I am considering purchasing a 1979 38' Catalina. It is a project boat sorely neglected for several years, not sailed or seen by the owner for at least 2 years. The broker tells me, (I live thousands of miles away from him and the boat),the boat is as best he can tell sound in both hull and deck. He admits "the bulkhead where the chain plate is attached is soft and needs to be replaced as well as rebedding the chainplate". This confuses me because I would guess the water must have entered thru the deck then down to the bulkhead, so the deck core should be wet also. Is there something I'm not understanding about the 38' Catalina and it's deck and shroud line attachment system? Of course a survey is in order but before that expence and a trip to insect the boat what can I do? If replacing the bulkhead must be done, I can do that job I belive but recoring the deck well no thanks. Can any of you Catalina owners share your experience and Knowledge about this or any other potential problems one could encounter with this boat? What do you amagine a boat like this would be worth? My appreciation, Gary