How worried should I be !??

[Cmp1110]

we are in negotiations on a Catalina 350 two issues so far
- I believe the damper plate is bad universal m35b
- how concerned should I be about the rust in the attached pics
- any ideas on the discoloration of The head liner

Any thoughts would be appreciated

 

[SFS]

What does your surveyor say?

 

[Tom]

What SF said.

 

[Cmp1110]

Surveyor set for the 28th
Yesterday was personal inspection boat is 400 miles from home
Just trying to gather info beforehand

 

[kloudie1]

The rust deposit at the top of that shroud swedge looks bad.. That will fail from stress corrosion cracking in the not too distant future.. If all the upward looking swedge fittings have a lot of rust like that, the standing rigging needs to be renewed.. It can be fixed by cutting the fitting off and using a mechanical fitting like Norseman or Sta-Lok .. but I'd want a rigger to weigh in if someone offers that. The wire would have to be carefully inspected before using a mechanical fitting. The discoloration looks like a water leak/pool om the other side of the headliner.. some deck fitting leaking probably.. That fitting would require re-bedding to stop the leak.. That should be done before you buy.

 

[kloudie1]

Of Interest: http://www.dixielandmarine.com/yachts/DLrigprob.html

 

[JohnVTX]

Of Interest: http://www.dixielandmarine.com/yachts/DLrigprob.html

Excellent link, thanks

 

[shemandr]

The lower swage is usually the first place rust prone area since water runs down the wire. I don't know how much of a problem your swage is but in the context of a purchase you should get a price adjustment for replacing the standing rigging. I don't think you should get a dollar for dollar reduction for replacing all of the standing rigging. But you should get 30% or so of that cost. And you should plan on replacing all of the standing rigging. Don't just beat the price down and not do the replacement.

 

[JRacer]

IMO, the staining inside is the symptom of the rusting rigging. I would have both the surveyor and a rigger assess the standing rig and adjust my offer accordingly. From the looks of it, Id guess that replacement of all of it is prudent. And, I guess I'd be thinking I have leaking from the shrouds getting into the deck/headliner, a whole another set of potential issues, but the surveyor better address that.

 

[jssailem]

Cmp1110
At the best we can give you guesses. How old is the boat? Where was it sailed? When did the owner last change the rigging? Inspection by an experienced rigger is what's needed.

Rigging has a limited life span. Sailing nearer the equator environmental conditions are considered to shorten rigging life sooner than northern/southern climes.

I had rigging that looked like 1974 era. It was holding the mast up but there was no history available.

I have the mast on the hard, rerigging all wires and hardware. I wanted to know the age of my rigging. Rerigging gives me confidence in the wires holding the 800 pound mast in place.

 

[Cmp1110]

The boat is a 2005 and it spent two years in the Tampa area. I have a survey scheduled for later this month just trying to gather as much info as possible beforehand.

 

[bobtigar]

I replaced a damper plate. It's a $60 fix-if you do the labor. That is either really difficult or mildly difficult, depending on how difficult it is to slide the transmission away from the engine. Bob

 

[jssailem]

Cmp1110
My rigger informed me that boats in the tropics need their rigging examined at least every 3 years and changed every 6 based on corrosion issues. The issue with stainless is that it corrodes in the lack of oxygen. The swag fittings (like yours) get water migration running down the lines and sitting inside the fitting. This gives an environment for the cable and fitting to corrode from the inside out. Riggers look for very small cracks, pitting, rust staining etc as evidence of this hidden issue. My rigger used a sharpie to color areas of concern on the swag fittings. Then wiped the fine ink off. What was left was ink in a micocrack on the swage fitting. There is a dye that works the same way to expose microcracks.

Read info from Brion Toss (an expert in rigging). Here is a quote from a boat design forum "SS and its various compression (swage etc) fittings are subject to micro-cracking and crevice corrosion,".

An issue may be with 10 year old riggng your insurance company will not insure the boat unless the rigging is replaced. A friend bought a boat in France. It had stainless rod rigging. The insurance company would not insure the boat for the Atlantic crossing until the rigging was updated. That being said my rigger shared that in our marina of some 1000 boats " you would be amazed at the condition of the rigging in 70% of the boats". It is not an issue if the boat never leaves the marina, until it corrodes and the mast comes down in a stiff breeze.

Your survey will be enlightening.