What to check on an E25
Here are a few more things to look for and to consider:
Check around the centerboard pin and the fwd section of the c/b trunk for obvious cracks and stresses from groundings and abuse by a history of dropping the centerboard too hard. If you find damage here, I would hesitate buying the boat.
Also, check around the mast tabernacle for deck softness. Repairing this is a bit of a project, but doable. Another area that gets water intrusion is the bow at the very front of the "V". But this is an area that is relatively easy to dry out and fix.
Check the gudgeons and the leading edge of the rudder for groundings and abuse. This will be very obvious.
You might want to do a moisture meter test on the inside of the centerboard and the rudder for water intrusion. These might be fixable depending upon the extend of damage. Better yet, replace these altogether as these are the most common problem areas on the boats. I can give you the name of a marine company that does a nice job for both a new centerboard and a new kick-up rudder made out of HDPE, just ask if interested.
Check inside your interior lockers to see if the fiberglass tabbing has delaminated from the hull. If so, these grind and remove pretty easily and you can retab with new. Not a big deal to fix and they aren't really structural, but they do come apart here commonly on the original.
Check your bulkheads for water damage, delamination, stress, and overtightening of the bolts where the chainplates come thru the deck and attach into the wood. Also, really look closely at the chain plate attachments bolted thru the wood. They can look fine - until you unbold one and find the wood underneath crumbles in you hand. Check along the seat benches for where standing water has rotted the bottom of the bulkhead. It is a big job to replace these bulkheads. No room is the biggest problem.
The ports will likely have to be removed, cleaned and rebedded. Also needing to be replaced will be the piece between the glass and the aluminum. These are probably leaking. This is an easy job.
It goes without saying (I hope!) that if this boat is on a trailer, replace the wheel bearings before towing this boat your first time. I no longer repack the bearings; at $18.00 each, I put on new ones each year instead of repacking something that may be going to fail someday soon. It just isn't worth having problems by taking shortcuts on trailer maintenance. If your trailer tires are over 5 years old - REPLACE THEM ALL! I don't care if they still look brand new, they are at the fail point. Your new boat weighs nearly 3 tons plus the trailer. It isn't worth the risk. You're saving big bucks by not having a marina slip so put some of that money into your trailer.
Steve Swann
Seahorse
Boise, ID