The 29
is in fact the 30, which was just redesignated based on it length, as the 30 after the first year (from what I understand). The 30 is a C&C design, but wasn't built by C&C. I'd suggest you look up information on the 30, if you haven't done so already. It is supposed to be the best sailing of the small lancers, as it wasn't built as a maxi-trailerable. It is a little ahead of its time, as in the late 70's it had an aft head and an open forward cabin that really wasn't adopted by other production houses (i.e. Hunter, with the 28.5) until the mid eighties.
The interior woodwork on Lancers is pretty good and the cane front doors work well to keep those areas ventilated, but get a little brittle with age. I am sure you could have them re-caned at a place that does chairs, but didn't do anything myself when I had my 25. If it has a headliner, which it probably does, it is a pain because it is difficult to access the nuts to deck hardware to rebed it and difficult to trace leaks.
On the 25 and 28 the hull to deck joint was screws and 5200, which, if used on the 29/30 would be a bit marginal in my opinion. You can readily see this by looking in some of the cockpit lockers.
The Y12 is also a bit marginal for a boat this size, but beyond that small Yanmar's (I have a 2 cyl 15 hp) are real teeth rattlers and the one cylinders are the worst of the bunch. However it will hand crank, which is a plus in my opinion.
Be careful to evaluate the electrical panel. By that I mean, make sure you look at the back of it for poor / overheated connections. My 82 L25 wiring was a mess with lots of untinned wire that was on its last legs. This might be true of any boat of this vintage. Once again, the headliner could be in play when you rewire. On the plus side, if you can snake wires on top of it you won't be able to see them...on the minus side if you have to cut into it (my L25 didn't have any zippers) you will have a potentially challenging repair on your hands. My L25 had duct tape on the headliner under the mast step, where someone had done some work. I always intended to try to blind stitch it, but was too busy sailing.
Other things to look for are common to all boats. Look for globs of sealer around fittings on the deck. It means that someone was worried about a leak, but not so worried as to do the job right. Leaky windows, especially if it has large fixed ports, can be a significant headache. Make sure you tap around looking for damp / wet deck core as this could mean the boat is essentially junk. Look for "loose" stanchions as the deck underneath may be damaged or backing plates may be inadequate. Washers are inadequate. Water in the rudder is not uncommon and should be looked for.
That all for now.
