Buying a VD Traditional

[ltwtsculler91]

I know this was touched upon briefly in another thread, but I am interested in purchasing one, is there anything specific to look into on these hulls as far as damage and weak points? I know its going to be an older hull, nearly as old as me in most cases, but I'm more than fine with that. I can do nearly all repairs on my own so I'm more interested in what I should be looking for when buying as well as expecting to fix if it has any issues.

[Grumpy Old Dude]

ltwtsculler91,
Look for breaks in the trueness of the hull. These can indicate damage, and if along the gunwhale lines, a crack or break in the frame or the arrowshaft bracing.. If the hull is true check deflection at all bracing points. I have found that a fair number of old VanDusen traditionals will have the arrow shaft bracing come loose in places. I would remove the decks and inspect. I like to pull the decks and look for discoloration (usually a darkening) in the honeycomb, indicating water in the honeycomb. Sometimes you can press a dark spot and see water pinhole out. This means the epoxy has degraded somewhat due to age/UV exposure. You don't see this in the rowers bench area, but bow and stern. Not really serious, just moisture trapped under the decks is infiltrating the honeycomb, but it means the boat needs to be dried out and sealed with clear coat epoxy. You can either spray (if you have the equipment) or use a foam roller to apply. It adds 6 - 8 oz of weight, which includes sealing all the framework as well. I have seen old traditionals which have had over a pound of water. I think that any exposed carbon framework as well as the carbon tube riggers should be clearcoated to protect against UV degradation.
I am currently happily rowing a 33 year old traditional, and there are 2 other traditionals in our BH that are 5 years older than that and still going strong.

[Scott @ Noble Hardware]

I have an 86 traditional and I like it a lot. It's very much a technician's boat - rewards careful technique and is much more difficult to set or row square-blades than other hulls. But very enjoyable to row hard.

These aren't super durable boats. The seam between the washbox/hull and the cockpit likes to split. I reinforced that seam on mine. The hull - on mine at least - is a single skin of carbon and fiberglass. It's more prone to stress cracking - like where your shoulder might press while carrying. Mine definitely takes more attention than other boats I've owned.

Generally, I would look for one that has not been repaired at all. They're super light in this condition - like 26 lb - and the feel is very lively and different than a newer FISA-weight hull.

[1xsculler]

The first and most important order of business if you're going to buy a VD Trad. is to get the serial # and call VD to find out exactly which model it is and if they have a record of repairs to the hull. Dave or Ted are very helpful. Don't consider any boat that is not their top of the line, custom honeycomb model and know that the carbon tube outrigger rigged boat is 2 to 3 #s lighter than their winged rigged boat if that matters to you. Every lightweight and mid-weight VD Trad I have owned weighed 27 #s plus or minus a couple of ounces and I use a very inexpensive ($5 at a garage sale) but accurate to one ounce, balance baby scale.
I wouldn't buy a boat that has been painted as the paint adds about 2 #s and it probably covers up some damage. I did buy a painted boat once and I removed every speck of paint. I lucked out as there was no covered up damage but it was a heck of a lot of work.
Try to find a boat with no cracks in the foot well. They're hard to find. If the price is right then don't worry about it but if you're paying top dollar, i.e. $2500 to $3500, look for a very clean one.
I agree with Grumpy Old Dude that, ideally, you should remove the decks to inspect the interior but not many sellers are going to agree to that so you may have to take your chances and expect to do some epoxy repair of the arrow shafts and cross shafts when you replace the decks yourself. It's easy enough to do but it takes some time.
I've never sealed the interior of any of the boats I've owned and I don't think I ever would but maybe it's a good idea. I irrationally abhor doing anything that might add an ounce of weight.
I don't find these boats any more difficult to row than any other elite shell but, then, I depend on my training wheels (backs of my blades on the recovery) a lot of the time. I sold a VD Trad to Carlos Dinares and on his first test row he rowed the boat fully square bladed, at moderate and full pressure, never allowing his blades to touch on the recovery.
They're great old boats and they're the skinniest and lightest boat you'll find, for what that's worth. They feel fast. Whether they are or not I could never prove.