I dropped by in the rain, as temperatures were dropping. The folks who lived aboard and now have a 33 foot sailboat are living in Pensacola. I know the broker slightly--he is good friends with a neighbor. We looked the boat over. As he said--it is decreased in price because of condition.
The hull looks to be in generally good condition. No obvious dings or defects. There is a dinghy type of starboard mount on the transom for a dinghy motor--I would not use it to push the boat. There was a piece of plywood, which had been glassed over in the splash well, between the cockpit and transom, which had holes cut out to hold the Honda EU 2000, and run the generator when at sea for air-conditioning. This board was broken, cracked and dangerous. Broker said he was going to remove it.
The boat was moldy inside. Really moldy....Odor was almost overwhelming. The upholstery needed total replacement--as well as the foam (OK maybe the cockpit cushions were OK...They might clean up--but I suspect mold in the foam also. There were some innovative items. The chest refer under the helm seat, it did slide out and could be usable. The boat did have an auto pilot--with a wireless system. windlass, good Fortress 11 Anchor! The air conditioner was OK--but whoever installed it did not use any wood to brace the sides around the opening, which I feel should be done. The 110 system appears to be non standard. There was a switch, in linen the 110 V line to the water heater. That would not stand survey. (It was sort of taped on the top of the vinyl sheathed 3 wire cable.) The inverter did not seem to meet ABYC standards. From what I could see the rest of the wiring was OK---but I would really want to detail its path and that proper fittings were used. The water tank was amidships aft--looked to be close to 25 gallons. There was another tank on the starboard side aft, under the splash well/seats. It appeared to be metal, with a lip on the top--there was a battery sitting openly on it, and there was what appeared to be a fuel pickup and vent lines (3/16" to 1/4" size), but we could not find the fill. I wondered if it was an auxiliary fuel, for a kicker or if it had been a kerosene or diesel tank for a heater in the past? What bothered me, was that there was a 1x4 board forward of this tank. This was supported by an angle iron piece (May have been Stainless Steel) which 2 screws screwed into the bottom of the hull and two into the board aft of the angle iron. There was about 3" of water over that fitting. It did not appear to be well sealed, or that there had been no attempt to make an epoxy plug. If anyone buys this boat, that and the bottom of the hull need to be very closely inspected. For the most part the cockpit deck seemed to be intact. I pulled the hatches, and access ports--no obvious core rot--but on the port side, I would want to do moisture readings and more careful soundings. These deck hatches leak as usual.
The fuel tank was said to be original. It was not easy to access to check for corrosion. The bilge pump in the cabin was small, but intact. I didn't access the shower sump, but hose looked intact. Head was odorous...The macerator pump and Y valve were under the galley.
The unusual port side configuration--was unusual! There was a hanging locker aft, with the battery charger on the aft side, and the inverter on the forward side; no real hanging rod for clothes. There was a set of drawers in the next cabinet. The broker felt this was factory--I felt that a skilled craftsman modified the factory design. The water heater took up the space under the aft seat (which seemed a little smaller than normal.) The table was pedestal mounted. The area under the dinette, was about 10" high, and only a small access rectangle forward of the table post was accessible. There was the majority of this space which was not obviously accessible. (Smuggling?--or hidden access under drawers?) The forward seat had a small door to access the area above the base (same for the aft dinette seat). There was a rope type handle on the base on the base of of the front seat--and pulling on it pulled the seat aft--like the Barber confession of the 22 seats--but the table did not fold, there was not obvious lock on the seat--and it would have been tight with the forward seat aft--because its path would only be about 15" or less until it was blocked by the base of the table. The V berth was fairly conventional, but there were some increased shelf space. There was also some nice custom cabinetry up high forward over the helm and dinette. The custom work which had been done was nicely accomplished, not dinged up--but the teak (and whole boat) needed cleaning.
The solar panel appeared to be charging and there was a TV antenna, with a flip down small (19") TV.
My personal opinion was that even at the current price, the boat was over priced. There is the unknown engine condition. (It may run another 1500 hours)--but if the boat is not kept up--often the engine......may not have been. I would factor in the cost of new upholstery, and a really good cleaning, plus a factor so you are not hurt too badly with the engine. There are some nice features, and in some ways this is an improvement on the factory layout--I don't think the dinette could effectively be used as a bunk--but I may be wrong about that.
Perhaps the most worrisome unknown factor (beside the engine, which could be tested), is the two large screws holding the angle iron into the floor, constantly covered with water. if damage were not present or localized, then it could be easily repaired. However, if the damage spread under the grid around the fuel tank it would mean an extensive repair (and I don't know the extent, if any, of that problem.) Is this something the average surveyor would pick up on--probably not.....There is also this strange extra tank--not water, or holding.
I am not knocking the boat, but If a C Brat is interested, than I would want answers to the above questions. If I am in town when someone comes to look at the boat , I would be willing to help then delve further into the floor and other issues...I only spent about 30 minutes on the boat--but would spend another hour or two, plus sea trail before I purchase.
