Looking at a beneteau 35 1980

[jackiemelni]

Hey mates,
Im searching for a sailboat in the caribbean under the range of 30k and a beneteau came up.
Perfect size with 3 cabins and head, have an yanmar with 4,200 hours on it.

Is it too much for the engine? Should i look for a boat with less engine hours? I dont want to do a overall refit for the engine because i know engine life is about in the 5,000 range right?

[boatman61]

Wrong.. if properly maintained it is 10,000hrs plus.
I have bought several boats with those hrs and more that have given no trouble.. bar things like impellor, or an alternator glitch easily fixed.

[jackiemelni]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Wrong.. if properly maintained it is 10,000hrs plus.
I have bought several boats with those hrs and more that have given no trouble.. bar things like impellor, or an alternator glitch easily fixed.

Thank you for the reply! It makes my mind more focused on this boat!
What are the common problems that i would face with this boat?
In the photos looks like it have cracks in the gelcoat around the mast base on top. Something i should check?

[psk125]

Cracks around the mast step on the cabin top indicate possible problems with the compression post beneath it. Look inside the cabin and see if the compression post is being driven into the bilge, or if for some reason is not being supported properly at the bottom. Fixing it may call for unstepping the mast.