Fixed keel damage?

[geontemt]

I am looking at getting my first fixed keel boat. Can anyone tell me if these cracks are structural damage or normal paint cracks? This boat is listed on ebay and the last 2 pics show the keel, item #370552714919

All the previous boats I have owned are small <12' with centerboards. Thank you for any help you can offer, I live 3 hours from this boat so I can't just swing by to see it in person.

 

[jdhohmann]

you forgot to attach pics

 

[geontemt]

I can not save the pics from ebay so I put the item # in the original post because I was not sure if linking an auction was allowed.
Thank you
George

 

[Dave602]

Looks structural to me. My suspicion is with this being a charity auctioning this off, someone donated it because it was too expensive to fix and they couldn't sell it out right.

 

[Bill Roosa]

top and inside look nice. The keel cracks look to me to be fairing that has given up the ghost. I did not see the horizontal crack normally associated with a keel seperation. I'm not famalure with this boat however so it may be that the bottom fin is the lead part and the connecting vertical fin is part of the boat fiberglass. I did see what looks like some damage at the front of the vertical fin in the first pics (hard to tell from the angle) and a some bendy damage to the horizontal fin aft edge. I can't think of how that latter would happen except the boat got dropped while on the hard.
My gut says this is OK

 

[geontemt]

Thank you for your help. I kind of have a feeling that it's to good to be true, so I should probably listen to my gut. The other weird thing is catalina 16.5 does not have a cabin so I don't know what the deal with this boat is, additionally it;s listed as being 20' long.

I have a 4500 budget and am looking for something <3500 for trailering, a cabin for an overnight and a porta-pody for the wife. I have been looking for the last 3 months to find something that is in good shape so I can spend more time sailing than working the thing.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Looks pretty scary to me: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd...714919&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_fvi=1#v4-45 . There are some Capri 16 pictures and Owner Reviews here on SBO. I would check that out and defer to those with Capri experience. It could be cosmetic but you need to know for certain.

 

[higgs]

Impossible to tell from a picture what the situation really is. One place to start is to contact the owner. He did include a pic that showed problem and that says something for his honesty.

 

[sinnettc]

That's a Capri 16, not a Capri 16.5. The 16 has a cabin, the 16.5 has a cuddy that has to be kept dogged closed as part of the positive flotation.

That keel definitely doesn't look right. If it didn't get dropped maybe it hit a stump at speed or something. If you don't get any feedback from the Capri 16 owners here, try the Capri 22 forum at www.capri22.net. The boats are very similar and there are a lot of wing keel owners there who might know if this is a common issue.

 

[Fly_H23]

That keel is busted up pretty bad. I wouldn't put much money into it unless you know you can fix it yourself. If the keel is loose, you'd be worrying about it every time you sail it. Good thing you noticed the cracks.

Look for a boat that is structurally sound maybe just needs cosmetic work. Your budget will allow a decent used boat. I found a Hunter 23 with trailer for less than the current bid on that Capri 16.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Run away.....that doesn't look like a good thing at all. There could be some serious issues. There are plenty of other boats out there but this one looks like a money pit. That boat has had something serious happen to the keel.

 

[kendall]

The way the trailing edge of the wing is bent up, I'd say they backed the boat into something, could have occurred during launch/retrieval.

It's possible that the visible cracks are nothing more than fairing broken loose by the flex, I'd stay away from it unless you can climb into the boat and check for other damage

 

[caguy]

I would write to them just before the auction ends and offer them $500 less than the minimum bid if it does not sell. Since you are doing this outside of ebay, they will save the fees. This will also help you pay someone to fix it unless you fix it yourself. My gut tells me it is not as serious as it looks.

 

[RON20406]

Geo, I once fixed a boat where the fairing compound had delaminated from the lead keel. When I removed the unattached area, it was solid lead with no structural issues. After cleaning and scoring the lead, I re-faired the keel and the problem was fixed. If you can inspect the boat, ask the owner if he will allow you to pry up the fairing and take a look underneath. You might find that the keel is perfectly fine and just needs to be refaired. It's not a big job and it could be a strong bargaining point if you really like the boat. I would not, however, buy the boat without inspecting it first. Good luck, Ron

 

[geontemt]

I ended up finding a 1979 O'day 22 4 hours from my home. It is in exceptional shape and got a great deal with many extra's. Thanks again for everybody's help.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Geo, Good on you. You used time and not emotion to find the right boat. Enjoy it and post more on how you do.
Ray