Gettin real, First offer on a boat.

[Bob Morane]

Hello everybody !

After 4 years of lurking/reading the forum, posting here and there, and 4 years of saving 80% of my income, I have finally put an offer on a boat.
Offer has been accepted, deposit sent and we're moving onto the next part which is sea trial + haulout.

She's a Beneteau First 38 from 1984, 3 cabins layout.

https://www.youboat.com/fr/d/voilier...tennial/180713

I only had a short time for the first visit because I had a plane to catch but the boat looked rather clean and well maintained for a 35 years old lady.

Does anybody have experience on this model and what to look for specifically for the longer inspection/sea trial/haul out ?

Looks like the keel is iron on this model. Owner changed most keel bolts recently. A quick search doesn't return much on the topic. Could that be a problem ?

All 3 sails are on furlers, which I consider a plus, as I will be doing a lot of single-handling and do not intend to race.

Perkins 4108 has 3900 hours but was purring nicely and steadily, clean oil, good water flow and no smoke. That was only about 10 min on Idle thought as the weather didn't allow too much that day.

Liners on both the aft cabins are on the way out. Is that a big job on these boats ?

There are also a few spider cracks here and there in the cockpit, would that be hard to fix ? Does water usually go through the spider crack ?

I'd appreciate any input of the model as well as the boat itself.
Thanks a lot.

Bob,
Excited to go from Wannabee to Newbee.

[odonnellryan]

Like any boat you will want to verify the steering systems including rudder, running and standing rigging, electrical, any added systems such as heaters, AC, etc..

We're the keel bolts replaced or the nuts? Bolts are a serious job indicating something serious required it to be done... Previous bolts rusted out?

[Cheechako]

Those old Bene's are built really stout unlike the modern ones.
Is the aft cabin liner fabric? It's messy but replaceable if that's the case. Often it's thin foam backed material and the foam breaks down and crumbles...

[Bob Morane]

Originally Posted by odonnellryan

Like any boat you will want to verify the steering systems including rudder, running and standing rigging, electrical, any added systems such as heaters, AC, etc..

We're the keel bolts replaced or the nuts? Bolts are a serious job indicating something serious required it to be done... Previous bolts rusted out?

Not sure, I lifted all the panels in the saloon, they replaced 9 bolts and left 3 of the old ones in place. I gotta say tho, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to access the bilges all along the boat.

I will definitely have a good look at the keel/hull seam and the alignment of the keel.

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Those old Bene's are built really stout unlike the modern ones.
Is the aft cabin liner fabric? It's messy but replaceable if that's the case. Often it's thin foam backed material and the foam breaks down and crumbles...

Yes it's a kind of fabric but the bonding has given up in places resulting in a bit of sagging. Nothing crazy but something I would fix along the way.

[nortonscove]

Beautiful boat. Almost bought one very similar but ended up with a mid - nineties 400 instead. This age has vastly better interior material when compared with newer. The past owner of my boat has told me he misses the interior over the 2008 Beneteau 40 that he has now. Don't think it's unusual to replace the keel bolts at this age. If you are going to pull them it isn't a major cost to replace them. Same work for more peace of mind.

[Paul Kelly]

I had a 1988 Beneteau First 285 for 10 years and although much smaller than what you are about to purchase it had some of the same interior styling and issues. They are nice boats and were well built at that time.

I had to replace all the headlining in all the 3 cabins and the heads over the years. I got a professional in to do it. It was a messy job as the backing foam disintegrates over time turning into dust and mess.

The biggest problem was the headlining in the saloon where on my 285 it was tucked under the wooden rails and handholds that run along the sides of the saloon. That meant removing these wooden strips which was really difficult – some screws just wouldn’t come out. Refitting them tightly was also difficult. The other cabins didn’t have this problem. I was able to do cabin by cabin over 3 – 5 year period. I reckoned the heads which was done first, was about ready to be re-done when I sold the boat!

I would reduce your offer by €1,000 - €1,500 to allow for re-headlining. It may cost even more.

[gmakhs]

This is a quite neglected first 38 but a nice boat .
The headliner is bad on all first and it's a mess to replace but it's doable .
Make sure the extra for stay is backed up well (running backstays or it works as a silent stay .
Survey the rest of the boat .

Now checking the bilge picture , the keelbolts should not be painted , they are galvanized so it's better to just cover then with some grease .

Beneteaus first are strong , fast , and easy to handle boats and have few to none construction error .

Mine is a beneteau 26 similar grid to support the hull as the 38 , with the only difference the 26 has fiberglass bulkheads (maybe the same on the 38nbut I haven't check)

Hairline cracks are a pain in the ass to fix and they gonna appear on another places boats of that era have too thick gelcoat so it's brittle.


PS : mine 26 is circumnavigating and it feels safe , yours will be the same (even better )

[Tillerjockey]

You're doing all the right things. See what the survey and sea trial uncover, then make your decisions from there. If you still want the boat you can reduce your offer price to cover any issues that you find in the survey. I highly recommend going with the surveyor on both the survey and the sea trial. You'll learn a lot about your new to you boat.

[dakno]

Wow, she is a beautiful boat. Early Bene are known for headliner failure, no big deal. Lots of hours on engine but if well maintained it could be only at half life. Price is amazing, sails look good from what I can see. At that price you could spend 15k US and be still under appraisal . Hard to figure how you could loose is this situation. Go for it if no damage history. How long has it been on the market?
Good luck.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Bob Morane

.....Owner changed most keel bolts recently.....

I would think that to change/replace the keel bolts the keel would need to be dropped. A BIG job. So why wouldn't they replace ALL the keel bolts if they were going to all that trouble? Perhaps this is one of those times where they say "bolt" but mean "nut"? And they didn't replace the ones that wouldn't budge...or maybe they didn't replace the ones they couldn't reach?

[robert sailor]

Those Beni first 38’s have sailed around the world and were very well built unfortunately the interior headliners are a pain to replace but it can be done very tasteful if you have the time. The series started with the 456 and went down to the 38 and anybody that knows their boats knows anyone of these models were true offshore racers and a stout go anywhere boat BUT they are far from new so you need a real good survey to ensure you have a jewel and not a crap project boat. They are great sailors and if you find a good one they make a fine offshore passage maker.

[Bob Morane]

For the aft cabins liner, Am I right to assume I am looking at mild expenses but a lot of elbow grease ?
I will have about 4-5 months this year to work on the boat full time, so elbow grease and time are less an issue than expenses.

I have asked about the keel bolts, waiting on the answer.
I'm back in Oz and will go back for the sea trial and inspection in 4 weeks time.

Thanks everybody for the input on the First 38 model, this is reassuring as a sailboat neophyte.

[odonnellryan]

Originally Posted by Bob Morane

For the aft cabins liner, Am I right to assume I am looking at mild expenses but a lot of elbow grease ?
I will have about 4-5 months this year to work on the boat full time, so elbow grease and time are less an issue than expenses.

I have asked about the keel bolts, waiting on the answer.
I'm back in Oz and will go back for the sea trial and inspection in 4 weeks time.

Thanks everybody for the input on the First 38 model, this is reassuring as a sailboat neophyte.

Remember, everything is negotiable.