Pearson Yachts Forum
General Category - Pearson Owners and Enthusiasts => New Member Introductions => Topic started by: Sailingirl on December 06, 2017, 07:37:29 PM
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On Saturday I’m going to do my own survey on a 1981 323. What are some areas I should focus on? Are there any areas that are prone to failure on this model? I’m having it hauled out and then doing a sea trial.
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Sailingirl,
I have owned a bunch of boats and I had them all surveyed when I purchased them. With that said, what they do isn't magical and if you have common sense and knowledge of how thing are supposed to work on a boat , you can do what they do. The problem comes in the form of your boat insurance company. I never had an insurance company not request a copy of a marine survey. You are purchasing a 37 year old boat and for them to feel comfortable insuring it, they need to know that the boat isn't going to sink or catch fire the day after they insure it even though that can happen to a perfect boat on any given day. I would have a conversation with the insurance company before you commit to doing this yourself. You may end up paying for a second haul out which could be half the price of your survey. Good luck.
Michael
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Welcome Sailingirl,
Off the top, I agree with everything Michael M said. That being said, you should at least look for the following:
- Check the prop shaft for any side-to-side play at the strut
- Check the rudder shaft for any side-to-side play
- In the cockpit, check the wheel for "slop" or "deadband". If there's too much, examine the steering gear, through the access panel in the floor of the cockpit, for stretched cable or worn axles in the two turning blocks.
- If you have access to a pinless moisture meter, check around the base of every stanchion and chainplate, and at the foot of the braces around the lifeline gates.
- Inside the cabin, remove the access panels and check for rust staining or watermarks around each of the 6 shroud chainplates. There have been several catastrophic chainplate failures reported.
- Look for rust staining weeping from any of the rig fasteners just above the turnbuckles.
- In the cabin, examine the condition of the mast step, and the butt of the mast, for excessive corrosion. Pearson originally built these with a mild steel step in contact with an aluminum mast in a damp bilge. A formula for corrosion, and a known design defect that many owners have had to address.
- Check that all the seacocks operate easily and smoothly.
These are just some of the big things off the top of my head. There are lots more that are less critical, but still important, such as mold/mildew and odor, hatch and port leaks, condition of sails, soft spots or delaminations on the deck, etc.
The engine is another big thing, but I'm not familiar with diesels as I have an Atomic 4, so I'll let others chime in there.
Because the 323 is a solid uncored hull, with internal ballast, there have been few reports of hull or keel problems. But do keep an eye out for blisters or paint adhesion problems.