what's the general opinion regarding boats like this that are listed as needing some work
I think (again, just Bruce's Opinion), that.... it's a bit of a dance.
On the one hand, you want to get things resolved that are truly issues affecting the viability of the boat. On the other hand, you're not going to get the boat rebuilt to like-new condition as part of the process.
My surveyor explained his view (may be standard in the business, don't know) that there are three classes of issues
-- Class-A findings are "violations or structure, seaworthiness or watertight integrity
-- Class-B findings are "violations of USCG, NFPA, ABYC and/or other safety standards"
-- Class-C findings are "other findings or recommendations"
I'd guess that most "Class-A" (truly structural/seaworthiness) issues might be hard to get a seller to pay to resolve. Like, if the keel-bolts are corroded through or the mast was broken and badly repaired, those might be more likely to make me walk away than to ask the seller to fix. If the issues found are less drastic (e.g., the survey finds that below-the-waterline thru-hulls don't have double-clamps and pre-positioned bungs), that's easy to fix and probably not worth putting the owner over a barrel for.
The Class-B things get more interesting. If, for example, the fuel system is inoperative or the battery-charger is a potential fire issue or whatever... yeah, I'd ask the seller (through the broker) to get those resolved as a condition of the sale. I think (JMHO) that you have a right to come out of the sale with a boat that has no glaring safety or operational issues, *unless* you're going into this with the idea that it's priced as a project boat and have no plans to use it until you've rebuilt it. In my case, I wanted a boat that had "good bones" (hull, rig, keel, operating gear) and no major issues that were in the way of going sailing.... your priorities might land on a different point in the spectrum, given the price-vs-condition and the seller's situation.
I'd treat Class-C items as a professional's view of the things I should take care of once the boat is mine.
And... for the most part, cosmetic/non-structural/non-safety things (delam'd floorboards, water stains on interior panelling, etc) are probably going to show up as Class-C if at all.
Once you've found a surveyor, it might be worth a pre-survey call to ask him/her how issues are categorized and what the "custom" is for dealing with things in each category. Doing more surveys in a month than you or I will probably see in a lifetime will probably give him a good perspective, both about the severity of the issue and what's appropriate to ask for in the course of the transaction. My question, after the survey findings were known, was "are there any things in this report that represent reasons NOT to buy this boat". While he cannot make the decision for you, a good surveyor should be able to give you an answer that helps you sort through the findings and decide what's important to you.
$.02
Bruce
