I'm thinking of buying a used 18 foot Shearwater Bluefin from someone locally and was wondering if you can help me negotiate the right price.

The boat is about 8 years old, may be 10 (forgot, the owner told me), one owner, supposedly varnished regularly. No skeg or rudder, has 2 bulkheads. It is in good shape overall and there are no soft spots, but is not built as meticulously as some I've seen. For example the internal glassing is good on the hull but the deck to hull seams are not well finished even though the fiberglass tape seems to be well adhering to the wood/glass below it. But its thick edge of the tape is not sanded down and is kind of raised and the weave clearly shows almost to a point I wonder if it is fully wetted.

Similarly, the reinforcing tape around the edges of the bulkhead is not well pressed and is roughly and somewhat unsightily applied.

The internal lip supporting the hatch covers are not glassed (just varnished) and some sections are soft and flexible to the touch and delaminated from water damage. But the plywood on the deck where the lip is attached is in good condition and glassed, so just the 1/2 " lip is not good in some sections, making the support for the hatch cover somewhat suspect should I need to sit on it for a reentry (not that I expect to do that but who knows :)).

There is one small through the hull repair (knife stabbing kind of 1"). The foot rails are solid but the glass work around them is sloppy and soft in places, so water would be getting in through it, most likely. The bulkheads do not sit flush with the hull and deck but I can see space as mich as 1/4" around them and some of the hull is epoxied and glassed around them, so no leaks.

Cosmetically it is not great either - the finish is not smooth and there are minor cosmetic chipped areas here and there, which are well covered with epoxy. No scratches as it has been just refinished but apparently it was not sanded to a smooth finish before that (and there are a few brush hair bristles here and there hardened in the finish). The rear tip of the stern had at some point been cut off square for rudder install and is now put back (no rudder any more) but one can see the scar and the tip is not perfectly aligned and smoothed to blend with the rest of the boat. That will be above water and it is for all practical purposes straight and strong, so not functional problem, just somewhat unsightly.

It is lightweight in the low 30lb so there is certainly no excess epoxy used (3mm plywood), and because the hull is stiff I think overall the boat is strong.

I don't care for looks and can deal with the small touch-up things that I see needing fixing (the foot rails and the hatch cover opening lip). I can also smooth things out and refinish the next time the boat needs sanding.

What would be a fair price? I know what I'm willing to pay for it but curious what others would say...

Thanks!