Kadey-Krogen 42 Pilothouse, Low priced listing

Came across this listing on YW yesterday. Called the broker who was short with information on it, said to just come down and look at it. Unfortunately I'm nowhere near local to it. He said mechanically and inside are both sound, it's discounted so heavily because of the aesthetics. The woodwork on doors and trim looks poor, and the visor over the pilothouse has rot underneath. To my newbie eyes, it otherwise looks in ok condition. What do yall think of this listing? It's half the price of comparable KK42's. What am I missing?

The broker said it used to be listed for 90k with another broker, but the owners weren't getting the traction they desired and relisted it with him for the current 59k price. Said they're from AK and moving back to land as they're getting older.

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1980-kadey--krogen-pilothouse-trawler-8438810/

Looks like the whole upper deck has water damage. A massive expense to repair-even if you do it yourself. There are a couple of threads on TF that talks about repairing the upper decks. Not sure what the sides of the house are made of, but a lot of Krogens used PVC coring, which doesn't rot, but can delaminate. I also see a lot of tell tale staining in the bilge areas that looks like water stains from water making it's way down from the upper level. If you decide to look at this boat, do it on a rainy day-a sure way to discover any leaks.

First, welcome aboard. If you are interested in this boat I would hire a local surveyor and pay for a few hours to give you a quick take on the boat. Whether or not it is worth your time and expense to travel to see it. Then keep in mind that restoring it will be fabulously expensive. It will inevitably take way more time and way more money that you imagined to get it fixed up. If there are leaks then there can be mold. I would rather fix rotted core in the decks than deal with mold. Good luck if you proceed with it. Keep us up to date if you do.

Kk42’s are cored boats. They were made this way to be light. When water gets into the balsa core it rots. If you are thinking of crossing oceans or headed to Mexico this is not a good choice. Even if you are only planning to operate on the inland water way this boat could turn into a train wreck.

One should only take on a project like this if they know what they are getting into.

I believe the KK42 started with closed pvc foam below the water line in their first build. They switched to solid hulls below the water line in 1993.

Here’s a link to pretty much everything Krogen pre 1998.

https://www.his.com/~vann/KrgStuff/krognfaq.txt

Looks like a nice boat.

Was in St Augustine visiting my in-laws and called the St Augustine broker when they had the listing. Per the broker- fair amount of moisture damage that would require much work. Her words- if you're handy with wood and fiberglass, it would be a great project boat. We didn't look at it. Owners have been liveaboards as I was told, but weren't fully aware of the moisture damage until it was listed.

I'd be leery of any boat that drops in price by almost half. A DeFever 44 in Florida in similar circumstances. Originally listed at $159K now down to $89K. This Kadey and that DeFever unfortunately will linger on the market waiting for someone who likes projects......

I know the boat as I’m at the same marina. It needs work, the couple are liveaboards and are getting too old to maintain.

They are constantly doing maintenance, and the boat is in ok condition however there is obvious water damage, needs new exterior fairing and paint, and just needs some love overall.

If I were in a position to buy it I’d offer 35 but not much more. They seem to be pretty proud of it.

A Real Mess

The appearance of obvious stuff is so bad I would not be comfortable taking it out on the water. Engine, thruhulls, everything could fail. Probably uninsurable - a dangerous ride

Judging from the pictures the boat looked completely seaworthy, ugly but seaworthy. . Considering the bottom was just done I’d be suprised if there were issues below the waterline they were not taken care of except maybe some blisters. A little rot in some places well above water do not effect the seaworthiness except in the most extreme conditions, which if someone bought for a project they would not be going in during a move, in fact 99% of let’s call them gentleman boaters will never see conditions that would be dangerous with a little rot on the roof of the pilothouse.

Jmarsh203 said:

Judging from the pictures the boat looked completely seaworthy, ugly but seaworthy. . Considering the bottom was just done I’d be suprised if there were issues below the waterline they were not taken care of except maybe some blisters. A little rot in some places well above water do not effect the seaworthiness except in the most extreme conditions, which if someone bought for a project they would not be going in during a move, in fact 99% of let’s call them gentleman boaters will never see conditions that would be dangerous with a little rot on the roof of the pilothouse.

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I'm sure you are correct- most won't see conditions that would be affected by a little rot on the roof. I'd venture to guess most wouldn't see an insurance company writing a policy for said boat with a little rot on the roof of the pilothouse also!

Regardless- hope the owners can get some money out of her. Hard to pour so much life into a boat and let it go for pennies on the dollar.....

