I've had my 1971 45' Convertible for 18 years, put a lot of time and money in it, but it's a good boat and I'd do it again if I was younger. All Ready's comments are the same as mine would be. You'll find moisture in the balsa deck coring.. I have none in my foredeck and around the windlass but lots of moisture around the cockpit, around the rod holders and cleats. The good news is that the fiberglass surrounding the core cavity is thick enough to not need the core for adequate strength. They built them heavy in those days. The 871N's will likely run forever with replacement of the engines' hang-ons. I found mine hard to live with from the high noise level and profuse oil leaks and repowered with Cummins 10 years ago. The original Allison M20 gears were mechanical so yours have had an upgrade with the Mathers. I've had only minor hull blisters. The plumbing and electrical are good, as you'd expect. Long and short, Hatts have good bones, but be careful not to pay too much for an old boat. You likely won't get any price premium back on resale and old boats cost more to maintain. Still, a great boat and I'm glad I own one.
