What should I look for in a Capri 22?

[mosesoperandi]

Hello all, I’m a pretty new sailor interested in buying a Capri 22 to race in a small one design fleet in Minnesota. Planning to look at a 96 model for under $6k.

I believe it has been on Superior most of its life, original sails. Some small updates. At that price, I know I’ll need to do maintenance and probably buy lots of expensive things to make it competitive, starting with sails, but first I need to buy the boat.

wing keel, standard rig, 5 hp Honda, older working trailer

What should I look for? What’s good to see, what’s bad? Should I get a marine survey? Or just have an old sea dog come with me and look for warning signs?

thanks in advance!

 

[...3TacksontheWater]

Well, by now I hope that you have viewed a lot of online videos on what to look for. These videos don’t necessarily need to be model specific. A sailboat is a boat, is a boat etc. If you have a friend that's bought a few used boats and refurbished them, that would be excellent. A 1996 boat that's been in freshwater and cared for should not be a basket case. That will show when you see her. At her age, unless the rigging has been recently replaced, that should go to the top of your list along with new sails (if needed) and maybe, rebedding the deck hardware and replacing the sheets and lines if they are in poor shape. I'm saying this only because I have a 1988 New Design and the shrouds on her were sealed with silicone as opposed to Maine Grade Butyl Tape. You should be prepared to clean and re-lubricate the winches. Regarding the Hull, check for obvious damage, cracks and chips. Minor dings can easily be fixed. Check on YouTube to see how to use a rubber mallet to sound out the deck and hull for soft spots and possible future repairs or, red flags to steer you away.

Regarding the trailer, its condition will tell you a lot about how the boat's been cared for. As a matter of course, the bearings should be inspected and at the least, repacked and possibly, the tires replaced. It will be up to you to determine if repainting and bunk board and carpeting needs to be accomplished. I hope this helps.

George