Re: 86 Wellcraft Cuddy 23 ft. Good or Bad?
From Previous Advice from another board:
"walk around it and push UP the rub-rail to check it and cap
are still fastened in-place...use all the above and buy if ya like...any more specific questions, try to come back w/ pictures...we like pictures ... "
I saw the boat today and it's not bad at all (86 230 Wellcraft Sportsman)- Very dirty. So looking throught the dirt I inspected it- The rub rail test: What will this tell?? It seemed OK to me, just one spot midships where it was a little loose, and when I pushed further, there was some seperation of an area only about 3-4 inches long (behind that section of rubber, I could see a screwhole maybe? Is this only needing refastening? Not sure what that test actually is checking for. As far as any softness in the deck, The cover over fuel tank was only a tiny bit "soft" and only over an area smaller than my foot- nothing at all like I've seen in some center console boats in the past. The transom seems solid, the boat apparently has been sitting for a year and is currently tucked in a "back" spot of a yard. The hull itself is actually pretty unscathed, only thing I found was that the bow ring was moved and the old holes sealed (maybe for trailering reasons- I hope!) Should I worry about this???
I found that the front compartment at the forward center of the v berth had some water in it (appeared to be fresh water) and that compartment was also fitted with a bilge pimp- Is that standard? (the switch panel does have 2 switches- 1 for forward, 1 for aft bilge)- and how could this water have gotten in there???
The switch panel itself , I'd like to replace- any shot at one of these from wellcaft??? The wiring is original and still neat- only very slight corrosion to the terminal ends.
The fuel tank looked very clean and "unmarked" from what I could see via the small access plate- there was some "gunk like " substance over the top of the tank- what was that?? Grease or something? When wiped clear the tank was almost shiny. No smell of gas or anything when I took a sniff of that gunk. Could this be a result of a breakdown of sorts from the foam??
There were spots of wear or whatever you'd call it , on the bulkhead where one's feet would be (both sides) if you were sitting - whatever that was coated with is peeling away, but the wood underneath looks 100% OK, Here I'd place a "kickboard" to take the abuse.
The stern also has a board in place which is teak maybe this was factory???
The motor looks real clean (Yammie 200 1986). Next the guy wants to clean it up, get everything 100% and we will ride it on Saturday. It turns out that this boat wasn't for sale, but the owner saw an ad for my boat and now we are talking a trade plus some $ for my CC boat. Seems OK- We have also talked about a list of things to be done before I comes to me, such as rewiring the washdown pump, new fuel hose and primer ball, lower unit impeller and oil, even mounting a new transducer and my electronics and bottom paint. I'm actually shocked at all this help offered, but his reply was its kinda like his hobby and enjoys doing it. He also restores old classic cars and really is interested in my boat as he has a friend with the same boat and has a motor for it already. So maybe this is the right "deal" for me? Hope it's not too good to be true. I guess after running the boat and a final inspection of accessories and such will tell the tale. He said he got the boat form a marina that took it on a trade and he compression checked it (140 across) and found the lower unit all checked out fine so he grabbed it with intent to keep (seems like he got it for a real good price). We will again compression check next week with me there. Really seems like the guy is being straight, and has nothing to hide as he wants me to get it at 100%.
Sorry if I went on and on here- but wanted to try and paint a picture- hopefully the ones I try to post will work too. If for some reason they don't make it up, and you feel so inclined, email me and I can send them that way.
I would appreciate the interest and help.
Mario
Link To Pics( Scroll down to my post):
http://www.wellcraftv20.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=General;action=display;num=11745028 47;start=0
