I am looking to buy my first boat and came across some points that I was unsure of.  As a first time buyer it's hard to know what is acceptable and what isn't.  The points I was unsure of when viewing a laser where 2 chipps in the deck about little finger nail size in total.  The owner said there are no leaks and the water hadn't affected the deck underneath.  Would these have been a problem or just superficial?  The second point was when the boat was upside down and viwing the edge where the different layers can be seem, the outer white finsh seemed in some places to be pulled away.  there where small gaps between the surface coat (Gel coat?)and what looks like laminate layers.  some where filled but the owner said the fills where how he recieved it from laser from new and they weren't repairs.  So are the unfilled bits a problem?  Would they have also needed repair?  These things would be handy to know when next viewing a boat.

PS  If anyone in the oxford/ west berkshire area would like to show me what to look for on their laser to give me an idea that would be great

Depends on what you are being asked to pay but everything you have described should be repaired and sounds like it can be repaired very easily if you are prepared to put a few hours in. Gelcoat repairs are a simple DIY job. What is the sail number and the asking price? Find a website advertising Lasers, compare the sail number and asking price and you will get an idea of whether the boat is cheap or expensive. If cheap, it is reasonable to expect to have to do some work. You can't expect a cheap old boat to be perfect. If expensive, it should be pristine. Just like buying a 2nd hand car really. How recently the sail was bought will also play a part. 

Where on the deck?

Leaks into the hull and water being absorbed by the laminate are two separate problems and no leaks does not mean no absorption.  If the chips were shallow (<1mm or so) then probably no real problem but deep old chips with exposed fibres are more of a concern.

Layers separating around the gunwhale sounds like impact damage to me.  If it is only restricted to small patches and not more than 5 to 10mm in from the edge of the gunwhale it shouldn't be a big deal.

The laser is constructed from a hull and deck moulding glued together.  The join area is quite large as it includes all of the rolled over edge but Laser sometimes leaves the odd little gap where the glue hasn't fully filled the gap between the deck and hull mouldings.  These appear as voids when you look at it upside down and are normally very shallow and don't impact the strength of the boat.  Laser do sometimes fill these as well.  I certainly had some on my new boat.

As long as the two mouldings are straight and undamaged in the gap area I think that you are looking at voids so don't worry.  If the boat doesn't leak there is almost certainly no problem.

The deck gelcoat is easily repaired and should only impact the price you pay!  Do, do, do check the mast step for wear at the deck level and around the bottom as this is a ##!!## to fix.

Cheers

Ian