Niagara 35 purchase

[Jon Elliott]

Hello everyone. I’m in the early process of purchasing a 1983 Niagara 35 and looking for anyone with experience I can bounce a couple questions off of.

First, any suggested areas of focus I should look at in terns of known or persistent failures?

Second, the boats been neglected and sitting in a slip for over a year. It’s quite dry inside but a little less than an inch of water in the bilge. Is this normal or concerning?
Thank you in advance for any advice or helpful comments. Feel free to direct message me if it’s helpful.

 

[SFS]

A survey by a recommended professional is usually worth the cost, and is often required by an insurance company, if you plan to buy hull coverage. If you post the boat's approximate location, you might get some recommendations for a good local surveyor.

As to the water in the bilge, knowing if it is fresh water versus saltwater would help answer the question. If the boat hasn't been used at all for some time, that will help narrow it down a bit, as it eliminates A/C drainages, etc. If the water in the bilge is fresh, then the first thing I would check is the level in the water tank(s). If the tanks are near empty, it could be from a leaking tank. Get the bilge empty and dry, then fill the water tanks, and check the bilge tomorrow (while hoping it doesn't rain).

It took us a long time to realize that our 35-year-old fiberglass water tank was actually cracked, and leaking slowly, but continuously. We chased a lot of non-existent leaks that first year, wondering why there was always half an inch of water in the bilge.

 

[Jon Elliott]

Thank you for the reply and yes, we’ve located a surveyor in the area. I’m not sure if it’s salt water or fresh in the bilge but it’s sitting in a brackish river at the moment. I’ll revisit the boat to check, that’s an excellent point you make about possible origins. I’ll just make drying it out a part of the survey. The Owners haven’t been on her in a year so she needs cleaning but mechanically seems sound. Really appreciate the quick response.

 

[SFS]

Good luck. It's an exciting and stressful endeavor, but worth it once she's yours. Keep us updated, and welcome to the site.

 

[dlochner]

The Niagara 35 is a nice boat, it was on the short list when we were looking for a boat in the ~36 ft range.

An inch of water is not a big deal, especially if the the mast is keel stepped. Water always comes down the mast through all the openings. Most bilge pumps will always leave a little water in the bilge because of their design.

The only negative I've heard is a common issue with boats of this vintage, deck core issues. Otherwise they are well built boats, not the fastest on the water but with a decent turn of speed for a boat designed for cruising.

Hinterhoeler was one of the best builders in the Toronto/Hamilton area. This area was a hot spot in the 70s and 80s for Canadian boat builders, C&C, Nonsuch, Canadian Sailcraft (CS) and several other builders were active until the late 80s when the many US and Canadian boat builders were done in by the economy and poorly thought out taxation policies.

You might find reviews of the Niagara 35 in Good Old Boat magazine, Sailing, and Practical Sailor.

The new engine is a real plus on the boat.

 

[JohnShannon]

Salt water in the bilge, could be the holding tank.

 

[Jon Elliott]

Thank you, I’ll put that on the list to consider as we dig into it. It’s not a lot of water abs the powers been off the boat for a while so it’s not a huge amount coming in.