Survey report on my new boat

[ozmike]

Hi everyone, we finally did it, put an offer on a yacht we like, it is just what we were looking for around 40', centre cockpit sloop, fibreglass. She's a 1985 38' Chieftan, built by cook bros of NZ for the charter trade.
Got the survey report today, and as I thought it needs a good tidy up but that is reflected in the price we are paying, only thing that worries me are the following comments by the surveyor,

As mentioned in comments above the hull has been subject to a series of moisture blisters over a long period of time. These have been attended to by various methods some of which are adequate and some not.

• The hull still shows with blisters on the port and starboard underwater sections. These need to be ground out and let dry out and then backfilled with epoxy filler and re-faired. Proper barrier paint needs to be applied thereafter.

• Two larger blister sections were found on the port side and two sections on the skeg were sighted. These sounded out as being quite dull and indicate deeper damage than just a surface blister. These will need to be attended to at some time in the future. These sections will probably need to be repaired with fibreglass and epoxy resin after grinding.

Also the following:

• The GRP floor near the mast base is corrugated. The reason for this odd defect has not been determined.


Tidying the interior, wood varnish some sealer here and there I am fine with, but these 2 comments I am not sure about, and would be gratefull of any comments.

[NEWFJLE]

Sounds like Osmosis - which is due to the permeability to water over time of the resins they used in those days. Usually expensive to repair and I am not sure how effective. They usually grind off the whole gelcoat and then use drying machines on the damp areas then re-coat with modern resins. I would guess cost would be 30 - 40k but ring one of the people who specialise in this. The corrugations under the mast sound odd - what did your surveyor make of it ?

[ozmike]

He did not say, that was his only comment, am driving 6 hours up to marina tomorrow for a test sail, what do they normally do on a test sail, what should I expect, the guy doing it is fully qualified and is an instructor who runs a sailing school.

[Karletto]

Originally Posted by ozmike

• The GRP floor near the mast base is corrugated. The reason for this odd defect has not been determined.

water coming from the keel up or mast down

[donradcliffe]

Blisters are pretty much a fact of life in 1983-85 boats, but are not that big a deal as long as there are only a dozen or so each haulout. The smaller ones can be ground out with a 4" angle grinder using a disk sanding pad, then refilled with an epoxy putty. The larger ones may have to be ground deeper, and filled with a layer or two of fiberglass mat wet with epoxy. Its a do-it-yourself chore, which will take less time than sanding the old bottom paint.

If there are more than say 50 blisters, its time to peel and reseal the whole bottom. Don't know what the going rate is in OZ, but for a 38 footer, it might be $4,000 in Phuket, $7,000 in Turkey.

The GRP corrugation near the mast is not normal. Your surveyor should be able to tell you what you should do about it. You might try to ask other Chieftan owners.

[sandy daugherty]

The large delamination areas will be much larger when you start grinding away bad glass. but it is not a difficult repair. I'am also worried about the "corrugated" floor, and its damn unusual for a surveyor to let it go at that. Find out what that is EXACTLY before you write any contract on this boat. It it costs you a boat unit to find out its bad, you will have saved yourself as much as a nest egg and a marriage.

[SilentOption]

I have been surveying boats, and buying boats for many years and I know this much.
Before you go see it and do a test sail you need to give yourself permission to walk away.
Look for other similar boats on the market that are just slightly higher in price. If you buy a boat with structural issues and or water intrusion damage you will end up spending another 10k (conservatively) over time fixing the boat.
Also consider the insurance ramifications. You may think you can spread out the repairs over time so the cost isn't so painful however, you will have to provide the survey to the INS company and they may be making some financial decisions for you. Specifically they may not cover it until the work is done.

Just some thoughts. Good luck. I love that feeling when I find the next boat its the best workout my imagination ever gets.

[Talbot]

Until the reason those corrugations are explained and costed dont touch it with a barge pole.

The advice to look at others that are slightly more, but better condition is a very good sanity check.

When you have paid the money it is too late.

[Alan Wheeler]

I am not sure what is meant by "corrugations". I brings to mind a pattern that I can't explain a reason for. Can you give more detail? Is the surface soft when applying some force like the tip of a screwdriver or a tap with a hammer?

[ozmike]

Thanks everyone, went for test sail yesterday, weather not the best, showers, but plenty of wind 15 to 20 knots squalling to 25, guy doing test sail was great, said "lets see what she can do" put full main up so he could see entire sail area and how it looked, only furled out 3/4 of headsail, she took off, he said for a beamy boat he was suprised how well she handled the conditions, I showed him the survey and we both looked at the so called corrugations, and all we could find was an edge that looked to be part of the deck mould. she was easy on the helm and I was very happy, so you will know the rest, myself and 2 friends are going up thursday to sail her home. thanks again for all replies.

[ssullivan]

If you haven't already paid, please check in to see what the required grinding and epoxy barrier coat will cost you at your local marina.

This expense should be reflected in the price you are paying for the boat. It's not one you should absorb 100%.

Originally Posted by ozmike

Thanks everyone, went for test sail yesterday, weather not the best, showers, but plenty of wind 15 to 20 knots squalling to 25, guy doing test sail was great, said "lets see what she can do" put full main up so he could see entire sail area and how it looked, only furled out 3/4 of headsail, she took off, he said for a beamy boat he was suprised how well she handled the conditions, I showed him the survey and we both looked at the so called corrugations, and all we could find was an edge that looked to be part of the deck mould. she was easy on the helm and I was very happy, so you will know the rest, myself and 2 friends are going up thursday to sail her home. thanks again for all replies.