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. 100 people ranging in age from 3 to 96) 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 room for a sit-down dinner for 14 or stand-up cocktail room for 55. There is also an 80-car underground parking garage (for vehicle and bicycle storage with the option for 2nd and 3rd vehicle parking).

At a monthly cost of just under $750 Cnd (which includes the above amenities plus moorage, internet, water, hydro, septic, underground parking and mail delivery) it is an extremely affordable way to live in downtown Vancouver…and did we mention on waterfront!!

We are asking $160,000 Cnd (price just reduced from $189,000!!!) and should you want to remain living at Spruce Harbour (this must be your primary residence so a minimum of 6 months per year living here), shares would be available, subject to Co-op approval, providing the opportunity to bypass the 10-year waitlist for live-aboard moorage. The cost to purchase a membership share is currently valued $50,500 Cnd (the value of which is set by the membership), and which you would get back if you left the marina at some point in the future.

Please contact me by email at marinerboatforsale@gmail.com 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 15 years of living aboard, we have decided it is time to pass along this historic vessel to the next owner.

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 Odyssey Extreme starter batteries (24-volt starter system)

- 4 new Rolls 6-volt golf cart batteries (12-volt house system)

- refurbished Victron Energy 3000-watt inverter/charger

Electronics

We use Navionics (on our Ipad/Iphones) for navigation

New transducer installed with wiring

Radar mount and dome (instrumentation was old and disposed of)

Autohelm 3000 Autopilot with extra parts

ICOM ICM304 VHF Radio and 2 Standard Horizon HX100 handheld VHF’s

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

- 14 new custom cast bronze chain plates

- standing rigging removed and replaced with Spectra

- running rigging all new

- 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 (2025)

- water tank (v-berth – approx. 350 litres) and the two diesel fuel tanks (150 litres each tank) are made of Monel.

- new aluminum diesel day tank (80 litres)

- large top and front-loading fridge

Other

1941 Wilcox Crittenden Sr. bronze toilet system – rebuilt

Fab-All 200 diesel stove and convection oven

Dickinson bulkhead heater

Davidson 9’ sailing dinghy with outboard, oars, and floating dock (optional)

Living Aboard

Mariner III is a comfortable boat ideally suited for one or two adults, and possibly one child, however she does sleep 8 so room for guests to come visit!

There are two double berths in the main cabin along with a single pilot berth, and then in the v-berth the port side is a single berth and the starboard side is a reduced-double berth (although the v-berth is one large open area).

Closets, drawers and general storage abounds, with double-deep closets and drawers that extend past the interior walls right to the hull. There is also plenty of space in the bilge to store canned/dry goods or to keep your vegetables cool!

The head contains a sink, toilet, and holding tank and plenty of cupboard space for your toiletries.

The galley has a Fab-All 200 diesel stove and convection oven, a very large top and front-opening fridge and plenty of storage for dry and wet goods.

The engine room is quite large with access to all sides of the engine, working counter area, cupboards for tools and approx. 10’ of accessible storage aft of the engine (for all your spare parts).

We have fully documented history of Mariner III – blueprints, photographs and articles from 1941 onwards!

Contact Nancy Frosst.

nancyfrosst@gmail.com