looking @ buying 1978 Irwin, Feel soft spot

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Jun 7, 2004
0
ODAY 25 columbia, sc
I am looking @ buying a 1978 Irwin 30, When walking around on the deck I feel a soft spot around the front hatch and a lot of small cracks around the mast plate. How hard is this to repair or should I leave this one alone?
 
Jun 14, 2004
2
- - Milwaukee
Depends

Fixing delamination in the deck is never an easy job, but it may not be necessary. The amount and location of the delamination will determine if it is necessary to fix at all. For a 30' boat that you intend to cruise, I would ask for assistance from a professional surveyor. My surveyor found delamination in the deck of my boat during the pre-purchase survey, but it was easy to see where the water got in and how to remedy the problem. Combined with its small size in a non-critical area and my intented use of the boat, he told me it wasn't a big deal. Cracks around the mast could be a big problem if they are structural. I don't need a surveyor to tell me that I should stay away from that boat unless I want to undertake some serious repair work. However, if the cracks are just cracks in the gelcoat, that is purely cosmetic. Again, if you really like the boat, get a surveyor to tell you what you are looking at before you buy or reject.
 
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Ray Bowles

Why buy a problem?

Delam is a major problem that occures after the intrusion of water into the core of the fiberglass laminations and is a real bugger to repair. There are so many boats available to start sailing today that I would pass this one up. A boat with bad sails would be better as those are easy to find used and are cheap. Ray
 
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Bruce Niederer

Buying a boat needing repairs

My take on buying boats that may need structural repair is this - it's a buyers market out there for used sailboats...keep looking. (unless they're all but giving it away!)
 
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Augie Byllott

Soft deck

Spend your time sailing or fixing. Your choice. Some folks figure that if the price is right, they'll sacrifice one for the other.
 
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