EXPERT OPINION

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY...

BEN SUTCLIFFE-DAVIES, Marine Surveyor and full member of the Yacht Brokers Designers & Surveyors Association (YDSA) www.bensutcliffemarine.co.uk

The materials used on the Najad 390 are excellent. I’ve personally not carried out a pre-purchase survey on one but have inspected a couple for other reasons. Pay attention to the decks. The teak decks were screwed down through the GRP deck moulding which is a core sandwich construction using a Pvc-type devinyl cell as spacing material. This was used for its reported strength and heat insulation, but keeping the yacht long-term in sub-zero temperatures will start detachment of any wet core, allowing working decks to soften. Look at the mast step arrangement to check the condition of the core pad within the encapsulation; an easy check is looking closely at the deck step with a straight edge. Rudders and skegs are susceptible to moisture ingress on a boat of this age and should be carefully inspected. Having spoken to one of the 390’s former builders, I’ve discovered that this model has an encapsulated keel, but there were options of having either iron or lead laid in. The majority were reportedly filled with iron ingots and not lead. The use of a magnet is really the only way to know what is inside! All were capped off with a mixture of sand and resin. Over time there is a risk of moisture causing expansion of the iron ingots, especially if the craft gets an unintended grounding. I’ve had several experiences of iron-filled keels with detachment so a proper assessment of the keel is essential.