RS600 - 2nd hand price/value

Hi

situation: am looking for a  single-handed trapeeze boat...  contender or a 600.  The 600 is likely my boat of  choice (pro-cons weighed up etc...)

Issue:  600: there's a good few for sale at the moment.  Some reasonably  priced around the 1500quid mark, and several 500-1500quid dearer.

Is there any correlation with the cost and  age/condition of the boat. 

Are 'old' boats prone to failure/structural degradation or something else?

If buying a cheaper older boat,  do I need to be aware of anything?  Is it just condition of sails might account for the price reduction?

Am likely to be sailing for 'kicks' rather than for the competition. But  still want a  sound boat that'll last and  I can sell on in a few years.

Answers on a post(card).

thanks

  fin

Hi Fin. Check your PM,

Many thanks,

Splosh.

I got my 6 for a little over £1K. The hull isn't in the best nick, and its had several problems that ive just about weeded out now. Check the kicker bolt, if it's loose, be wary (after the trouble I've had I would suggest avoid it all together). If there's a hatch in the hull (normally there to replace loose kicker bolts) it's probably worth checking how soggy all the wood inside the hull is. The mast step on my boat was a bit of a mess, all sealant everywhere and some odd repairs underneath it but there was nothing structually wrong with it, that doesn't tend to be a problem. And as Jamie says, worn out daggerboard cases are nigh on impossible to stop leaking (at least I haven't found a way yet) but as long as you drain the boat after sailing it isn't really a problem.

The sails are pretty much bomb proof, they get a bit grubby with age and the headboards get squashed but with the full battens they don't flog themselves to death like laser sails and I haven't noticed massive amounts of stretching in my sail (it's still good enough to win races at opens as long as other bits of the boat don't fall off).