thanks gents. well i took a ride up to vt to see it on saturday.. this one was a definite no-go for me. too much neglect for too much money. the exterior was structurally in good shape, but the paint was pretty beat. loads of dock rash and scratches, paint all faded. one small dent, nothing big. bottom water stained. one of the big things i noticed was the seams and seals around the upper section and the hardtop. visible cracks in the seals, and i also found a crack along where the hardtop mounts on the port side.
inside was in ok shape but very dirty, he had cleaned off much of the mildew but the floors were filthy. black with dirt, mold and mildew in some areas. no soft spots that i could find but i'm sure they're not too far off. a few small broken items like nav lights etc. the one good thing about the boat was the little 4 banger, that thing purred like a kitten. had good compression too, 155 psi across. ran like a top. too bad the rest was the way it was. i did find one small soft spot on thee transom too. after scraping away a big blob of dirt and decomposing leaves, i could feel softness in the wood with my screwdriver. lots of water leaks around the windows too, i think they all leaked to some degree. dashboard was pretty wet from the rain the night before. some leaking inside the cuddy as well. so all in all, this wasn't the boat for me.
i'm in nh so i'm trying to focus on the vt and ny areas to find one. closest to home, and they're pretty common boats for the champlain and ontario areas. chemicalwire, that's right where my budget is, 15k give or take a grand of two. i'd would LOVE to find a 2000 or 2001-02 in pristine condition! that's exactly what i'm looking for. i've got the cash.. all i need to do is find the right boat. if you see one, please let me know!