I started my plane the same way. I found a fella' in the middle of a divorce with some Aerocad wings. I flew to Florida to look a few other projects in the area. Despite what Marc says, and there's some truth in his post, I agree more with Kent. Marc has seen a lot of builds likely more from the finished stages. There's a lot to do between finished and the tub. A lot of areas for improvements. That goes for all homebuilt aircraft. We're all no expert at everything. So I say yes. Go find that bargain. As a matter of fact if you're not sure what you're looking at there's a builder or flyer in every State. Most of us can spot a light layup or other problem areas.
Many many many years ago I got in touch with "Beagle", David Orr, canardfinder@att.net. He gave me a few tips as well as a couple I found on Barnstormers. I made a fun trip to Florida and found some good an not-so-good work. For example if you go to a guy's house and the wings and fuselage look like good construction but have been under a tarp, full of mold next to the wood pile in the yard...run away. I found many folks excited to tell you how they made the wings, canard, fuse, etc. in detail and will show you the plans. I ended up buying a pair of Aerocad wings. The guy was going through a divorce and threw in a roll of BID, UNI, an epoxy pump, and two sets of plans for less than I could have made them. Little did I know through the years I've made wings anyways - just not mine.
You and the seller will be happy someone is using all that labor for good. Shipping is a breeze. The seller made a cheap plywood crate for all of it. This was years ago but I found Estes made the shipment to my door for $350 from Florida to Michigan. Call around.
