Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 26-07-2017, 15:19   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Portland Oregon and Grenada
Boat: 2012 Lagoon 450
Posts: 33
The Hell of it All!

Lets start a thread and share the hell we have been thru trying to buy a boat!. We are still in the process and when I think it cant get worse! Well you get the idea! We search the internet looking for the right boat for us. We are searching for a cat around 10 years old. We have flown to see boats and they show nothing like their photos. Hard to even find a real boat listed by a real broker at a real location.The last trip was a leeward island visit to a boat and upon the visit the generator would not flow water. I must say I never thought the broker would get dirty but after two days of him and I trying to get it running I was impressed. On top of no gen set. So no AC we continued. We decided to conduct a sea trial. next the VHF would not transmit. As we approached a bridge to exit the harbor a boat cut us off and we where forced to reveres hard. when the starboard sail drive would not engage we almost hit the bridge but last minute we got just a bit if thrust. Next the chart plotter crapped out. Then you will never believe it but the helm steering started to growl and was a rodeo to steer. then a grinding noise came from the stern steering cables or rudder. Wow what a Time. Seller says he will fix all issues! Lets see. Also the engine panels are not the hours stated by the seller and are no match. engine shows to have way more hours then panels or sellers statements. Why do I try so hard!
Builder G. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-07-2017, 15:24   #2
S/V rubber ducky
 
sailorboy1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
Re: The Hell of it All!

Otoh the two boats I've brought were easy to get and were just as advertised
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
sailorboy1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-07-2017, 15:52   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Poulsbo
Boat: Chris White Voyager 48
Posts: 665
Re: The Hell of it All!

We've looked at a lot of boats over the years and bought a few. Very seldom do boats look as good in person as they do in the ads. Sellers often have a habit of exagerating the virtues of their pride and joy. The seller of the last boat we bought had only a fleeting acquaintance with the truth. Age of the sails, bridgedeck clearance, leaking fuel tanks, the list goes on. Fortunately we negotiated a price that allows for some of these issues. Caveat emptor.

Three of the boats we ended up buying were actually as claimed. Of the dozens of boats we have closely looked at, these were the exceptions.

Cheers,
__________________
Joe & Sue
S/V Presto
jdazey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-07-2017, 19:31   #4
Registered User

Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 439
Re: The Hell of it All!

This could be a great thread! I'm doing the big search now. Have flown from Kalifornia to Mexico and Florida twice now to look at boats.
I wonder Builder did you do a really careful inspection of your boat that was such a disappointment before going out? I walked on a boat after flying across the country and walked off in ten minutes knowing it was poorly maintained and would be nothing but trouble even though it had gobs of really cool new equipment.
I found a couple brokers in Florida and one in San Carlos that were useless. All others from Yachtworld.com have been terrific. Respond same day, real boats, real helpful! Wonder where you're looking?
Flyingriki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-07-2017, 19:43   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: New England. USA.
Boat: McCurdy & Rhodes Custom 46
Posts: 1,474
Re: The Hell of it All!

I've done the drill twice for serious boats. More than that for fun toys. I've not been disappointed with what I have gone to see. I'm an eternal optimist but I use my most cynical eye when I look at and read listings. Plus I recognize that every boat is in a constant state of decay.
Use your critical eye and mind before you fly when you converse with the seller listen with all your senses.
dfelsent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-07-2017, 19:47   #6
Registered User
 
snort's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Trunk (boot) of my car
Boat: Tinker Traveller...a dozen feet of bluewater awesomeness!
Posts: 1,230
Re: The Hell of it All!

I hate to even think about it.
At any rate, after years of searching, found something suitable.
snort is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 10:38   #7
Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Canada
Boat: C&C
Posts: 327
Re: The Hell of it All!

Have a new custom one built for you and quit wining! Or buy a used one like most of us and fix it up the way "You" want it.
wannacat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 11:05   #8
cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Pangaea
Posts: 10,856
Re: The Hell of it All!

Our method was to look world wide using a buyers broker, make the deal complete with a deposit contingent on a survey and sea trial, then have a trusted local surveyor conduct a detailed survey and send us pictures with us having never yet seen the boat. The survey was cheaper than flying all over the world.

This method worked great both times.

You can also ask the seller's broker to head down to the boat with his smart phone and conduct your own pre survey asking him to show you stuff using Facetime or Whatsapp real time video. This way you can view it real time and ask questions and ask for close up views from thousands of miles away.
Kenomac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 11:28   #9
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Cape Coral, Fl
Boat: Robalo R245
Posts: 34
Unhappy Re: The Hell of it All!

The last three boats that I have purchased, I've looked at between 25 to 30 boats on each occasion. Seldom, if ever were they anywhere near the condition as stated in their ads or sellers descriptions. On two occasions the boats were sold while I was in route to see them at a predetermined time and place which had been set by the seller. It takes a lot of patience to find the really perfect boat for you, but they are out there.
kimden5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 12:00   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: San Francisco Bay area
Boat: Condor Trimaran 30 foot
Posts: 1,501
Re: The Hell of it All!

Ken iMac, that is a great idea. If I had that information last year I could've saved myself 800 dollars.

