Surveying Fiberglass Sailboats: A Step-by-Step Guide for Buyers and Owners

Explains what to watch for in a used sailboat from each era, and how to ferret out the hidden defects in any boat. This book shows how to estimate the cost of repairs and the value of a boat. It enables you to conduct your own surveys while narrowing the field, then monitor a professional surveyor's performance when selecting your target boat.

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Mustin's part-by-part look at hull, deck, rig, and machinery is both a minicourse for transforming used-boat shopping from a game of craps to a science, and the first step in a holistic boat maintenance program. His discussion of the significance of cracks found in aging hulls and decks is the most thorough in print. He is not shy in assessing the lack of regulation of professional surveyors, nor does he shrink from pointing a finger at shoddy building practices. Having a used boat surveyed is a critical prelude to buying it. Yet a professional survey is expensive--several hundred dollars. Surveying Fiberglass Sailboats will enable you to conduct your own surveys while narrowing the field, then monitor a professional surveyor's performance when selecting your target boat.