Irwin 31' Citation

[JoeD]

Looking at a 31" citation. It has damaged mast strp and floor grid. Looking for any information that I can find. All help would be appreicated.

Joe

 

[higgs]

Irwin Citations are not known for their rugged construction. I would be leery of one that already had problems.

 

[Ross]

Are you considering a purchase of this boat? Consider carefully your skills and time constrants and budget over purchase cost.

 

[sailingdog]

Joe—

It is generally far less expensive to buy the same boat in decent condition than it is to repair that boat. The cost of the repairs is usually many times the cost difference between a boat in well-maintained condition and one in need of repair.

 

[BobM]

I suggest you search on line for "oil canning" and "Irwin." The broken grid is possibly due to this problem. Irwin hull construction was apparently not the best. I was looking at a boat that had a potential design issue like this...ultimately I decided that the hull was one thing that I didn't want to mess around with. Just about everything else on a sailboat is repairable, but a bad design is likely forever.

http://www.youtube.com/fatherpirate is a video series on youtube about a Father/Son team restoring a 31. Haven't looked at it yet myself, but thought I'd pass it on. Also, Good Old Boat did a review in Jan 07 that may be worth buying.

 

[JoeD]

Irwin

Thanks for the taking the time to post. Here is what I found out.

Located the man Ted Irwin gave his files to. Talked with him and he was very helpful. The boat is 1984 and has only a few problems with floor grids. This boat was a special order boat because it had a wing keel.

So, it is not a hard fix and may buy this boat. After talking with a few owners that are very happy with their boats, Some have owned them for many years. They all love them.

Will keep you posted.

Thanks again,

Joe