BALI 4.0 experience - weak points, problems?

[Piscis]

I am planning to purchase a BALI 4.0 from the Owner.

We are well in the negotiating process of finding a price we both feel comfortable with. I am happy i found a vessel not under contract by a broker, which is not easy at the moment!

I know, a broker can ease a lot of things and can be very helpfull. But i guess i prefer to save that extra 40.000-50.000US$ and invest it in refit and possible post purchase repairs, and do a couple of things by myself...

My next step will be to visit the Boat and have a look at it.

To all the BALI Owners or anybody who have experience with that vessel... What are the week points i should take special attention to? What kind of problems did you, as an owner or extensive charter captain, encounter during the time you have been sailing and using that Catamaran?

We chartered a BALI already and the 4.0/4.1 is actually on top of our list.

This thread should focus on issues i can find while having a look at the vessel without surveyor assistance. The first visit will be just for me if i feel good with this particular boat and were i can end up price wise.

After that visit, i will negotiate the price with the owner, hopefully finalizing with a sales contract.

After that, i am planning to hire a surveyor for final inspection after phase out of the vessel (it is still in charter).


Thanks and have a nice day,

John

[smj]

Would it be you saving the $40-$50k brokers fee or would it be the seller as they traditionally pay the broker, and are now taking on the work and responsibility of selling their boat?

[Piscis]

If the agreed purchase price of the boat is 10% below a similar boat offered from a broker, it would be me saving the money...

[smj]

Originally Posted by Piscis

If the agreed purchase price of the boat is 10% below a similar boat offered from a broker, it would be me saving the money...

Yes I understand, and if the owner agrees then good on you. When selling a boat by owner we’ve always figured we could advertise and sell for below what we could have through a broker, but we also figure to pocket more money than we would have if sold through a broker. If not then why would we do for sale by owner? Hopefully both you and the seller can come out ahead of the game.

[Piscis]

If Seller and Buyer splits the saved money a bit, both can benefit from dealing without broker... but maybe we can focus in this thread on the BALI issues?

Thanks!

[smj]

Originally Posted by Piscis

If Seller and Buyer splits the saved money a bit, both can benefit from dealing without broker... but maybe we can focus in this thread on the BALI issues?

Thanks!

Yes, exactly! Good luck with your purchase.

[Piscis]

Thanks a lot! I guess i will need it!

[Factor]

Recognise that it will not sail to windward - at all - in any sort of sea state.

[Stewie12]

As an ex charter boat, it will have had a pretty hard life and, depending on the charter company it has been with, maintenance might not be as it should be. So expect this when it comes to the survey and do not agree on a final price until then.

[jibstay]

Pay close attention to the operation of the "garage door." If it doesn't open or close as smoothly or easily as you'd expect, the boat may have experienced a hard grounding, or other trauma.

[yeloya]

We have a lot of experience with almost all of the Bali range. Some of them have been in our charter fleet, some of them were serviced with us. I don't 4.0, actually 40 ft is now being sold as "catspace" which I know. As you probabily know all BAli's below 4,6 are made in Tunisia and those are extremly problematic in every way. 4.6, 4.8 and 5.4 are much better built. They are all consevatively rigged and not only upwind but they won't sail properly in any direction, prepare to motor 80% of the time. Finally, front cockpit in Bali's is very good idea on nice weather an anchorages but I find it very uncomfortable even dangereous in high seas..

Cheers

Yeloya

[Siberian Sea]

One thing I dislike the most in the Bali is the interior cabinets. I’m absolutely certain they are made by IKEA. Just look closely at them, same hinges same laminated covering, same cheap wood product. They start to fall appart after 8-10 years.

[MultiCountryDon]

We chartered a Lagoon in Grenada approx 2 years ago.
While getting ready to launch for our trip we saw a lot of new Bali 4.0 along the docks. When asked about them the local maint. staff said "worst boat on the ocean, always broken somewhere"

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Siberian Sea

One thing I dislike the most in the Bali is the interior cabinets. I’m absolutely certain they are made by IKEA. Just look closely at them, same hinges same laminated covering, same cheap wood product. They start to fall appart after 8-10 years.

The Bali was introduced in 2014. Even if you bought the very first one, how would you know what starts to happen to the interior after 10 years?

[Piscis]

Thanks to all responds so far!


The boat will be used as liveaboard. We are no racers and we have many interests on doing things on and in the water.



We are aware that every boat is a compromise, and we have our priorities. Livebility is more important for us than maximum sailing performance. Small sails and high weight surely means less performance.

But it does also means less stress on the rigging, less chance of capsizing and lower costs when replacing sails... For everything there is a pro and a con i guess.


I wouldnt consider IKEA quality/style a "no go". Acctually i bought an IKEA kitchen new about 17 years ago, and it is still in great shape and all appliances are working fine. Just a question of care and maintanance. Adjusting hinges would not be of concern for me when buying a boat out of charter - it just needs a screwdriver...



Comparing the interior of all cats we did charter so far, the Nautitech Open 40 showed the worst wear and tear. Buy hey, maybe it just had bad charter crews abusing it...
Baseline interior quality, i could not see big difference on all the vessels we chartered. Well the Lagoon 40 was almost brand new, so it did look a bit more pristine. But that might change after reckless charter group abuse.


I can make many things on that boat looking nice again. But i cannot make a BALI out of a Gemmini... no offense though!



Thanks again for your comments. Looking forward getting some more information of serious issues that boats showed after a couple of years charter abuse...



John