OK, got more info on the boat I'm interested in ('79 Catalina 27, tall rig, OB). Asking is $12,900 US. Still has original equipment which several reviews said should be upgraded. How important for casual river sailing? (I'd definately do before venturing beyond the Bonneville dam - the gorge can get very windy...) - Spreader sockets on mast with stainless - chainplates to U-bolts - remaining thru-hull gate valves, currently only 2 have been upgraded (head in
- Status
Not bad...
The items you mentioned MUST be replaced, but the good news is that the spreader brackets aren't too expensive, and I believe you can do the U-Bolts yourself - ask LaDonna about that (I think she did hers). Personally, I don't see why everyone screams about the through-hulls. Mine seem to work fine, but I am in freshwater, so the gate valves aren't exposed to salt. I would put those at the bottom of the list. Make sure you carry cork plugs though, in case of emergency. If your boat is like mine, you have three through hulls. One for the sink/cooler, one for the head, and one for the engine water intake. As long as you rotate these frequently (at least once a month) they should last quite a while. If one breaks, you can haul the boat and do 'em all. For comparison, I got my C-27 for 8,000. It's market value was 10,200 here in Austin. However, it needed quite a bit of minor work, like re-wiring, brightwork, some hardware, fishfinder, radio, etc... By the time I was done, I had spent another 2000 - 3000. So, if yours is going for 12,900, I guess that's a pretty good price -especially with the dinghy, dodger, teak sole (nice) and all the toys. I know I said it before, but get it surveyed. This will tell you the actual market price. You will probably need the survey for proper insurance anyway, so do the survey in advance and you might be able to negotiate a lower price. Best of Luck, and feel free to e-mail me if you need any further info. I just went through this last July. Pain, but definately worth it! Rob
The items you mentioned MUST be replaced, but the good news is that the spreader brackets aren't too expensive, and I believe you can do the U-Bolts yourself - ask LaDonna about that (I think she did hers). Personally, I don't see why everyone screams about the through-hulls. Mine seem to work fine, but I am in freshwater, so the gate valves aren't exposed to salt. I would put those at the bottom of the list. Make sure you carry cork plugs though, in case of emergency. If your boat is like mine, you have three through hulls. One for the sink/cooler, one for the head, and one for the engine water intake. As long as you rotate these frequently (at least once a month) they should last quite a while. If one breaks, you can haul the boat and do 'em all. For comparison, I got my C-27 for 8,000. It's market value was 10,200 here in Austin. However, it needed quite a bit of minor work, like re-wiring, brightwork, some hardware, fishfinder, radio, etc... By the time I was done, I had spent another 2000 - 3000. So, if yours is going for 12,900, I guess that's a pretty good price -especially with the dinghy, dodger, teak sole (nice) and all the toys. I know I said it before, but get it surveyed. This will tell you the actual market price. You will probably need the survey for proper insurance anyway, so do the survey in advance and you might be able to negotiate a lower price. Best of Luck, and feel free to e-mail me if you need any further info. I just went through this last July. Pain, but definately worth it! Rob
Hard thinking ahead
Thanks, Rob, for your perspective. Some folks make the gate valves to be a signifigant issue. Not to mention the thru-hulls. I've got hard thinking ahead....
Thanks, Rob, for your perspective. Some folks make the gate valves to be a signifigant issue. Not to mention the thru-hulls. I've got hard thinking ahead....
Gate valves and other opinions
The gate valves really should be replaced. Before you replace the other things, you should either get a rigging shop inspect all the rigging. I saved myself several hundred dollars with a rig tuning and rig inspection. I also strongly recommend a boat survey. For around $300 you can give yourself some piece of mind and learn a lot about the boat's strengths and weaknesses. It sounds like the boat has a lot of good upgrades, make sure to check the sails! Good Luck.
The gate valves really should be replaced. Before you replace the other things, you should either get a rigging shop inspect all the rigging. I saved myself several hundred dollars with a rig tuning and rig inspection. I also strongly recommend a boat survey. For around $300 you can give yourself some piece of mind and learn a lot about the boat's strengths and weaknesses. It sounds like the boat has a lot of good upgrades, make sure to check the sails! Good Luck.
Ok, here's my "survey" 
First off, let me say that the gals at Sailing Life are good people. Unfortunately, I think this boat is WAY over priced, probably to compensate for the broker fee. When you look at the boat, check out the starboard lower chainplates. You'll see some serious compression around the bolt itself on the exterior of the boat - a VERY bad sign of rot. Inside you'll see rust around the backing plates. Now look in the hanging locker. It's been relatively dry today with just a really light sprinkling and the chainplate itself had water dripping off of it. The base of the bulkhead is black with rot and I would lay money that it's just as bad around the plates themselves. Yes, they're varnished but that's just cosmetic. Whatever the previous owner did with the anchor locker is extremely screwy. It appears that he added a larger holding tank
First off, let me say that the gals at Sailing Life are good people. Unfortunately, I think this boat is WAY over priced, probably to compensate for the broker fee. When you look at the boat, check out the starboard lower chainplates. You'll see some serious compression around the bolt itself on the exterior of the boat - a VERY bad sign of rot. Inside you'll see rust around the backing plates. Now look in the hanging locker. It's been relatively dry today with just a really light sprinkling and the chainplate itself had water dripping off of it. The base of the bulkhead is black with rot and I would lay money that it's just as bad around the plates themselves. Yes, they're varnished but that's just cosmetic. Whatever the previous owner did with the anchor locker is extremely screwy. It appears that he added a larger holding tank
thanks, LaDonna
OK, NOW that wierd bucket arrangement for the anchor makes sense! I was totally confused as to where the anchor locker went. I'll be looking around this weekend, nope, not in a hurry!
OK, NOW that wierd bucket arrangement for the anchor makes sense! I was totally confused as to where the anchor locker went. I'll be looking around this weekend, nope, not in a hurry!
- Status