KK42 Construction/Problems

[Larry M]

Marin wrote:
...The Krogen 42 has long been one of our favorite recreational boat designs. We've been on one or two over the years when they've come through one of the local boat dealerships in trade as part of a Grand Banks sale but I know nothing about their construction or problem-free longevity. Is it good, bad, or indifferent?

Marin:* The KK42 was built overseas with a production run of 204/205 boats from 1977/79 to 1998. **Through the years there were production changes as the customers/industry matured.* Heres a link that talks about the specific changes.* http://www.his.com/~vann/KrgStuff/Krognidx.htm
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A few examples include:* stopped coring below the water line, stopped using teak on the fore decks and bridge decks, changed from using the FL120 to the SP135 to finally installing a John Deere, went to molded headliners, plus many more.*
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Problem-free longevity and boats?* LOL.* Hobo was built in 1987 and is hull#120.* Weve owned her for 4+ years and have logged over 12,000 miles.* Hobo has not had any production issues other than a small leak in a water tank and minor blistering.** The other problems with older boats such as leaking ports, deck leaks, soft decks, etc are all owner maintenance issues not construction deficiencies - in my opinion.* We looked at a 1981 KK42 in Fl.* She should have been totaled.* The owner showed me the Tupperware containers in the lockers that she emptied when it rained, 4 of the deck beams were rotted in one of the cabins and the list went on.* A KK42 well maintained doesnt stay on the market very long if its market priced. **
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If youve seen one Krogen...youve seen one Krogen.

 

[Marin]

Larry--- Thanks for the response. By problem-free-longevity I was referring only to the basic hull and superstructure construction. Things like boat systems, windows, decking, and on and on and on are thing we are well aware of in terms of "longevity."

The only things we have been told about Krogens have been bad and had to do with the cored hulls. Whether the people who told us this were biased, had actually experienced problems, or were simply repeating marina myths we had no way of knowing. And since we weren't in the market for a boat at that time (or now) we had no real reason to investigate ourselves.

But we've always like the design a lot so since you've had real-world experience with a Krogen I thought I'd get your opinion.

 

[healhustler]

Marin....I'd like to add, if I may, that my Manatee also has one of the fully cored hulls. I may have been lucky to get a good one, but it seems that care of a cored hull is precisely like the care of an uncored hull. Stay ahead of blisters, repair when needed. I've had a total of 6 dime sized blisters (under gel-coat) and no other hull issues. I love the extra quiet and lack of condensation the hull offers, and haven't felt any issues in my wallet or otherwise. A top notch, first class peel and re-glass job could cost a cool 20 thou, according to one owner who chose to do his over BUT also discounted the same off his purchase price.

 

[Keith]

The only issue with the cored hulls was what they called "oil-canning". The specification called for Airex PVC foam "or equivalent". That's where the problem came in. For awhile, they used a PVC foam that didn't have the shear strength, and the hulls ended up with deflections in them in four places. They look like big dimples. No real problem structurally. Washburn's boatyard has a way to fix them, but I choose not to bother with mine.

 

[KapnKarl]

I realize this is a four year old post but since we're looking at an '87 42 KK, I wanted to get some input if possible. You mentioned the deflection issue occurs in 4 places and you didn't bother fixing yours. Where in the hull do they occur and do they have any noticeable impact on efficiency of the hull or handling at sea? You also mentioned they're not a structural issue,but if the shear strength of the foam coring causes the deflections, wouldn't that compromise hull integrity even slightly?

 

[JDCAVE]

I realize this is a four year old post but since we're looking at an '87 42 KK, I wanted to get some input if possible. You mentioned the deflection issue occurs in 4 places and you didn't bother fixing yours. Where in the hull do they occur and do they have any noticeable impact on efficiency of the hull or handling at sea? You also mentioned they're not a structural issue,but if the shear strength of the foam coring causes the deflections, wouldn't that compromise hull integrity even slightly?

I don't lie awake at night thinking about it, let's put it that way. You can put some fore and aft reinforcement on the port side, above the main stringer...at least ways that's what Dennis Lawrence (Kadey Krogen in Seattle) told me when we went down below on my boat. He suggested I consider doing some glasswork over foam. But I have not done that and I've not seen any evidence of oil canning on Phoenix Hunter.

As Larry says when you've seen one Krogen, you've seen one Krogen. I know of 4 KK42s in the PNW that were private sales (including our own.). Good ones don't stay on the market long and get close to their asking price. Get yourself on a few and see what is good out there and wait for a good one to come up for sale.


Jim
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