# S2 7.9



## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Hey all-

I'm currently looking for a fairly easy to trailer "large" sailboat, and I have mostly settled on the S2 7.9 due to the fact that it sits on basically a large powerboat trailer (no fixed keel) so it sits fairly low and can be launched into very shallow water and it appears to be quite fast and fun. I do realize that it is a "race" boat and as such is fairly spartan below and may not have as easy of a motion in waves as something like a Catalina 25, but I think that it is (probably) worth the sacrifice. Does anyone have any first hand experience with how it handles and feels in 3-5 ft waves and 20-25 knot breeze? I need it to be stable enough to not scare my wife (or she won't go sailing with me on anything bigger than the local lakes and reservoirs...defeating much of the purpose of getting a larger boat), but I don't want a slow beast either... The shallow water launching is very important to me, which admittedly 80% of the reason I'm enthralled with this boat, especially since it is combined with very good sailing dynamics.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Brandon


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Other than the newer various sport boats (Melges etc) something like the S2 is likely going to be a good decent performing trailerable, esp since shallow launching is a priority.

Haven't sailed one but have raced against one.. It went very well. Certainly this would be a better sailing boat than any of the crop of water ballasted trailerables.

Not sure how much weight is in the daggerboard/lift keel..


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Faster- Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I've done enough research on the boat to know that from a racing/performance perspective is is an excellent performer (especially for a trailerable lift-keel boat). I have no interest in the water ballasted boats, mostly because I'm not a fan of their aesthetics, but also because if I'm going to have a smallish (read: not blue water) boat, I want something that is FUN to sail, and that tend to favor the fixed ballast or at least lifting (ballasted) keel boats over the water ballasted + un-weighted centerboard boats. At this point, I'm totally convinced of the performance qualities, and am willing to live with the spartan accomodations (we will likely at spend at most a week or so at a time cruising around on the boat), but I would still like some thoughts on the "motion comfort" and "cruisability" of the boat and whether or not it will beat us to heck in moderate wave action.

Thanks!

Brandon


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

I suppose that I should give a point of reference to make it easier to see what I'm asking about. We currently own a 17.5 foot "micro cruiser" keelboat (its a Renkin 18) which displaces 1220 pounds, has 450 lbs of ballast, a draft of 2 feet, and a sail area of 150 ft^2. The S2 7.9 displaces ~4500 lbs with 1750 lbs of ballast, 5 feet of draft (lift keel down), and has sail area of 329 ft^2. Intuitively, to me anyway, it seems that the motion of the 7.9 and its ability to "bust through" wave action should be SIGNIFICANTLY better than our current boat due to both its increased mass, ballast, draft, and mast height [lending increased rotation inertia].
Now, a story:
The wife and I took the Renkin out on Grand Traverse Bay over Labor day and were having a great time sailing around until the wind picked up from 8-10 knots to 20-22 knots and starting building waves to 3-5 feet. We ended up bringing the sails down (because they don't have any reef points..something that really really needs to be added if we were to take that boat out like that again) and motored back, which wasn't much fun and bounced us around a lot. Long story short: the wife said that we needed to get a bigger boat or she wouldn't want to do that again, so I want to make sure that I'm not making a mistake going for something like the S2 that has a bunch of qualities I want in sailboat and (possibly) compromising too much on the (relative) "comfort" factor. The Renkin was also rather bouncy at anchor when we slept on it, which I would like to reduce as much as possible..

Thanks for your thoughts!

-Brandon


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Again, I haven't sailed the S2 but I expect you'll see a HUGE difference between the boats considering where you're coming from.

Any boat that isn't properly prepared for 20+ knots of breeze won't be much fun, as you've seen. Smaller boats can be more difficult still. I think you and your wife will be better off with the S2, but not as "comfy" as a say a Catalina 25.... However you'll be quicker.


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## Sanduskysailor (Aug 1, 2008)

I'v sailed 7.9s and raced against them for years. They perform very well in waves and chop. The boat has a big main, you can actually sail sans jib when wind is over 20 quite nicely.

The down side is that the boat can be a little under ballasted. Small jib full main combo to about 20 knots works. Surfing with board up downwind in 15-25 is a blast. For my money it is about the fastest trailerable out there for reasonable money (ok the Presto 30 is faster but add another 80K).

