thank god for survey's

[Hardeight]

I finally found an Express I liked, we agreed on a price, I flew to go see it. Needless to say I was excited to finally buy a good Trojan. Then my surveyor found multiple structural issues including rotten bulkhead behind the engines, the mid bulkheads next to the engines, and then a bad stringer port side under the cabin ( undetermined how far the bad part went ) at that point we stopped the survey. All labor intensive repairs. My disappointment is off the charts. However, I am glad that I have spent enough time on this site to know exactly what to look for and that I hired a surveyor. I know these items can be repaired, But I really did not want a rebuild project. this is a great site and I will continue to use it. I was really wanting to purchase before I became a supporting member but will become a supporting member this week - thanks for all the great posts - the right vessel will come along. Bill

[todd brinkerhoff]

What type of Trojan are you looking for?

[P-Dogg]

Better to find this stuff out before you buy than after! I once spent $2000 and a couple of vacation days not buying a boat. You need to keep a sharp eye out, as you are, because you never know if the seller is trying to pawn off their junk, or just doesn't know the extent of the issues with their boat. When I was shopping for my tricab, it was clear to me that I was looking in places that many owners haven't (or never) been in years. I learned to ask a lot of questions via email, so it is in writing, before I spent money on travel. Unfortunately, I learned to ask a new question each time I looked at a different boat, which I did 11 times (all 1981 to 1985 tricabs).

Since you are still looking, I'll share a few of my favorites:

Has it ever been wrecked?
What doesn't work?
Is the owner a chain cigar smoker?
Do the windows leak?
Do the toilets leak?
What modifications have been made to the boat?
Is there mold anywhere inside the boat?


While the issues that you described are significant and certainly warrant a "pass", keep in mind that all boats of a certain age will have something wrong with them -- that's why you're not paying the "new" price, and that it costs money to seriously shop for boats. The trick is to find the combination of best value, all things considered. Once you identify a boat, you may try asking if any forum members are located in the same city and can at least do a visual for you before you travel. And I second not buying a project boat. There will be enough things that you'll want to do that unless you REALLY like fixing-up boats, you should buy a ready-to-use boat, even if that means paying a premium. Typically, the low-priced boats will have been on the market for a while. If you find a good boat, chances are that it will be new to market, and the owner less likely to negotiate down on price because they haven't been beaten down by numerous tire-kickers or multiple months (or years) of storage, winterizing, de-winterizing, etc. Many of the same boats that I did not buy a year ago are still for sale, albeit at lower prices.
If you haven't read them yet, David Pascoe wrote two good books for boats like you are looking at. One is "Surveying Fiberglass Power Boats", the other is "Mid-Size Powerboats". His website is worth a bookmark and thorough read, as are his books.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/

Good luck on your search.

[Hardeight]

I have looked at several Trojans, the current one is an 87 express. The issues include the bulkhead behind the motors on both sides are rotten. There is a stringer in the forward cabin port side that is bad for an undetermined distance ( with out taking it apart ) my surveyor says run away. Initial estimates are between 5k and 10k to fix. I really liked the boat and the lay out. I know I am looking at a 25 year old boat, and expected some small issues but structural issues are another thing. The motors and generator are perfect, and good electronics, all the bilge pumps need replacing. I would have to move the boat 400+ miles to get it to where I can work on it... I would have closed on the boat expect for these issues...... Now what is the question.

[todd brinkerhoff]

I wonder if Mark's 10 meter is still for sale. It was a completely rehauled (and tricked out) 10 meter express for 25k, which is a deal. It was in the San Diego craigslist at last sighting. I would think someone scarfed it up quick though. Where are u located?

[RWS]

If you are looking at Trojan's International Meter Series, the 10 meter express (not mid cabin) as originally introduced features woodless stringers, a vacuum liner and a solid glass Harry Shoell designed DeltaConic Hull.

Much has been written on this forum regarding these features.

Just ask and you are sure to get a response.

RWS

[jaahmez@hotmail.com]

My 11 Meter is and remains for sale, and is turnkey.
It will survey as good as the best it's age.
It is listed on this site as the 1984 11 Meter Express in Rock Hall Maryland.
It is also listed on Boattrader although the link is not doing it's thing.
I remain a motivated seller.
Had a blast on it this 4th as it was quite windy on the Bay and we could not go out on the little boat.

James Wallace

[prowlersfish]

As far as yacht survey . com & Pascoe goes read it with a grain of salt some facts some opinions and some clueless stuff /dated .

[Hardeight]

I'm in North Carolina. My friend found this boat ( with no promises ). The owner and I haggled back and forth and came to terms. The only thing that was suppose to need fixing was the hot water heater. Needless to say we found a lot more than that. The motors, genset, and electronics were all in great condition. The owner then said he would come down another 1000 to cover the repairs. I responded - have him get it fixed, we will re-inspect and I would buy it at our agreed price. Needless to say I am back shopping again......

[todd brinkerhoff]

Plenty of good trojan internationals out there. Wait until u find a good one.

[larryeddington]

++ paul and I would expand it to "most" surveyors, they are in the same racket as home inspectors.