Hi, I'm new to the group. I've been wanting to purchase one of these but I had 2 questions I was hoping you could provide insight on.
1. I've looked at 2 boats and both have had cracks in the fiberglass around the mast. Neither one was cracked on the bottom side, although one has a plate on the bottom that was bolted through and one didn't have anything underneath. Is this common to these boats? Is it a structural concern?
2. The one I'm considering looks like it's swing keel has seen better days from the one picture I was sent. It's not a great picture, but does it look like anything concerning?
Any other things to look for would be much appreciated!
Looks like keel has a couple small owies I would think that as long as they're sealed there should be no issues.
Regarding the mast step support I suggest you look at my earlier posts about what happened when my 1986 Mod 1 snapped. The method used to repair it was quite costly, but well engineered by a professional boatswain. There's also another post where the skipper used a different method to repair his fracture, also quite a major job. The issue is the embedded wood transverse support beam which can rot over time. If that happens the boat's not safe to sail!
I think the only way to be sure you won't have a problem one day is to buy a relatively newer Capri. It's too bad they did'nt spend a few extra bucks to make the support with steel. Maybe you could check in with Catalina Direct to find out if the newer boats have that.
Cheers!