Should I buy?

So I found a hobie 16 with trailer, sails look good and so does tramp. Hulls were spray painted black. Owner says he doesn't see any damage to the hulls and I haven't seen it in person yet but am going Thursday. All rigging appears to be there and he has title for boat just never registered. It was gifted to him but he doesn't use it and can't swim so he wants to get rid of it. Is it worth the money all things considered and if the hulls are in good shape?

Thanks for the advice and input!

You didn't mention how much you were picking it up for. I wouldn't trust anything painted without photos prior to the paint job and prep. If none assume damage to the hulls somewhere sometime. Remember to check the decks for soft spots especially in front of the forward pylon, press down on the tops of the decks as hard as you can all around the boat. Should be no movement. If so walk away. Whenever I get a new boat I automatically put new standing rigging on so figure for that. Other than that Sails are expensive just because they "look good" doesn't meant they aren't soft and lacking shape. Check for stiffness of sail cloth. Check rudders and castings for damage. play in the rudders "slop" can be fixed easily with some shims. Check corner casting for any cracks as well.
Thats a pretty good start.
-Todd

Thanks! I will ckeck all of these. The price would be about $400

If only $400, look really closely for issues or missing parts. Id be skeptical of any boat painted with a handful of black spraypaint cans. Are you fine with putting some work into her? Used parts can easily be found on craigslist or ebay for relatively cheap.

I picked my H16 a handful of years ago as a total wreck. It was unloaded on a guy for free and he didnt have the patience to learn to sail or rig the boat. Got it for $20. Comptip mast was cracked, needed halyards, a rudder, tiller extension, jib replacement and other misc stuff. Trailer fine, one hull good and the other riddled with soft spots. It was a fun venture to get the boat in sailable condition. With all of the parts that I was able to pick up, including another boat that was falling apart, I was able to keep and sell enough stuff to wind up with a fun and safe sailboat that cost me a total of about $250. Got the registration cleared and repainted the hulls with rustoleum. "Jackie" looks great from 20 feet away and while not a racer, definately a fun day on the lake.