Help me find the Potienal trouble spots! Please

[David]

I'm looking at an 86 Cat 30. The boat seems to be in great shape. Very low hours on the Diesel. Sails in good shape, interior good, gelcoat good. recent bottom Only thing I can find at this point is it needs new lines, which is very minor. Any problem areas to look for. Also, what's a fair price for this boat. Please give your opinionThanks In advance

 

[Rick]

Cat 30

I've heard of some isolated cases of failing seams in the fuel tank. While extremely rare, something to watch for. Catalina stands behind this even on older boats. I've also heard of rot at the bottom of the compression post. These things don't exist on our '82. It would depend on you area, but I would imagine the price should be somewhere in the mid- 20s. The biggest bang for your buck that exists in boats- we love ours.

 

[Bob Uehlein]

Trouble spots

Where the chainplates attach to the bulkheads and the bulkheads attach to the hull can be trouble spots, especially on the starboard side with its smaller bulkheads. Also, look for soft spots in deck around chainplates, stanctions and other areas with hardware mounted to or through the deck. Price depend heavily on local market. In Great Lakes an '86 in good shape well equiped would probably go around 30.

 

[Jeff Walker]

Haul and check for blisters....

My biggest problem was blisters between the gel coat and fiberglass structural layer. The blisters did not become visible until the boat was out of the water for 20 minutes and then there were lots of them. I re-negotiated the price down $4,000 to cover the grinding, drying and re-application of the gel coat (takes 2 months). Also, be sure you have the re-designed alternator bracket if the engine is a Universal M25. You will see a 4 bolt attachment into the cooling reservoir if the bracket has been replaced and the tension arm will be under the alternator. The other stuff is minor but a good surveyor is essential to be sure the boat is in top shape. Good luck, you'll love the 30 I'm sure.