Pre-purchase CD36 questions.

[Bob Shulman]

We just looked at a 1984 CD36 that has been in the water year round for most of her life in the Northern Chesapeake. The boat has not been covered but has had a bubbler to prevent ice around the hull. Is anyone aware of particular problems related to this kind of storage? There does appear to be more rust than I am used to seeing. e.g., on the binnacle, in the sink, on the engine mounts (one of the mounting"pipes" has rusted enough to cause some cracking in the surrounding glass). Also, the engine appears to have been recently painted, even though there has been no mechanical work done (rust?). The boat is an odd mixture of neglect and care. The original sails, dodger, and covers are in terrible shape, and there is some delamination of the cabin sole due to a leaking mast boot, but the decks and cabin trunk have been recently professionally painted, and the bright work is in nice condition. I imagine that the decks and cabin were in pretty rough shape before the paint job. Has anyone had experience with crazing re-appearing though a carefull paint job? The owner reports that the boat has been hauled regurlarly for painting, and the there are no evident blisters. Any ruminations or comments would be highly appreciated.
We have been looking for a CD36 and have seen most of the boats currently listed on YachtWorld. It's kind of discouraging how inaccurate the broker's listings are, and how unable or unwilling most of them are to provide detailed information regarding upgrades and maintenance. One of the 36's had been hit by lightning and burned from the cockpit to the mast. The broker did not mention this beforehand; I found out from the owner after asking questions about an odd-looking repair. Another was listed as "meticulously maintained" even though the brightwork had not been touched in several years, the decks were in poor shape, and the rudder was loose enough at the bottom fitting to likely need a major repair. This same broker appeared aggravated when I asked him how old the sails were. Also, most of them are reluctant to allow a careful inspection by the perspective buyer, but would prefer a deposit and survey, allowing the buyer to spend several hundred dollars to find out about possible problems. It appears that "shows very nicely" may mean that she is still visible above the water? Perhaps I am expecting too much.
Bob S