Is this concerning?

[Thomas1985]

Looked at a boat that wife liked a lot. I liked a lot about it also. I would get a survey before buying, but should I be concerned about the water damage pictured?

[senormechanico]

Hard to tell, but the pattern on the sole looks like it came from under the door to the head.

[Thomas1985]

The cosmetic stuff I’m ok with as the price is good on this boat, but the bulkhead discoloration gives me hesitation…

[fourlyons]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

The cosmetic stuff I’m ok with as the price is good on this boat, but the bulkhead discoloration gives me hesitation…

It's a little hard to see on my phone, but that sure looks like a leaky chain plate. Not only might the bulkhead have rot damage, but you'll want to remove and have the chain plates inspected for crevice corrosion. It's all repairable, but expensive.

[JBP]

Yep. The chain plates are leaking. Both sides probably. Fixing the leak is tolerably easy if you are handy, but it looks like the bulkhead needs replacing too.

[Jebtrois]

Ok, so that is a Catalina 36 MKii in the pics which I owned at one time. It's a fantastic boat. Port chain plate is a known issue. If it leaked and was repaired then it's cosmetic. If it has not been addressed, then there is risk of rot in the bulkhead. It's a pain to repair, but it's not an abnormally expensive repair. Port is usually not an issue. I agree that it is likely that the water damage to the sole is from the head. It's a wet bath and if someone took a shower and forgot to turn on the sump in there it would spill out like that. Of course it's also possible that they left the boat and forgot to leave the bilge pump set to Auto and had the shallow bilge overflow. In addition, there is a hatch directly above that area which could have been left open during rain etc. Note that these boats are notorious for having some water in their bilge which usually comes down the mast in heavy rain. I loved that boat. Feel free to PM any specific questions.

[Tsuru]

As another former Catalina 36 mk2 owner I agree with Jebtrois.
The sole got wet at some point. You may be able to refinish and get acceptable results.
Te chainplate needs to be re-bedded at the deck and I’d take a moisture meter to see the extent of water intrusion at the bulkhead. In the original 36 the chainplates were only attached to the bulkhead, The Mk2 are attached to the bulkhead and the hull which is good in your case.
It is possible that once the deck fitting is bedded the bulkhead will dry out and be fine. That said the water stain could be difficult to remove.
This is the kind of thing where a surveyor could determine the extent of the damage and repair costs.
This is something you can call Catalina about and my experience in the past they’ve given me good honest advice.
We enjoyed our 36 mk2 very much and think it’s a wonderful boat.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

Looked at a boat that wife liked a lot. I liked a lot about it also. I would get a survey before buying, but should I be concerned about the water damage pictured?

Not unusual at all on the floor. On a rough trip you can get lots of water below. But you should check out well inside cabinets etc and make sure it's not from a partial flooding/sinking. This will often be evident on bare wood under cabinets etc. You may see a waterline if it's been flooded. That stain will likely never come out though, even if you strip it, you either replace it or live with it. The veneer on that ply is too thin to sand sucessfully.

The bulkhead stain would concern me.

I once helped clean out a Swan that had just bashed it's way from Hawaii to Seattle. It was soaking wet everywhere inside. Hull sides, cabinets, floors, sails etc.

[Thomas1985]

Has anyone done a bulkhead replacement themselves?

The wood work is within my capabilities, but do you need to be concerned with hull integrity while you have the bulkhead removed?

If anyone has done this kind of job how bad was it?

[fourlyons]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

Has anyone done a bulkhead replacement themselves?

The wood work is within my capabilities, but do you need to be concerned with hull integrity while you have the bulkhead removed?

If anyone has done this kind of job how bad was it?

Sure, a number of times. But you don't need to replace the whole bulkhead, as a poster about said, there's a good chance it would dry out and be fine structurally. Even if that's not the case, you can scarf in new ply after cutting out the bad.
No, removing the bulkhead during the repair won't compromise the hull, it's done all the time. Having all the other bulkheads and the deck in place will maintain hull shape.

[Bowdrie]

True, removing a bulkhead "shouldn't" compromise hull strength or shape.
But bulkheads near the mast do have a particular loading on them from the lowers.
The lowers are always trying to "squeeze" the sides of the boat together.
If I was going to remove/replace that bulkhead I would slack the rigging a little, not too much, maybe a couple turns on each turnbuckle.
Just to "relax" things a bit.
You'd be surprised how much fiberglass hulls bend when all the rigging is tightened up.