Buying a fiberglass boat that has had major structural repair.

[charliehows]

Be patient.
if it doesnt feel right for you, move on. When you come across something that you really think is good, thats when to start looking real closely - I'm not saying a perfect boat, just trust your instincts and dont waste too much time agonizing over the ones that dont feel right from the start.

[mrohr]

Years back I passed on a lovely Frers ketch named Sapphire, lots good stuff and wonderfully finished but significant damage to chain plate area of main mast.Very attractive price too,but thereby lost my only chance to become a contender at the yacht club bar.I had once before went down the repair road and learned some hard lessons.
Why repeat previous mistakes when there are so many new ones waiting for the unwary?

[model 10]

One moral in this, from a seller's point of view, would be to not say anything about damage history. It does not seem to matter if the repair was done correctly or not. You spend $80k for a repair and then take it in the shorts because no one believes you that the repair was done correctly. Metal, fiberglass wood, they can all be repaired to as good or better than new but yet the workers are distrusted and thought as incompetent to do a good job. I think this is a case of some buyers and a some boat owners not knowing much of anything execpt how to make enough dough to buy a boat that someone else tells them is ok.

[gunnado]

Guy, I agree with you that buyers do generally not understand the difference between a good and a bad repair (me included). the reality is it could be either one, and unless you are a professional (your post sounds like you could be) then it's fair to say that buyers judgement could be wrong, and they stand to loose (maybe 80k) if they want that boat in seaworthy condition.

If the seller had photos of the repair in each stage, the buyer could give this to a professional for an educated decision, and then you could make a claim that the boat is better engineered than from the factory.

With evidence of a stronger than factory engineering (repair) and honesty (with warranty) I would buy it!

Maybe professionals on this forum could provide a criteria of information that could be provided to buyers anyone wanted to sell a boat after a major $$$$ repair?