Help! opinions sought..

[Catweasel]

heya,

I had a survey done this week on a 40 year old Contessa 26. I am seeking opinions which I realise will be based on your experience alone as you've not seen the boat.

The vendor has gone out of his way to be helpful and informative and whilst I am unafraid to walk away I only want to do so if I have to (I reckon that I'm going to find similiar issues on other boats anyway).

Amoungst other findings he highlighted;

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"1. The hull is quite wet below the waterline. The moisture content is 10 times greater than the topsides. There is no evidence of any structural problem at this time but it is likely that the epoxy coating will need to be removed again to allow the hull to dry out at some time in the future. Currently the greatest significance of this defect is the re-saleability of the vessel. Any surveyor acting for a purchaser would be bound to criticise the vessel and suggest that an expensive disruptive recoating process would be necessary in the foreseeable future.

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2. The deck is excessively flexible forward and aft of the mast. It behaves like a trampoline when you walk on it. It will be necessary to do some remedial work to the deck before undertaking the sort of extended passage making that you envisage."

My questions;
Point 1 - I am not too concerned about the re-sale value but I do need it to..not sink after 6 months...how concerned should I be about this?

Point 2 - the vendor states that (and I am heavily paraphrasing from memory) the springy deck is fairly normal. The surveyor has expressed concern. How worried should I be?


FWIW I'm going to sail from the UK to the Med and, with luck, further starting in June and ending,..well, when one of us (the boat or me) gives up the ghost.

 

[flipper]

There are others more qualified than me but that springy deck is delamination. Water has got into the core and the balsa is mushy. Sounds major to me unless the boat is dirt cheap.

If you PM Nigelm on here he had a similar issue that he sorted.

 

[rob2]

The lay-up of the Contessa is pretty substantial and there is no history of any boat sinking from Osmosis. Some would question whether the readings taken over an epoxy coating would be expected to be the same as those taken on the topsides and will also depend on how long the boat has been out of the water and drying out. You may be able to negotiate on the price to save the sale.

I don't believe there is any core material in the deck moulding. If the deck is springing more than normal, it could be that some attention to the mast support post is needed. Sometimes crushing to the end of such a post can allow the deck to spring as it is effectively unsupported.

Impossible to be too specific, but I would expect the surveyor to look for the cause of the deck springing if it was so noticeable and in that light, I wonder about his reliability in measuring the moisture content. I have seen surveyors taking measurements without first removing the antifouling!

Rob.

 

[Georgio]

My questions;
Point 1 - I am not too concerned about the re-sale value but I do need it to..not sink after 6 months...how concerned should I be about this?

Point 2 - the vendor states that (and I am heavily paraphrasing from memory) the springy deck is fairly normal. The surveyor has expressed concern. How worried should I be?


FWIW I'm going to sail from the UK to the Med and, with luck, further starting in June and ending,..well, when one of us (the boat or me) gives up the ghost.

Don't own a CO26 but do know a bit about them (and own a CO32), I would suggest you make contact with the CO26 Owners association (www.contessa26.net) who I am sure will give you advice on the survey and any other issues that crop up. The builder, Jeremy Rogers, is also very approachable and happy to help.

Re your questions...

1 - If the hull is showing high moisture content readings but there is no delimitation or significant blisters then it would not worry me. Do you have the exact readings and the type of meter used?

2 - as far as I know the deck is solid laminate, there is no core to worry about and yes they do all flex a little bit. These are very tough little boats.

Hope this puts your mind at rest

 

[ancientsailor]

My first cruiser - remembered with great fondness - a 1967 CO 26 which I bought in 1991 - 24 years old.

The survey found:

• extensive osmosis below the waterline (the surveyor said, it's to be expected - you may or may not want to get attended to at some stage)
• springy deck forward of the mast (single skin, and from what I remember, no balsa core). When I discussed it with the surveyor he spoke about glassing in some frames. This recommendation was omitted from the final report - after research the surveyor didn't see it as an issue. The deck was very flexible there.

I had to sell the boat a year or two later. I had people queuing up to buy it - even though I sent them copies of the surveyor's report.

The buyer's surveyor found - you've guessed it - the above. Didn't put the buyer off who sailed her away.

 

[nimbusgb]

1 - Wouldn't be concerned in the least

2 - Without walking on another C26 or getting someone who really knows the breed I would be somewhat circumspect.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

wet hull is a price issue. get a suitable discount to cover the cost of the work required. if you dont feel like doing the work then at least you have the money to pass on to the next buyer who will want the same.

 

[Seajet]

I have walked on Co26 decks and found them flexing ( this was when they were only a couple of years old ), and it's been mentioned in magazine reviews etc.

