Do yourself a major favor and have a professional survey the boat. You will ultimately need it for insurance purposes anyway, and I guarantee the pro will spot stuff you would not. If you are in the Bay Area, I highly recommend Peter Minkwitz in Alameda. Peter was a close friend of Carl Shumacher, crewed on his boats, knows the Express like few surveyors do. These are the most wonderful boats, but most of them have been raced hard all their lives, with the possibility of multiple collisions and repairs, which you want to be certain were done correctly. If possible, check into the boat's history by talking to other racers, sailmakers, etc. I know one poor fellow who unknowingly bought an Express that had been sold as salvage and really crudely repaired. He paid $18,000, spent another $13,000 in repairs and still didn't have a truly sound boat. The boats are really strong, but if a collision involved core penetration, you will want evidence it was repaired by a master, like Kim Desenberg at KKMI. Just some thoughts, Larry Fisher Express 27 #69 Gwendolyn

::
:: I am loooking seriously at an Expresss 27 in the next
:: few days.
::
:: I am interested in what to look for in the way of
:: potential problems for the boat. I would guess
:: principally water penetration via chainplates, bulkhead,
:: core rot in deck around fittings, hull/keel joint, loose
:: stantion bases; and any stress cracks.
::
:: I am not concerned about sails.
::
:: Any other areas of boat/mast and rigging I should be
:: careful about?
::
:: Would appreciate any advise.