The carpeted headliner is a minus. They tend to get moldy and are a pain to remove. The glue used seems to bond rather well to the fiberglass. Another area to look out for is the rudder attachment. Most have been reinforced and/or retrofitted with stainless plates. They also have an inboard model. The BMW diesel tends to be problematical with age and expensive to maintain. Some of these inboards have been retrofitted with 1 cyl Yanmars which is a more reasonable solution. The inboard is preferable in bigger waves and chop as it does not come out of the water like an outboard prop.

It is not exactly a ling distance cruiser but it is a fun boat to sail. You can trailer it to where you want to go and happily live/sail on it for a week with little problem. I wouldn't be afraid to be out in a blow with one but for the big stuff you need some heft which translates into a boat that would not be trailerable. Some owners have told me that the boats with hull number 400 or higher are the ones to look at.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Faster: Thanks for backing up my general intuition, as that is what I thought as well, but I wanted a reality check to make sure that what my gut tells me is correct.

Sanduskysailor: Thanks for the first hand account, that's exactly what I was looking for! I must say that you have hit on the main thing that I don't like about the boat: all the carpet..would it have been so hard for them to just gelcoat/paint the interior rather than put that junk all over it? If I end up getting one of these, that would likely be my first major winter project, ripping all of that out, fairing the ceiling out and painting it, and possibly doing a good number of the walls with teak strips...to make it a little less spartan looking on the inside. One of the boats I'm considering has the BMW diesel in it, and I have generally considered that somewhat of a plus for the very reason you mentioned, but I am wary of the upkeep and maintenance, and am now leaning towards preferring an outboard and dealing with the disadvantages there.. I appreciate the tips on what to look for, that will be very helpful when I go to look at them. I'm definitely leaning majorly towards this model of boat! Now, I don't suppose that you know anyone that has a good one for sale?? I'm in Indiana, so assuming you are in Sandusky, OH, I'm quite close...

Also: WOW, I had never heard of the Presto 30, that is QUITE the boat, I bet that it would be a lot of fun to sail!


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## Sanduskysailor (Aug 1, 2008)

Rhys, I think you are on the right track. There are a couple of great 7.9s at my club but neither is for sale. There are quite a few on the Great Lakes and in western Lake Erie. They come up for sale from time to time. I have seen one that had the interior redone. The carpeting was stripped out, sanded, cleaned,sanded,cleaned. I'm not sure that I would bother fairing interior out. Use a good oil based BONDING primer (XIM 400W is highly recommended) and a good oil alkyd exterior topcoat and you will have a nice looking interior for a long time. The teak strips definitely would give the all white interior a warmer feeling.

PM me if you have any other questions on the 7.9 or about sailing in western Lake Eie.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Thanks for the advice Sanduskysailor, it is very much appreciated. We do live a bit closer to the southern end of Lake Michigan than we do western Erie, but it looks like there are more interesting places to sail to over there, so I would imagine that we will end up over there a fair amount of the time when we want "big water" (probably Port Clinton, if i had to hazard a guess). I'll be sure to hit you up for information if/when we do that! Do you know of any other problem areas or things (good or bad) I should be looking for when I inspect a boat I'm interested in? Any modifications that your friends have made to their boats that would be recommended?

Thanks again for your insight.

-Brandon


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

I raced on an S-2 6.9 (the smaller sister of the 7.9) for several years in a MORC fleet, and I was very impressed with what a nice small boat it was. Given your criteria (trailer launchable, room for a family, quality boat) IMHO the 7.9 is the only choice you have. Dont over analyze something like "wave action" (you want you boat to rise on the waves anyway, not bust through them). The point is, if you start with the trailer-launching requirement, you aren't going to get any other boat with the range of pluses of an S-2, so accept that your first requirement sets up the necessity to accept some limitations. It seems with an S-2 the limitations are impressively minor.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

sailingfool: Thanks for the anecdote, it does seem that the 6.9 was designed as a slightly smaller version of the 7.9, so I very much appreciate your insight. You are correct about the "busting through the waves" comment, what I really meant and should have said is "has a decent ride in moderate wave action" (i.e. not being bounced around TOO much). I think that you are correct and everyone has pretty much confirmed my thoughts and on paper analysis of this boat, so this is definitely what I'm going to be looking for! So if anyone knows of one (or more..) for sale in the Great Lakes region (other than the ones on Yachtworld and Sailboatlistings, I already know about those!) I'd sure like to hear about them.

