Actually, You have all been a huge help. I like this newsgroup, I think
I'll end up hanging around and having you all help me fix up my
"junker!" :-)

And I don't exactly need saving, I don't think, hopefully. I know I'm
going into a potentially money pit kind of situation. But I think I like
the size of this boat a lot, and even though I loved the idea about
walking through marinas and finding owners who aren't using their boats
and might want to sell them, I stumbled on this deal, I haven't had the
time for that plan yet, and it looks like this Hunter could be a decent
boat at a decent price ($8000 with a main and a spinnaker both in good
shape), nothing earth shattering, but $15,000 is the lowest asking price
in the US for this same boat on boats.com and Yachtworld.com.

---

Review paragraph:

I'm the guy who grew up sailing between HI islands, who needs to get a
big enough, week/weekender, Puget Sound only, family cruiser with
mooring, survey, and essentials for under $10K, who started out asking
about a 68' Newport 30,' then asked about the Pivar Trimaran, and then
about the Hunter 33.' I'm hoping that the Hunter 33' is a serious move
up from the first two, better for my purposes than some 27 footer, and
will hold up for five or ten years with care, using it maybe ten or
twenty times per year. And if I decide to work on it and fix it up, I
stand a good chance of getting some of my money back - like a little
interest-going-the-wrong-way savings account. I'll be mooring it in my
little bay in South Puget Sound.

---

Tell me why I'm nuts so far, if you think I am.

Anyway I think what I really need to know most at this stage comes from
what I think is the best advice I've gotten on this newsgroup so far,
the boat and motor survey and sea trial I'm going to get next weekend. I
can still get out of the purchase if there is anything huge wrong:

-It sounds like some of you don't put a huge amount of confidence in
most surveyors. Is that anal or does that make sense? I'm using "Western
Marine Surveyors," Jerry Vanderner or something like that, in the
Olympia area, I think. Anyone know him?

-I'll be there too for the haul out, what specifically should I look
for? I went to the Hunterowners site and looked at owner reviews of
similar models and found some compression post support problems (I
think) and some deck crack and delamination problems, (I saw quite a few
very small cracks on the deck of the boat I'm getting), a few people had
to repair a blister here and there on the hull, some had no blisters. So
I'll be looking for those and tell the surveyor. What else? Any Hunter
Cherubini owners here?

-I'm hiring a highly recommended guy for $100, Diesel Dave at Swantown,
just to look at the Yanmar diesel.

-I figure I'll get a used storm jib, so what would be the second most
important jib/genoa I need? It might be a while before I can afford a
third jib.

-Tell me anything and everything you think I might want/need to know!

Stephen