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Questions on Self Surveying a Catalina 25

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Lori T
Deckhand

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4 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/26/2002 : 13:52:36

Hi,

I've made the decision to move up from my beloved, but little, Catalina 22 swing keel. Your forums have been extremely helpful in making that decision, and I have been shopping for a 25 SK (I sail in very shallow Barnegat Bay, NJ) armed with your buying info in Tech tips. A 1985 boat I recently looked at appears to be a very good buy, but I am concerned with gelcoat cracking around the mast step on the deck and welcome any opinions. The foredeck seems solid, with no obvious top side leaks, although the "skylight" has been resealed. On 22s, I've seen that cracking with compression post rot. Or maybe someone overtightened the shrouds? The boat also had a spongy, gelcoat cracked cockpit sole; do these boats have a wood core there? Any advice would be appreciated, and if anyone is selling a 25 SK for the budget-minded in the NJ/East coast area, let me know. Thanks!

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Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2002 : 18:39:48

Hi Lori,

I'd be somewhat nervous regarding cracking around the mast tabernacle and a spongy feeling cockpit floor. The cockpit has a plywood core, so if things are spongy feeling either the plywood has come adrift or perhaps has gotten wet and is rotting away. Similarly, the cabin top is cored with plywood. The structure is normally quite solid. So to have gelcoat cracking around the mast base is not normal. Something is allowing the cabin top to flex.

Strike 1, strike 2.....No matter how good the price, it might be cheap insurance to get a marine survey.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2002 : 20:33:44

Lori,

I concur with what Bill Holcomb said (and he's the expert). Both the soft cockpit sole and the cracks around the tabernacle sound like core failure. It's my understanding that just about all horizontal surfaces on a Catalina 25 are plywood cored, especially any large weight bearing areas.

On one of my previous boats I repaired the very sort of mast step compression failure you describe. It seems to be common in boats with the mast stepped on a plywood cored deck. Water gets into the deck and turns the plywood core to mush right under the mast. It wasn't much fun to repair, but the damage didn't extend more than an inch from the tabernacle, so my repair was almost entirely hidden. Repairing a larger area could have gotten ugly.

I think repairing significant core damage under a Catalina 25 cockpit would be much, much more challenging. That area is quite structural, has limited access from below (and who wants to do this type of work upside-down?), and would require some very skillful and creative cosmetic finishing to make it look right if attacked from above. I've seen people throw a floor grating over this kind of mess in order to sell a boat, but that's just hiding the problem, not fixing it.

If these two areas have core problems, what about the rest of the deck and cabin sole?

If you think this is a really tempting deal on a 1985 boat, I strongly urge you to spend a couple hundred dollars of your anticipated savings on a very thorough professional survey. Self surveying a boat this size might well prove to be penny wise and dollar foolish. If you do get a professional survey, I suggest you be right there with them when it's done, so as to get the most information for your money.

-- Leon Sisson

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2002 : 22:08:05

Ya, what they said! The surveyor will, for one thing, use a moisture meter all over the boat. Suspect areas in your case are the cabintop, the compression post, the bulkheads (which anchor the upper shrouds) and the structure below the compression post. That's a lot of suspects. If the mast is down, pull one of the bolts holding the tabernacle and use a bent coat hanger to see what the core feels like. (I did that when I put my mast plate in.) When your doubts grow strong enough, walk away without investing in the survey. If it looks worth pursuing, get the surveyor in. If you buy the boat, you'll learn a lot about it--if the survey is negative, you'll still be glad you had it done.

But remember, there are other boats out there.

Dave Bristle - 1985 C-25 #5032 SR-FK-Dinette-Honda "Passage" in SW CT

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Lori T
Deckhand

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4 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2002 : 23:57:07

Thanks to all for your thoughtful responses. I really needed the re-enforcement to what my gut and own experiences have been, in spite of the Deal Thing. Strike 3, and then some, the boat is in the water, and he told me today he is not pulling it out at the end of the season. That clinched it for me. It's not even worth a survey if I can't see the bottom myself first, and I don't think the other potential problems are worth paying to pull it to see what I already suspect might be going on with the bottom and keel. I have the time to watch for the right one to turn up (and something to sail in the meantime!). Appreciate your experience and comments!

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.