I had a TPI 42. Very similar...but I didnt have that box..never noticed it before...? The reputation is good....I think due to vacuum molding done by TPI. My 42 was 8 years old when I
sold it. It never had one blister of any size. I cant remember if the bottom was all solid or not...seems like I was told it was. These boats do not seem to have any water/ balsa intrusion problems...
but look for things previous owners may have done that would let that happen. They are a little deeper
draft than one would prefer in a cat. The 42 has the
water tanks in the keels. The
boat carries a load exceedingly well and was still faster than any of my mono's up to 47 feet. I was very happy with my boat except:
* I wasnt happy with the
Yanmar engines, but that wasnt TPI's fault.
* The ceiling material/vinyl is backed with 1/8" foam. The heat destroys the foam in a few years and it is a terrible mess to remove...foam powder everywhere.!
* The seacocks were in solid glass. How do I know? The plastic Marelon Seacocks freeze up and the shaft or handle breaks off when you try to move them. I had to chisel the bad ones out one chunk at a time (that plastic/glass composite is STRONG...too bad the shaft and handles arent!)
I often thought I could have done fine with the 37 instead of the 42.