pre-survey issues to look out for

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paul gillis

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Sep 9, 2016, 9:01:28 AM9/9/16
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After 40 years of sloop sailing my wife(and I) would like a Nonsuch 30. We will be looking at a 1980 and 1983 that have been in freshwater. Could the group give me some things to look out for before making an offer?  One has an overhauled volvo and the other a westerbeke. I had a W27 in a Sabre34mkII and really liked it.  Seems that most of the boats in our price range are saildrives-how are their reliability?  Many thanks in advance!    Paul 

Joe Valinoti

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Sep 9, 2016, 7:06:55 PM9/9/16
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Personally, as a retired mechanic, I prefer the "V" drive units.
Joe Valinoti NS30U iL Gatto
Oriental, NC


On Fri, Sep 9, 2016 at 9:01 AM, paul gillis <gusto...@gmail.com> wrote:
After 40 years of sloop sailing my wife(and I) would like a Nonsuch 30. We will be looking at a 1980 and 1983 that have been in freshwater. Could the group give me some things to look out for before making an offer?  One has an overhauled volvo and the other a westerbeke. I had a W27 in a Sabre34mkII and really liked it.  Seems that most of the boats in our price range are saildrives-how are their reliability?  Many thanks in advance!    Paul 

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Katmando - Bell

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Sep 9, 2016, 8:12:21 PM9/9/16
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Me too. I have never heard anything that impressed me about the sail drive, on any boat. 

Sorry, but there it is. 

Brian
Ns30u
#262
Westerbeke 33
WHITBY Ontario 

Sent from my   Commodore  64 
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Jim Cosgrove

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Sep 10, 2016, 8:01:26 AM9/10/16
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Hi Paul,
Great decision, welcome!  You and your wife are going to love having a Nonsuch.  When my wife and I are short-tacking up the many creeks and rivers off the Chesapeake, and I'm listening to nearby sloops constantly grinding winches...or worse, giving up and turning on the iron genny...I think what a great boat we have. (It's actually our second Nonsuch, we started with a 26C.)

Off hand, I can think of a few easy things to check.

Propane lines: ABYC no longer allows "T" connections outside of the propane locker.  Nonsuches may have 2 or 3 propane appliances (stove, water heater, cabin heater) and typically have a T connection for the propane hose in the cabin or engine room.  If the number of propane lines leaving the propane locker does not match the number of propane appliances onboard, you will have to do fix that.  Not a bad idea to replace old hose anyway.  Also, surveyors may make an issue of a propane on-demand water heater--especially one that has a pilot light.  Some of us have gone to water heaters run off of the engine/110 while others have upgraded to propane water heaters with oxygen-depletion sensors and no-pilot light.

Gate valves: I've heard that some early Nonsuches came with gate valves instead of seacocks.  I have not seen it myself, so maybe they've all been replaced but it's easy to check.

Mast: Early Nonsuches had a through-pin at deck level.  That proved to be a source of weakness.  I think all those masts were replaced, but you could look to make sure it does not have a pin.  You'll want a surveyor to pay careful attention to the mast.

Topping lift: Not sure if this applies to 30s, but some 26s had a topping lift that terminated at the end of the boom and was impossible to adjust while underway.  Again, an easy fix but also easy to spot and figure in your offer price.

Most of the rest is cosmetic and easily addressed.  We are lucky to have Mike Quill who can supply much of the hardware.  And the INA has replacement poly tanks to replace any of the original tanks if necessary.

Making sure the core is not wet will be the surveyor's job.  I also like the idea of getting a separate engine inspection.  Maybe because I got surprised on my first boat.

Anyway, these are just a few thoughts off the top of my head.  Most everyone on this list has more experience than I do and can chime in or correct anything I have gotten wrong.

Welcome to the family,
Jim

Jim Cosgrove
FATE 30U #343
Galesville, MD


On 9/9/2016 8:12 PM, Katmando - Bell wrote:

paul gillis

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Sep 10, 2016, 9:17:47 AM9/10/16
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Jim     Thank you for all the details   Paul

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