First Offer Accepted On Catalina 30

[montenido]

Hi, all. Well, I went looking again today and saw three decent Cat 30s that kind of ran the gammut from rough to clean. Settled on the one in the middle to make an offer on. 1981 C30 in pretty nice shape. Good canvas, sails, dodger, interior, etc. I went down a long check list and found nothing glaring to make me back away. There is one concern though. There appears to be termites in one board above the back rest between the galley and the head on the port side. I tapped all around and it appeared the everything was solid except this one piece. Apparently the docks were torn apart recently. So what do you guys say? Will the survey look for more signs of termites? I looked pretty hard and only found the droppings in that one spot. Would you back out because of one board? Has anybody ever heard of tenting a boat?
This boat also has the small diesel.
The asking price was $19,900 and I offered $15,000 which was accepted with the boat "as is", meaning that they do not want to pay for any repairs. So, let me know your thoughts on this deal.

Thanks, montenido

[jgeissinger]

I had termites in my present boat when I got it, too. I get a couple of different kinds of do-it-yourself termite insecticide from the local hardware store, a foam and a spray, and it did the trick. I did have to do more than one application, but eventually got them all. I have had no more for the past six years now.

[Sabreman]

Congrats! The Cat 30 is a good boat.

Have the surveyor pay special attention to the termite area. I know that's it's a Duh, but surveyore will pay extra attention to an area if they are reputable.

No, I would not back out of a deal for a non-structural problem area PROVIDED that you are able to bound the problem. That is, that the surveyor can accurately determine the extent of the affected area. I had a rotted bulkhead and still bought the boat (fixed it later). Which brings me to "as is". I assume that the offer is contingent on an acceptable survey (if not, then why have it surveyed - just wait for the surprises!!). depending on the survey, you may be able to negotiate the price further. Don't be shy - nothing ventured, nothing gained. A minor meltdown can do wonders. I suspect that owner just wants to get out of the boat and will negotiate.

[camaraderie]

I agree with Sabreman...your offer is based on what you think the boat is worth prior to any survey surprises. If the survey discloses some expensive surprises...you can either walk away from the boat or negotiate with the owner to pay for the surprises. Don't be shy...and don't be afraid to walk away...there are lots of cat30's out there...so get yourself a good one...it is cheaper in the long run!

[djodenda]

Hmmm.... I'm not sure if this qualifies as advice, but here's some data.

1 ) If the engine is bad (either too small, or failing) , then it's instantly not a good deal. A replacement would cost at a do-it-yourself price around $10K. I think the smaller diesels were raw water cooled. Look for a heat exchanger. If it's not there, then you should include the price of the retrofit of one in your calculations. My recollections of Santa Monica bay sailing were of mostly calm waters, with long-duration swells. However, no wind at night. Basically, I daysailed my boat and took trips to Catalina on the weekend. If you're just daysailing, than you don't care too much about how fast you go under power. An engine survey, which is usually not included in a standard survey would be money well spent here.

If you are going to be traveling back and forth to Catalina in the evenings, which is what I generally did, than you will probably be motoring, and traveling at a knot or two less that the 6.2 I get on my C30 with the 20 hp engine. So, it might cost you an extra hour or so to get there. Whether that's a problem depends on your personality I guess.

I had termites on my Catalina 27, which I kept in Marina Del Rey. They were in a similar location as yours. I found them by the piles of wood dust and black droppings. I killed them with some bug spray, and didn't migrate elsewhere. I doubt a surveyor will have a better way of finding them, but tapping and poking around, looking for dust will probably reveal them. The only structural wood on your boat is the bulkheads, and the bulkheads. I'd check more carefully there.

Look, in particular at the base of the mast post for rot. Some C30s have a problem with water in the bilge rotting the post. Not sure if your year is subject to that issue.

See how the boat handles under power. Catalina made a modification to the rudder in the 1980s, which altered the rudder shape to improve handling under power. It's pretty squirrely without the modification.

To me, it seems like a good price, as long as the engine works for you. Boats cost more here in Seattle. I paid about $27K for my 1984 C30 with the M25 engine. It came loaded with a full complement of cruising equipment, a new main, and worn jib and dodger.

Good luck!

I agree with all the advice in the previous posts.

You can PM me if you'd rather discuss any of this privately. You'll need a couple more posts to do that. You can do so in this thread

David

[artbyjody]

Congrats as well.

Even if the surveyor tells you the issues and you are ok with it - ALWAYS ask the surveyor, "How much are the comparable boats in this condition as compared to my offer of XXX". Should be basically the last question of the day as you pay the individual for their services.


Answer will be - "I'll have to check the databases when I get back to the office." So, even in your excitement - squelch it until you get that data and then leverage the issues with the boat found, with the suggestive or comparative price if indeed lower than your initial offer. If you don't ask, they are are not required to tell you...

[wind_magic]

Agree on listening to the surveyor and asking the surveyor for price advice. One time I was buying a piece of property and I had it appraised before I bought it and the appraiser told me it was only worth half what I was going to offer. I didn't really believe him, but paper in hand I made an offer slightly below what he thought it was worth, and in the end the price settled out at about what he thought it would. I was surprised. Turned out that property in the area really was a lot less pricey than I had been lead to believe. That said, I don't think it's a bad thing, really, to end up paying more than something is "worth" if it's worth it to you. But not a lot more.

[montenido]

Thanks to all of you who have given me advice thus far. I certainly will wait for the survey (after the sea trial) to see if $15K is a deal or not. Glad to hear the termite issue might not be a big issue. I'll keep you all posted as the deal continues.

Thanks again and keep that advice flowing.

montenido

[JimsCAL]

Not sure about your local market, but $15k sounds about right for a Cat 30 fo that vintage. The engine is probably a Universal 5411. If so it is raw water cooled unless a fresh water cooling kit has been added. Lots of info on this engine on the Catalina 30 owners website.

[rayncyn51]

I just bought a 1979 C 30 after extensive research and search. Sounds like a reasonable deal - if you can live with the engine. Everything I read says the small engines are really inadequate in anything but calm, flat water. 10 horsepower worked ok on my Cal 25 in LA, but it's about 1/2 the weight of a C 30.