How to buy a Moorings Ex-Charter?

[Captain-D]

My wife and I are interested in an ex-charter sailboat at Moorings. I was wondering if those who have purchased an ex-charter could give some advice.

The 2009 Beneteau 37 is listed at $95,000. How much negotiating room do these boats have?

If they will let us do this, our thought was to negotiate a price without visiting the boat in the BVI's and then say subject to visual inspection and survey. Allowing us an out if it doesn't meet our expectations.

Also, how did you pick the surveyor? My concern is that some of them may have done some business in the past with Moorings and not represent us in the best way possible.

Any other advice about the process would be helpful.

Thanks!!!

[boatman61]

I bought a 2001 Oceanis 331 from them in '06..
The chances are very strong that the surveyor will put his future before yours as he has to live there..
I arrived on time for the start of the Survey.. only to fiind the boat going back in the water.. the surveyor claimed he'd been able to get there early so just went ahead and the boat was fine..
I later found a couple or 3 problems.. the main one being water getting into the boat and killing the anchor winch motor on the sail from BVI to SMX.. the broker then tried claiming that it was no longer down to them as that was more distance than they would accept.. even though it was only 7 days of taking ownership.
I sailed back to Tortola and eventually they agreed to replace the motor..
I made the mistake of not standing over the workers while they did the job and on my way back to SMX after the work was done I discovered water dripping down onto the motor again..
I disconnect the wires and bagged the motor and when arriving in SMX I removed the winch from the deck where upon I discovered they had fitted no gaskets.. merely squeezed a load of cheap mastic in there instead..
Get a mainland surveyor..
Be there for the survey.. if they do it before you get there insist they do it again..
Photograph everything in/outside on your inspection and compare with the boat before you accept the handover..
If anything needs fixing after you've taken ownership stand over their workers..
Those were the lessons I learnt..
Oh.. the asking price was $65K... they accepted $60K