Catalina 27
I have a 1985 C27 in great shape with 14hp inboard diesel and wheel steering. I have had no blister problems although I have read some of the hulls of this vintage did experience problems but only a small percentage. Of course, after 22yrs, several things wear out from the original boat. But when you compare replacing some worn items with a new C270, you can have just as much fun at only a small % of the cost of a new boat. Boats from the 70's had mild steel KEEL BOLTS which might look rusted and wasted away. I'm fairly confident they took care of this problem by the mid 80's. My bolts are fine and I have no leaks from them. Other issues were mentioned like VOIDS in the deck from the resin not being able to seal the laminates completely. I didn't find any during my survey. Verify your SPREADER SOCKETS are stainless and not aluminum. Older aluminmum ones were prone to cracks at the weld and there have been a few boats that lost a rig due to this. Of course, periodic inspections should be a routine part of your maintenance schedule. CHAINPLATES should be checked for leaks. Have surveyor test with moisture meter. My upper shrouds (middle ones) showed elevated moisture around the base. I plan to rebed all my shroud bases this fall. Late 80's models have corrected many of the problems associated with earlier boats. If the major items check out fine: hull, rigging, and engine, then the rest can be negotiated and repaired/replaced over time. I agree, choose the best equipped boat you can afford. If the boat looks like the PO didn't care, then he/she probably didn't care about maintenance either.
