Can Capt. Neal have such a terrible Boat??

"Coronados were built and marketed as a cheap boat. My less than perfect
memory tells me that most everything on them was usually cheap and/or
undersize. The Coronados in the 30 - 35' range that I looked at had areas in
the hulls that were quite flexible, which could be a hint that they are not
terribly strong. The standing rigging on the ones I saw was undersize also.
I would prefer a smaller better boat to a bigger Coronado."

OOPS!!!.....

"First of all, any boat that age will be more likely to have serious
problems than a newer boat just due to the normal aging process. In the case
of the Coronado, they were built cheaply using some chopped glass materials,
narrower tabbing and reinforcing than even their sister yachts, the
Columbias. Hardware tended to be cheaper as well. Quite a few of their
models had cast iron keels with galvanized iron keel bolts. They were known
for electrical problems. As a result they got a reputation for not being as
well built as other boats of this era. That kind of reputation supresses the
price of a boat. It makes it seem like a bargain and so they are often
bought up by people who are short of funds and so are less likely to have
the money it takes to properly maintain a boat. It's a kind of inbreeding
that takes place. Cheap boats often are more maintenance-intensive than
quality boats. Cheap boats attract people with little money. People with
little money can't as readily afford to properly maintain these boats with
greater maintenance problems and so more of them are in rough condition.
This further adds to the reputation of a poorly built boat.

The reality lies somewhere in between. These were not well-built boats. I
have worked on them but on the other hand they offer a lot of boat for the
money and if you find a good example, are willing to have the boat
thoroughly surveyed, and make sure you make the necessary repairs, you could
end up with a reasonable boat for coastal work or a trip to the Bahamas. The
only problem with that plan is that putting any boat back into shape can
cost a lot of money and by the time you put the materials and labor into
fixing up a boat with a poor reputation, fair or not, you could have easily
bought a better boat and had something worthwhile to sell when you are done
with it."

Oh Good Grief it gets Worse......

"They were the cheap boat of the 60's.
You get what you pay for.
If you just want a boat for light use and you want a lotta boat for the
money, and don't care in the least about having a boat with a stigma similar
to a Yugo, it's for you. Just don't overpay or put much money into it
because I think you'll have to price it low to ever sell it. Good boat for a
nonserious sunday sailor."

.... similar to a Yugo????

CM