Getting a boat

I recently posted about a h16 that I was looking at getting. Turns out to have been a bad boat ie: soft spots and to much money to fix it. After looking at a 17 here with the same problems I am thinking of making a trip.

http://eastnc.craigslist.org/boa/2556990296.html

This boat is about 5 hours away from me. What does everyone think about this one. What should I loom for when/if I do make the trip. Thanks for the help and making this place such a place to pick up information.

Where are you coming from? There is a decent 18 here in Greenville SC. If the owner invested in a new tramp I think that is a good sign. Check all of the hulls, look for cracking under the deck lip.

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2010 AHPC C2 #218

I'm already suspicious when the ad says "1988" when the mainsail is from 1983.

Could be an innocent misreading of the HIN (a poorly engraved "83" can look like "88"), but still . . .

I have talked to the owner of the 18 in Greenville. Some one has put a down payment Baring a test sail this weekend. So that one is not looking good. I am coming from charleston.

Maybe that is the other set of sails? The listing says two sets.

But why would there be a set of sails five years older than the boat?

Two booms is weird, too. There's no reason to have a second boom on an 18, even with two sets of sails.

Hmmm absolutely right. If it is an 83 would it be worth taking a look at ?

I do not think its that big of a deal on the sails. Simply ask for a pic of the HIN. A set of sails well taken care of or very lightly used could easily look better than the original ones. The boom probably came with the sails. I find that many H18 owners have many spare parts that don't really make that much sense, myself included.

A simple e-mail to the seller could clear all questions you might have.

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2010 AHPC C2 #218

Lets see, "Yellow - paint in fairly good shape". Does that mean the yellow hulls have been painted? Or is the seller calling the yellow gelcoat, paint?

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Jeff Serene
1984 Hobie 18 Magnum
Phoenix, AZ