Some advice on a surveyors report...

[hamburking]

I had some rotton deck core on my past boat, a Pearson30. It bugged me to no end, but did not stop me from enjoying the boat.

OK...so there's some bad deck. That should drop the price a lot. A LOT. Who else is going to buy it? Nobody wants to buy a boat with deck rot. If its cheap enough though, you can sail it as is, just be sure to fix it before it gets structural, or spreads.

[hamburking]

Assume the worst, get a rough quote for repair....TRIPLE IT and deduct from the current price. You may find this creates a negative price, which would be accurate, IMHO.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Terminus

This is also my first post.

I was about to buy a boat in Florida (I decline to mention what brand and where it is/who is selling with all respect.)

The surveyors report is from Aug 2016. It scared the original buyer for whom the report was conducted badly enough that they changed their mind.

Along I come in October, the worst deficiencies in the report have been repaired and although the condition of the boat is generally good a lot of the navigational and communications equipment (no ssb, vhf non-op, etc.) is not operating.

There is no Radar, or AIS included.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with my request for your advice.

This is the part that bothers me in the report:

"The molded components, ceilings, tankage, linings and joinery precluded full inspection of the
hull and deck interior and hull/deck joint. The deck and cabin surfaces were examined. Surfaces
were found in poor condition, and the gelcoat exhibited cosmetic type crazing and wear. The decks
were sounded with a hammer and tested with a moisture meter for comparative purposes. No
significant flexing/movement was detected; however hammer sounding returned a dull report along
the starboard side deck outboard of the cockpit extending aft around the deck fill fittings, consistent
with deterioration of the core material in this area. Elevated moisture meter readings were detected
in the above listed area of the starboard side deck and in the foredeck."

I have seen what it takes to rebuild a rotten deck and I am neither financially able to take that on so soon after purchasing a boat, nor do I have the expertise to do it myself. I do not have the time to do it as I am still working full time.

The boat is a 41' ketch, fiberglass in excellent cosmetic condition inside and has a new generator and an a main engine with high hours. The boat's appraised value is $41K and I was able to obtain it for $33K

Should I find a better boat? Is there any other reason that could exist to mislead the surveyor on the condition of the deck?

I know they said when a boat is just pulled that moisture readings can be inaccurate but the survey report seems to indicate it is rot.

I certainly don't expect perfection in a used boat at that price but I don't think I should accept buying a boat with a rotten deck unless there is an understanding that it has to be done up front. I am not able to tackle such a job right now.

Thanks

PS I am looking forward to becoming a full time cruiser, even if I have to work at a land job 5-days a week until I don't have to. I am late 50s so I am just about ready to change my entire life and I am only so disappointed with myself for not having the sense to have done it much sooner.

It sounds like you have already made up your mind. From what the survey said I would walk. JMHO

[Dave22q]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Assume the worst, get a rough quote for repair....TRIPLE IT and deduct from the current price. You may find this creates a negative price, which would be accurate, IMHO.

I could not say it any better. Run don't walk to the exit. Optimism has no place in evaluating a used boat.

[buzzstar]

Contrary to much of the advice, doesn't it depend on how much the present owner is offering you to take it? I heard no positive information, and a lot of negatives, from the survey alone, and your own commentary suggested there was nothing, absolutely nothing, to recommend paying money for the vessel.

[Elie]

Last yeat I skippered a Morgan OI41 from fort Pierce to Canada. The boat, was purchased by the friend of a friend that had no knowledge of boat or sailing but he dreamed of sunset cruises, poor fellow!. The survey was almost perfect. But in fact it was a real nightmare: Water tanks leaked on the floor, Electrical systems shot: Pumps, mast intruments, engine was overheating, batteries dead, alcool stove dead, etc... But the most serious problem was the deck hull joint that leaked like a fountain in rain.
I took to fix major flaws, replaced batteries, water pumps, the fixed the generator, relaced the ray water pump on the Perkins 4-236, and all in mast equipment and wiring. It was expensive but he would have been impossibly costly to have it fixed with paid labor. Still after all this hard labor and investments, the boat is very bad shape : Decks spongy, hull-deck joint impossible to fix in my opinion. This boat is a pure horror story, and I would only warn you to stay clear of a boat that looks nice and need just a bit of tender care. It can become another terrible mistake. Look elsewhere, for a recent boat, smaller maybe, but in fairly good shape.

[hsi88]

Own boats with squishy decks and boats with solid decks. They sail the same. I do spend time fixing leaks (mast, toe rails, chain plates, vents). The only place I have chosen to repair (in progress) is around the mast step. Not sure why people worry about this on older boats. If its structural and you want some strength somewhere in particular, drill and fill. Otherwise, just leave it. As for cutting out sections, I would be careful with this. The jobs I have seen always looked wavy under a good light. Hard for anyone to match a hard mold for keeping a large area flat and level. Plus, there is no easy way to reproduce molded in textured surfaces.

[TwoLegged]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Assume the worst, get a rough quote for repair....TRIPLE IT and deduct from the current price. You may find this creates a negative price, which would be accurate, IMHO.

As another poster noted, this is excellent advice. I have also applied this logic to houses and to cars, and in several cases the seller or agent has later acknowledged that I was right: the asset was fit only for scrap.

[MitchM]

"Elevated moisture meter readings were detected
in the above listed area of the starboard side deck and in the foredeck."

even 35K off the purchase price would not cause me to want to risk the forestay pulling out of a rotten foredeck. you are looking huge repair cost. run,don't walk away...

[MitchM]

"..Elevated moisture meter readings were detected
in the above listed area of the starboard side deck and in the foredeck..."

even 35K off the purchase price would not cause me to want to risk the forestay pulling out of a rotten foredeck. you are looking huge repair cost. run, don't walk away... this boat is a DIY special and should be reduced in price accordingly.

[valhalla360]

I'm not clear from the description how large of an area are we talking about?

We had an area about 6"X12" on a prior boat that was wet. It wasn't near anything structural. We just checked it annually to see that it wasn't growing and lived with it.

No if it's 6ftX12ft and near structural components, that's a totally different issue.