New owner looking for some opinions

[aaa_jay]

Hello,
I have recently had a survey completed on a 1987 Catalina 30 Tall Rig sailed only on the Great Lakes. The surveyor said it was in average condition but there are some things that I'm just not sure about. I was hoping you might be able to provide me some opinions. I'd be looking to keep the boat on Lake Ontario with weekend cruising being the primary type of sailing.

Here are some of the comments.
1. Exterior Hull- Bottom paint in good condition. Keel/Hull Joint is visible at leading edge of keel with a 7" horizontal crack on starboard and 6" crack on port (Catalina smile). Moisture meter readings were dry (Used GRP 33). 7" huorizontal scratch in FRP below rubrail on beam, above this area on deck, a 14" crack in toerail at stanchion base. ***This seemed to be the surveyors top priority for me to get fixed and estimated between $700-900. Thoughts?


2. Deck *This is my biggest concern* - All except bow area registered wet with moisture meter- 52" x 7", 38"x8" area along toe rail on port beam, 22"x7" area on bow, 32"x8" area along toerail on stbd beam. Both sides from fwd stanchion gate posts to cabin house at bow and 80" of cockpit sole registered wet. Crazing sighted throughout deck area mainly at toerail. Two 1" chips in gelcoat in fwd bow and 2"x11" vertical chip in starboard cockpit.

3. Interior port bulkhead has 12" x 2" horizontal strip at bottom that is rotted .

4. Chainplates- Possible signs of water infiltration at stbd bulkhead where chainplate washers appear to have slipped upwards.

5. Main companionway is sliding FRP material with bare and worn wood hatch boards, FRP below main hatch is cracked and swelled and appears to have flaking petrified wood flaking out of the crack.


As a new potential boat owner, this kind of snag list has me kind of concerned, specifically the water infiltration and softness on the deck. Am I overreacting to this survey or are these genuine causes for concern? If you have dealt with any or all of these problems, I would be very grateful for your insight.

Thanks so much,

Jason

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Jason
The keel separation is common to Catalinas and to be expected to need repair with all of them. The rot in the deck core can be both expensive and time consuming to repair and the bulkhead rot can be a structural problem equally expensive if done correctly. Chainplate washers don't "slip" unless there is a reason indicating even more potential for costly repairs.

Each of these issues is an indication of the neglect with which the current owner maintained his boat. Combined, it's apparent this boat has not been taken care of. My opinion is there are too many sound boats for sale to risk the farm on this one.

 

[DanM]

Jason,

The starboard chainplate is attached to a plywood bulkhead and in fact it can work up and down, essentially making grooves in the plywood. It would appear this is what is being described by your surveyor. I had the same issue. If that were the only issue, and having done the repair myself, I wouldn't be that turned off by it if the price were right. Here's a link to my repair if you are interested in what you might be getting into.. https://picasaweb.google.com/danlmetzler/StarboardBulkheadRepair

The starboard bulkhead rot would be a more difficult repair in that you probably can't find a new piece of plywood wide enough for the repair which will neccessitate some fairly advanced woodworking skills.

You didn't mention any rot in the compression block, but this is fairly common in this vintage of boats and is a pretty major undertaking to repair, with all the other water issues on this boat is it possible the surveyor missed this? https://picasaweb.google.com/danlmetzler/MastCompressionBlockRepair

If I had it to do over again I would have bought a boat with less problems (a newer boat really) but, that being said, I enjoy working on it so it hasn't been a problem, just more work than I thought I was getting into when I bought the boat.

Really it comes down to the price of the boat and how much work do you want to do?

Good luck!

DanM.

 

[aaa_jay]

Thanks so much Dan and Don. I'm kind of thnking along the same lines that it might be better to buy a sounder boat because we'd be looking at paying around the mid-20s for it plus transport. There are some very nice features on the boat that have me tempted but I don't want to buy something that's going to cost me a fortune to get it on the water. Maybe if we could negotiate it down to the teens it would make some more sense....

 

[shipwreck66]

Pass on it. There are too many nice ones out there.

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Jason,

Beware of what a broker may call a "fixer-upper".
I will bet from your post, and backing from the guys here, said boat was poorly handled. Some of the fixes will be costly. If there are alot of moisture problems with deck etc., I would look elsewhere.
it also sounds as if the toerail damage was from some collision (piling, boat etc.)

A well cared for boat of this year should not have all the water-intrusion problems as this.

The seller needs you more than you need him. From past experience in buying a fixer-upper, I feel you need not take this on. You will pay a little more for a better boat, but believe me, it will be worth it pal..

CR

 

[BillyK]

Pass on it. There are too many nice ones out there.

There are certainly no shortage of rotten eggs out there.. I spent two years looking at just 30's.. Saw all sorts of neglect in the price range I was looking in.. I finally found one that I inspected out the wazzoo had the boat yard look at a few things and had a full survey. And we all missed a rotten compression block due to essentially a cosmetic repair.. She is a solid vessel otherwise with a strong well maintained engine..

This egg might be a little too rotten for you.. If there are multiple issues like this that you see, there are surly others that you don't see..

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Bill,

Good call pal.....

CR

 

[Team118]

Jason;

If I had to do it all over, I would spend the extra money and buy a newer boat with fewer problems.

I've had fun, but a fixer-upper is never as simple as the broker or your mind make it out to be! I can see though that it is going to be very tempting to go after this boat because it is a Tall Rig with some nice user ammenities.

The rot and bulkhead issues will be a lot of work. A LOT!

Doable, but time demanding.

There are tons of Catalina 30's in area and the boat is perfect for Lake Ontario.

Good luck
Chris

 

[aaa_jay]

Thanks for all of your input guys. Its been very helpful

 

[LuzSD]

Just reading this and wonder what kind of deal must they be offering because we have a 1988 and it had no issues. There have to be so many great boat available to you I am wondering why you'd be attracted to this one....... keep moving! Your boat is just WAITING for you to find her.

 

[aaa_jay]

I decided to pass on it. Thanks for all of your replies .

 

[LuzSD]

Bravo !

 

[BillyK]

Bravo !

Agree

 

[gpd955]

Keep us posted on your search, regardless of what you decide to buy. We all love to boat shop...even if it is vicariously!