Looking for advice on C350 purchase...

[itsmeken]

Hi All! New member here. My reason for joining is I am in the market for a new sailboat. Coming from a Hunter 430 and looking to downsize to something under 40 feet. I've looked at three so far. I seriously thought I had found the one I might buy today until I made my first visit. Upon arrival I was initially excited at the overall appearance. Looked very well kept. However, upon getting up close I notice many cracks on the deck (read more than I would have ever expected). These are not only large in number but very long and in both directions. It was difficult to determine if these are just surface gel coat cracks (much like I had on my Hunter) or if they were deeper. The number and size of them was unlike anything I experienced on my Hunter or have seen on the several Catalina's I've checked out.

I'm very interested in any opinions you are willing to share. This boat is a 2009 C350 with very low engine hours and everything else on the boat look very well taken care of. Below is a link to photos of the cracks. You may have to zoom in to see the cracks clearly. Some of the small ones, for example where the bimini attaches is just poor drilling technique. I'm not concerned about those. It's the long ones that go over the rail and continue to hull joint (no cracks continued into the hull). Also, it appears the non-skid has been painted and covered some of the crack lines. The broker knew nothing about these cracks or if the non-skid had been painted and if so when.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtKObled_7Ro0zXVbUi ... W?e=cK2abV

Thank you in advance for any opinions of whether or not these should be a concern (outside of being an eyesore). Thank you in advance.

Kenny

[wolfe10]

Kenny,

NO, "These are not only large in number but very long and went in both directions." are NOT common on the Catalina 350, at least not on the 2003 model. And, ours is not a "dock queen".

[KenKrawford]

Kenny, welcome and good luck on your search for a 350. I have one crack similar to what's shown on the linked picture except mine is only about 2" long and is only in the non-skid, Since yours span the non-skid and the gel coat in an unbroken line I suspect the problem is in the gel coat layer. For a 13 yr old boat the cracks are very minimal in size and I suspect they are just cosmetic.
You may want to send some of the pics to Warren Pandy at warren@catalinayachts.com, Warren is a wealth of information about all things Catalina and may be able to offer some additional insight.

[itsmeken]

Thank you both for the replies and information. I will send them to Warren as suggested. Thank you.

I had actually tried to share a folder of photos as there are many of these cracks, running in all directions and some are so long I couldn't get them in one photo even with a wide angle setting. Again, you will likely have to zoom in to see the cracks. In each photo there are cracks.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtKObled_7Ro0zsXpSd ... T?e=9IOqlD

If you only see one photo click on the photo and it should take you to a folder of many photos.

Let me know your thoughts on how concerning these are and also what you think caused it.

Thank you again!

[wolfe10]

You are right to be concerned. Were there just a few around high-stress points like chain plates, I wouldn't be too concerned. BUT......

Interested to hear what Warren has to say-- he IS the man.

[ElizabethG]

Kenny,

If the price is right, you might want to engage a local surveyor with a moisture meter.

If they are cosmetic and "dry", you might be able to negotiate a better price.

As an FYI, I have a 2004 350 and have some minor cracks, but not like those.

Bill
Atlanta / Charleston
#193

[Captain Kirk]

Our C350 is a 2003, hull 035. We don't have any cracks at all. Also, didn't see them on 2 others (350's) that were on the market at the time we purchased ours.

It quite shocking to see that many cracks.

[itsmeken]

Thank you everyone for the reply and for your thoughts on these cracks. I have sent the photos to Warren and waiting a reply with his thoughts. I'm happy to know this is not common and so it gives me some hope that I can find one that is this clean but also without this number and type of cracks. I'll reply back once I hear from Warren. Thank you again!

[russp]

I am not a boat builder but have seen damage like this on other boats. They were “crunched” between a jetty and another boat. How far the cracks go and if they have any structural significance - no idea.