pt 30-2 (plastrend)

[mitiempo]

Not sure where you are located, but here's a link to a Yachtworld search for boats with diesel from 27'-30' from 7500 to 10000. There is sure to be some projects there, but the search did find 65 boats in the US.
Brian
(Sail) Boats For Sale

[COOL]

The Chance designs of that era,PT 30 included,
are some of the most horrible abominations
of hull shape I have ever seen.

[paulk]

Just to echo JeffH, Plastrend Solings we raced against had problems with delamination, starved 'glass (not enough resin), oilcanning, and bedding leaks. A similar vintage Pearson would be a better bet.

[ScottyM]

Also if your looking for a boat of that age be careful considering a boat with any wood core. If, for example, the deck is cored then make sure you have easy access to all of the fittings that penetrate through the deck. At some point your going to have to rebed some of the fittings and being unable to access those points from inside the boat easily will make the job 10x more difficult.:)

If you can stay away from boats with gasoline engines, the old Atomic 4's that would have typically powered a boat of this size back in the 70's is more then likely on its last legs of life. Old Volvo Diesels, while reliable when operational can be very difficult and expensive to handle when they do break down. I know several friends who owned older boats with Volvo's and were forced to replace the motors when it was finally time for rebuild due to part issues for both cost and availability. I can't speak about all diesels but I've had good luck with Yanmar's in all of the boats I've owned.

So as your quest continues some thoughts based on my own previous bad experiences, call it, the ol' boat 101 checklist......

- Sailboat - look at the rig, check the fittings for excessive signs of corrosion
- Engine - preferably a diesel that still has parts readily available
- Hull and Deck - Solid glass construction with a removable headliner (or at least a headliner that allows easy access to the through fittings)
- Try to see the boat when it is raining, take a flash light, look for leaks, make sure you can figure out where the water is coming from to determine if the repair required will be something you can handle
- Inspect through hull fittings for excessive corrosion
- Check the keel boats (sounds like you've already read up about this)

A good survey will cost you $250 - $400 depending on the person you hire. They should check for all of the above and much more, but don't trust them to find everything. Become your own pre-survey surveyor and save yourself some money, the surveyor gets paid whether you decided to buy the boat or not. So do your homework before you take that next step.

You should still be able to find good boats given the above criteria in a price range between $7500 - $13,500 but be careful. A bad motor will cost you $5 - $10k for rebuild/replacement. Finally look for a boat that has been owned by a sailor. A person who has spent the time and money to keep up with the maintenance of the boat because they understood that not doing so could not only ruin their investment but also endanger their safety. Stay away from the ones that have been sitting in the boat yard for the past five years. If it sounds "too good to be true" it probably is and your $5 or $6k deal will turn into a $25-$30k disaster.

Have fun ! Owning boats is a disease to be enjoyed.
:)

[xbalancex7]

I ended up with a 1975 cal 2-27, ancient but running inboard farymann diesel. I have 8.5k invested in her now including a haulout and paint.

radar equipped and tiller autopilot equiped.

Thanks for the help!

[paulk]

Sounds like you made the right (or at least a better) choice. The Plas-trend boats I know of (Solings) had delamination and starved 'glass issues. Have fun!