Unless I missed it somewhere, no one has mentioned the importance of getting the
boat surveyed! This is the most important thing when
buying a boat - getting an independent professional
survey.
Sellers, brokers, etc, have a vested interest in selling the
boat, the
surveyor doesn't - they are working for you. When you're about to spend thousands of dollars on a boat you wanna be damn sure what your getting into. Obviously, you have to do your homework and find a qualified
surveyor who is independent (i.e. not friends with broker), has
references and knows the construction material (GRP,
Steel,
Wood, Alloy, Ferro-Cement) but they can save you from making a big mistake or confirm the boat and all it's systems are sound. When they find some items needing attention (and yachts always have items needing attention LOL), you can use that to negotiate the
price down.
It's false economy to think you can do it yourself and if you've already fallen in love with the vessel, then you will overlook things. A surveyor won't. And you may be capable of sussing out the condition of the spars and standing
rigging, etc - but are you also a
diesel mechanic, ship
builder, electrician, rigger?
Get your shortlist; narrow it down to the boat you really want; tell the broker/vendor you want it surveyed before signing anything (look into their eyes when you do, if they're hiding something you'll see it then); use your
head not your heart (that's the hard part LOL).
You'd be crazy to spend upwards of $30000 on a yacht without a
survey....