What to Look Out For in a Used Sailboat?

[Scott Freeberg]

Hi, I'm a newbie to keelboat sailing, but have 20 some years in catamaran sailing and racing. What are the things I should be looking out for when considering an older used Hunter? I've been enjoying using the boat specs and owner feedback sections of this website to become familar with the boats. At first blush, a 28 or 28.5 has all the features I'm looking for so I've been studying that model. What are the big problems that one might encounter with a used 27 - 29 foot Hunter in the 85 - 92 range? Should I expect the hull to be shot or blistered or leaking or weak or what? Does the gel coat need to be reapplied or do people just paint over it? What about the rigging. Does all the rigging need replacement when the boat is this old? I'm sure if the boat is saltwater sailed, the life of the rigging is decreased.What about the diesel motor. Is that generally a problem area with used boats? How many hours before the motor is considered unreliable?I read alot of complaints about ports and other things leaking. Is this due to the window wearing out, deteriorating seals, or a crappy port to begin with?Generally is the head shot by now and in need of replacement? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,Scott in White Bear Lake Minnesota

 

[Ken Sturgill]

Used Can Be A Value

Scott, a used boat can sometimes be the best value. I just sold a 79 San Juan 28', The guy that had her before me put ton's of work into the boat over the years. She had autohelm, heater, GPS and other improvements that would have cost me 1000's if i'd put them in myself. The guy even rewired the boat right, and kept a great repair log for everything. My only task was to keep up his good work. First you need to look around, blistering can be a problem in any boat, but now the thought is to live with them unless very bad. My old SJ 28' had a few (12 or less) but very small in size, everytime I halled out I fixed them. General fiberglass condition is important, cracking can be signs of problems, around stress areas. If you find lots on the deck and near stays thats a sign the boats been sailed hard or a poor layup. Leaks are very bad, delamination can result and can cost$$$$. Look for a boat that has been maintained well over the years, rebedding the ports, stantions, stays needs to be done about ever 5 or so years. Look for water stains on the head liner and teak in the cabin, this is a sign of leaking and is not good. Structure, is very important, while shoping for a boat some years back I pulled up the floor boards. I found that the frameing around the bilge just around the keel was broken, the mast also met in the same area. I knew the boat had, had a hard grounding or hit something with the mast. Something to stay away from. Also check the bulkheads it they look bad it's not a good sign. Last of all the power plant. Desiels can last almost forever if maintained, 600-800 hours on a desiel can be doubled easly.  Most important, if you've screened out the boat you want have it surveyed, by a good surveyer. Go with a surveyer recomended by others, (not the seller) and get the engine looked over by a qulified mechanic. Life is too short not to be out on the water, by shopping around you can find the right deal, and looking carefully can save yourself time and money in the end. My skill level is high and I can get most equipment at cost so I can fix alot, but if you can't do that at $65+ and hour for any boat repair time can help you decide fast.Good luck!

 

[Steve W.]

the 28.5 could be a good choice...

new enough to have most of Hunter's problems worked through by the previous owners, yet new enough to have some nice features. I always liked the 28.5 because of the generous beam, traditional rigging, a strong metal toerail for bumping pilings, plenty of room below and a "T" shaped cockpit. In warm Florida waters the mid-80's Hunters had some blistering problems, but so did most other brands of boats, including Valiant. Well maintained small diesels should have a life of 3000-4000 hours, the key is using them, maintaining good fuel quality and keeping the pil changed. Low hours could mean the engine rarely got hot enough to burn off the contaminants in the oil. Port and deck leaks are common to most boats, so plan on chasing leaks as long as you own a boat. Heads can be rebuilt for the price of a simple to install rebuild kit, about $60.00 Find a boat you like, get a survey and enjoy it.

 

[Jack]

28.5

I have some prejudice but a freshwater 28.5 has no known manufacturing defects that run through the series as near as I can tell from reading this and other threads. It is a big boat for the money. A similar Catalina would be about 10K more since they a later boat. The 28.5 competed against the Cat 27 which is considerably smaller. The rigging of a freswater boat should be fine. The yanmar is a great engine and matches well to the boat. It sails very nice and is nicely equipped. The biggest cddownside is that the head is too small. It will sleep four pretty comfortably.Good luck in your search.