My comments based only upon what I can see and what I understand was a cruising history of cruising the Florida Keys.
First of all, this boat has seen some action. It has been around. I would check to see if it has ever been grounded or damaged in a storm. Photos just suggest it's seen a lot of wear over the years.
What I see can all be fixed. The door to the interior cabin needs to be replaced or very carefully restored. The side panels look like they have been repaired with putty of some sort and they need to be replaced. That whole section could (and maybe should) be rebuilt as a stunning showpiece, because it is the front door to the boat and it will establish future value and the total provenance of the boat.
Interior looks like it could use a very light sanding of the varnish only, do not go to the wood. Use a very fine sandpaper and then top coat it with about six coats of wipe on polyurethane furniture finish, and you will be stunned at what it looks like then. I would most certainly use a satin finish, as it tends to hide blemishes better.
That chrome control on the bridge, looks bad, it's potmetal and would cost you $200 to restore. I'd just buy new ones and be done with that, at less cost. Upholstery will need work, naturally, and the entire hull will most likely need to be unchalked, buffed and waxed.
All of this seems to be the norm, nothing out of the ordinary from an avid Commander guy who has seen a lot of projects. The real unknown is the motor and transmission situation. Since the boat has been on long distance cruises, as I understand it, you may be buying the hull. If they run and run well, so much the better.
Twelve or 15 years ago I got hooked bad by the Commander bug and I bought one on the Ohio River that I honestly thought would have to be repowered. So many people think that when they see the old motors, but in reality, many of the motors are still good due to the fact that they have been on picnic runs. Yours may be different if they have been doing the long haul. Of course, there is one way to find out, and that is run the boat, do a compression check, check that oil to see if it has been changed recently or if it has motor honey in it to help with the sale, etc.
For $11,000 that could be the foundation of a nice project. If the motors run and run decently, and I think they should at the asking price, then you can dodge the repowering or rebuilding bullet for a while, maybe long term, who knows? In the meantime, you will have to invest some serious time and/or cash in rebuilding the aft deck doors and entryway. Since I am so terribly biased, and since I have seen so many horrible looking boats brought back into "as new condition", I would not run from this boat, but I will tell you it's going to take a lot of work. If you are like me and many others here, who love hanging out at the marina and love working on boats, this could be a lot of fun with great rewards in the end.
Not sure how the motors come out of this model, I think you might have to remove the aft deck door and side panels to do a removal and replacement, so keep this in mind. If you rebuild the doors, maybe it would be smart to assemble them so they can be removed easily in the future, as a precaution.
If the motors and transmissions are in good shape, sheesh, I'm a Commander nut and I'd probably be on this boat. The cost is low, perhaps you can go lower, because even though the cost is reasonably low (remember, Jerry Namken got a 38' flybridge express for $2500, but motors and transmissions were toast, er rust), you're still going to see some major expenses (and this will be the case no matter what boat you buy). Risers, for instance, may need to be replaced right off the bat.
So take a look at that bottom, run the boat, budget properly, and maybe this is another project that will reap major rewards some day in the future. In the meantime, I would also be checking other Commanders in the area too, to be sure you are not missing a boat in better conditiion. My boat was in needy condition, and I often wondered after I did all the work, why I didn't just go to a better boat and avoid some of the work I did. Since I love being at the marina, it wasnt so bad. Lots of beers, lots of friends, and some decent work accomplished too.
Hope this helps a bit,
Comments from others are welcome and encouraged.
Regards,
Paul
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