Does the use of lead shot devalue a boat

[austerberry]

I have recently paid a deposit for a 28 foot 1982 bilge keel sailing yacht but subsequently found 175lbs of lead shot in bags under a shelf in the saloon on the port bow. This wasnt mentioned in my survey. This is obviously there to correct an imbalance in the weight of the boat probably between the keels.

Its put me off from going ahead with the purchase but I am being told that the use of lead shot to trim a boat is standard practice and does not devalue a boat. I'd like to know whether this is universally accepted as I think that the bags of lead shot will deter future purchasers as it has done myself.

[badges65]

HI,
Has it got a kicker hung of the back of the boat??
if so what side?
may be they were keen duck shooters!!??

don

[Steve Gray]

Is the shot located to offset a piece of equipment that has been installed on the other side? Maybe the only place to put batteries, calorifier or fuel was so far over that the shot was added to compensate for this, not for an inequality in the 'naked' boat. Maybe using lead shot may have been the lazy option, rather than installing an extra water tank...