Ran aground during sea trial..

[Sailor Doug]

If the boat just had it's bottom just done sand will take off $100 of paint with out labour. Owner needs to haul and repainted. Surveyor works for you or should so that is yours. Don't proceed until your wife is happy.


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[kish]

Originally Posted by Sailor Doug

If the boat just had it's bottom just done sand will take off $100 of paint with out labour. Owner needs to haul and repainted. Surveyor works for you or should so that is yours. Don't proceed until your wife is happy.

By analogy, when you hit a solid object in your car, there is more remedial work required on the car than solely fixing the damaged paintwork.

On a boat grounding, checking for gelcoat damage under the antifoul is essential, in addition to fixing the damaged paintwork.

[Cheechako]

Only the people who were there can really ascertain what the best approach is. I'm sure many of us have run aground and just carried on. I have. It just depends on how the grounding event really was.

[robert sailor]

I spent some time reading the aftermath on Cheeky Refiki. All the reported groundings were "soft". The boat was carefully inspected after each grounding and some repairs were made. The internal forward hull liner was glued in place. Sisters hips were found to have the glue bond broken in the lower pan/liner that supports the keel primarily from pounding into head seas or soft groundings. 4 sailors lost their lives when the the keel broke loose at sea. We are talking about a Contessa 32 which is built much stronger but there are many readers that have newer boats and the message should be, if you suffer a grounding, have the boat hauled and inspected by a qualified person.

[pickpaul]

I sail an Alberg30 in the Chesapeake Bay so have no useful input on this topic. Gone aground more than once but full keel and mud bottom and never thought to have it pulled and checked :-)

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[Don C L]

Originally Posted by pickpaul

I sail an Alberg30 in the Chesapeake Bay so have no useful input on this topic. Gone aground more than once but full keel and mud bottom and never thought to have it pulled and checked :-)

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With a classic like an Alberg 30 you could hit a submarine and hardly spill your martini on your smoking jacket.

[millhouse_44]

Door #2. Sellers problem don't make it your future problem.

[One Chance]

Don't sweat it, 3 knt grounding is nothing. We all are gentleman farmers at one time or another! We have plowed many a furrow over the years with no damage-luckly we have never hit rock, just sand & mud. You will see that if you sail you will run aground. The trick is getting off once you are aground. A good kedge anchor is always helpful.

good luck with your new boat!
One Chance

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Cranky, you've enough advice to fill your brains for 10 boat groundings. Pretty evident what is the prudent thing to do, wouldn't you say?

So, I want to say something that should add more momentum to what you are already correct in doing...listen to your wife's freaking out very carefully.

She is your companion and the giver of many things like cooking, e ticket rides in the bedroom, and countless other pleasant interactions in a marriage. Can you imagine the carnage (psychologically) that will ensue if you don't take every prudent step possible to make sure the boat is whole and sound? You know the phrase, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"....you catch my drift? Money is one thing...and a furious woman is a whole 'nother level of pain. If you don't take the prudent steps and it blows up in your face later...remember me...you were warned. The Apache Indians used to kill with knife by a thousand cuts. Have you ever heard of a woman's tongue cutting like a knife? Smile.

You sook advice on a forum of people that know pretty much know all there is about boats. Get your wife on board with you on what will make her feel comfortable that this is still a great boat. If you feel that slinging the boat for a couple of hours while she is inspected...and the MRS. agrees that it is an acceptable compromise...then you have your answer. If she says walk away from the boat no matter what, try to get a compromise with her. If she digs in her heels and says no compromise...it ain't worth the fight with her...move on. Contessa's are wonderful sea boats. Has the MRS ever been on a sailboat in a real seaway? I am just wondering

I don't want your wife to look at you and see this dog's face as her image of her Skipper/ Lover/ Husband/ idiot

Alan, my wife just about busted a gut with your post! She just wants to say, "I approve of that message!"

[Dr. Sea]

Originally Posted by crankysailor

True.. But the whole thing is really just a pain in the ass .. Another flight to the Netherlands and I am away on a trip for a few weeks, etc. I also want to be fair and if there is no real problem I don't think is fair to make demands on everyone just to address my fears.

Of course it is fair to expect the person who caused you these fears to be responsible to resolve them. He wants to sell the boat as much as you want to buy it. Who grounded the boat? He did. Who should pay for the haul-out? He should. If you don't do this it will always be a nagging concern in the back of your mind. You don't have to be present for the haul out. Pay a trusted surveyor to inspect it while it is hauled.

[SailFastTri]

I read most of this thread and for those who take this lightly don't forget the OP wrote "It was violent enough for us to lose our balance on the deck." That is not my definition of a soft grounding.


Also, the boat was under ownership and command of the seller at the time, so 100% of the responsibility is on the seller.


I would claim to the seller that the boat was likely damaged BY SELLER after the survey and put the burden where it belongs (on seller) to prove it wasn't.

[vjm]

That's all very well and good, but it is not a part of their current contract. Attempting to make the seller pay gives the seller a legal out (probably) to not go through with the sale. Of course, the buyer can get out of the contract by just not releasing the satisfactory sea trial contingency. It does not sound like the OP has this issue but be aware that when you try and add new conditions and clauses to contracts AFTER everyone has accepted, you run the risk of losing the boat. You have no legal right to get the seller to do this, and the seller has no contractual obligation to do this. Of course, most sellers and buyers would work it out just fine, especially when we are talking about a small amount of money.

[Lizzy Belle]

On page 5, the OP said he's having her hauled her for a check. Nothing left to do but wait for an update on how that went.

As to the costs: if the OP does the check himself, I think we're talking about 100 euro's or so (depending on which marina does the hauling). On a $25k boat, I'm not sure that's an amount to really worry about all that much ...

There are no brokers involved, and a simple quick haul should be something buyer and seller can work out together. When I see people posting about contracts, legal issues and even lawyers being mentioned, my jaw kinda drops, to be honest.

I'm aware the process of buying a boat differs between the US and the Netherlands -- here, it's often just buyer and seller, no brokers, and people usually manage just fine sorting everything out between them over a coffee.

Every now and again, you'll find yourself dealing with a seller who just isn't a very nice or reasonable person -- in that case, you can either deal with the ahole-factor if you really, really want the boat, or move on. No shortage of boats for sale here

Olav, the surveyor, wrote everything down in the report and unless the seller already has another buyer lined up, there is no reason for him not to work something out with Cranky.

[dennismenace111]

Theres two kinds of sailors... .those who have run aground and those that havent yet. Everybody does...eventually.. My last boat, a DuFour 34 drew 6'6"... I regularly sailed Biscayne Bay, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas... If I had nickel for everytime I was stuck in the mud, Id have a new Dufour now... well maybe a new suit of sails for the old one...

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by ausnp84

Sure... but hasn't the OP already had the boat surveyed once? Then it was run aground. Why should the OP / buyer pay to have the boat hauled and surveyed again because the owner's run it aground?

So that there is a contract formed between the buyer and the surveyor. If the surveyor is subsequently found to be wrong or at fault you can go after him through his liability insurance. If the vendor pays there is no contract.

Also the buyer is the future owner not the vendor, what does the vendor care, he just wants to sell the boat.

Pete