Re: Buying a C27

Posted By: Joseph
Date: 9/30/03 10:17a.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Buying a C27 :D (Kay)

Never, ever buy a boat without a thorough survey. Lee's advice about having the surveyor check for the known faults of a C-27 is advice to be followed. Indeed, choosing the surveyor is the hard part. The surveyor _must_ know the C-27 or some pretty obvious things will be overlooked. Here's the list from the site he mentioned: C27 Known Problems This page provides a heads up to new owners and prospective owners about known issues related to the C27. The following information is based on numerous comments from C-27 owners on the Internet. Want to contribute an issue? 1. Replace lower shroud eyebolt chainplates with the new U-bolt chainplates and aluminum angle backing plates. (fairly straight-forward) Click here for more info 2. Replace cast aluminum spreader sockets with the newer stainless steel ones. (Some tricks are involved here to get the old bolts out and install the new compression tube. It's highly recommended that the mast be taken down.) Click here for more info 3. Replace any standing rigging more than 10 years old. (While the mast is down for the spreader sockets, take the wires off to a rigging shop for inspection; they will be able to tell you what needs to be replaced.) @ $405 at SECO SOUTH, Largo, FL. (727) 536-1924 4. Replace the rusty keel bolt nuts with stainless steel ones, and/or add stainless lag screws to help secure the keel. (This can be quite a job, as the old nuts are difficult to remove. Also, the wood filler below the floor of the bilge may be rotted, and the area filled with water.) Click here for more info 5. Inspect for a crack at the hull/keel joint, and repair if necessary. (fairly straightforward) Also known as the Catalina Smile. 6. Replace gate valves on seacocks with Marelon or bronze. (The old ones were a cheap plastic, and may break off if too much force is applied to the handle.) 7. Install proper backing plates on winches, cleats, stanchions and pulpit bases. (This is easier said than done for some of these items; there are places where it's hard to even get at the nuts, let alone insert backing plates.) 8. If the boat has a direct discharge head, install an approved MSD of Type 1 (treatment system) or III (holding tank). (This is now required by law.) 9. Remove and re-bed all deck hardware to eliminate leaks. There's a little trick to this, too, that greatly increases the chances of success. When the deck hardware is removed, countersink each hole slightly with an electric drill and a countersink bit. The indentation makes a place for the bedding compound to surround the bolt, thus providing a much better seal. 10. Check the bulkheads to which the upper shroud chainplates attach. They are prone to deterioration and rotting as a result of water leaking down the chainplates. If they appear bad, replace. It looks like a formidable job, but it's not that bad. 11. If your boat is equipped with an outboard motor, check the inside of the lower transom, where the motor attaches, for signs of cracking and weakening. On some, the transom flexed enough to allow the lower end of the motor to interfere with the rudder at full throttle. 12. Check the storage space under the forward bunk for water accumulation. It's either coming in through the vent (cover it when not sailing) or from the anchor rode locker. You may want to consider adding a drain to the anchor rode locker, as exists on later models. You may also want to fit a proper dorade box over the vent. 13. Be aware that on a starboard tack, if the seacock to the ice box / sink drain is open, they will fill with sea water as the boat heels. 14. The old original Princess Stoves on many Catalina 27's no longer work. Parts are available for these old stoves. Contact A&H Enterprises, 14932 Crosswood Rd., La Mirada, CA 90638. Their phone is 714-258-2525. They continue to service the Princess stoves and can supply parts. Have you removed the plunger from the tank to check the condition of the leather piston gasket? That might be the cause of lack of pressure, if you haven't ruled that out already. . 15. Scared of Lighting ??? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Last modified by Darrell Zabaldo, Friday, September 01, 2000 .