Thanks, and if anyone else has insight and/or stories related to the 7.9, I'm not in any way opposed to having my decision re-enforced even more strongly!


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

Just to play the devil's-advocate: Why is trailerability a requirement? If there is any way you would consider keeping a boat on a mooring or slip, then there would be a bunch more possibilities, that have good motion comfort, aren't too tender, etc.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Barquito: oh believe me, I would love to keep a boat on a mooring or a slip, and would do so if I lived closer to big water, but since I currently live about 2.5 hours from southern lake Michigan and 4+ hours from lake Erie, but have a small lake with an active sailing club about two miles from where I work, I want a boat I can keep and use there on a regular basis, but then trailer to the bigger water (and be big enough for) for long weekend or week-long excursions. I originally started looking for a larger (non trailerable) boat originally, but then the reality of how little we would be able to utilize it and how much it would cost us to slip and maintain on lake Michigan set in, and I decided that a large trailerable would be a better choice for us at this time. Thanks for the input though! 

-Brandon


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## Gary M (May 9, 2006)

The 7.9 is a great sailing boat. I have raced on them numerous times. They, like all the older "performance" boats, have maintenance issues. There is a very active club that races them, you can google the site. 
They would prefer that you race but are very friendly and will answer your questions. 
The boat handles the normal weather on the Great Lakes quite well. Raising the dagger board, which weighs about 600 pounds, is an effort but you would only do this when you are ready to haul. Teh starboard cabin top winch that you use for this is the biggest winch on the boat. 

The boats over #400 are sought after by avid racers so you will not get a deal on one of those. The BMW engine has not aged well. An outboard with an alternator is a good cruising option. 

As allways a really good survey is required. 

Good Luck


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

I would very likely end up doing some at least casual racing, having a fast boat is kind of like having a fast car, you might as well race occasionally, or you could make do with a Yugo! I will definitely be getting a survey of whatever boat I end up making an offer on, don't worry about that! I did find sail79s.org, so that is a good resource. Any one have a general sense of what these are going for these days? (Hull #400 and below, and hull 400+)? I know that condition, included equipment, etc. makes a difference, but a general sense would be good! Thanks!

Brandon


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Don't see any 7.9s on YW, but there are a number of 8.0s ranging $4-7K or so... I'd think you'd be in that ballpark depending if it comes with a trailer or not....


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## Gary M (May 9, 2006)

Because the 7.9 is such a popular race boat you will not get one in that price range unless it is in very rough shape. I strongly recommend not buying a boat in that condition, I did, never again.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Gary M said:


> Because the 7.9 is such a popular race boat you will not get one in that price range unless it is in very rough shape. I strongly recommend not buying a boat in that condition, I did, never again.


Gary will have better sense of this than we do on the West Coast.. they are rather rare here...


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Thanks everyone for their thoughts.

Gary: Yeah, I don't mind needing to do a bit of work, but I certainly don't want a "beater." You thinking an early pre-#400 in decent shape with an outboard, a trailer, and relatively recent sails would be fair to both parties in the $10k-$13k range?

-Brandon


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## ajoliver (Feb 23, 2007)

I have owned an S2 7.9 for ten years - keep it at the Sandusky Sailing Club, where this year we will have three of them. Here are a few comments based on what has been written so far. (1) If your wife is like mine, she will NEVER be comfortable in 3 to 5 foot waves. And around 25 kts is when expensive things start to tear & break. For those reasons I don't go out if I know it's going to blow about 22 or more. (2) Buy a 7.9 with an outboard. The inboard's are much harder to sell, and have had reliability issues (parts not available) (3) Check out the class assoc web page. for things to inspect carefully before you buy (like water intrusion around the coaming winches, stantions (sp?) and mast step). These may not be deal breakers (my boat, # 445, had all of them), but should affect what you pay. Get a survey for sure. (4) I like the interior liner - it helps to dampen sound, and can be used to hold velcro stuff. (5) the dagger board weighs 600 lbs. (6) I love how the boat sails - I cruise it over to Canada regularly, and do some racing. It's way fun to just blow away larger boats. It will do 6.5 kts routinely, and over 7 in the right (broad reach) conditions. (7) The 7.9s hold their value well. If you pay $ 17K (for a good one) you should be able to get most or all of that back when you sell it. 
Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to stop by SSC for a 7.9 sail in the spring if you are in the area.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

