Pre-inspecting a boat for sale...

[elinetal]

I'm new to this site, as well as to sailing, but caught a bug and thinking of buying my first cruiser.

The one I'm looking at seems clean and in good shape, except for these two observations. Given my almost complete lack of experience, my goal is to determine if I should proceed with the survey, or move on to the next boat

1. Elevated moisture reading on the port side of the deck near the shrouds. the deck doesn't feel soft
2. The bilge area: the rib on the aft side of the bilge seems deformed (see image below, top of image is where the bulge is) and sounds hollow. I would expect a rib with a straight wall. Nothing else seems out of alignment, floor is even, everything fits well.

I'm not too concerned about the first one, but don't know enough to judge the second... the boat is a 1993 cruiser, 37' sloop. Your opinions are much appreciated

[elinetal]

trying to attach the image

[psk125]

Elevated moisture readings can have all sorts of causes. A shadow that keeps the sun from drying the deck at that spot might not be there at a different time of day. Moisture meters are also notoriously finicky instruments. How familiar are you with using them?

Identifying the builder and boat model might also be helpful. There are a lot of 37' cruisers that were built in '93. What does the broker/owner say about the bulge? The photo shows what appears to be a floor in the bilge above the keel. (Very clean bilge, btw.) A bulge here could be simply due to a fold in layers of fiberglass reinforcement under it. The floor could be hollow. Ours are. The strength here comes from a "top hat" type of construction, where the top of the hat is the top of the floor, where the cabin sole is placed, and the bottom edges of the hat are tabbed into the hull, making a long ridge that stiffens the whole area - a little like corrugated cardboard. Unless there was an obvious weak spot or crack, this does not look like a problem.

[boatpoker]

Couple of my articles to get you going.

Moisture Meter Mythology and Flir thermal imager

Marine Survey 101, pre-survey inspection

[elinetal]

Originally Posted by psk125

Elevated moisture readings can have all sorts of causes. A shadow that keeps the sun from drying the deck at that spot might not be there at a different time of day. Moisture meters are also notoriously finicky instruments. How familiar are you with using them?

Identifying the builder and boat model might also be helpful. There are a lot of 37' cruisers that were built in '93. What does the broker/owner say about the bulge? The photo shows what appears to be a floor in the bilge above the keel. (Very clean bilge, btw.) A bulge here could be simply due to a fold in layers of fiberglass reinforcement under it. The floor could be hollow. Ours are. The strength here comes from a "top hat" type of construction, where the top of the hat is the top of the floor, where the cabin sole is placed, and the bottom edges of the hat are tabbed into the hull, making a long ridge that stiffens the whole area - a little like corrugated cardboard. Unless there was an obvious weak spot or crack, this does not look like a problem.

Thank you, your explanation is encouraging the boat is the '93 Hunter 37.5

The moisture on the deck was indeed on the port side, which didn't get as much sun in the morning. But then, it wasn't along the entire deck, just a small part of it. Other parts that were more in the shade had no moisture. Not trying to rely on the moisture meter, just playing with one and will hire a surveyor anyway

Regarding the bilge, the black area is the water with dirt that stirred up when the pump kicked in. There was maybe an inch of water in there. The broker said that the fiberglass of the rib was probably laid out that way, but since he's the seller's broker, I took that with a grain of salt.

[Andreas W]

Originally Posted by elinetal

I'm new to this site, as well as to sailing, but caught a bug and thinking of buying my first cruiser.

The one I'm looking at seems clean and in good shape, except for these two observations. Given my almost complete lack of experience, my goal is to determine if I should proceed with the survey, or move on to the next boat

1. Elevated moisture reading on the port side of the deck near the shrouds. the deck doesn't feel soft
2. The bilge area: the rib on the aft side of the bilge seems deformed (see image below, top of image is where the bulge is) and sounds hollow. I would expect a rib with a straight wall. Nothing else seems out of alignment, floor is even, everything fits well.

I'm not too concerned about the first one, but don't know enough to judge the second... the boat is a 1993 cruiser, 37' sloop. Your opinions are much appreciated

Maybe get a professional surveyor to do a Pre-Purchase Investigation. Yes, you spend some money. But it can save you a lot of trouble.

[DeValency]

Given your limited experience and the large number of possible other issues (or hopefully not), and considering the price (should be attractive enough) you better hire a surveyor for a quick look - not a full survey.