new boat

[camanopac]

pat here on camano island, washington state.
i've been a motor boater for some time in a 1956 ed monk designed mahogany on oak raised deck cruiser but long to return to the way of the sail. looking for a fiberglass ~24 foot sloop which is both very stout and set up to be handled solo. i really enjoyed getting out in a blow so sea worthiness and ability to recover from beams ends is a major concern. an obvious boat up here in the pac nw is the san juan 24 and the price is right but i wonder about the age of a hull that is likely 20-30 years old at this time. any suggestions?

[Argyle38]

I've heard good things about San Juan 24, but I don't have any experience with them myself. In general though, 20-30 year old glass hull should not be of any concern. [Aubrey]"Why she's just getting into her prime."[/Aubrey]

The hull itself should still be solid, especially if it a heavily laid up cruising hull. As long as there's no obvious damage, the only thing you should look for are blisters. These are can be quarter to softball diameter bumps that occur on the hull below the waterline. This happens when water ingresses into the fiberglass structure and causes it to expand. I've never heard of a boat sinking or falling apart because of blisters, but they are unsightly and they will slow you down. Blisters are fixable but it is a lot of work or expense. The good news is, if you are looking at a 20+ year boat and it doesn't have any blisters, then it very likely won't get them. I've also heard that boats toward the lower end of the 20-30 year old scale are more likely blister, mid-80's builds seem more likely than mid-70's.

Most of your concern should be in the thru-hulls, rigging, engine and electrical system. Check to see if the sea-cocks on each thru-hull are seized or not and if they look like they need to be replaced. If the sea cocks are bronze and they look like a piece of Broccoli with all of the corrosion, you might consider replacing them.

The standing rigging should also be inspected closely. You can to a coursery check yourself by just seeing if there is rust between the strands or any cracks on the terminals, where they connect to the chainplates at the deck.

If it has an inboard engine, determine if it is fresh or raw water cooled. 20 years is getting toward the upper end of the life span of a raw water cooled engine.

If the electrical system has not been updated, it may be very crude. Check for cracked insulation on wires and corroded terminals, especially in potentially high current runs like any battery charging parts of the system.

Of course, get a survey if you have looked over the boat and want to move forward. A survey will cost some money so it's good to go over the boat a bit yourself beforehand.

[dhays]

The SJ24 is a great little boat. It is fast and handles well. It can be a bit exciting downwind with a Spinnaker up in heavy wind, but it doesn't sound like you'd be doing that.