'76 Penn Yan Family Cruiser

[Rick K]

Hi all,
Never been in this part of the forum before, so here goes... Saw a very nice 27ft Family Cruiser for sale at a local marina last nite. Checked it out, and the boat appears to be very, very solid. Clean all the way around, with a few dings here and there.

It's got that Hippy 70's green/brown cabin interior, that's absolutely perfect. And, ya gotta love the "fur" capet they have in there. But, whatever, it's clean and neat. It's obvious that the boat was very well taken care of. Only thing I saw was a soft spot on the floor directly under the hatch, which I assume is becuase it leaks. Not a big deal there either.

Couldn't hear it run or go for a ride, but will do so before making any decisions. Now all the research I've done on Tunnel Hulls goes both ways: Some love 'em, some hate 'em. I understand that speed and power are not this boat's strong point, but it is what it is. We're not looking for speed, and will mostly just cruise the Niagara River, etc.

I also read that some of these boat's motor mounts were subject to rot where they attached to the stringers. Any truth to this?

Any opinions or more importantly, any pitfalls on this particular model we should look for?

I attached a few pics.

Thanks
Rick

 

[justicdj]

Re: '76 Penn Yan Family Cruiser

I Have the same model, but a '75. It is said to be a sturdy hull and it handles 5 foot seas well. I know the fiberglass is thick and heavy. Specs say 7800 Lbs dry. I have new engine beds-old ones were rotten. I'll put mine in the water for the first time next spring. Like yourself, I'm not expecting speed. With twin small blocks, a smooth bottom, and the trim tabs I will see what it is capable of. It has been said that cavitation can occur in turns-I'm interested to know if this is true.

 

[Rick K]

Re: '76 Penn Yan Family Cruiser

That's a nice looking boat! The wife wants this cruiser and we're going to go up and check below deck to see what's up. Obvioulsy if there's stringer issues or any other rot, we're not going to buy her. Had my share of restoring boats, this time I just want something to cruise around on...

Thanks
Rick

 

[Rick K]

Re: '76 Penn Yan Family Cruiser

Well, I inspected this boat over the weekend. I was very curious to see what the engine beds looked like, as I've heard that these boats were known for that. Hard as a rock, dry as a bone. The entire bilge looked very clean and dry. Normally on a boat that old you'd see a rat's nest of wiring, add ons, this, that, and everything else. Not so with this one.

The ONLY issue I could find, was that the transom pulled when I stepped on either side of the the swim platform. the middle is rock solid.

I looked under the rear deck lid to see how it was attached, and there were just 1/4" bolts thru the transom with small washers used as a backer. Had wife jump on it and it didn't want to seem to pull thru or anything, so I assume it maybe needs some backing to strenghen it up...

My concern, though, is that perhaps water got thru the bolt holes over the years and rotted the wood core in the transom.

Bolts are above the water line, so I can't tell. Inside bedding is as hard as a rock on the inside of the transom, so I can't be sure what's up there.

Other than that, the boat's in excellent condition. Now to try and get a sea trial...