The boat I had surveyed cost that much after survey and putting her in the water. What a joke. I asked the listing agent why his photos didn't show any of the damages that the surveyor's pictures did... his response, " didn't see it!" If someone walked into your house and walked off with 800 dollars in cash u would have them shot or arrested.
alansmith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 12:16   #11
cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Lake Ontario
Boat: Ontario 38 / Douglas 32 Mk II
Posts: 3,250
Re: The Hell of it All!

Some buyers make a career out of trying to buy a good boat cheap.

I understand that boat shopping can be a form of entertainment. (It is never cheap entertainment if you ever end up buying.)

I run a business. My time has a very specific value. Every minute of
potential billable hours I spend dicking around has a very specific cost.

If one determines their wants, needs, preferences and budget, after screening maybe 100 boat ads to pick 5 reasonable candidates, and then speaking to the owners and collecting information avaialble, if one can't find a decent boat out of the best 3, then they are doing something seriously wrong.

If one only goes to look at "great deal" boats, they will usually be sorely disappointed. Knowledgable owners (and one pretty much must be to own a decent boat) rarely let the boat go for significantly less than fair market value, because they don't have to; knowledgeable buyers prepared to pay fair market value for a good boat, snap them up quickly.
ramblinrod is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 12:25   #12
cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Pangaea
Posts: 10,856
Re: The Hell of it All!

Quote:
Originally Posted by alansmith View Post
Ken iMac, that is a great idea. If I had that information last year I could've saved myself 800 dollars.

The boat I had surveyed cost that much after survey and putting her in the water. What a joke. I asked the listing agent why his photos didn't show any of the damages that the surveyor's pictures did... his response, " didn't see it!" If someone walked into your house and walked off with 800 dollars in cash u would have them shot or arrested.
My wife and I do this all the time using Facetime on our iPhones, iPads and macbook pros. There's no reason a competent seller's broker can't do the same if he has any interest in selling a boat.

But first prior to calling around and expecting brokers to do this for you, you'll need to contract a good buyer's broker to enhance your credibility. I wouldn't expect any broker to do this pre-survey without a formal introduction and verification that you're a qualified and serious buyer.
Kenomac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 12:27   #13
cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Lake Ontario
Boat: Ontario 38 / Douglas 32 Mk II
Posts: 3,250
Re: The Hell of it All!

Re: Ads matching condition.

First of all, an ad is a marketing tool, one uses to help sell a boat. A good ad, details all of the features and benefits, that will appeal to the buyer, and set the boat apart from the rest. If the ad results in someone calling, it has done its job. If you believe the ad should detail all of the flaws and faults, you would be wrong; that is what the phone calls, inspections, and surveys are for.
ramblinrod is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 13:54   #14
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Sea of Cortez
Boat: Kelley-Peterson 46 cutter
Posts: 887
Re: The Hell of it All!

Everything went smoothly except the survey. I hired "the best surveyor in Seattle" and I don't think he got anything right on the 5 page survey. And I received 2 copies of page 2 and no page 3 (my copy of the survey) so I didn't know some of what the finance people were talking about and wanting fixed.
He even had the VHF as "not working" because it was not turned on at the breaker. (He later told me he had looked for it at the breaker panel and he asked me which one it was. I answered, "The one labeled VHF." It was.)
The boat length was 36' instead of 45'. The engine was wrong. The anchor rode was 3/8 BBB, not 5/16". The list went on.
The surveyor refused to change anything but my wife convinced his secretary to correct a few "typos" and we finally managed to get financing. Needless to say, JE will never again set foot in my boat.
KP44 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27-07-2017, 14:18   #15
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Adelaide
Boat: Adams 31 aft cockpit
Posts: 154
Re: The Hell of it All!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ramblinrod View Post
Re: Ads matching condition.

First of all, an ad is a marketing tool, one uses to help sell a boat. A good ad, details all of the features and benefits, that will appeal to the buyer, and set the boat apart from the rest. If the ad results in someone calling, it has done its job. If you believe the ad should detail all of the flaws and faults, you would be wrong; that is what the phone calls, inspections, and surveys are for.
I think Ramblinrod has absolutely nailed it here. Most succinct summation of the sellers/agents requirement for advertising that you are gonna find, and since its them who are paying for the ads....On the other side of the coin some sellers, mostly private, have turned deceptive advertising into an artform. I particularly like the x years old photo, taken the last time she was slipped and looking schmick...haha, let the buyer beware. I find it pays to anticipate being jerked around by misinformation at inspections. That way if it doesn't happen you can be rightly pleased, and if it does you can wear a wry smile instead of letting the dog off its chain.
mowerandy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
To Hell with it, I'm Going Sailing - Hi to All Mr B Meets & Greets 6 19-09-2011 15:03
Navigating 'Hell Gate' NY Heron Navigation 36 15-01-2011 06:03
Not dead, just in boat buying hell. MarkJ Flotsam & Sailing Miscellany 25 25-04-2008 05:12
How to stay out of maintenance hell. kennykroot Construction, Maintenance & Refit 52 29-06-2007 17:53
How to stay out of maintenance hell, Reloaded kennykroot Construction, Maintenance & Refit 15 27-06-2007 10:19

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:31.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.