DustinM said:

Came across this listing on YW yesterday. Called the broker who was short with information on it, said to just come down and look at it. Unfortunately I'm nowhere near local to it. He said mechanically and inside are both sound, it's discounted so heavily because of the aesthetics. The woodwork on doors and trim looks poor, and the visor over the pilothouse has rot underneath. To my newbie eyes, it otherwise looks in ok condition. What do yall think of this listing? It's half the price of comparable KK42's. What am I missing?

The broker said it used to be listed for 90k with another broker, but the owners weren't getting the traction they desired and relisted it with him for the current 59k price. Said they're from AK and moving back to land as they're getting older.

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1980-kadey--krogen-pilothouse-trawler-8438810/

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I a read all of the comments and some are unfounded. I have owned hull #5 (completed 1981) for 25 years and know the history and the issues with these boats well. Many things changed over the years that 200 of these boats were built. The first series had foam cored hulls with decks and superstructure that is glasses over wood. The biggest vulnerability is the decks but it looks like this may have been addressed in 2020 on this boat.
We have owned ours this long because we have simply not found anything that we like better. It is a very comfortable coastal cruiser. Perfect for extended cruises to places like the Bahamas.
You can reach out to me at pirate@krogen42.com and I will be glad to discuss my 25 years of using and maintaining this vintage KK42.
Tom Collier
m/v Pirate

Larry M said:

I believe the KK42 started with closed pvc foam below the water line in their first build. They switched to solid hulls below the water line in 1993.

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Actually the most important change was made with haul #66 when they moved away from wooden frame and cored decks and superstructure. If maintained, the early ones are very comfortable, serviceable boats that are reasonably in expensive.

What is the water damage

Jomarjr and Mac2 and proudsailor say there is water damage -- could you describe any more specifically what water damage you are talking about and the nature , extent and location of same, to the extent you are able to tell?? As much info as possible would be appreciated. Many Thanks. CNrules2

CNRules2 said:

Jomarjr and Mac2 and proudsailor say there is water damage -- could you describe any more specifically what water damage you are talking about and the nature , extent and location of same, to the extent you are able to tell?? As much info as possible would be appreciated. Many Thanks. CNrules2

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I spoke w/ the broker of the boat last year and don't recall the specifics, it was enough for me not to pursue the boat further. If my very poor memory serves me, hull was ok. It was deck and walls, but degree or location I do not know.

Owners have done a bunch of work on her since, but not sure that the work is the fiberglass/woodwork that was needed, at least as I understand it from the various broker listings of her.

Mac2 said:

Looks like the whole upper deck has water damage. A massive expense to repair-even if you do it yourself. There are a couple of threads on TF that talks about repairing the upper decks. Not sure what the sides of the house are made of, but a lot of Krogens used PVC coring, which doesn't rot, but can delaminate. I also see a lot of tell tale staining in the bilge areas that looks like water stains from water making it's way down from the upper level. If you decide to look at this boat, do it on a rainy day-a sure way to discover any leaks.

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The later 42's were synthetic cored and I concur, this one needs a lot of love, and a lot of cabbage $$$ too...

The listing has a pending sale. Hope the new owner will document the restoration.

There is a mass of misinformation about the KK42. I can only speak from my experience with hull #5. Mine (one of the early ones) is closed cell foam in the hull. Over 40 years, my hull has not been a problem. The decks and topsides are wood framed and covered in glass. You need to be careful about water leaks around the windows and fittings. The early decks were cored with 4" squares of plywood. You should look carefully inside at the headliner for water stains. Also, the bottom portion of the deck beams are exposed, painted, and have a teak trim cap. if you find any rot there then run. Some boats had teak over that on the foredeck and the upper deck. Those are the boats that have the most problems. Mine had a teak foredeck. The first thing I did was remove the teak. where I found soft spots, I took a skill saw with the blade set at 1/4" & cut the top layer of fiberglass out to expose the bad core, replace the core, reglassed the deck, and painted it with non-skid Awlgrip. The SS lifeline stanchions were on the deck and nearly every screw penetration was an issue. I cut those off and moved them to the cap rail. The upper deck also had some soft spots and I did the same thing with the areas that I found there. Many of the Taiwan boats of this era were built this way and the bedding compound that they used dried out quickly. If things were not maintained, they are all subject to these issues.

These Krogens are a great design. We have kept ours for 25 years simply because we have not found anything we like more. They are relatively inexpensive. Some have been maintained and some are beyond a project. Be sure that you understand what you are buying. If the engine or transmission have issues then run. Major parts are getting hard to find. As part of the survey process, call Bryan at American Diesel about oil analysis for both.