A 1988 Catalina 30 MKll is listed for sale. The owner says the toe rail is cracked and that reflects the price. Is this something that is costly to repair or not worth it? Thanks in advance.
Hello, I am new here. I am looking at buying a 1988 Catalina 30 MKll
- Thread starter Rmalko
- Start date
Get it surveyed!
There is no way of us knowing how it was cracked, why it was cracked, what other insidious damage might exist, whether water has penetrated the crack thereby damaging the deck or hull core, etc...
There is no way of us knowing how it was cracked, why it was cracked, what other insidious damage might exist, whether water has penetrated the crack thereby damaging the deck or hull core, etc...
Welcome to the forum!!
Don S/V ILLusion's right............and while the boat is surveyed in a boat yard ask the yard for a repair estimate. In the meantime, get ahold of a mobile boat contractor for a separate repair labor estimate and obtain material quotes from on-line toe rail suppliers including Toerail Track, Old Style (catalinadirect.com) and Taco Marine A62-0009: 1-5/8’’ X 1-1/2’’ ALUMINUM SAILBOAT TOE RAIL TACO Marine. That is what I do when I am looking at a used boat to purchase and I identify a repair. That way I can decide if that is a repair I am willing make.
Don S/V ILLusion's right............and while the boat is surveyed in a boat yard ask the yard for a repair estimate. In the meantime, get ahold of a mobile boat contractor for a separate repair labor estimate and obtain material quotes from on-line toe rail suppliers including Toerail Track, Old Style (catalinadirect.com) and Taco Marine A62-0009: 1-5/8’’ X 1-1/2’’ ALUMINUM SAILBOAT TOE RAIL TACO Marine. That is what I do when I am looking at a used boat to purchase and I identify a repair. That way I can decide if that is a repair I am willing make.
Last edited:
Don't let the problem the owner tells you about distract you from the ones he doesn't. He's basically telling you he doesn't want to reduce price on that issue. What about other issues - and I almost guarantee there are some. A 1988 boat will have issues. Your job is to find them.
Ted, you are right, the toe rail is part of the deck (my previous boat was a 1989 C-30). One C-30 I looked at had a 2 foot crack running fore-to-aft in the toe rail, it looked like it came from a collision with a dock. The toe rail felt solid though. Whether this is a problem really depends on the extensiveness of the crack. You can see the toe rail here:
Thank you. I will check that out. Looking for a boat is definitely challenging.