Haikubamboo wrote:
I'm planning to take a look at a 2009 Bravo and trailer. What wear and tear would be normal, and what should I look for to see whether the boat or trailer had been overworked or stored improperly?
And what is the physically most demanding task for one person trying to set up a Bravo and getting it off and back onto the trailer?
I'm not the expert on what to look for, but if it were me, I'd begin by looking at the hull. Make sure there are no large scrapes or chunks taken out of it. Sometimes people actually believe it when they hear these things are "indestructible" and they try!
After that, look at the sails. The sails colours should be BRIGHT! If the boat was stored outside with the mast furled, you'll notice a fading in certain spots. Check the stitching on the sail, it should be uniform without missing stitches.
Check the tripod that holds the sail up. Make sure there are no dents, bends, and minimal or no scratches. (If you buy it, make sure you check the bolts that secure the tripod. It can feel secure while still having loose bolts, I posted about this in the Bravo section yesterday)
Check the rudder, make sure it doesn't have any chunks missing.
As far as the most difficult thing to do when rigging, well the Mast would be the toughest piece to raise, but I'm pretty sure that I could do that with one hand tied behind my back.... (don't try that the first time out!!) So it's just not difficult to rig. There are very few steps, and each step is simple.
There are a couple tricks to get it on and off the trailer. I have a video of me getting mine from trailer to ready to sail in 5 minutes. I do it solo all the time. The hull is very light and you can easily lift the front side, place it on the trailer, and then lift the back and shove it forward onto the trailer. Each trailer is different, I had mine custom built, but here's the video to show how easy it is for me. It might be a boring video if it's not what you're looking for, but at least you get the sense of how quickly the boat can be taken from a trailer to the water.
Here's the video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj9GuDvieFs[/youtube]