You’ve recently moved to Hong Kong. The combination of sea, scenery and warm water is too tempting- you want/need to get a cat- and soon. But hold on, there is some sense in taking your time, before rushing into this, it isn’t always plain sailing.
If you are an experienced helm, you can stop reading now, but for the rest of you–read on! Also, if you are one of the few lucky ones who can afford a new cat, then your worries are probably few. However, if you are going down the path of importing a new boat into Hong Kong you might be in for a few surprises, which we will cover in a future article.
Your choice of second-hand beach cats in Hong Kong is somewhat limited. Both of the established cat clubs, LBC and the HK Hobie Club keep lists of members who are selling their boats, and this is without doubt the best place to start your search. With the constant churning of people coming to and from Hong Kong, there is always something for sale. The big question is- “is it the right boat for you?” And is the price appropriate to the condition of the boat.
Lets take a tour around a typical used beach cat- I’ll use a Dart as my example.
What factual information is the seller able to give you? For a start, how old is it? Official Measurement Certificates don’t seem to have survived the transition to HK, so what you are given as the boat number –i.e. the one on the sail, may or may not be correct. This is your key guide to the age of the boat, so ask the owner if he is sure that it is the original sail. Take a look at inside the hulls through the rear inspection hatch- copy down the serial numbers, then get in contact with the respective Dart Class association who (for the small fee of joining their association) can decipher the manufacturers coding and year of manufacture you. They might even be able to tell you whether this is an original pair of hulls.
So now you know that the boat is “X “years old. Next, have a really good look at the hulls, preferably with the cat turned on its side. On the Dart, the skegs at the stern, tend to take the punishment of heavy landings, so have a good look for worn down gel coat, or signs of repair to the underlying glass mat. Next move on to the rest of the lower seam. A well abused boat will be showing signs of repair- gel coat repair is OK, signs of major fibre glassing should give you a warning. You can ask the owner about leaking, but don’t expect a truthful answer! Now turn your attention to the joint between the hulls and the deck. Any signs of recent gel coating or repair, particularly in the area around where the shroud is attached to the hull, will suggest that the boat is well used, and may have been leaking through this seam. Lastly, carefully sight along the length each hull, to see if there has been any major repair work. A well-raced boat is going to have had a few bumps, but a few might have resulted in a major hole. This need not be a problem if well repaired, by a professional, but can be a liability if it was attempted by a well-meaning, but ham fisted amateur.
Starting to sound a bit more involved than you thought? Then put your $5000 hard earnt HK dollars back into your pocket, and wait for the next episode. Remember the golden rule, if its cheap, it is for a reason, and not always because the owner is leaving Hong Kong in a hurry.
