O'Day owners/experts,
I'm looking at a 1984 26 for purchase and while the boat has been maintained well, I have a few concerns.
1. During my inspection, I found three small soft spots in the cabin top, about 12" from the mast base plate. See the photos of my foot. The current owner had a "Compression pole" designed by a marine engineer, that supports the cabin top below the mast. The pole appears to be well designed, strong, and installed properly from below the cabin floor (top of the ballast?), to the cabin ceiling. Has anyone had this done? Is this a deal-breaker, or a good fix for a common problem? The rest of the deck feels solid.
2. The CB has 7/16" side-to-side run-out when inside the keel. The boat is out of the water so I could measure it. Is this excessive?
3. The water system hasn't been used by the current owner (since 2011) so I'm thinking I should replace the filler, main sink, and head sink hoses, flush and treat the tank with a bleach solution, and rinsed. We will never drink the water from the tank but we want to brush teeth and wash hands with it. Thoughts?
4. There is a large amount of surface cracks just aft/outside of the main companionway opening, in the gelcoat, from the port to starboard sides. Other than a few small cracked areas, the rest of the deck looks fine. Is this excessive cracking normal?
I'm looking at a 1984 26 for purchase and while the boat has been maintained well, I have a few concerns.
1. During my inspection, I found three small soft spots in the cabin top, about 12" from the mast base plate. See the photos of my foot. The current owner had a "Compression pole" designed by a marine engineer, that supports the cabin top below the mast. The pole appears to be well designed, strong, and installed properly from below the cabin floor (top of the ballast?), to the cabin ceiling. Has anyone had this done? Is this a deal-breaker, or a good fix for a common problem? The rest of the deck feels solid.
2. The CB has 7/16" side-to-side run-out when inside the keel. The boat is out of the water so I could measure it. Is this excessive?
3. The water system hasn't been used by the current owner (since 2011) so I'm thinking I should replace the filler, main sink, and head sink hoses, flush and treat the tank with a bleach solution, and rinsed. We will never drink the water from the tank but we want to brush teeth and wash hands with it. Thoughts?
4. There is a large amount of surface cracks just aft/outside of the main companionway opening, in the gelcoat, from the port to starboard sides. Other than a few small cracked areas, the rest of the deck looks fine. Is this excessive cracking normal?