The less expensive the boat is, the more valuable a professional survey will be.
I'm a bit late to chime in and others have already made lots of good observations just based on the photo you posted. When you do go to the inspection, please take more photos and post them here as a follow up. I have owned my 1973 E-27 for 12 years and in that time I have replaced all the standing and running rigging, replaced the fuel tank, new sails, rebuilt the engine, replaced the thru hull valves, replaced the head, added a holding tank, new bushings in the rudder, replaced all the plumbing, most of the D/C electrical, bilge pumps and so on. This does not include the many upgrades I have made to my boat. This is just maintenance.
As others have noted from the photo:
• Front lower starboard shroud is missing.
• Stanchions and lifelines are missing.
• Stainless hand rails are not original (but I like them).
• There appears to be no running rigging on the traveler.
• One other observation. There appears to be a baby stay that attaches just in front of the forward hatch. I have never see that on a E-27. I do hope the boat has a fore stay at the bow.
• Are there any soft spots in the deck. These boats are balsa cored and the wood can get saturated with water and rot. You can easily walk on the deck and put pressure to see if any parts of the decks flex or seem mushy.
Things I would look for inside the boat:
• Inspect the chain plates by removing the wood panels above the salon settees as well as inside the head. You will be able to see where the chin plates are glassed in. If there is a lot of rust color in or around the fiberglass that incases the chainplates you may want to have a professional rigger inspect them. I had mine inspected twice over the last 12 years and there was some rust discoloration but my rigger said it seemed to be okay. He tapped at the glassed in plates lightly with a hammer listening for hollow or soft areas.
• Yes as stated by others here , Check those Thru Hull valves! If they are the original gate valves from 1975, they must be replaced with quality ball valves asap IMHO.
• While you have the wood panels off you should be able to look up for leaks around the Stanchions, but that’s pretty much a moot point because this boat appears to have no Stanchions.
• Check for water / fuel / oil in the bilge. The fuel and oil may also be a moot point because you say the boat has a outboard.
• Are there bilge pumps? Electrical & Manual?
• Does it have a internal fuel tank that feeds that outboard? If so and that tank is aluminum, stainless or galvanized the tank may be in need of polishing due to the accumulation of old fuel, bad fuel or gunk.
• Check the electrical. Running lights, mast head light, VHF. Fuses. How are the batteries? Does the outboard have a alternator to recharge them. Take a multi meter with you to the inspection to check the voltage. Check the water level in the batteries. Is there a A/C system, if so and you plan to use shore power that should be closely be inspected.
The less expensive the boat is, the more valuable a professional survey will be! The less you know about boats is all the more reason to have a survey done. "Never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over."
Once you get her dialed in the E-27's are a fun boat to own, very stable, easy to handle and can take you any where.
Good luck and Beam Winds to you df1995