ajoliver: Thanks for the information! I would say that I certainly don't INTEND to be out when the wind is hitting 25+ knots, but if we happened to be cruising around for a week or more, I'm sure it could/would happen eventually and I wanted to know how the boat handles it. My wife is pretty brave and her main problem when we got caught out that one time was the difficulty of reducing sail and our underpowered outboard to get us back to port, more so than the wave action itself. I think the heavier boat and better reefing hardware will make a huge difference for her. So from your statement, it sounds like $17k would be a good price for a hull #400+ with trailer and outboard, do you have a feel for what an earlier one should go for (say 1980-83, converted from inboard to outboard, with a good trailer)? You say that the 7.9 will do 6.5-7 knots...do they plane, or just climb up a bit on the bow wave? That's pretty impressive for a 26 ft boat! I will almost certainly take you up on your offer to stop by this spring, I'm still pretty new to sailing and know that I have lots to learn! Thanks for the offer!

-Brandon


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## ajoliver (Feb 23, 2007)

A few other points to consider for an S2 7.9 purchase. The boat plus trailer will weigh around 6,000 pounds. You'll need a decent-sized vehicle to tow it. 
On what to do when the wind pipes up: Sounds like you handled this well. You are right that boats & crew should always be ready for these conditions. My own way of handling these situations is to, first, drop the head sail, and sail under main alone close to the shelter of the marina. Only then do I start the motor and drop the main. The reason for this is that in waves, most boats will handle better under sail than by motoring. Outboard motors in particular are not so good in waves. 
A 7.9 that has been converted from inboard to outboard also needs to have the interior ballast adjusted (moved and weight added). I don't know how to do that. 
The nearly 7 kt speed I got was in unusual conditions - surfing down following waves in 15 to 17 kts of wind on a broad reach. Made it from the NW corner of Pelee (I love that place) to Sandusky Bay in three hours - that's an easy 20 miles. It was way fun. It's way less fun when those sorts of waves are on the nose - tough on both people and equipment.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

The tow vehicle won't be a problem, I've got a diesel F250. Yeah, when we got caught out like that the first thing we did was bring down the head sail, we were fortunate that the wind was blowing back towards the marina and not away at the time. We should have kept the mainsail up for a while longer and it likely wouldn't have been so bad motoring back. We did end up getting blown a bit past the entrance to the marina and had to motor into the wind a bit, now THAT wasn't fun! I will definitely ask about the ballast if I am looking at a converted inboard boat. Thanks!

Brandon


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## Gary M (May 9, 2006)

The 7.9 will definitely surf well off the wind and I suspect you can get them to plane up wind under the right conditions. I have an S2 9.1 which has a fixed keel and if I do not have too much weight on the boat, say only three crew it will pick up and plane on a close reach, really fun when it does that. 

It will easily surf for several minutes off the wind even in flat water, although it takes winds in the mid twenties to do that. The 7.9 has a similar hull shape so it should as well. There is a 7.9 locally here that is for sale. I will try to find the details and PM you. Has a trailer so easy to get home. 

Gary


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Alright, another question regarding the 7.9. What size of outboard is adequate? One of the boats I'm considering has a 5 hp and the other has a 9.8 hp. Is the 5 hp enough, or even if I ended up with that boat, should I consider selling the 5 hp and looking for a 9.8/9.9? I realize that the 5 hp is lighter and thus better suited to the "racing" aspect of the boat, but I'll likely be doing more "cruising" than racing, so the 9.8 appeals to me.. Both engines appear to be of about the same vintage (~5 years old), so that isn't a concern.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Harbour sailing/daysailing in and out of marina.... 5 hp is lots.

