Survey Decision Based on Price of Yacht

[TomLewis]

I'm with Keith, this thing has been water logged. I have very rarely seen teak and holly needing replaced, refinished maybe. I would have it hauled and inspected. At least you would know if the money is worth it. You can use the survey to subtract off the price plus subtract major issues.

[Shrew]

Your average survey will cost almost 10% of the purchase price of the boat.

[tkeithlu]

The Farthest you want to go is the Bahamas? That's far enough to get into trouble; the gulf stream crossing and any number of marina to marina runs are long enough to require overnight cruises and opportunities for the weather to go sour on you. It's not the North Atlantic in winter, but still needs to be teated with respect.

[molo0928]

I didn't mean for it to come across as being a piece of cake. My point is over the next 6-7 years until I retire, I want to gain the experience to make the trip to bahamas once a year at least.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[lateral]

Ask the vendor to take you on a test sail in trying conditions and press the boat hard. If he baulks, ask why? Then, if its gonna break things it will, most likely now.
If you are not capable recruit a friend that is.
If it passes this, read everything you can get on self surveying, pay for the boat to be pulled & do it yourself.

Or, get it surveyed by the meanest, grumpiest, pessimist surveyor you can find.
The rest are a waste of oxygen.

I'm not disenchanted, just a realist.

[pesarsten]

Well, based on the pictures from 2012 , I would at least take the time to look at the boat! If the diesel starts easily ( from COLD! ) you are reasonably protected, as the boat could be parted out. I wouldn't rule it out at this point.

[BobLoucks]

IMHO, no brainer get a survey. I paid $11,500 got a survey and it did 3 things, one confirmed that the hull, deck and rigging was sound, two identified deficiencies I didn't notice with a buyer's rose colored glasses and three made it easier to insure.

[Scout 30]

The problem with boats like this is they're too cheap. It makes it too easy to get into trouble. First you need to inspect it thoroughly, inside & out. The boat doesn't look too bad in the pictures but you can't trust them. As Pesarsten said you want the diesel cold before you start it. Ask the seller not to start it before you get there & put your hand on the block before you start it. Walk the deck & look for soft spots, especially around fittings. From inside check the overhead for stains. Waterlogged or rotten decks is not a problem you want. If you're still interested after looking it over get a survey. The survey is not related to how much the boat costs up front, it's how much it's going to cost you down the road.

[SoundWave]

Molo -

Get the survey or don't buy the boat.

We just went through this over the last 9 months. I was a stubborn dummy and did not heed the sage advice on these forums: Always get a survey.

Bought a 1979 Morgan 382, solid hull, rig, solid engine, $8000
Needed cabin sole, upholstery, plumbing.
Didn't get the survey. Discovered later it needed full rewiring, electrical panel, all new cooker/gas lines, all ports and hatches replaced, new bulkheads. $50K at yard prices! We put $10K in it, sold it for $7K loss in 9 months and was glad to part with her. (new owner is a real project lover)

---

Try looking at it like sales tax. Any boat you're considering, add $1000 to the asking price to cover the haul-out & survey. Might save you 10s of 1000s...

[Scout 30]

I think it's important to be realistic here. If you buy a 30' +/- sailboat for under $10,000 you should expect it to be a project. To be honest pretty much all boats are a project no matter their age or cost. You want the survey to help tell you how much or what kind of a project it is. Buy a boat you love & don't expect to break even. The way I look at is I'm not spending money on the boat, I'm spending it on myself.

[BobLoucks]

Agree completely.
I have owned various boats for over 40 years which has given me a modest amount of experience in knowing what to look for. When I purchased my 1976 Morgan 37, I took 2 experienced boaters with me to assist in our own survey. I also knew that I would have to do some retrofits of some plumbing, electrical and interior components.
Once comfortable with what we saw, I then hired a surveyor to confirm our findings.
I specified that a thorough hull, deck and rigging inspection with moisture measurements and thermal imaging equipment to look for blistering and osmosis, be done.
Don't buy problems that you are not prepared to spend time or pay for to fix.
Good luck!

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by molo0928

Is there anything wrong with a production boat for what I'm trying to do? The furthest I want to go is the bahamas.

A Watkins 32/33, or 36, or most any other production boat in this size range, could very easily and safely be taken to the Bahamas. As noted, though, you have to be careful about the weather window. Crossing the Gulf Stream is serious business, and every now and then people die trying to do it in the wrong weather.

Back in the early 80s I did it in a San Juan 23--a trailer sailer of less than 3,000 lbs. displacement. I watched the weather and waited for quite a while, though, for the right time to go.

I also was on a 3,000 passenger cruise ship once that crossed in the wrong kind of weather. We made it, of course, but my guess is that at least 75% of the passengers were heaving their dinners that night. It was VERY uncomfortable, and on any kind of small sailboat it probably would have been deadly.

[siamese]

Getting a survey has NOTHING to do with what you pay for a boat.

It has EVERYTHING to do with what the boat could cost you after the purchase.

Absolutely get a survey.

[siamese]

Gotta mention, as have others, that the tone of the ad is off. I don't trust any seller, but I would approach this deal with extra caution. In my experience, this guy is practically waving a flag that says CAUTION.

[Snore]

If you are going to insure the hull, you will need a survey. Also if this is your first boat, a survey would be prudent.


With that said, don't expect the survey to list all the issues. When I was looking in the $20K boneyard, some surveyors felt the boat was "beneath them" and did a 1/2 donkey job.


Don't want to monsoon on your parade, but...... IMHO- unless you are super handy, ponder spending the same money on a smaller boat in better condition.