This pre-purchase survey took place over a two day period: The hull, keel, rudder, skin fittings and external drive gear were all checked whilst the vessel was ashore. I then returned a few days later to check the rest of the boat. The engine was also inspected when the boat was back on her mooring, with a one hour test run, both in forward and reverse gear.
The Legend 380 is rigged with a B&R (Belgstrom & Ridder) type rig. This design was apparently developed for use on performance 'round the world' race boats. The mast has the spreaders swept back at an angle of 30 degrees, creating a broad 'tripod' base and removing the need for a backstay.
I knew of a smaller Legend with a similar B&R rig that had problems with the attachment of the shroud deck plates: The internal structure that tied the deck plates to the hull had de-bonded. With this previous experience in mind, the very first check that I made on the boat involved the removal of part of the seating framework in the saloon, on both port and starboard sides. This task took over an hour to perform, but I consider that it was worth it. Although I didn't find any loose or de-bonded structure, I did find evidence that post-build repair work had indeed taken place, with relatively new fibreglass laminate applied to the parts of the hull moulding that secure the shroud chain plates in place.
I suspect that although Hunter Legend claim that the B&R rig configuration creates an immensely strong rig with greatly reduced stress on the hull, the loads taken by the shrouds are very high and possibly much higher than those experienced by the twin backstay on a more traditionally rigged bermudian sloop. If the supporting structure of the deck and hull are not substantial enough, de-bonding of the join between the hull and hull stiffening structure is likely to occur.
