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SaltyMonkey · 09-08-2010, 07:47

Pete7 - I am so frustrated with talking to individual sellers that I have to put up a wall and say no. They either do not know anything about salesmanship, act unprofessionally, do not know how to price, are too emotionally attached to their vessels, or downright lie. I still look through listings wherever I find them, but I prefer dealing with brokers. A number of brokers do other things in the industry besides sell boats, and they seem to be more professional for my needs.

Also there are compelling other reasons to work with brokers, such that they have a firmer idea of what is available in the local area, and they also can get you port discounts on some services etc.

Randyonr3 · 09-08-2010, 08:36

SaltyMonkey
Not to knock the way you're going about your search, but there are ways to posess a good cruising boat without having to spend any money.. just alot of foot work..
a couple short stories of friends I have,
Kevin owns a parcel up in the San Juan Islands, regulations on the island where he owns property wont allow him to expand his house so his option was to put a boat on his dock for the kids to stay in when they were up there.
He spent a few days walking the docks in Alameda and in Grand Marina found an older double-ender, 36 foot, forsale sign on the boat and a foot of grass growing off the bottom.. Left a Note on the boat saying it was going into the "off-season" for sailboats in the bay area, and with the price of slips in Grand Marina, he would be better off if he gave kevin the boat to him.. got to hand it to him, as he must have a bucket of balls to to it, BUT, two weeks later he got a call from the owner to come get the boat...
with NO work at all, except an oil change, and a fill up with fuel, we took it out the gate and headed north.. no problems and the trip was a good one.. The boat now sets tyed to a dock in the San Juan Islands............
Another Just recently,
A kid here on the dock was eyeballing a Catalina 25 that belonged to an older gentelman... The boat was in perfect condition and a looker.. The kid went over the the guys house and started talking to him about the boat, mentioned he was looking for one like it to take his new wife out sailing.. He came back to the dock in about 4 hours........The older gentelman Gave him the boat, and wished him well....
And just the past couple months..
And I may have mentioned this on the forum..
There is a Choy Lee Offshore 31 setting on the dock in front of my boat.. The guy lost interest in it and put it on Craigs List selling it for 10k..
The woman that now owns it, approached him, said it wasnt worth what he was asking for it and started to going over the work to be done on the boat......
The guy GAVE her the boat AT NO COST and paid the back fees due at DMV.
Over the last few years, I've seen a good number of boats, to be either given away or sold very cheep..
What I'm getting at is that sometimes you cant see the forest for the trees, and if you're cruising, what difference does it matter if it has a nav table, or the galley in the wrong place, the fact is, your out there..
And while you're setting there trying to desifer what boat to buy, look up, out over the bay... That boat going out the gate and making a left turn, headed for Mexico, Thats me,
Didnt post this to piss you off, just to let you know, Once you are out cruising, the type of boat you own, or how its rigged, means little........

zeehag · 09-08-2010, 08:38

brokers get 10 percent or 3000 dollars whichever is more. brokers are same as realtors but they dont know the GOOD deals out there----i have found allmy good deals by being there ....i know is difficult and the folks havent a clue as to what they do or dont have and or pricing--but that can nalso work for you--not jjuust against you--is how i got theis boat for 10k when the likes of her sell for 30 k in bad shape. i show someone in ft myers fla got a westsail 32 for 7000 dollars--have to keep the ear to the ground to find GOOOD deals..

randy said it best!!!

Yachts66 · 09-08-2010, 09:17

Nice post Pete, I'll see ya' "out there!"

