Professional Purchase Consultation

[FecklessDolphin]

Could someone please tell me about experiences they have had with professional consultants helping in the purchase of a boat. I see John Neal charges $750, Bob Perry charges $500 and Ted Brewer charges $350. Even the most expensive is a small fraction of a $200K purchase price.

[FLLCatsailor]

I would recommend finding a broker who you like, and have him go to work for you. Having a good buyers agent is going to make sure your best interest are kept in the forefront the entire time.

[maxingout]

If you need a professional to help you pick out a boat, I think you need to spend some more time sailing and experiencing how different designs sail offshore. Until you know and understand what YOU like in terms of boat motion, angle of heel, sail area, stiffness, tenderness etc, there is very little a professional can do for you in selecting the "right" yacht.

By the time I was ready to purchase my first offshore yacht, I understood enough yacht construction and yacht design that it was easy for me to figure out what I wanted in a yacht, and I could easily tell whether the prospective yacht was up to the task of the planned voyage. It's not rocket science.

Before I purchased my Privilege 39 catamaran, I went to a lecture by some very famous multihull designers who informed me that multihulls under 40 feet were not seaworthy. I still purchased my 39 foot catamaran and sailed for eleven years around the world. And while I was out there, I saw 38, 37, 36, and 35 foot catamarans doing circumnavigations as well.

I am not saying that celebrities/designers advising you about yachts is a bad idea. I am saying that if you sail out on the ocean on a variety of yachts, it won't be long before you figure out what you like and what gives you a good margin of safety and comfort.