J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Smack Introduction and Asking for Advice

Hello to all on the J/30 Forum!

I am a new member here, and my wife and I are looking to buy Quicksilver (hull # 344). It looks like a previous owner was active on here a few years ago. Since then the boat changed hands at least once, and made its way from Seward to Juneau, Alaska.

My wife and I sailed J/24s for a while in Santa Barbara, and then a Sprinta Sport (Dehler 23) in Vancouver BC. We recently moved up to Juneau and have been looking for a boat that would allow us to explore the area more (there are only 50 miles of road in Juneau)! The J/30 seems to really fit the bill for what we need in a boat.

Here's the CL ad: https://juneau.craigslist.org/boa/d/auke-bay-j30-sailboat-good-condition/7259348085.html

Does anyone have info on Quicksilver, beyond the posts on this forum?

The current owner has owned it for a few years, and put some work in. It has a new rudder, prop and prop shaft, and new bottom paint. Though the paint was applied by the owner and has some pretty bad orange peel. It is pretty limited in the sails department, but we don't plan to race much. There certainly isn't a strong OD fleet here, haha! There are a couple of small questionable soft spots on the transom and deck (that I could find by tapping with a hammer), but I didn't find any on the hull. We will be getting a survey done though.

Anyway, do you all notice anything in the ad/photos that seems suspect or worth inspecting closer?

Thanks in advance! I am happy to be a part of this passionate and knowledgeable community!

Cheers,
Kyle

Kyle,

As the former owner of Rhapsody #348 I can say that the price listed for the boat seems fair. Based on the listing it appears the owner has maintained the boat well. The soft spots for a boat of this age shouldn't be unexpected. If you have some time and energy, fixing these yourself may be accomplished as many have done, and discussed well on this forum - check my old blog. Letting them go shouldn't be an issue unless there is still water intrusion, or if too saturated and allowed to freeze can do more damage.

If the rig is down, inspect the swaged fittings and the 1x19 wire to make sure they have not deteriorated with salt water and age. If questionable, have a rigger make new shrouds. There is also a Spreader Bar Fix that should be installed and if not, you should do it. Both of these items will keep your rig from failing.

Thanks for the reply Bill! Great advice about the rigging and spreader bar fix. The rig is still up at the moment, but I might go up the mast at some point soon to look things over.

My wife and I will be checking out the boat in more detail tomorrow. I'll take some photos of any questionable things to get the forums advice.

Thanks again!
Kyle