On the Brink

[Thevig]

Hi I am new to the forum but have had numerous boats in my life but never a wooden boat.
I have an opportunity to pick up a 1954 36 Commander that seems to be in pretty good shape.
All the places I would assumed would be rotten on the deck and vertical topsides is not at all.

In reference to the bottom does anyone have a checklist of sorts to with nay pointers as to where to check for trouble?
A captain friend of mines said the keel and stem look in great shape and the free board area looks nice with not apparent rotten spots

Any insights would be appreciated.

[boat_art]

Under the engines first. Look for dark oily areas and poke around. Use a knife or ice pick and check the frames and planking where they meet and the transom framing. That looks like a beauty! any more pics for us?

[Captain Nemo]

Looks like a nice find . Give the chines a poke from the inside. By design they trap water on top of them, creating a place for rot.

[boat_art]

Yes....definitely chines...thanks for the save Cap Nemo!

[evansjw44]

Cheek boards and apron of the transom and around the exhaust pipe penetration, Check window bottom frames.

[joanroy]

Research her history if possible. Find out how many owners, how it was stored and maintained, if it's had a previous restoration or any major repairs. Get as much information as you can about her then find a good boat surveyor and let him do his objective thing..

[knotty48]

What a beautiful boat!!
I hope all is well with the survey and you get her back in the water.

[Thevig]

Thank you all for responding
I poked all the place mentioned and all seems solid
No mush anywhere

The old owner seemed pretty meticulous until he gave her up

Gonna get the survey done this week and see where this goes

I'll post more pics after I set up a little website to document the acquisition and repairs