Weekending/cruising/busting against headwinds/current on a schedule? 15 - er - 9.8 hp


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

9.8/9.9 is the largest I could go if I want to be able to use it on the lake that is close to work, as it has a 10 hp engine limit. Yeah, our current boat displaces 1220 lbs and has a really old 3 hp 2-stroke...and it isn't really adequate for "larger water" as we found out in the adventure detailed above...but...it also has a tiny 2 blade propeller and isn't a long shaft, so that 3 hp is very far from efficiently used in the water. I'm guessing that a 5 hp with a 4 blade prop and long shaft would be quite a bit better than that even on a 4500 lb boat. Well, anyway, the engine size won't be what sways my decision one way or the other anyway, it'll be the condition of the hull, sails, and other gear along with the price..just want to get a feel for what people feel would be adequate and whether I should factor in needing to buy a larger engine into the equation when looking at these boats.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Rhys05 said:


> 9.8/9.9 is the largest I could go if I want to be able to use it on the lake that is close to work, as it has a 10 hp engine limit. Yeah, our current boat displaces 1220 lbs and has a really old 3 hp 2-stroke...and it isn't really adequate for "larger water" as we found out in the adventure detailed above...but...it also has a tiny 2 blade propeller and isn't a long shaft, so that 3 hp is very far from efficiently used in the water. I'm guessing that a 5 hp with a 4 blade prop and long shaft would be quite a bit better than that even on a 4500 lb boat. Well, anyway, the engine size won't be what sways my decision one way or the other anyway, it'll be the condition of the hull, sails, and other gear along with the price..just want to get a feel for what people feel would be adequate and whether I should factor in needing to buy a larger engine into the equation when looking at these boats.


Keep in mind that you can sell the 5 if you find it is not enough and find an used 2 stroke 9.X.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

miatapaul said:


> Keep in mind that you can sell the 5 if you find it is not enough and find an used 2 stroke 9.X.


Yep, exactly what I'm thinking because at least right now (having not physically visited either boat yet, just from pictures, equipment lists, etc.) I'm leaning towards the one with the 5 hp.


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## ajoliver (Feb 23, 2007)

Rhys - you ask good questions. 
I have a Nissan 4-stroke 6 hp EXTRA long shaft on my 7.9. Weighs 65 pounds and does the job. I've motored almost all the way across Lake Erie with it - a good twenty five miles - at five knots boat speed, half throttle, no problem. That is in very light (or no) air. The 6 hp does not use much fuel. I only have a 2.5 gallon gas tank which is plenty. 
If it's blowing, you won't be motoring. And you really need the EXTRA long shaft (25 inches, I think) for the few times that you are caught out in big wind and waves - a shorter shaft motor will cavitate like crazy as the prop pops up out of the waves. No outboard (including a 9 hp) is going to work very well directly into good-sized waves and wind.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

ajoliver- Hey, I try! I prefer to ask intelligent questions, not ones I can have answered with a quick Google search anyway. Believe me, I know all about cavitating, that little 3 hp on our Renkin did it like crazy every time we went over a wave! Thanks for your thoughts, I really appreciate it. I must say that my ideal 7.9 would have the inboard Yanmar diesel, but I've heard enough about the BMW diesel at this point that I'm considering it more of a detriment than an advantage!


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Question for those that have/had a 7.9 or know about them. On an inboard converted to outboard, does it matter which side of the rudder the outboard is mounted (port or starboard)? Also, am I correct to assume that the "original" outboards have better resale value than the ones converted from inboard?

Thanks!


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## ShoalFinder (May 18, 2012)

Rhys05 said:


> Yep, exactly what I'm thinking because at least right now (having not physically visited either boat yet, just from pictures, equipment lists, etc.) I'm leaning towards the one with the 5 hp.


If I may...

My Morgan 22 has a Nissan 5hp. As has already been mentioned- in the bay on flat water and no headwind it is fine. However, it will not get my boat to hull speed. I go much faster under sail than I do on the outboard. Heading into wind and waves, there are times when I'm not going much of anywhere. When I am returning from offshore to my marina, there is a channel I have to travel and then a drawbridge I have to wait for. The sails have to come down when I get to the channel, so there is a fair bit of motoring. At the end of the day I am part of a parade of boats heading for home. Since I can't run hull speed, I have to get out of the way a lot because I'm holding up traffic putting along. Other sailboats are cruising 5 knots on the motor and I'm doing 2-1/2 if there's a headwind.

I don't know about anyone else, but I swear on all that is Holy that wherever I need to go there is a headwind.


