Should I tell the new owner.... OMG are you kidding me!?

[Sailor647]

This was just posted to the Liveaboard Sailboat page on Facebook.


Maybe not the best place for this, but you people know boats....
So the relationship goes south, the boat is being sold. (Her boat, I helped pay for.) Not to worry though, the dream hasn't ended here for me anyway.
The ex asks me to help with the sale, but also to hide our purchase survey from the buyer because of numerous semi small issues, and the larger ones like water intrusion in the deck.

While our surveyor downplayed the keel-hull separation at the rear of the keel, he also listed many things incorrectly. Such as our deck stepped mast as keel stepped? I saw him as more of just an equipment list maker, than any type of actual inspector which we shouldn't have paid for.

It particularly troubles me because this separation in the rear is accompanied by a roughly 5 inch long crack leading away from the second forward keel bolt. To me, there is no way a crack can develop from a keel bolt other than movement between the keel bolt/fastener and the hull.

Sure hulls flex and change shape while sailing, yes, but this is a fin keel. (1995 Dufour prestige 48) With this type of attachment, it would seem that the keel-hull interface should remain 100% rigid, and the hull should flex elsewhere.

Basically, should I tell the buyer? Would I be at risk for knowingly and intentionally hiding / failing to disclose knowledge of a potential structural problem should the boat sink/loss of life/injury should they loose the keel during the delivery (Morro Bay - San Fransisco bay) or even sometime after?
The buyer did have an in-water survey completed, the results of which are unknown. That surveyor would not know of the keel hull separation, and was surely not told about it.

I just don't want to be worrying about ending up in court or worse because I didn't say something that I feel I should have. However I feel at this point I may be risking a lawsuit from the ex if I do tell the buyer, causing the loss of the sale.
So yeah...thoughts?


I can't even believe this.... What has happened to people?