Thomas

SaltyMonkey · 09-08-2010, 09:32

Yes yes, I used to love to hear all the great braggard stories from other peoples luck or great personal skills, but 1) they never seem to happen to me when I waste my time looking around scrounging and wasting gas and time. Quite frankly I just don't have the 24/7 time to be running around like that "dreaming" of the boat deal of the century and dropping but yards all over. The kind of boat I am looking for also compounds matter. Sure there are all these Catalina's and such, and I am sure there are boats in the marinas rotting awaiting someone to approach the owners. But, you know, I would never take a catalina across the pacific and around the cape by myself. And I don't want to be sitting in a yard for 2 years fixing it up because of years of neglect spending tons of money. I have specific range of requirements that I absolutely need and only a subset of boats that will fulfill them. And some that are nice haves and if I am lucky I might get - a nav table being one. Helps focus. But its a crap shoot going around dumpster diving in marinas looking for the cruiser. Easier if you already live near a marina area or have some connections. Else, they are just stories and nothing you can bank on - maybe something secondary to try but not a primary source.

As for broker commissions and pricing. I make my offer not necessarily based on their prices, but on what I can afford based on my budget which includes living costs, outfitting costs and the like as well as the condition of the boat. If X dollars left is what I think is available for the boat, that is what I can and will offer. There are plenty of boats to look at, and if they feel insulted - too bad. Thats all I have.

At this point, I don't quite know what I will be doing. I was planning on buying a boat in the spring or next summer, but the day gig loss (which I am not quite sure when will happen exactly or how it will happen) complicates my mission. I need to re-evaluate things on all levels and think through these cash flows again.

Most of my boating equipment is back on the east coast in storage. I was hoping to go west from the left coast next year, but now I'm looking on alternative east coast plans. I was hoping for a 3 year hiatus, could be shorter which sucks. The winter is coming so even if I did buy something say this fall back east or even here, not much I could do with it before warmer weather. Also have a lease to deal with, crap to get rid of, surviving the winter...ladeda

So, right now I'm looking (in strategic order) California, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Washington State. Gonna do some additional searches in NC, SC, and GA. Skipping over NE (ME + MA) as it's a bit hard to get to from Mid-Atlantic.

Here's my master list today. Not all of them are affordable to me at this point based on recent news, and I think some are just too large. I think anywhere between 27 and 36 feet is where I should look. Originally, I didn't consider Beneteau or Jeanneau, but I am looking. Only a few are listed here, but I would seriously consider one. I love FAST FAST FAST. Also there are some steel and alum one offs that I have my eyes on on the east coast.

Alajeula 33
Allied Princess 36 Ketch
Allied Princess 36 Sloop
Bayfield 32
Beneteau First 345
Beneteau First 35
Beneteau First 38
Beneteau Oceanis 350
Bristol 29.9
Bristol 30
Bristol 31.1
Bristol 35.5
Bristol 38 “Alerion”
Cabo Rico 34
Cabo Rico 36 “Tiburon”
Cabo Rico 38
Caiber 35
Cal 34
Cal 39
Cape Dory 30-B
Cape Dory 33
Cape Dory 36
Cascade 36
Contessa 32
Contest 31
Contest 35S
Corbin 39 CC
CS 36
CS 36 Merlin
Dickerson 37
Dickerson 37 Aft C
Endurance 35 PH
Fast Passage 39
HR 31
HR 33?
HR 35
IP 32
Jeanneau 32 Attalia
Morgan 382
Morgan 383
Morgan 384
Niagara 35
Nicholson 35
Nicholson 39
Pearson 365
PSC 27 Orion
PSC 34
PSC 37
Sabre 34
Sabre 36
Sabre 38
Saturna 33
Scanmar 35 CC
Shannon 27
Shannon 38 Kt
Southern Cross 35
Sweden 34
Tartan 37
Tashiba 31
Valiant 37
Vancouver 27
Victoria 30
Victoria 34
Vineyard Vixen 34
Wauquiez Gladiateur 33
Wauquiez Hood 38
Wauquiez Pretorien 35
Westerly 32 Fulmer
Westerly 33 Southerly
Westerly 34 Sea Hawk
Westerly 36 Cousair
Westerly 37 Conway CC
Westsail 32

I know there are others to consider, but I am always constantly shifting things around a bit and these are only a sub-select from my boat list that I thought had decent interiors. Affordability, I think the old standards - CD, Pearson, Bristol, and Allied are probably what I would end up with.

zeehag · 09-08-2010, 11:24

ok saltymonkeyboy--if you dont want to take a catalina across the oceans, why do you have bendytoys on your lista.>??? same boat. what is bayliner in french--??? beneteau. oh well. i had such hope for you, then this!!!! yipes.
oh well--goood luck--i still like the 7k for westsail in ft myers, fla--was decent pricing......decent boat....if your ear is to the ground, yes, many good deals--is very hard to find them when you arent always in the area--need eyes and ears for you in the water..

