432
Hey guy, I bought an ex Moorings 432(an 89) last year from the boats second owner in Fort Lauderdale. I got an unbelievable price(45k) but have put another 20 into it in the past year. The boat had obviously suffered at the hands of charterers, anchor chain scars and broken pulpit fittings, myriad deck leaks from lack of sealant, filthy bilges, shot wiring, multiple minor issues. The gel coat was scratched up a bit and most of it compounded out. Also the bottom was blistered. Fundamentally, a beautiful huge boat that had been used hard. I've spent ayear and most of my spare time putting her back to acceptable condition. Arguably I have one of the nicest big boats in Corpus Christi, and a capable passage maker after I add more electronics. My recommendations: Make sure its surveyed thoroughly and negotiate hard on problem areas so you don't overpay. Be prepared to spend time and money to recondition the boat cause it won't be in good shape. Be prepared to have the boat valued lower than its privately owned peers when you sell it. My 432 is a beautiful boat and quite capable but not particularly fast, wing keels aren't good for speed so if you're a racer, look at its characteristics under sail hard. My 432 had some new Elvstrom sails(a 130 and main and I had the 110 rebuilt this year. Normally though these ex-charter boats don't have large sail inventories or a lot of electronics. They're outfitted for local jaunts and comfort. So,,,,if you're planning on cruising offshore or taking off in the boat for awhile, plan on adding an inverter, wind generator, new canvas, running rigging, autopilot, GPS, etc etc etc. In other words, you get a big beautiful boat for a great price but you have to work hard and spend money if you want it to live up to its potential. Check the engine records to see if its been overhauled, as well as the thru hulls. If it hasn't, be prepared to spend money. My 432 was missing various fittings inside which I have replaced. I added clocks and barometers, bedding and galley ware. Glued and braced up sagging headliner and replaced plumbing fittings, interior mirrors, refinished the sinks and revarnished everything inside(a huge job and best done professionally). I also had to pull out the floor plates, strip and refinish them, flip them over, build up rotted areas with epoxy resin and repaint them. My bige pump wiring and parts had to be replaced, and various wiring issues had to be professionally addressed. Be ready to pull it out of the water and have the bottom redone. Counting a boot stripe and minor gelcoat repairs, thats $4500 alone. My anchors were falling apart, I had to replace them with new Danforths, chain and rode $1000. So,,if you like puttering around on a boat as much as sailing it, and you like the idea of a big impressive Beneteau its a great deal to get an ex-charter. But be prepared to be correcting undermaintained systems for a while. I've had fun with it,,sort of. Would I do it again? I don't know!!!! But she does get a lot of envious stares. regards, Fraser S/V "Caribbean Soul"
