Looking at 30' Coronado

[Joe Simmons]

I want to become a liveaboard.

Today, while in Deltaville, I came across a 30' Coronado. I am having trouble finding info on this boat. It had a well in the cockpit for an outboard.
The guy at the marina said he thinks it is an 1982, but isn't sure.

It was on the hard and we didn't get to see inside today. This is an abandoned boat, one of many sitting in the yard. I get the feeling this guy wants to clear out some of the stuff the old owner of the marina has all over.

What do you know about this boat?? How is the keel attached? There seems to be a line down both sides of the keel where the fiberglass needs to be repaired. There is also a line of rust in this same spot. Is this something that can be fixed simply by patching the fiberglass with resin?

I would prefer a turnkey boat, but I'm on a small budget. I think I might be able to get this boat for almost nothing, especially if I agree to give this guy the business of repairing it to float-able and bare necessities livable. I can do minor stuff myself once I'm already aboard.

All info on this boat is appreciated. What is the construction method, and what should I be looking out for?? What about this keel?

[Joe Simmons]

Surprised nobody has any help for someone looking to jump into the lifestyle.

[marc2012]

Welcome to cf,can not help with coronado boat though.Did you goggle it?marc

[Adelie]

Check this link out (CORONADO 30 Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com) to see if the boat looks like the line drawing. If the boat you saw really is a 1982 then it's not a Coronado which went out of business in 1976.

It could be a Columbia 30 (COLUMBIA 30 Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com) since Columbia and Coronado shared a parent company for a while, some hull designs were shared though decks and interiors were changed. Columbia was in business til 1982.

Do you have a picture of the boat?

[Pete7]

Joe hi and welcome to CF. In addition to photos of the yacht, take one of the keel and that rust mark.

I suspect you have a GRP yacht and cast iron keel and the line you can see is the join covered in layers of antifoul paint no doubt, just as ours are (we have two keels).

Normally the join just requires routine maintenance, of scraping out and drying then filling back in with sealant and painting over the top. Keeping the iron keels covered in several layers of good paint keeps any problems to a minimum.

Pete

[chadlaroche]

Just picked up a 35' Coronado myself and your right the info is pretty slim out there but is out there if you look . I doubt its an 82 version but may still be carrying the name plate . Coronado was bought out in the 70s and the hull is a columbia mold replica. Last year of production was 76 for the 35 only. If its 30' ,last year was 73. 8500lb boat. very well built ,Bill Tripp design.
Now when I say well built I mean its stronger and thicker then any boat you can buy new to day. Different models have balsa core below the waterline and you want to pay attention to that and look for delamination in the usual areas. Mine had it in the rudder shaft. The keel is a bolted on iron variety. the seem you has needs to be ground open ,rust out and let to dry and then resealed with epoxy. Inside youll find 6 bolts through a "c" of steel that fo directly into the keel. Most likely need to be replaced.No real way of telling what condition they are in. Other then that ,your standard older boat items all need to be addressed

Coronado Sailboat History

General google search coronado yachts

chad

[Joe Simmons]

Good info. I'll get some photos end of the week.

[gardnerm]

Coronado sold out to Catalina in 73. I had a 70 30 ft if that helps, ask away!

[Cheechako]

The Coronado's wernt bad built boats.... for what they are anyway. You might likely want to have the keel removed and rebedded and the bolts inspected. Unfortunately that will cost a lot more than a boat like that. Basically that's a free boat plus the value of the aluminum scrap. The Coronado 25 was the first boat ever built by Catalina if I remember right; I know this one is 30 though.. If you just want to live aboard at the dock, then you might not have to worry about the keel falling off I suppose..... This is one of the issues with a lot of the older boats nowdays. Many were built with bolt on keels and these boats are 30-40 years old. They are worth maybe a couple thousand on a good day, but the keel repair is more than that! I've been very lucky... had 8 boats 21-47 feet and never had one with a bolt on keel!

[kaimusailing]

If it is a 70's Coronado, look out for rudder shaft corrosion, chain plate corrosion, damage to the keel from iron ballast swelling. The decks were glass with inner glass liners and some plywood backing pieces in between. It works pretty well with none of the balsa histrionics, but still can have strange leaks that have water migrating from somewhere else. The hulls are generally more solid than modern glass. They are classic plastic.