Worth It?

calg_sailer

New Member
Hey Guys,
First post! :) Looking at buying my own boat after taking lessons last summer. Found a Bombardier Invitation for $900. Lots of spider cracking and one larger ding but most of it seems cosmetic. How can you tell when spider cracks become structural cracks? Searched through the forum and found lots of repair methods but nothing about identification and determining severity. I don't mind fixing up the spider cracks as it doesn't seem to difficult.
sailboat_6.jpg

Pic #1

sailboat_7.jpg

Pics #2

sailboat_8.jpg

Pic #3

sailboat_11.jpg

Pic #4

sailboat_12.jpg

Pic #5

sailboat_13.jpg

Pic #6

What do you guys think? Thanks in advance! :)
 
No expert here, but just looking.. the centerboard trunk crack and the cross transom cracks spell more to me than 'spider' cracks. They look structural. I'd say this boat took a really hard hit somewhere along the line. I'd also say it would make a nice learner boat, one that you could sail without worrying about scratching it ... and that if I were negotiating a price for it I doubt I'd go north of 500 and try to stay well south of that. There are a lot of lasers out there that are in the 900 category that outshine this boat.
 
Thanks for the post, I wish I could find a laser for $900!! I am up in Alberta Canada and the selection isn't great, cheapest laser I've seen was $1200 and it was a 70's model, most go for $2,000 - $5,000 which I think is crazy.

If those are structural I could just sand it down and re-glass it but yeah I' m thinking that $900 might be a bit steep. Any other thoughts?
 
Thanks for the post, I wish I could find a laser for $900!! I am up in Alberta Canada and the selection isn't great, cheapest laser I've seen was $1200 and it was a 70's model, most go for $2,000 - $5,000 which I think is crazy.

If those are structural I could just sand it down and re-glass it but yeah I' m thinking that $900 might be a bit steep. Any other thoughts?
Did you ever buy this particular boat, if so <1 of 2> Did you get this boat or another? <2> If so, how is it holding up?

I was going to say the trailer has some worth to the deal as well- in regards to the previous response of staying south of $500. I just purchased one for $250 and the paint/gel coat is lacking, but at first glance I didn't see any "spider cracking" and after inspecting the sails, I found ONE small pinhole of a hole- actually smaller that a No.2 pencil diameter. But one major,..well the most major problem would have to be the rudder "pin"?? the vertical pin that holds the rudder in place is RUSTED tight corroded ...and needs to be freed and replaced. Anyway- signed up for this forum because I saw your Bombardier post.
Devil Dawg - OUT.
 
I ended up buying the boat and it is working great. Did a little bit of fiberglassing on the one corner and that went well. The connection plate for the rudder is also a bit loose and will require some fixes this year but other than that it's a lot of fun. I took a few sailing courses so I'm still a newbie so I don't need a great boat yet. The trailer is nice, but rusted but the tires are new and it made the trip from Calgary to Kelowna without any problems
 

Back
Top