Water damaged links

[photousa]

Hey All,
I'm looking for a project Sailboat and wanted to ask a question about boats that have taken on water and may be listed as water damaged.

Are there some "horror story" threads that you can post links to that discuss the worse possible situation you can get yourself into by purchasing a boat that has taken on water and may be listed as water damaged?

I passed on a very nice sailboat at an auction site because I don't have any experience with the unknown water damage issues that I might have encountered.

Thanks

[coopec43]

There's undoubtedly people here who can advise you and suggest points to consider but in the meantime you might like to look at some old threads if you haven't already read them.


Buying a Boat that Once Sunk - Cruisers & Sailing Forums
www.cruisersforum.com › ... › Construction, Maintenance & Refit
Jun 1, 2011 - 15 posts - ‎10 authors
Is it ever worth buying a boat that has spent a week under water ? I am only asking because it is a nice looking boat , a size I want, new sails ...

Would you buy a boat that you knew has sunk in the past? - Page 4 ...
www.cruisersforum.com › ... › The Fleet › General Sailing Forum
Jan 14, 2015 - 15 posts - ‎9 authors
That boat is being flipped and sold without full disclosure that it was submerged. Anyone who buys a boat to flip it is going to do the minimum ...

Previously sunk boat should we buy? - Yachting and Boating World
www.ybw.com › Forum › Forum › Practical Boat Owner's Reader to Reader
Jun 15, 2010 - Hi There, We are still looking for our first boat, we saw a one at the weekend that was being rebuilt by a boat yard. When asking why it was

[nightowle]

First and foremost: don't trust any of the wiring, even an inch. All of it will need to be replaced. Then it's a question of the engine and possibly any water intrusion to the fuel tank.

[photousa]

Thanks Coopec43 and Nightowle, I'll be reading the posts with those links today. I passed on an Irwin 43 which had a really nice list of features and checked off most of the things I wanted on a sailboat. It was listed as "water damaged" all over although the few photographs that were available really didn't look bad. Hope I did the right thing by passing on it. I need to learn more about the possible underlying issues.

[tkeithlu]

Night Owle is absolutely right on replacing every bit of the wiring, so find out how difficult it will be to trace and replace. Then, check the engine. That includes water in the crankcase - seawater will destroy most main bearings in less time that it takes to pump out the boat, so, how easy will it be to replace the engine? Don't trust anything made of cloth - salt immersion makes it retain water. Look at a boat as a "If I have only the fiberglass, can I do it?"

[photousa]

Thank you tkeithlu, I expected to have to pull the engine and rewire most everything, I didn't think about salt damaged sails.

Since I didn't really know how long the boat had been sitting after taking on water, I was wondering about the supporting structured in the sole under the floor and whether gets trapped, leading to mold and rot compromising the structural integrity of the boat?