I inspected a possible purchase on the weekend and have a question.
The boat was an early 2000's production 34 footer. Overall pretty good condition. Mostly used for light club racing and cruising.
Only major issue I found was the obvious gap and sikaflx between the bulkheads and the bottom of the deck.
I asked the owner and he said, 'yeah the bulkheads and deck /hull move independently and it creaks a fair bit in a seaway'. I can only assume he was the one to do the sikaflex job and in some placed the gap between the sika and the deck had opened up a good 5mm between when the sika was done and now.
I left thinking the boat was a write off. But I did some online research and it seams this is pretty common for production boats and they don't actually tie the deck into the bulkeads at all.
In all reality, the boat will mostly be used in protected waters with me, so I don't image it will fall apart when I am sailing it. However I do have to think about when it coms time to sell it and the next buyer says WTF!?
Should I run away from this boat or keep it on the 'maybe list'
Is the mast keel stepped? If so then the extra compression on the keel may push the keel down in waves. Going up and down in big seas.
I don't like the idea of the gap. If it was mine I would get out the 4 inch angle grinder and grind off the bulkhead and deckhead about 3 inches wide down to glass and ply. Then cove a nice 20mm diameter cove with epoxy and silica and then three layers of 400gm double bias 150mm wide then 100mm wide. Then paint with epoxy and filler, sand, and coat with epoxy primer and then paint.
I think it would take me about 2 days to do a nice job on a 35footer. Plus materials.
Run away. Why buy a boat you can't take offshore, you will want to at some time, when seaworthy boats are available. Any yacht that has a floating deck seems suspect to me.
Get it checked by someone who knows what they are talking about before you make a decision. It may not be as bad as you think. I was talking to a shipwright about his Benny 473 and the shift in bulkhead (mine hadn't moved though). He didn't seem too concerned. Benny's are apparently known for it due to the fillet being applied over the varnished bulkhead as oppose to clean material.
As said above, if it ticks all the other boxes it may not need running away from. Just be informed and aware
Its possible that the sikaflex is used so that the frames or bulkheads don't produce hard lines on the hull. Strength may be gained throughout the hull by other means. I have seen alot of nicely constructed glass boats that use a foam bearer laid under frames to take up inconsistency between the hull and frame but more importantly to eliminate hard lines that look terrible and could compromise the integrity of the hull. I always look for the bearers when looking for a quality build. You do see some poorly glassed in ply bulkheads where the glassing has come away from the ply usually caused from skimping on resin and not wetting the ply out thoroughly or coating first before glassing in,,,it can be hard to spot.
