Great idea to buy a C36.

Many of us bought "pristine" boats and still spent lotsa $$$ on them.

Budget accordingly.

You may need to think more about engine and sails beyond what you told us. Chainplates can be fixed and this website has two great how-tos that I know about.

Good luck.

A well qualified surveyor should be able to fully assess potentially water damaged hull and deck, using a moisture meter.
Chainplates- as noted- there is good info on this. Most Catalina owners have had to deal with it and I certainly would not consider it a show stopper.
The C36 is a FANTASTIC boat and ALL boats require a regular infusion of funds, so I agree that budgeting is important.

If you buy, I advise sailing her for awhile before going crazy with upgrades and projects. It is easy to be excited about the boat and spend time and money on things that may or may not enhance YOUR sailing use and experience.

I hope you find a great C36.

Congratulation on a great choice! If it helps, I've had my '91 MK I (not that much newer than yours) and have never had any issues with it. It's all about the maintenance done by the prior owner, and mine was GREAT (he moved to a 42). Just get a good surveyor and you should be fine.

Mike

I live in Seattle. Two years ago I was a fairly novice sailor and bought a 92 Mark I 36. Got a good price but knew that a lot of things would need to be addressed, nothing huge from what I could tell but systems things. Got a survey from someone who claimed to have extensive experience with Catalina boats. This guy was recomended by both the broker and the insurance co.
In the last two years I have made this boat into just what I wanted. A lot of upgrades and a few surprises but no major, basic problems. Engine solid and transmission good. Sails good and rigging in good shape. I have never missed going out when I wanted to go out.
A few points:
The surveyor, in spite of his creds. missed some key things or just didn't know some important things. Though none of these things turned out to make a huge difference, it was and is troubling, as someone said recently, these guys really make the insurance company feel good but may not really serve the buyer in the best fashion. Next time I will conduct a more thorough interview, but then of course, next time I will know a lot more.
These are pretty easy boats to understand. Having gone through every system and part of the boat myself, from the top of the mast to to the keel. I have found nothing that couldn't be easily understood and worked on. I have a lot of aircraft maintenance and fiberglass experience which has helped.
I have been reading the recent discussions and past ones about "core damage" and for sure this needs to be a carefully inspected and addressed but it is not mysterious. For sure, I would want a surveyor or someone who is very knowledgeable about this and experienced in detecting its presence. That being said, in talking to other Catalina 36 owners it is not considered to be a widespread problem in our local fleet (oh ya, it rains here a lot).
For me....C36 hsd been a great boat
Puget sound sailing, whether day sailing or cruising is great.
If it would be useful for you to come out to my 36 and go through some of the systems before you look at other boats, please feel free to get in touch. I'll be happy to show you around the boat. [email]flynr@aol.com[/email]
Good shopping, Neil Roach

Erik Bentzen in Seattle is an excellent surveyor and a sailor who really knows what he is talking about.

It sounds like you are coming into this with the right mindset. Know that the purchase price is the first of many assiciated expenses. The great thing about boats, though, is you don't need an A&P to perfom maintenance on them. You can do it all yourself, and most maintenance items/upgrades are outlined pretty well both here on and the C34 forum.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to find your own surveyor. It's been my experience that surveyors recommended by brokers are recommended because they do what's necessary to facilitate the sale. Find your own surveyor to ensure he has only YOUR best interests in mind.

C36's are great boats, and given the type of sailing you're considering, you'd be hard pressed to find better at a similar price point.

Good luck, and be sure to let us know how it goes!

Denny Johnson did my survey in '03. 206-794-6994.

Took a good part of a day, found some wetness in the deck (fixed by PO).
I felt he did a thorough job.

If Eric is available, you won't be dissapointed. He really knows boats.

[QUOTE=Tr182md;10101]How did the PO fix the wetness? Sounds like a big job.[/QUOTE]

The boat went to Devlin's boatyard and they drilled and filled the small area around the port chainplates that was affected.