Didn't buy this boat!

OK, hopefully, I'll be able to post some interesting sailing trip in the near future.....but this post will be about our trip to finalize the purchase of a Lagoon 37 TPI in Ft. Pierce.

Deposit was paid, surveyor hired and a 2 hour haulout window was arranged at Riverside Marina.

Current owner (in yellow) and the surveyor (Michael Cunningham) in blue going over the windlass/anchor system.

Since we had a deadline to reach the marina - off we went down the Ft. Pierce inlet to do a little "sea trial".  Boat handled well and sails in pretty good shape.

They let me take the helm - I called the bridge tender and asked for an opening.

The current owner took over the helm for the entrance to the marina.  Things are jam packed in this marina!  The haul-out operators are meeting us on the dock as scheduled.

The actual slip entrance for the travel-lift is mighty tight!!!  And very un-forgiving concrete! Boy, that doesn't look like a 21' catamaran will fit!

 But it does!  Ready to lift.

You know the drill -  up, slowly up out of the water.

And onto land so that the surveyor can inspect the underwater surfaces.  The fellow in white is actually driving the entire apparatus using a handheld joystick system. 

Now comes the part that didn't go so well.  In addition to visual inspection, the surveyor uses a mallet and taps the hull hundreds of times over the entire surface to make sure it "sounds" good.  A good sound is a sort of "Ping".  A bad sound is sort of a "Thud".   A "Thud" usually means that the fiberglass has somehow become wet or rotten. 

Unfortunately, he heard "Thuds".  And quite a few of them.....

So, after much discussion - he showed us and the owners where the problems were.  Nothing much more to do except go back in the water and take the boat back to the marina where they were keeping it.

Back thru the bridge - spirits were not so high on the return trip!

After sleeping on it....we decided we did not want to take on the repairs to fix the boat and rescinded our offer to buy the boat.   We enjoyed a fun day at the beach - then got back in the airplane and headed home!   We'll keep looking!