Questions to ask Owner when considering purchase

[bsurvey]

the last five years of receipts are good, they should also be given to the surveyor for review if you get that far. he should be skilled enough to get the picture relative to maintenance.

ask if the boat has ever been hit or in a collision

ask if the boat has ever grounded

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by bsurvey

the last five years of receipts are good, they should also be given to the surveyor for review if you get that far. he should be skilled enough to get the picture relative to maintenance.

ask if the boat has ever been hit or in a collision

ask if the boat has ever grounded

I hate to by cynical but good luck with that.

95% won't have 5yrs of receipts. Also that won't help if the owner did work themselves (I do my own oil changes and don't keep the receipt for the oil purchased). It's also very easy to put together a maintenance log after the fact, so I wouldn't trust that either. If someone really wants to lie to you, it's pretty easy to falsify the records and very hard for you to prove they did.

As far as collision and grounding...unless it did major damage, it's real easy to claim none if there is no outward signs of the damage and there's a good chance a surveyor won't know the difference. If it's obvious there was damage and it was repaired, looking at the boat will get you the same information.

There is no magic formula to get an owner to tell you all the secrets about the boat. They are either honest and will just tell you or they won't.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Cottontop

OT I know, but never, ever have the words "idiot" and "wife" near each other.

Yes, I realized my mistake after I posted that, but figured odds were I'd get away with it

Point I was trying to make is I am constantly astonished at how little the average boat owner knows, and I mean simple important stuff, like what thru hulls are, how many they have and where they are.

Not the average cruiser I assume, just boat owners.

[dkroar]

Read through this very informative article. It doesn't negate the need for a competent survey, or surveyor, but it does help with knowing what to look for initially.
Marine Survey 101, Do your own marine survey

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by Cottontop

OT I know, but never, ever have the words "idiot" and "wife" near each other.

Only in my head!

[Bulawayo]

One question I always ask is 'have there been any insurance claims or any repairs in the last x years?'.

Originally Posted by ElectroFroggy

Hello all, first time poster so take it easy. Looking for an blue water capable cruiser 45ft - 50ft, center console, mono-haul design to cruise the world with.

Trying to put together a list of preliminary questions to ask an owner for the initial/first inspection of boat before the all important Stage II Survey>HaulOut>Offer stage.

While on board I will be doing my best to look for signs both good and bad of overall condition of boat, engine hours, soggy decks, leaks, wiring etc...

But what questions should i be asking the owner to get a better understanding of condition, care of boat etc..?

Example: How old is the standing rigging? How often do you change the engine oil? Etc.. Basically innocuous questions that will help me paint a better picture of how the boat has been cared for, what future expenses I may be incurring, etc...

I tried searching for a list on the forum but did not find anything.

TIA!

[Rick Williams]

If you do bump into the owner, ask if the boat has ever sunk.
the PO of my boat told me that after my check had cleared.
Tap the deck a lot, smell for rot and mildew. Look for patches and poor maintenance in anything; look for silicone outside.
Read reviews on your boat. Take someone with you who isn't going to fall in love with the boat.
I agree with Stumble. If you're going cruising and you're going to take anyone you care about, you're going to wind up replacing everything anyway.
And rebuilding the engine, and grinding blisters. Unless you're 24 and used to living in your car.
Start low and walk away!
It's not a sellers market!
Whatever you can possibly guess something will cost to repair, double it. It's a reliable rule of thumb that will take lots of experience to realize.
Can I get an Amen?

[NHPete]

I love my Boston Whaler center console 😀


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[ghendoaus]

Originally Posted by Cottontop

OT I know, but never, ever have the words "idiot" and "wife" near each other.

Hahahahahahahaaaaaaa

[Ip485]

You yourself run through every system you possibly can and check it works. If it has electric loos and one doesnt flush it might well be £1,000 - you get the idea. The more things that dont work the more chance the boat has been poorly maintained. I am proud to say if you came aboard mine I aim for everything to work all the time even if I dont quite achieve that all the time!

Then make a comprehensive assessment of anything that neeeds changing or you think you will change. Often the navionics are old and out of date. If you feel you are going to change these be realistic about the cost and whats involved. Dont assume you can use the existing radar with the new chart plotters - you probably cant. Again you get the picture - add it all up and you may well be horrified at the total cost.

Finally consider the high cost items that may be out of life. A new bank of batteries will be costly and even if they appear fine, their life is finite and they will fail soon if they are approaching the end of their life. Tanks are another hugely costly source of problems. Any indication what so ever that the tanks might be leaking, need replacing etc is a major consideration. Rigging of course must also be on the list. Over ten years old and insurance could become an issue and that is a 10K item. The same is true of sails, while not being an insurance issue its very easy to assume the sails arent too bad - but after you have bought the boat and completed a proper inpsection you decide they look their age or worse - another significant cost.

I appreciate in theory a surveyor should cover off much of this, but these are all things you can do before incurring the cost of a survey. Moreover often surveyors dont check all the systems.

[TheThunderbird]

Originally Posted by ElectroFroggy

Hello all, first time poster so take it easy. Looking for an blue water capable cruiser 45ft - 50ft, center console, mono-haul design to cruise the world with.

Trying to put together a list of preliminary questions to ask an owner for the initial/first inspection of boat before the all important Stage II Survey>HaulOut>Offer stage.

While on board I will be doing my best to look for signs both good and bad of overall condition of boat, engine hours, soggy decks, leaks, wiring etc...

But what questions should i be asking the owner to get a better understanding of condition, care of boat etc..?

Example: How old is the standing rigging? How often do you change the engine oil? Etc.. Basically innocuous questions that will help me paint a better picture of how the boat has been cared for, what future expenses I may be incurring, etc...

I tried searching for a list on the forum but did not find anything.

TIA!

You want to check how serious a owner is?

No surveyor needed

Ask to see his spares and tools

On a 45' I'd have 3# of nuts and bolts, 1# of washers, and 2500US$of qualità tools

Add 50% on a 50'

I have a 54', with the double of said amounts/costs. All being kept in due order


Do inspect shroud plates/bolts, the very first to fail

Btw...
45' is a buick
50' is a Lincoln

[Hoodsail]

EF;
Would suggest you limit your search to a few specific makes of boat, beyond just the length. I found that to simplify the search and after crawling over a half dozen Tartan 33 or Sabre 34 or .... you will begin to learn what to look for in addition to all that has been mentioned earlier. And have to ask, why 45-55 feet? consider smaller? Good luck and enjoy the hunt..Dave

[ElectroFroggy]

Originally Posted by Hoodsail

EF;
And have to ask, why 45-55 feet? consider smaller? Good luck and enjoy the hunt..Dave

May end up going smaller, but primary reasons are (everything else being equal which i know they never are) space & safety.

[SeaSon]

With the agent, owner and surveyor, go through the listing line by line looking for discrepancies and issues and information.

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[D5107]

I ask condition of the hull and hrs on the engine if ready for salt or fresh water I also wish to know more and ask specific questions I asked if the water in the boat was left for long periods because there was considerabll rust below the sole even the surveyor lied to me saying no rust when I could see the rust because he didnt want to blow a sale for the marina there are many surveyors who lie to you with a straight face and say what is not true. There are good surveyors who work for you too and tell you the truth but beware there is no truth when money is involved. Yhe marina wants a sale even to buy the friend or surveyor to lie to you.