Welcome, you come to the right place. I bought a 72 about a year ago. The common hull issues are the transom being wet, the thru-hull scuppers developing a seal leak and eventually leaking into the bilge and the cap separating from the hull. All of these problems are common, and have well-documented solutions on this forum, so depending on the price, they shouldn't be a deterrent. What's the motor? How's the trailer. When you get a look take a little flashlight remove a spark plug or 2 and look for detonation damage at the top of the pistons. Have a compression check done. Fire it up and give it a listen. Go for a test ride. Walk around the deck to check for soft spots. Stand on the anti-cavitation plate and rock up and down looking for movement in the transom. Some guys use a mallet to pound and detect structural variation by give and sound.
If you go for a ride keep an eye on the bilge pump or better yet ask the guy not to run it until you get back. Then check the bilge for water intrusion. This could be any number of things but like the thru-hull scuppers or other fittings so learn what it has. After the ride you may also want to run your hand along the joint of the hull and the cap inside the cuddy. If its wet you have some water intrusion there, also. Remember these are all relatively simple fixes and this gang offers incredible support and knowledge as a group. You just have to be willing to give it a go.
My boat has been a lot of work and I've done a lot to make it fit my needs, and there's much more I need to do. But I enjoy messing with it and it rides really nice. By all means its a very nice little boat yet very capable by all reports and although its 36 years old I hope to own it for a long time.
Go get some pics and maybe post'em. Chances are someone on the board knows the boat an will give you a first hand opinion... Seafaris are cool!