It is not a sign of approaching Armaggedon, if you can find a suitable mooring ( £££ ) and can somehow bear to live without an aft cabin don't be put off, she didn't make David Sadler's career for nothing...

 

[Chrissie]

I am a surveyor with a Contessa 26, and a springy foredeck, what is more important is whether the base that the mast is sitting on, is supporting the mast well or sagging? or have cracks in the beam that supports under the mast, next to the bulkhead, doorway by the loo. (even if it sags it can be repaired)
I wish I had a pound for each time I see a surveyor scare the living daylights out of a customer by talking about high moisture levels and osmosis. Many years ago when some grp boats started to show signs of osmosis there was panic, people thinking their boats would sink, boats with moisture contents over an arbitury figure were seen as future writeoffs, and companies came up with ways off stripping off the gelcoat to rinse out the glycols and dry out the fibreglass before re gelcoating.

My forty four year old Contessa still has a high water content and still has no blisters, I still love her and I still think she might win round the Island this year

 

[March2]

I hope Chrissie is right.....

......it was on the strength of her survey that I bought my CO26

As mentioned the Association is worth a look up but both issues are 'known' and are not deal breakers, in fact these boats seem to go on and on.

 

[srp]

My brother used to own a Contessa 26, and it was the first boat I helmed - the aftermath of a gale, from Newtown to Cowes, and it remains the most exhilarating sail I have ever had. Needless to say, the Contessa looked after me very well, surfing down waves at an incredible speed.

Having done a few structural repairs and alterations to my Corribee (admittedly a bit smaller!) I wouldn't be put off by this survey in the slightest. It's very easy to strengthen a deck or sort out a mast beam, it just takes a bit of time, some common sense and the ability to work with epoxy and glass cloth. There are loads of experienced people on here who can help out with specific tasks if or when you need assistance.

 

[Chrissie]

......it was on the strength of her survey that I bought my CO26

As mentioned the Association is worth a look up but both issues are 'known' and are not deal breakers, in fact these boats seem to go on and on.

I saw her last time I was in chichester, looking good. Theres celebrations and fun racing for the Contessa 26 aniversary, I will be in touch about it in a couple of months.

 

[EuanMcKenzie]

doom and gloom

my surveyor found high moisture content in my hull and reckoned I would get osmosis in the next 2 to 3 years

The boat had been out of the water for 12 months - It rained that day

That was 2005

Boat is 1972 build - not a Contessa - I don't have osmosis yet

Think about it - if he didn't scare you about osmosis and you then got it would you blame him? Whats he gonna say then!

 

[Catweasel]

just wanted to say thanks to everyone that responded you guys really set my mind at ease and the purchase is, I hope, back on track.

 

[Bajansailor]

Go for it! They are brilliant wee boats. And even though the prices of all second hand boats have taken a hammering in recent years, before that Contessas were, like classic cars, going upwards.
I remember that they were generally going for around GBP 5 - 6,000 twenty years ago - a year or 2 back I saw an immaculate one (Quixota I think) advertised on Yachtsnet for GBP 25k......

I have sailed on a few, including a lovely dark green 26 called Maramour at Marchwood Sailing Club (up opposite the Southampton container port) many moons ago - I wonder where she is now?
And one called Teassa at Bequia Easter Regatta about 10 or 11 years ago. In terms of size, we were 4 1/2 crew (I was the 1/2, the other 4 were rather stocky lads) and we did pretty well really.
Our best moment was being the first boat to reach Bequia Head (a hard beat to windward) in the Round the Island race - despite being the smallest boat taking part, and even beating a 50' modern cruising yacht with an 'Aero' rig, as well as a motley assortment of other cruiser racer types.
Put 3 1/2 heavy crew on the windward rail, all hiking enthusiastically, when it is blowing a good hooley with full main and #1 genoa, and she flew - or dived rather, as she went through the waves at a rate of knots, submarine style, rather than 'up and over' them.

And I am looking forward to sailing on another (if all goes to plan re planes), in another round the island race this year, but in higher latitudes this time.

 

[lenseman]

just wanted to say thanks to everyone that responded you guys really set my mind at ease and the purchase is, I hope, back on track.

Go with what 'Chrissie' says. She is a yacht surveyor and also owns a Contessa 26 so if anyone is best qualified . . . . ?

Secondly a guy [Nick Jaffe] on here a couple of years ago, without any sailing knowledge or boat skills purchased an old Contessa 26 in Southampton (and without a survey) and sailed it back to Sidney Australia crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans single-handed via Holland!!

http://www.ybw.com/forums/member.php?u=20777

http://www.ybw.com/forums/search.php?searchid=3430377

http://www.bigoceans.com/2007/10/