Hello all, Tori and Sam here! We have been looking at bluewater boats for some time now and have found a beautiful 1978 W32 for sale in the PNW. We would like to know of anything in particular we should be looking for in the way of common issues. This particular boat has undergone extensive upgrades and maintenance, but there can always be something hiding. As we are new to this group we haven't dug too deep into the forums for related articles, but we will in time. Any and all advice is welcome as this will be our first sailboat! Thanks in advance! 

Edit: Just found the "failures" section on Bud's Westsail parts website. What a great resource!

Hi Mark,

We plan to move back to Port Townsend, WA where we will live aboard while I take the Marine Systems course at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. I graduated from their Traditional Boatbuilding program back in September and can't wait to return. This will help us become intimately familiar with the on-board systems, while we gain knowledge and confidence sailing in the Puget Sound. Tori will be in Grad School (Public Health) online and we hope to begin bouncing down the West coast once we feel capable. Beyond that we dream of crossing oceans and cruising with an open ended time frame, but aren't committed to anything serious yet. 

Currently we are in the Caribbean diving, learning, and reading some cruising classics (Lin and Larry Pardey in particular). We have many skills and experiences to acquire as we are novice sailors, but look forward to the challenges ahead.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Sam