Hey, wait a minute! I didn't get a survey when I bought the T37 this past fall. But this ain't my first rodeo. And I haven't gotten anything surveyed since 1994 except for insurance.
Being in the water, I'd be concerned about the pintle plate, fairing (it may not even have one still attached, like mine), bushing, etc. While it only took a few minutes for us to drop the rudder, and the machinist says the plate and attachments look fine, its an area of primary concern. I focus on floating first. Then I worry about going forward. Float, float, go forward go forward. Every thru hull, every potential water intrusion point. First thing.
Then engine and rig. These guys on here have been through it all. I've found a lot of things that don't necessarily shout "quality control" in the construction (bad backing for deck attachments, leaky plastic portlights, etc.), but it seems like a great boat for my purposes.
If you're determined to buy it in-water, I'd focus on looking around the cabin sides for rot in the salon and head teak surrounding the windows. I think the cheesy portlights caused my (minor) problems. I pulled the overhead apart aft and didn't see any particular issues with leakage from the traveler or spider cracks at the corner of the sea hood. And chainplates. You can't see what's in the deck area of the stainless. Anything running down them (dark stains) on the inside? Things like that. How old is the standing rigging? The rule of thumb used to be 10 years and replace.
The only problems I've ever had with a boat I refit was getting too aggressive with a sawzall and nicking a shaft log from the outside of the boat taking out the cutless. Stupid. Didn't see the nick. Close enough to the stern gland to drizzle. Boat settled at the dock, water over the floorboards, numbnuts started the engine to keep the batteries up, air intakes on the MD2B diesel I had rebuilt myself were pointed downward, water sucked in, end of fun and games, new Yanmar. Live and learn.
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