Buying a DE38, what to look for? General Forum Forums

Hmm.. the main gotchas specific to DE's that I would look at is deck delamination in general and under the mast in specific. Is the mast sinking into the deck.

Second would be the condition of the fuel and water tanks. Do they have any leaks. For fuel this would be pretty easy to determine as you would leak into the bilge but a little harder with the water tanks. These are a major job to repair. Though there are some good write ups on doing so. The big problems with the repair is that the installed the tanks and then installed the floor over them so you have to remove the floor to get to the tanks.

DE's tend to accumulate leaks around the cap rails and stanchions into the boat if they haven't been maintained. Sometimes this just goes straight to the bilge but sometimes it will impinge on the interior joinery.

other than that I'm coming up blank at the moment. I'm sure some of the other owners will have some things to look at for also.

other than stuff that is specific to DE's you still need to look at all the other issues such as  blisters on the hull, rigging condition, rudder and rudder stock condition, bowsprit condition, engine condition, electrical and electronic systems etc. etc... a good surveyor is a great thing.. Harder to find than a good boat but still worth their weight in gold 🙂

marty hall said:

Can anyone confirm that all of the DE 38's built with lead ballast Does anyone have any problems with the core material under the deck?The boat that I have now has marine plwood for the core and I havn't had any problems with it .Is it true that the nonsid is ground walnut shells? Any help will be appreciated ,I am looking at 1976 ketch.

                         Thanks , Marty

Marty,

I have heard from owners that had lead and steel punchings in their keels if I remember right. Maybe someone else could speak up about this with more authority than me. I have never had need to cut my keel open. 🙂

The core is a common problem on these boats. Mine is foam core not plywood and we have had a decent amount of it re-cored. The faxtory did not core, back fill with epoxy and redrill mounting holes so if you got a leak around a deck fitting it would get into the core on deck. As we do thing s we have been drilling out and filling holes that are no longer used and coring and filling with epoxy and re-drilling mounting holes to fix this. My understanding is that other than a few high end boats almost all production boats of the various brands tended to cheap out and just drill through the coring without sealing it. If you deck is solid then thats a good thing. If you have plywood then either it has been re-cored or the switched to foam after 76... our boat is a 79.

The factory non-skid tended to be a paint with sand broadcast into it. let it dry and then brush off excess sand and then paint over it again. Very aggressive non skid that lasts forever. expect to lose skin if you skid on it 🙂 If your boat has ground walnut then it was a option at the factory or more likely it has been redone since then.

scott

Depending on the year ,the DE's have different stanchions. I think some have flanges that bolt down and I am not sure how they are backed. Some stuff on my boat that are bolted through the deck have decent backing plates and other stuff just has washers. As I get to that stuff I change it out to decent backing plates. On Valkyr our 79 DE38 the stanchions have moulded fibreglass sockets that they slide down into. The sockets are moulded into the inboard side of the bulwarks. If the one your looking at does have bolt on stanchions then I would expect backing plates for sure if it is done right. You'll have to check though. It's amazing how many boats I have seen in general that don't have this.

Any one else that has worked on their stanchions that bolt on have any advice or knowledge they can pass on?

scott

I can't think of much else that hasn't been mentioned already.

I find the placement of the mizzen mast interesting though. Would be interested in knowing how it is supported. It looks as if it is directly over the engine. Is there a beam under it or some other sort of arrangement? I don't think you could put a compression post there.

scott

I am seriously thinking about changing out my stanchions and welding a solid top rail in from bow to stern. Maybe a fitting on the pulpit that allows the rail to be bolted to it there  with a slight downward angle from the last forward stanchion to give the jib an easier time of running over it.. I just like the security of a solid rail. to hold onto and not having to worry about are my lines safe. the middle   still be 1/4 or so uncovered stainless line.