SURVEYOR SAYS

There is little to worry about in terms of structure on these solidly built boats. This Princess 40 is 18 years old and although the engine hours are unknown, I’d expect to see around 1,200 hours on the tachos, so the 18 years of wear and tear should give the surveyor something to get his teeth into. Osmosis? Unlikely. High hull moisture? Unlikely. Underwater stress cracking? Unlikely. Internal structure/bulkhead damage? Again, unlikely, unless it has suffered a collision or run-aground damage during its life. Okay, I’d expect some hull and superstructure gelcoat deterioration, but one of the polishing companies can restore that back to as good as new. Exposed teak decks may be wearing through by now but that’s about it.

Machinery wise, the Volvo Penta 63Ps will give well beyond 3,000 hours without major trouble providing the service schedules have been kept up, but we are approaching potential fuel/tank age-related problems so fuel analysis will be worthwhile. Also check for hairline cracks on the turbo exhaust manifolds, and the boat performance will be adversely affected if the turbos or fuel injectors are faulty. Finally, expect a light grey exhaust trace from these pre-evc engines, but any dark grey or black emissions should be questioned.