, with 1 3/8” red cedar planking (carvel) over 2 x 2 ½” bent oak frames on 10-inch centres. Her spars are solid Sitka spruce.
She was built for Dr. Peter Schranz, a local Seattle dentist, who spent much of his time, with his dental-assistant wife, providing ‘floating’ dental services up and down the BC and Alaskan coast to the isolated inlets and small communities that lacked these services.
She has been to Hawaii, Mexico and up and down the Pacific Northwest, and has been a live-aboard her entire life. With five berths, two of which are double, she has a cozy and functional interior (6’4” headroom), and an engine room with storage and a small work area.
As the 5th owners of Mariner III (her name changed when she was registered in Canada), and after 14 years of living aboard, we have decided it is time to pass along this historic vessel to another, who will continue to preserve her.
Recent work on Mariner
2019, 2020, and 2023 were spent doing a full refit of Mariner. Details below.
Engine
- removed, rebuilt, reinstalled Isuzu DA220 4-cylinder diesel engine, including transmission (approx. 90hrs)
- all new hoses installed for engine system
- 24-volt alternator fully rebuilt (came with engine)
- 12-volt Balmar house alternator and matching charge controller
- 2 new 12-volt starter batteries (24-volt starter system)
- 4 new Rolls 6-volt golf cart batteries (12-volt house system)
- refurbished Victron inverter/charger
Electronics
Hull and Deck
-removed, replaced, reinstalled new copper keel cooler
- refastened the entire hull (2690 stainless steel screws)
- 19 new planks (re-caulked)
- ribs sistered (only two sections, about 10” high)
- replaced the outer layer of cotton caulking on all planks below the water line and added additional cotton along the bulwark and around the coach house base. We were told that the original oakum was still in such good shape, the seams really tight, that the shipyard did not feel it was necessary to replace the oakum
-removed, cleaned and re-installed the bronze thru-hulls that were useable, and replaced the others with new ones
- installed a new transponder for depth sounder
- replaced 5 of the 6 keel bolts with new bronze bolts (the 6th was replaced in 2010).
- deck is 3/4” plywood under tongue-in-groove red cedar. Deck was in great shape, only 3 cedar planks needed replacing, entire deck re-fastened
- fiberglass over red cedar deck, painted, then kiwi-gripped
- all teak deck trim was removed, stripped, sanded and re-installed with stainless-steel screws and varnished with Cetol (Natural teak)
- all deck hardware was removed, inspected, cleaned and reinstalled
- replaced coaming (both sides) around cockpit and new teak cap rails on coaming
- replaced bulwark cap rail with Sapele (after removing old cap rail and inspecting bulwark for rot (there was none)
- replaced sheer rails with Sapele
- removed rusted, wrought iron chainplates and chainplate bolts. Replaced with new, cast, silicon-bronze chainplates
- removed old (1941) manual windlass and replaced with newer, bronze electric windlass
- removed, enlarged and installed two new cockpit drains with back-flow preventers
Rigging
- removed, stripped, inspected main and mizzen masts, both booms, and spreaders. No rot or water ingress. All repainted with Interlux Brightside Enamel.
- Mast fittings related to new standing rigging replaced with custom bronze fittings
- standing rigging removed and replaced with Spectra
- running rigging all replaced
- new Schaefer system 2100 furler
- the old sails were tired and have been donated, so the new owner would want to purchase new sails – main, mizzen, headsail.
Interior
- interior galley and salon repainted
- new hot water tank
- new plumbing and water pump
- new wiring throughout (2025)
- new Blue Sea panel purchased and ready for install
- water tank (v-berth) and the two diesel fuel tanks (140 litres each tank) are made of Monel.
- new aluminum diesel day tank (80 litres)
Other
We have fully documented history of Mariner III – blueprints, photographs and articles from 1941 onwards!