Stress Cracks on the deck of a 272

[phagialas]

I'm looking to purchase a 1988 O'Day 272 LE. It has some stress cracks about a foot away from the mast as well as one or two right by the mast. The surveyor said that the deck was reading wet on his moisture meter however the deck was firm and not soft or spongy. Also, the port side of the deck walkway was reading wet but the deck was not spongy or soft. Not sure where or how she got these stress cracks but was wondering if anyone else that owned a late 1980's model O'Day might have the same issues. Surveyor does not believe that these cracks were due to collision and that the moisture on the port walkway might be due to faultly maintained stanchion. Does anyone think this boat is still worth buying?

 

[tedsbeds]

Stress cracks can be quite common. If there is moisture in the decks the repeated freezing and thawing that occurs every winter causes the deck laminates to flex. If the area is still solid and you make the deck water tight by repairing the cracks and recaulking all fasteners you should be able to sqail it for awhile. Whether it is worth buying I can't say. That boat sells between $3000-$12000 depending on condition.
Take the purchase price and add what it would cost to have a boat yard fix the moisture issue $1200-$3000 and then look at the price of a boat without that problem.
I had a syrveyer tell me that most boat over 20 years of age are going to have high moisture readings. The real issue is delamination and sponginess.

 

[phagialas]

Thank you very much for the information. Unfortunately there aren't many 272LE available for sale locally. the surveyor is coming up with a valuation of the boat with the stress cracks in place. I'm guessing that if there isn't softeness or spongeness on the decks that it should be good to sail for a while as you mentioned. Thanks again.