Yachts66 · 09-08-2010, 11:29

Lots of "fast" boats out there. The problem usually is fast=light=weak. Light fast boats just don't tend to hold up well on the open ocean. Of course, if you plan to sit in the marina most of the time they are fine. In the end there are those who do and those who dream, but never do.

Regards,

Thomas

SaltyMonkey · 09-08-2010, 11:38

Thanks zeehag - just considering "older" Bendie-boats and Jeanneaus. The 35 and 38 and 405 FIRSTS are circum boats. Nothing seriously in my top lists. Don't hold it against me, please. There are some nice blue boats in my list in MD/VA area. Only one boat here in SF I like. Then I get distracted sometimes by strange anomolies, which makes my heart pitter patter, like this one in your woods. Even though I know its probably junk I cant help but take out my wallet:

1944 Welin Davit Boat Co. Ltd. Converted steel lifeboat Sail Boat For

Yachts66 - just remember, some of us aren't a wealthy dogs as you are, or even have a retirement income to look forward to. We are doing the best we can with what limited resources we have. Conflicts and decisions are difficult.

speakeasy · 09-08-2010, 12:58

Salty, from what I can remember of your budget back toward the beginning of this long thread, I would suggest looking in Mexico. Most of the boats there are already outfitted and going begging for buyers due to the perceived hassle, the economy and folks fear of drug violence. You can get any number of fine boats for 70-80% of ask without difficulty. Here's a nice looking '80 Cape Dory 36 asking 69K @ seaofcortezyachts. I bet you could get her for 45-55k.

And a Union Polaris w/ask of 49.5k

Good luck. Jon

SaltyMonkey · 09-08-2010, 13:04

Thanks Jon. I took a quick peak overseas yesterday on YW - Pacific Islands, Carib, NZ, and South America. I'll definitely keep my eyes on that bit of real estate. Nothing I can do now until things make themselves known here. Then a lot of decisions. I love the CD 36! Looking at some Shannons as I write this.

speakeasy · 09-08-2010, 13:12

Shannons? Good luck wid dat. What bank are you gonna rob?

SaltyMonkey · 09-08-2010, 13:16

small ones. hehe.

Well, I am now also considering boats under 30 ft. as much as i wanted something bigger (based on past experience).

speakeasy · 09-08-2010, 13:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

small ones. hehe.

Well, I am now also considering boats under 30 ft. as much as i wanted something bigger (based on past experience).

Well, here's a British boat that looks solid and quick. It is well equiped but was left in total disarray. They want 32k but I would bet 15k cash would take her given the lack of attention. On the hard for $125 mo in Marina Seco Guaymas, and cheap yard labor, and maybe 5k and 5 months, she could be a fine boat. Looks like the same hull design as the S&S 41's I was considering at one point. I'm still saying in Mexico you can get some quality busted dreams that are bleeding their owners for storage at way cheap prices.

Mazatlan Marine Center SA De CV (Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico)

I'm glad I not still pouring over dozens of sites looking. Get on it man, I need you down here to help put together the Single's Navy.

SaltyMonkey · 09-08-2010, 13:59

Oh man you're killing me speakeasy with these gems! This is gorgeous.

FYI: At this point, I have to wait till the end of week to tell current gig I don't want to relocate to NYC/LI from CA/SF ( I would rather shoot myself ). I don't know what their exit strategy will be once I tell them my decision.