markhpc
Member
- Apr 9, 2019
- 47
- Boat Info
- 2003 Cruisers Yachts 3970 Express
- Engines
- Twin Mercruiser 8.1S HO Inboards
Hi Folks,
First time buyer here. My wife and I have spent quite a bit of time looking at and learning about boats over the past two years and I find myself becoming somewhat depressed as we look. I own a thermal imaging camera and a moisture meter (and a metal object to tap with), so whenever we go out to look I bring them with and inspect the stringers, transom, hull, and decks. At first I wasn't terribly confident in my ability to detect anything, but as time goes on I've gotten a better feel for the tools and what things should look and sound like.
Previously we were primarily looking at 80s-90s boats and pretty much all of them had major moisture issues (except amazingly for an old Chris Craft Commander that was really dated but surprisingly dry). The most recent boat we looked at was a 2001 410DA with high moisture and slight (but audible) thud when you tap it on the central starboard stringer aft of the engine mounts. It appeared to have elevated moisture in the transom on the same side. The bow deck near the anchor had high moisture too (and the stanchions all had a small ring of elevated moisture around them, but it wasn't too bad). The 410DA was in far better shape than an early 90s Portofino we recently looked at (debonded fiberglass and parts of the stringers were rotten to the point of being hollow!), but I'm still worried about the high moisture.
Are my expectations too high? Is it possible to find a dry boat from the 90s or early 2000s?
Thanks,
Mark
First time buyer here. My wife and I have spent quite a bit of time looking at and learning about boats over the past two years and I find myself becoming somewhat depressed as we look. I own a thermal imaging camera and a moisture meter (and a metal object to tap with), so whenever we go out to look I bring them with and inspect the stringers, transom, hull, and decks. At first I wasn't terribly confident in my ability to detect anything, but as time goes on I've gotten a better feel for the tools and what things should look and sound like.
Previously we were primarily looking at 80s-90s boats and pretty much all of them had major moisture issues (except amazingly for an old Chris Craft Commander that was really dated but surprisingly dry). The most recent boat we looked at was a 2001 410DA with high moisture and slight (but audible) thud when you tap it on the central starboard stringer aft of the engine mounts. It appeared to have elevated moisture in the transom on the same side. The bow deck near the anchor had high moisture too (and the stanchions all had a small ring of elevated moisture around them, but it wasn't too bad). The 410DA was in far better shape than an early 90s Portofino we recently looked at (debonded fiberglass and parts of the stringers were rotten to the point of being hollow!), but I'm still worried about the high moisture.
Are my expectations too high? Is it possible to find a dry boat from the 90s or early 2000s?
Thanks,
Mark