450: Buying a boat that's been grounded?

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Olddave

I've been there and done that. They are only going to show you what they want to. You need to get in there with an experienced eye and have a good look.
Dave

Arrange a time with the broker for him to show up with his cell phone and a video calling app (face time, whatapp, Skype).

Have him give you a live video tour of the boat and you can tell him to show you all the bulkheads and anything else you want to see. It's cheap and easy. If the broker refuses, assume there is a problem but a lot harder to hide stuff if you are directing the video.

[Adrenaline]

A real good idea is to see the repair bill that discribes what was done to repair. That will at least give you an idea how bad the damage was and how they fixed.

[Millerslocal]

Thanks so much for the continued input - I have sent an email off to the broker requesting before/after photo's, copy of insurance claim and repair bill.

Based on response will then find someone to do the video call for an "inspection" (Given that I wouldn't be able to identify anything but the most obvious damage!)

Really good idea's as to how to get a clearer idea before spending money on a surveyor. Thanks again.

[Scottster]

Not all groundings are bad


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Millerslocal]

Have some shots of the rudder and keel damage. But no response regarding the insurance claim or repair bill as yet.

[seahag]

Odd. If I were the broker I wouldn't send those photos without great backup along with it- photos of repairs, itemized bills, testimonial by someone acknowledging the repair is solid, etc. (the photos seem to prove a hard hit probably with some speed, though I'm no expert on this)

[Suijin]

That must have been some might sharp sand lol. That or it sat for a good long while before it got pulled off.

On the bow shot, the crack above the obvious damage would indicate a structural failure in the hull glass. That is NOT from hitting some sand. All that is going to have to be ground back to good glass, up farther than you think. Not an insignificant repair.

Looks to me like the rudder damage at the top is from the chain.

I would inspect the rudder post, sleeve, bearings, steering etc. VERY carefully. That is what I would be most concerned about. From the hull and rudder bottom damage either it was grounded on something harder than sand or it was aground for an extended period. Either one is going to put lateral stress on the rudder system in a way that it was not designed for, to say the least.

One word of caution; if it is sold as is, you can get a good estimate of repair and negotiate with that. I would NOT under any circumstances buy the boat if the current owner is going to repair it first. That's a recipe for a poor repair as the owner is obviously incented to have it done as cheaply as possible.

[Adrenaline]

That's not all that bad to fix by someone that knows what they are doing. Biggest issue to me is making sure everything was dried out and no moisture left inside when they did the glass repair. Unfortunately even the good guys sometimes don't insure all moisture inside is gone before repairing it. ( I've asked a few glass guys if they had a moisture meter and no one never does ) I believe everyone who owns a cruising fiberglass boat should have a moisture meter but they don't work through bottom paint..

[captainjay]

Some back ground I work in the charter industry. There will not be an insurance claim for this it simply didn't cost enough money for an insurance claim. This just isn't that big a deal. A simple inspection of the rudder bearings and the hull around the rudder tube will show if it was repaired correctly. You already stated that they replaced the rudder. If your interested in the boat then make sure your surveyor knows about it and let him inspect it.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by Millerslocal

Thanks all for the insight and advice. We will certainly continue to keep the boat on our shortlist and may well proceed with a survey. If we do will report back on findings.

I would say the selling price is possibly accounting for this as it seems competitive for the spec's and model year.

A survey is a must in this case. Either by a paid proffesional or by yourself if you know what to look for.
If the rudder suffered a trauma you would want to check the whole of the steering mechanism. Chains, quadrant, rudder post tube, hydraulic rams etc.