Nauticat 35 deck and saildrive question

[39Schuss]

Dear Nauticat friends, I kindly ask your input. I am looking into a NC 35, built 1987. A lovely boat and I am really eager to buy it. I have 2 questions: i) is the deck made of single skin laminate or is it a balsa sandwithch (I get different opinions from the sources online); ii) This vessel is equipped with a saildrive, not a traditional shaft. Is saildrive common for other NC 35s?
Thank you!

[39Schuss]

Hi Mantas,

I own a 35 with my brother for 3 years now, we are doing a quite intensive refit.
Normally the boat has a shaft, i have seen a refit with a saildrive but this not common.
The deck is single skin. (see pics) However there are reinforcements with plywood.
For example at the anchor winch, which was in our case rotten. but not beyond repair. (epoxy!).
In 1987 the yard just cut outs holes where needed and did not laminated the sides of the cut outs. After 30 years this is sometimes a little problem.

when you buy a 1987 boat you have to prepare for a lot of work and investments.
at least this is our conclusion, but maybe we have a higher standard of perfection then average.

for the engine (2003T Volvo Penta 2000 hours )for example we:
-send the gearbox away for the ms2b spline issue
-overhauled the cylinder head incl. atomizers and atomizer copper sleeves
-renewed the starter and fuel primer pump , waterlock, ALL the hoses and turbo
-renewed the prop shaft, prop and shaft seal
-renewed the oil cooler for a non Volvo Bowman cooler (cheaper!)
-overhauled seawater pump and dynamo.
-overhauled the exhaust elbow (ceramic coating)
-cleaned the fuel tanks

This winter we are doing a overhaul of the anchor winch and the chain locker (leaking where the cables are going through the bulkhead.
And a complete overhaul of the steering system (seal sets for the hydraulics, rudder bearing and reinstall of the rudder trunk which was leaking)

Off course i don’t know in which condition the boat is where you are looking at.
but our experience is that a 1987 Nauticat is a lot more work and costs then we expected.

However to sail and live aboard a NC35 is good boat.

Kind regards
Arjan Amsterdam
NC35 Silver Crest

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[39Schuss]

Dear Arjan,

thank you for a detailed reply. In my case the engine is changed for 5 years ago to a brand new Volvo Penta with only 425 engine hours on the clock.

Did you encounter any other issues with the boat?

My standards are rather high, so I suppose I will be investing heavily 😉

Mantas

[39Schuss]

Could you also please tell me more about reinforcements in plywood? My e-mail is mantas.zalatorius@gmail.com Would be great to have a direct contact with a NC fellow owning the same boat. The one I am about to buy has a hull number 12. Which number is yours?

Cheers,

Mantas

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