2002 Catalina 400 as advertised is 2000

Sep 11, 2019
29
Catalina 40 mk ii Maui

I’m still in the process of purchasing what I thought was 2002. As advertised. The survey found the normal type things one would find but also the hin showed 00 I believe at the end of the numbers. The owner says it’s a 2002. The nada value difference is quite a bit. Luckily I can still get it financed. I looked over an expired cod. I didn’t see the date. I have not seen the registration yet either through Hawaii. The owner is on the mainland. He has a friend with power of attorney.

The other items I find to be concerning are

Looks to be the original rigging. The bottom needs paint. The cutlass is bad. New stuffing box assembly.
Boat hasn’t been hauled in six years. I had it hauled for the survey.
The sea trial to drydock showed bad fuel. The engine died several times. After sitting a while she ran a good couple hours without problems. The representative said it was low fuel. We showed low on the fuel sending unit. We put in five gallons while offshore but never got air in the system. No spare filters on board. It has a polisher too.

Long story short, I’m wondering about the year manufactured/ sold date. We settled on 98 k before the survey. Oh the surveyor said the sail was looking bad but looked fine to me. I like the boat for what it is. Brand new bng. Lithium. Awesome arch 590 of solar. The boat just isn’t in the kind of state the owner believes it to be. And not hauling out in six years scares me.

While I’m at it.

The po hasn’t finished installing the wind transducer or bottom transducer but brand new. The stereo isn’t hooked up but brand new. Chart plotter on 12 inch screen and autopilot are working. There’s cosmetic issues with the settee and needs to be buffed and waxed all over. Main sail winch is new but not wired up. The aftermarket 100 amp alternator is installed and not hooked up. Not sure if it’s internally or externally regulated. The lithium battery bank isn’t enclosed properly with casing and tie rids. Still doing research on that. Electrasan forward isn’t working. We found an area that was bad from factory in regards to fiberglass by the chainplate port midship. Just a bad set with the glass interior. Sail is tired according to the surveyor. Rigging needs replaced per survey. Small blisters on the hull needs attention. Dripless stuffing box needs to be replaced per survey. The engine blue smoked all day. Working on getting a mechanic to look over vital signs. I’m on Maui. Boats on Oahu. There’s a lot of positives. New bng radar. Arch etc he took out the two air conditioners and put a 16k or 18k as advertised but I believe it’s 16k btu. There’s only one four inch vent output forward of salon. The interior is in normal shape minus one upholstered spot that can be covered. The reefer isn’t working. The wheel is pitted and looks rough. Zincs looked good and I had the bottom power washed.

Any advice or info. I’m thinking about making a second offer of 90k due to the difference in years and the lapsed haulout drydock work
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Boats are rarely in the shape their owners think they're in. Keep in mind, once you buy it, you'll be that owner who doesn't realize the shape she's really in.
Not being negative, just go into it believing there's more to find after you buy her.

If the sail's shot, what's the replacement cost?

Seriously, if you power washed the bottom, did you spray the deck down and look for leaks, chainplates, mast step, ports, hatches, hull/deck seam, grab rails, etc. It sounds like a lot of work to put her back together. I'm sure it's worth it, but you have to figure that into the purchase cost and use it to negotiate. You're buying her to go sailing. Let the seller know that.

I don't know what a good price for that boat should be, but every thousand off goes into your pocket until it goes back into the boat.

Good luck.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Sep 11, 2019
29
Catalina 40 mk ii Maui
Boats are rarely in the shape their owners think they're in. Keep in mind, once you buy it, you'll be that owner who doesn't realize the shape she's really in.
Not being negative, just go into it believing there's more to find after you buy her.

If the sail's shot, what's the replacement cost?

Seriously, if you power washed the bottom, did you spray the deck down and look for leaks, chainplates, mast step, ports, hatches, hull/deck seam, grab rails, etc. It sounds like a lot of work to put her back together. I'm sure it's worth it, but you have to figure that into the purchase cost and use it to negotiate. You're buying her to go sailing. Let the seller know that.

I don't know what a good price for that boat should be, but every thousand off goes into your pocket until it goes back into the boat.

Good luck.

-Will (Dragonfly)

The sail is quoted at 4700 at north sails Oahu
 

DougM

.
Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I hate to rain on your parade, but given the overall condition you describe, the fact that it hadn’t been hauled in six years, and half the equipment didn’t work, I would pass on that unless you are a dedicated DIY type with deep pockets.

$98k sounds like too much by at least a factor of 2 for a 19 year old boat thats been sitting in a tropical climate for who knows how long...
Can you even get insurance on the boat? In my opinion, that boat is going to be a potential money pit.
A new set of sails is going to be north of $10k. Standing rigging and a rigger $5k(?), all new running rigging $,
new lifelines... Even though the electronics have never been hooked up, how do you know they will function? What vintage? are they already obsolete and no longer supported? Then there are always the unintentionally hidden surprises.
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
Catalina 400 in that year list for $100-140k. Has your broker given you a recent print out from Soldboats.com? That will show you listing vs sold prices for similar boats. In general it's 10-20% below the asking.

I am biased to the 400. It's on the list of boats I would get instead of my own and there are only 8 boats on that list.

The blisters are the biggest concern to me. Catalinas don't blister. They are made with vinylester resin that doesn't blister. So the blisters should only be in the paint or a barrier coat. But your surveyor should have known that. Do you have any pictures or know the location on the boat?

I am a DIY person. Personally I don't know how anyone can cruise if they are not. So given some of the issues I would make an offer. What was the listing price and the survey value?

For sails, contact Precision Sails. After talking to several companies we went with them and are very happy with the sail for the cost.

Just went back to the listing. So to go from $130k to $98k you already negotiated pretty well. If you can get insurance and financing than I would probably not try for too much more. But I would only buy this boat knowing that you have some work to do to finish the refit. This would include at least inspecting all of the standing rigging including the chainplates, rebedding all the deck hardware, and all of the stuff you already listed. The insurance company will require everything listed in the survey to be fixed.

Good luck and fair winds,

Jesse
 
Sep 11, 2019
29
Catalina 40 mk ii Maui
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There’s no broker. The boat is actually in good shape overall. The chain plates are in good condition. The surveyor is/was on my side and I believe he was being pretty picky. The sail is in serviceable condition. The electronics are brand new bng. The rigging looks good but recommended replacement. The blisters he pointed out don’t seem to be blisters at all to me. I still haven’t got the survey yet. I’m already approved for 100k through Essex. I went through boat us. They I’m sure get a commission. I’m a full time captain, I’m a diy and I’ll use some pros here and there when needed. I’m used to working on boats in pretty much every aspect. Kinda already what I do for a living. I love the layout minus two heads. I’d rather it only have one. The forward has an electrasan that’s not working or I couldn’t figure it out but that will take another grand off the already 98k agreement prior to survey. 600 was the cost of the haulout. 940 for the survey. The bng is oversized. It has the new radar bng. It’s hooked up. The owner bought all this stuff brand new recently and moved before he finished installing. So not obsolete. It’s all brand new. 12 inch screen and two more mfd. check out that arch too. I think I’m going to offer 92k and no more. I think that will cover the haulout. Nothing else financially is needed after that until the next haulout before I head to the South Pacific. That’s still probly five years away. Once my survey guy emails me the survey, I’ll post some pics. The 2000 / 2002 issue may or may not drop the asking price above the six grand I stated above.