david

I dont know of anyone that has an 8.7, but I will say this ...Columbia made a pretty tough boat ....not neccessarily overbuilt, but pretty rock solid. The only noteable thing you may want to look at that I have seen fail on just about every older Columbia is the aft most Chainplates. I will be in the process of redoing mine during the next haulout before they actually cause irreparable damage. As for the way she sails (and I think the 8.7 was an Alan Payne design too), she sails awesome ....very competitive during the races i've put her in. And talk about a roomy boat inside ....yeah ...I think i'll keep er' .....let me know when you actually make the deal ..I look forward to seeing pics posted !

One more thing ...the reason the ply fails inside is usually attributed to leaks ..ESPECIALLY the side windows ...you may want to investigate that ....also look for water leaks where the Chainplates penetrate the deck...