excellent, thank you for the update

The good news is: saloon windows are glass, not acrylic or lexan, and don't need to be replaced. (Maybe some minor leaks to address.) Saloon floor looks ok. Mast & standing rigging are a little scruffy but look sound. The sails weren't on the boat so I don't know their condition. Icom 802 SSB looked good. And strangely, the boat appears to have a stainless Manson anchor (very pricey and a bit at odds with the rest).

The broker told me the owner is out in California; bought the boat several years ago and started refitting and ran out of money. Hasn't been back to the boat in a long time, and it looks it. So unless he's got a sizeable loan he's trying to pay off, he might be willing to part with it for substantially less than the asking price.

One final thing -- I live on the Chesapeake. If the boat had been local, I would have seriously considered making an offer. But the distance & the amount of work required to be able to move it up here tipped me against it finally.

Hi PJ:

There's a ton of spare/new parts and tools on board; assuming most of them go with the boat (???) then some of the required replacements are covered. The engines (2x100hp!!) have ~50% more hours on them than the listing says (i.e., around 1800 vs. 1100 in the listing). The port one wasn't working ("water in the engine"; don't know if that was fresh water or salt or where the water was). Stb engine looked ok albeit scruffy, would benefit from some work. The AC compressors looked OK but I didn't test them. Ditto w/the fridge/freezer compressor. Galley stove needs replacing.

The delamination of the veneers in the saloon looks bad but is probably the easiest to repair. Electrical system needs to be completely redone; plumbing was iffy. Heads looked ok superficially; didn't try them. Cabins were ok except for the old "mouse fur" headlining that needs to be ripped out. Cockpit table & helm seat should be scrapped.
(continued ...)

Hi Rex, was anything worth saving? I fully expect to remove everything from the engine rooms and start fresh in there. Also, fully gut the battery compartment. What about Air Con? Galley? cabins & heads? I saw the delam wood in the saloon. I'm sending a friend to scout it before I buy a plane ticket. PJ

Hi:

I looked at that Crowther 47 last month and had the same reaction as you. I was expecting a project boat but didn't want something that needed EVERYTHING. I did spend a couple of days going over the boat in detail, including doing some moisture checks. I think the hull & deck are basically sound (at least as far as I could determine without hauling it out), but everything else ...

Given the amount of work necessary I didn't think it was worth the asking price. At a lower price & if you have the time & energy I think the boat is worth saving. It's a good design & from a good yard (Awloplast also built several of the Chris White Atlantic cats).

Lock Crowther was a good designer and Awloplast was a good builder; unfortunately they've both passed on so it'll be hard to get much information. I have a catalog from Crowther designs from the 90's, though this boat is modified with a larger deckhouse, so it doesn't quite match up.

Rex