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Minga · 23-11-2011, 01:55

I wonder if anyone purchased own boat without personally looking at it.
Say you seen a photos, price is good ( you can possibly get even lower price than asking price). And finally, bang you got your dream.
Any one did this ?
I am asking this as I can see some nice boats ( at least on the photos taken ), but they located at some distance. To see them I would have to collecting frequent flying points ( crossing the country up and down).
Would you trust the brokers recommendations ?

captainKJ · 23-11-2011, 02:11

Would you trust the brokers recommendations ?

I trust them as much as I trust a used car salesman

TassieBloke · 23-11-2011, 02:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minga

I wonder if anyone purchased own boat without personally looking at it.
Say you seen a photos, price is good ( you can possibly get even lower price than asking price). And finally, bang you got your dream.
Any one did this ?
I am asking this as I can see some nice boats ( at least on the photos taken ), but they located at some distance. To see them I would have to collecting frequent flying points ( crossing the country up and down).
Would you trust the brokers recommendations ?

Dude, depends entirely on how big your chequebook is. Ask yourself this, would you buy a used car from photos only and recommendations from the sales guy? Having said that, see my further comments below.

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainKJ

Would you trust the brokers recommendations ?

I trust them as much as I trust a used car salesman

See this is where things differ from used cars. There are many reputable Brokers whose opinion would be considered. In some areas where there is a tightknit community, an unethical Broker would not last long.

If one is really prohibited from seeing it firsthand in the initial phase, an option could be to find a reputable Surveyor to look over it for you, and give you an opinion whether to continue or not. But nothing beats looking over it yourself, if not only for peace of mind.

Just my 2c YMMV

Bloke

sailorboy1 · 23-11-2011, 03:44

In my experience the ad photos tend to make the boat look good, which is the point of them. If in the photo the boat looks bad, expect a nightmare.

Maybe you don't see a boat before you buy it, but as a minimum somene you trust needs to have gone and looked at it for you.

Jimbo485 · 23-11-2011, 06:23

I wouldn't buy it unseen, but some people do. The Bumfuzzles bought a van and their 2nd boat without looking at it. Our system is to get a short list and then do a very INTENSE boat visiting trip, make some offers and buy one. The first time that involved 1week driving, sleeping and eating in a car from Miami to N Carolina. A month later we had done the boat work and were gobbling lobsters in Cuba.

The 2nd time involved 10 days to hit France, Spain, Bahamas, Texas and Florida. The negotiating phase took a couple of months but same process as the first time.

Don't get fixated on one boat! Get a short list, put those travel dollars to good use. There is NO perfect boat for you, just as there is no perfect woman. But there are many, many boats that will fit 80% of your requirements.

cruzer757 · 23-11-2011, 06:27

I know of a couple of situations where someone planned to buy a boat sight unseen and it turned out to be a scam. This particular fellow was buying an older boat off Craigslist. The boat was in one location, the seller in another and the buyer in yet a third location. At first it seemed okay and this fellow was excited because the pictures looked perfect and the he talked to the "seller" over the phone. Then the seller asked that the money be sent using Western Union service that works something like paypal. However, the guy's wife had a hunch that this wasn't exactly up and up so she had him call Western Union with this "account number". Turns out is wasn't legit and Western Union told him it was a scam.

Bottom line is before buying anything of significant value I'd want to see it and verify the proper documents are in order. If this is truly your dream boat it's worth the extra effort.

Good luck.

captainKJ · 23-11-2011, 06:28

I just helped a fellow CF member buy a boat unseen. He was in the Med and I was in RI were the sailboat was. I looked at it, took photos, gave him my opinion then suggested he get a survey. he did get the survey and bought the boat unseen. It has been 3 months or more and he still has not seen it yet but is happy with his purchase

Jimbo485 · 23-11-2011, 06:29

And that broker ******** about a 10% deposit before making an offer? Absolute ******** system, tell them you refuse to play by it. The 2nd time, we used a buyer broker to negotiate which cost us nothing but did cost the seller broker. We still made direct contact with the owners and that was crucial to doing a deal.

SV.Maverick · 23-11-2011, 06:29

You will also find many times the pics you are looking at are 10 years old.

David_Old_Jersey · 23-11-2011, 06:31

If this thread was titled "Buying in ignorance" - would have a better idea of what is being proposed.

Not to say can't be done - just have to be able to afford to get it wrong........

Always a puzzle to me that folk will spend serious money on a boat (and afterwards on upgrades / toys).........but begrudge spending a few dollars travelling around for a looksee.

I suggest you Google up boats for sale locally that you like the look of (don't have to be what you actually want) - and then visit them.........will give you a good indication of Reality vs a Broker's listing.

John Bailey · 23-11-2011, 06:40

I did it and it worked out great -- but I wouldn't recommend it unless it is a certain type situation.

15 years ago I decided I wanted to take up sailing. I did a lot of research and decided an Alberg 30 was the boat for me. I found a boat at the right price that was a couple thousand miles away. I hired a surveyor and told him I just wanted to know if it was structurally sound. It was, I bought it and had it shipped to Lake Michigan. I put it in good enough shape for me to cruise single-handed and had 5 golden years of learning to sail and cruise.

What makes it a unique situation? I didn't care how it looked, I wanted to learn how to work on a boat myself without worrying too much about destroying something expensive, and, most importantly, the boat was cheap.

I'm now looking for a boat to retire on and I'll be earning frequent flyer miles to check boats out.

Hope that helps.

John

crashkahuna · 23-11-2011, 06:47

I did it once and it worked out great but it was a small market area, trusted broker where we went back and forth with many pics and known surveyor. I would not normally recommend this.

Tingum · 23-11-2011, 06:55

Would you marry a mail order bride without meeting her???????????

**Tellie** · 23-11-2011, 06:59

I hear you get five to one odds playing Russian roulette. I think those odds are better than buying a boat unseen. Unless you're buying a 20 foot weekender fixerup, I'd be Johnny on the spot before plunking down any serious money.