Catalina 27

[inishowen]

Hello everyone,

It has been a few months since my last post, but as the boating season looms in the not-terribly-distant future, we are resuming the search for our first boat.

Last weekend we looked at a (1974) Catalina 27. When the boat's original owner died, the son inherited it and apparently let it sit on the hard on stilts in the marina for ten years. Two years ago, the current owners bought it and fixed it up - the interior teak has been refinished, it has new cushions/curtains, etc. They now have a newer boat, so they're selling this one. The standing rigging on looks good, the running rigging and main sail were replaced two years ago and have had little use.

They had the boat listed in 2006 for around $4600. During the past year or so, the boat took on some rain water through the hatch above the V-berth, and this did a bit minor damage to the interior - the galley surface is a little warped, etc. The same water problem rusted the inboard engine, and for this reason, the new owners converted to an outboard (Mercury 9.9) Because of these problems, the owner dropped the asking price to just under $2K. In spite of the interior water leak problem, the boat does not smell of mold or mildew, and I am extremely sensitive to these due to allergies. It is clean.

Aside from the above-mentioned interior water damage and a bit of cracking in the gelcoat in the corners of the cabin roof on the inside, we don't see any major problems. There is no crazing or cracks where the rigging attaches to the boat, either on the topside or in the cabin. There is no softness on top, and it doesn't even have the proverbial "Catalina smile" at the keel. There are no indications of any hard grounding on the hull.

Do any of you folks have any advice? My husband and I have pretty much settled on buying this boat. We do not want to pay for an expensive survey, and we know that we will have to put some money into this boat. She looks like a lightly used boat. This will be our first boat, one that we'll learn on and take on day sails on the Chesapeake.

What do ya'll think? (Thank you in advance for any comments.)