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## sailr69 (Jan 1, 2013)

Sanduskysailor said:


> I'v sailed 7.9s and raced against them for years. They perform very well in waves and chop. The boat has a big main, you can actually sail sans jib when wind is over 20 quite nicely.
> 
> The down side is that the boat can be a little under ballasted. Small jib full main combo to about 20 knots works. Surfing with board up downwind in 15-25 is a blast. For my money it is about the fastest trailerable out there for reasonable money (ok the Presto 30 is faster but add another 80K).
> 
> ...


hold on there mate, laughing sally, a 7.9 from cedar island yacht club was racing on the detroit river with board up and spinnaker up in maybe 15-20 knots. boat capsized, went under and was never seen again. all the crew was fine. not much of a blast there.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

Racers often push their boats to the limit, and with small boats under spinnaker, the limits can include sinking them. For example, a fairly common occurrence with racing J24s.

I do think the fact that risky sailing can sink the boat does not conflict with the well-stated advice regarding their desirability and usefulness for the OP. Remember he wants a trailerable boat, and pretty much anything trailerable, probably is sinkable. The 6.9 offers the OP the best of that class, but it is still a member of the class, unless you chase one of the keel versions, which becomes not trailerable.

Sailing like life is full of tradeoffs.


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## Gary M (May 9, 2006)

sailr69 said:


> hold on there mate, laughing sally, a 7.9 from cedar island yacht club was racing on the detroit river with board up and spinnaker up in maybe 15-20 knots. boat capsized, went under and was never seen again. all the crew was fine. not much of a blast there.


They found the rudder, belonged to a friend of mine. Key words are they had the board up and the hatch open. 
Another friend did the same thing with a Paceship 23. You can sink them if you try hard enough.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

I'm not particularly concerned about that, as has been said: any boat can sink! We'll be sure to have the hatch boards in if we are running under spinnaker, have the board up, or are in rough seas. Anyone have any insight into my last question concerning the mounting location for an outboard?


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## Gary M (May 9, 2006)

I think that basically all outboards are mounted on the Port side of the transom, maybe because most Sailors are right handed ?

I would stay with convention,


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Yeah, that's kind of the impression I've got too, most of the pictures of 7.9s (and other sailboats with outboards) have it on the port side, but the one I'm contemplating currently has it mounted on the starboard side. Do you (or anyone..) think that this is something I should be concerned about? Perhaps there is more weight on the starboard side due to the head and battery being on that side, and so the engine should ideally be on the port side to counterbalance it? Am I overthinking this?

Thanks!


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Oh, and should I be concerned about spiderweb cracking like this in the deck?


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## ShoalFinder (May 18, 2012)

Maybe others will chime in about which side the motor should be on. For me, it's on the wrong side half the time. Coming in and out of port, I guess it makes sense to have it on the port side if you are right handed so you can control the throttle and tiller at the same time with your right hand. I don't see why you couldn't learn it the other way around. Obviously left handed people adapt to much worse.


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## ajoliver (Feb 23, 2007)

Cannot help on the inboard/outboard weight distribution issue - for info on that I would go to the class association web site. 
And . . . 
"should I be concerned about spiderweb cracking like this in the deck?" 
Well, yes. My 7.9 had water intrusion in that whole area - from that turning block, to the genoa track, to the winch and down to the stanchion - on both sides of the boat. There are ways to check. Look from down inside the boat. Are there signs of water coming in? Press down pretty hard with your finger around the cracks from the top. Does it compress? If it does, you've got bad core. Use a moisture meter, and get a survey. Also check carefully around the mast step. Mine had water there too. 
That being noted, it should not necessarily be a deal breaker. I did the repairs myself. If you hire it done, it will be expensive. 
I'd also note that the boat was sailable with those defects. I kept sailing and waited for winter & indoor storage to do the work on it.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Going to go look at a boat tomorrow in Sandusky! Any last minute advice as to what to look for when inspecting this boat?


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Got another on to go look at! We're really excited about this one. Its an inboard with the BMW, so I'm a little leery of that, but otherwise she looks great.


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## ajoliver (Feb 23, 2007)

Hey B -
Sailnet won't let me PM you, so I did it on the 7.9 class assoc site.


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Probably need three more posts here, would be my guess. I can't seem to PM at sail79! Eh well, I got your message. Thanks!


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## Rhys05 (Aug 22, 2012)

Well, just to close out this thread: A couple pictures of our boat sitting at our slip at our sailing club! (And before anyone asks, yes, I did attach springlines to get her nose off of the dock!)


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