Sail it in Strong Winds
I have a 1986 Hunter 28.5 I purchased 18 months ago. A good surveyor is worth his/her weight in gold. Everything my surveyor reported was extremely accurate. However, the one flaw that went undiscovered, was damage to the hull where the keel is attached. This was probably caused by a grounding and there was no visual evidence that there was a problem (even when it was inspected prior to having the keel removed). Unfortunately, the iron keel, used on numerous boat models that year, showed no damage (unlike lead) and all the damage between the hull and keel was well hidden. As luck would have it, the test sail occurred in light winds and everything appeared fine. After the purchase, I discovered significant water leakage into the bilge when sailing in moderate to heavy winds. The lateral stress on the keel during the heavier sailing conditions opened up the cracks. In fact, when not stressed during the winter, less than 1/2 inch of water accumulated in the bilge in over 3 months. So, for ANY boat purchase, get a good surver, AND sail it hard enough, so that you KNOW it is in good condition. Good Luck!
