Seeing the boat out of the water can be useful as you may see blistering, a keel/hull joint separation, or damage. Check the alignment of keel and rudder and check the rudder for play.
IIRC the 34 had some cored construction below the waterline as well as elsewhere, so worth a careful survey. I looked at one that had held a lot of rainwater for a long time, judging by the algae marks. Look for grounding damage, stresses, or bad repairs where bulkheads are tabbed to the hull or where floors (the hull bracing/crossmembers) are glassed to the hull. You will often see little fractures here, and sometimes big ones. You can often detect serious deck delamination by bouncing hard on the deck in large flat areas or near areas where hardware penetrates the deck has been added. If it’s delaminated the soft spots will usually be very obvious. The rusty engine suggests neglect. Good luck. Dave Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 27, 2019, at 10:36 AM, Stephen McCarthy <smccarth4...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I received very helpful feedback from members of this list when inquiring > about the value of a 1981 34 foot C&C. I’m a bit of a luddite when it comes > to managing listserves, so please forgive any repetition on my part. > > I live in Nova Scotia and am interested in the above model for sale at my > local marina. I think the asking price is reasonable, and went for a sail > last Sunday. The sails and rigging are in good shape. I have arranged for a > survey to be done next week. > > I have 2 major concerns and would appreciate feedback from you folks: > > First, I have been reading around the balsa core construction. There are > articles on the web which warn that water can penetrate through the > fibreglass causing the balsa core to be damaged. Does anyone know how likely > this is in this boat and the best way to detect it? > The boat is currently on a slip. Should I wait until the boat is hauled > before having it inspected? > > Second, the engine appears to be the original Yanmar 2GM. There appeared to > be a bit of surface corrosion, but the engine bed looked dry. It seemed to > run okay, and I’d like to get it looked at by a diesel mechanic. > > My other passion is aviation. I know what would be of concern in a plane > engine: poor compression, high oil consumption, etc. > What would be worrisome features in this marine diesel? > > Thanks in advance for your responses. > > Steve McCarthy > _______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
