1978...good buy or should I run

Rick D · May 2, 2016

This advise is worth just what you paid for it. It looks just like simply a gouge from the keel hitting something. If that's all, it's just a matter of filling and fairing, priming and painting. Couldn't see the keel boats. You could go nuts trying to x-ray then, dropping the keel, etc, but that's a lot of expense for the likelihood there is any flaw to them and for the price of this boat. I think you ought to spend a couple of dollars to have someone from a yard or a surveyor look at it. I wouldn't walk away from the deal yet. Make it a contingency. Just one opinion...

LakeMurraySailor · May 2, 2016

Hi David, I'm no expert nor do I play one on TV. But I, too, am looking at a 1978 Catalina 30. The one I'm looking at is not clean(it's been ignored for at least 4 years) but the hull was redone in 2010 and a suit of sails and a CDI furler was added in 2011! The Yanmar burns oil and the deck has leaks but it's only been in freshwater(as far as I know). The kicker is he only wants $3000! I don't know whether to write the check or run like hell. In your case I think I would bail, I just think $14,000 is too much to pay! I'm tempted to take the plunge and I guess I can always second guess myself. Hopefully, I can get some advice here too!

JohnVTX · May 2, 2016

Buy it if you can get it to $10k.

SFS · May 2, 2016

Be careful with the notion of $X being "well under the value of this boat compared to what others have sold for". Did the other boats (that sold for more than $X) have this same issue? Apples and oranges are very different. The issue that you have found is exactly the sort of thing that can drastically affect a boat's value. Not saying it does here, but it could.

If he's really trying to get rid of the boat, he won't be unhappy that he got an offer. He may be unhappy with the offer itself, but not that he at least got one.

The Garbone · May 2, 2016

This is interesting, how much.... We paid the price of the lead in the keel for our C30, 2 years later she is finally in shape to to go sailing. If the boat is ready to sail I would think $15k is a good price. Even if you need to drop the keel in a few years and put on a new one your still saving a few bucks not buying a brand new Catalina 315.

https://www.catalinayachts.com/yachts.cfm?act=model&id=296

Cayennita · May 9, 2016

perfdavid said:
Hello,
I need some expert opinions from people who know about this. (Hopefully the link works to see the pictures)
I just had a survey done on a 1978 Catalina 30. Overall, the boat is very clean, in very good condition, and the surveyor said it has been well maintained. He is going to put a 17k value on it.
I can get it for 3k less. Comes with probably 4-5k in extras and a recently rebuilt atomic 4.
However, when pulled out the water this was the keel. It isn't the smile. That is much higher. This is in the metal. He thinks maybe something was hit and a not so good repair job was done. I talked to someone else and he thinks maybe the front J bolt is corroding and expanding causing this. The front keel bolt has some rust on what is visible. The other keel bolts in the bilge are encapsulated in some kind of dark rubber. It almost looks like round caps that you would have to tear off to see them. As far as the smile goes, there isn't much of one. Maybe a 4" line. But I am more concerned about this. My only boatyard near me would have to do the repairs bc they don't allow individuals to do their own repairs. Is their a much more serious issue here that I don't know about?
Thoughts? Should I run from this or am I getting something that is workable?
Here is the link to the pics.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/140683478@N03/8QPD02

I only paid a dollar for my abandoned, one foot of water indide, 4" coral on the hull, broken mast and a keel that moved. I installed the largest longest Hilti bolts I could. Basically I sistered the existing bolts. Has been out of the water twice since and no smile nor any detectable kerl movement. Yes, it was the sandwiched plywood. Sleeved and slug welded the halves. New welded spreader supports and new custom spreaders. U bolt chain plates with liads transfered down. Raced woth 5 out of 6 days with winds gusting over 30. No broblems of any kind except for some leaks around the pory lights.
I hace notwirrued about the biat one bit. Threw the Atomic 4 abd everything tgat goes with it out abd installed a rebuilt 15 hp Johnson outboard. Great boat here in the Virgin Islands. Probably hit 20k in repairs, sails, roller furling, engine, etc. maybe not wirth it but I brought another boat back to life.

Jackdaw · May 9, 2016

perfdavid said:
Currently, 14k is well under the value of this boat compared to what others have sold for. I know he won't go to 10k on it. I am more concerned if this is a death nail in buying this boat? Surveyor doesn't think this is a major issue but I am also not really sure if he is familiar with this issue in Catalinas.

We're talking about a 38 year old boat!

For less money to buy than you will spend in the next five years to maintain it. Don't overthink this.