Ok. You asked. So here goes. I have no experience regarding whether you should be aware or concerned about Volvo engines or any other particular engine, but I have had many years of experience with Taiwanese boats. I have owned both an Albin 49 and Marine Trader Tradewinds 43 and these boats and others such as CHB, Island Gypsy, etc give many of us an opportunity to own a tremendous boat for a reasonable amount of money. They are roomy, comfortable, and as tough as you probably need along the coast and certainly for the great loop. They will take a lot more in snotty weather than the captain and his crew wants to endure.
As I understand it, there were several boat yards that built what I will refer to as the Asian boats. Marine Trader, by itself, used multiple boat yards. The reason we can get quite a bang for our buck with these boats is due to the less expensive (but, still very skilled) work force in Taiwan. The concept was to make solid, semi-planing (or semi-displacement) boats using American suppliers for many of the systems. Taiwanese builders did not spare on the fiberglass. They usually have very solid and adequate hulls. And they did not spare on the interior wood products. The skilled labor and teak was in abundance. The stainless steel that was used for fittings could have been better and the electrical wiring systems and materials could have been better. The common failure of the black iron fuel tanks still give us all nightmares.
But, the boat you are looking at, for an asking price of $139K, is a fair place to start negotiations. The photos that were used indicate a couple things to me. First, of course, the boat was staged for sale. But more important, the condition of the boat and the recent improvements made to the boat convince me that the owner had a lot of pride in the boat and it seems to me that the maintenance has been on-going, not just done for the sale.
If an owner wants top dollar for his boat, you might expect him to buff and wax the boat, re-finish the wing doors, maybe even do a topside paint job and certainly paint the bottom. If his enclosure looked like crap, he may be forced to replace it. But, he would not have had to go to the measures that he did. He would certainly not have to install a new water maker. The soft goods such as drapes, furnishings, headliner, carpet and bedspreads are fresh and clean. The appliances and furnishings are of good quality and in good condition. You don't have a lot of ceiling above the engines and in these boats you will not find the neatness and organization of some of the better boats regarding wiring harnesses and running of hoses.
I will leave you with my recommendation that you should consider these Taiwanese boats. Unless you have an extra couple hundred thousand dollars that you could dig up to get you to the next step up the ladder in quality.
DON'T find a surveyor to survey your boat and engine. If you do that, in the end, you will only have a list of things that may or may not mean anything at all. First , you need an engine consultant. How do you find that consultant? Investigate in every way you can. Get the best. A surveyor with specific knowledge of the engines you are buying. Don' t leave his side during the survey. If it takes compression tests or tearing apart some of the systems of the engine, pay for it. Be sure. Then, do the same research to find a consultant for your boat's survey. They are two different birds. Also stay with him the entire survey. Make sure he understands that you need to be educated on this boat and that you are willing to pay for whatever extra time is required to get you to that point. Take notes. Ask questions. In fact, get a list of questions together from your walk through before sea trial or the engine survey.
One more suggestion. Ask the boat's broker very specifically if there has been a survey done of this boat in the last two or three years. If there has, ask him if you might review it. If he or the owner is not willing to share the survey, that may be your first red flag.
lately for our teenagers. But now we are 4-5 years from retirement and like so many, we have "Great Loop" on the brain! While I'm new to looking at trawlers, and am just now starting to read Skipper Bob and other books, I'm looking for the boat we can afford, afford to run, and will be comfortable on for long trips (1+ years??). 
What Cuttyhunk says!
