- Boat name
- SNOWHAWK
- Berth
- Port Solent
- Boat type
- Moody 34
- Cruising area
- Solent
Hi I'm thinking of buying a m38cc . Are their any bad points to look out for ?
Moody 38 (90s) What to look out for
- Thread starter David Kemp
- Start date
- MOA Position
- East Coast Captain
- Boat name
- WILD THYME
- Berth
- Suffolk Yacht Harbour
- Boat type
- Moody 425
- Cruising area
- North Sea, English Channel, Biscay
Hi David,
Obviously she will now be between 24 and 29 years old, so all the usual things to look out for on a boat of that age - how old is the engine, how old are the sails and rigging? How old are the electronics, how well have updated electronics been installed, was the shorepower an original fit or subsequent "improvement" and if so, how well was it fitted?
Thinking more specifically Moody of that era: What do her keel studs and nuts look like in the bilge. Have any keel studs ever been drawn? How much rust is there at the keel to hull joint?
When did the owner last lift and reseal the little sealing plates around the shroud chainplates, when were the chainplates and the part bulkheads to which they are bolted last inspected? If these two questions draw a blank response, put a 12" steel rule (or some other straight edge) along the deck next to each shroud, if the deck is showing signs of bulging, dig further.
Is there any cracking around the plinths on which the genoa sheet turning blocks are mounted?
Has the teak faced ply in the cockpit been replaced with solid teak?
What is the condition of the mild steel fuel tank and of the aluminium (I think) water tanks? Has a holding tank been installed (and if so, how well?
If the hull is sound, none of these is unfixable, but if everything is old and has not been replaced in a timely fashion, the bill for bringing her to A1 condition is likely to be more than the price you pay for her
The golden rule with boats over 20 years old is that their condition says more about the way they've been looked after that the way they were built. Marine Projects are sound builders, so Moodys started off as good boats so imho worth looking after well, but they don't always get the care they should.
Happy hunting.
Peter.
Obviously she will now be between 24 and 29 years old, so all the usual things to look out for on a boat of that age - how old is the engine, how old are the sails and rigging? How old are the electronics, how well have updated electronics been installed, was the shorepower an original fit or subsequent "improvement" and if so, how well was it fitted?
Thinking more specifically Moody of that era: What do her keel studs and nuts look like in the bilge. Have any keel studs ever been drawn? How much rust is there at the keel to hull joint?
When did the owner last lift and reseal the little sealing plates around the shroud chainplates, when were the chainplates and the part bulkheads to which they are bolted last inspected? If these two questions draw a blank response, put a 12" steel rule (or some other straight edge) along the deck next to each shroud, if the deck is showing signs of bulging, dig further.
Is there any cracking around the plinths on which the genoa sheet turning blocks are mounted?
Has the teak faced ply in the cockpit been replaced with solid teak?
What is the condition of the mild steel fuel tank and of the aluminium (I think) water tanks? Has a holding tank been installed (and if so, how well?
If the hull is sound, none of these is unfixable, but if everything is old and has not been replaced in a timely fashion, the bill for bringing her to A1 condition is likely to be more than the price you pay for her
The golden rule with boats over 20 years old is that their condition says more about the way they've been looked after that the way they were built. Marine Projects are sound builders, so Moodys started off as good boats so imho worth looking after well, but they don't always get the care they should.
Happy hunting.
Peter.
- Boat name
- SNOWHAWK
- Berth
- Port Solent
- Boat type
- Moody 34
- Cruising area
- Solent
Hi Peter
Thank you for your speedy and thorough reply ,you have given us plenty to go on . We have several boats that we would like to look at and can't understand why a 36cc is roughly the same price as a 38 . We currently have a m34 that we will be putting on the market. Snow Hawk is a good vessel and I'd like to think she is in as good if not better condition than we found her .
Thanks again regards David
Thank you for your speedy and thorough reply ,you have given us plenty to go on . We have several boats that we would like to look at and can't understand why a 36cc is roughly the same price as a 38 . We currently have a m34 that we will be putting on the market. Snow Hawk is a good vessel and I'd like to think she is in as good if not better condition than we found her .
Thanks again regards David
- MOA Position
- East Coast Captain
- Boat name
- WILD THYME
- Berth
- Suffolk Yacht Harbour
- Boat type
- Moody 425
- Cruising area
- North Sea, English Channel, Biscay
Hi David,
The majority of my reply is equally applicable to your M34, so nothing new to you. Hopefully a 90's M38 owner will be along soon to tell you something more specific.
Firstly, the cc designation was not used by Moody to describe any of the many different models they sold. My rep[ly above relates to the Moody 38 (90's) because you selected that header the cc does nothing to distinguish between the two centre cockpit 38 foot models Moody built: the 90's one from 1991 to 1996 and the 2000's from 2000 to 2003, a very different boat.
There were also two centre cockpit 36's: the 80's version between 1977 and 1981 and the 2000's version between built between 1996 and 2000, so the 90's 36 will be newer than the 90's 38, hence similar prices even though I consider the older 38 to be a better boat. The 90's 36 was definitely part of the same generation as the 2000's 38
If this is a bit confusing, study the Moody Archive which you can find via a link on the MOA Home page towards the bottom on the left.
Peter.
The majority of my reply is equally applicable to your M34, so nothing new to you. Hopefully a 90's M38 owner will be along soon to tell you something more specific.
Firstly, the cc designation was not used by Moody to describe any of the many different models they sold. My rep[ly above relates to the Moody 38 (90's) because you selected that header the cc does nothing to distinguish between the two centre cockpit 38 foot models Moody built: the 90's one from 1991 to 1996 and the 2000's from 2000 to 2003, a very different boat.
There were also two centre cockpit 36's: the 80's version between 1977 and 1981 and the 2000's version between built between 1996 and 2000, so the 90's 36 will be newer than the 90's 38, hence similar prices even though I consider the older 38 to be a better boat. The 90's 36 was definitely part of the same generation as the 2000's 38
If this is a bit confusing, study the Moody Archive which you can find via a link on the MOA Home page towards the bottom on the left.
Peter.