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#51
Precision / Re: Fire Sale
Last post by Straander - May 28, 2025, 08:30 PM
Damn that's really unfortunate news! And something I've worried about myself.
If you don't mind the question, what was the grounds through which they denied the claim? DO they just never cover  battery damage in general?
#52
TSBB General Talk / Re: DEJA VU!
Last post by Ed - May 28, 2025, 08:27 PM
Most of the write ups were missing key features/problems/issues that when I inquired further with the seller the facts came out.  When I get information begrudgingly it leads me to think there is even more that I haven't asked about, yet.  Case in point was our new to us Hobie Tandem Island.  Originally listed as a garage kept pristine TI with a great trailer, Hobie supports, dual cockpit controls, etc.  Two days before we drove up to Knoxville I was told that the tires were original (2014) but look great.  I asked for the tire size and hub size so I could get a set at Wally World (Memorial Day is not the time to look for tires) and asked about the last time the bearings were serviced, answer was, "what?"  I got them to take $300 off the price to offset the new tires/rims and my butt jacking up the trailer and packing the bearings.  On Sunday before we left I got a list of 10 or 12 "small" things that wouldn't be a problem.  Bent Mirage Drive peddles, a couple of bad clips, stretched bungie cords on the amas, etc.  Decided to make the trip, anyway.  Got there and the trailer was worth as much as the boat.  A nice Shorelander trailer with swing tongue, Hobie cradles, and the only rust was a light coating on the springs.  Most of the stuff on the boat was simple stuff that he should have taken care of before.  Mirage Drive blades are $80 each times 4.  I told him I would try to straighten them but that was $320 if I couldn't and a Tuneup on a TI (adjust all the lines running around the inside and untangle them) is $120 so I asked for another $400 off, he countered with $300 more and we drove off with a 2014 TI in pretty good shape on a great trailer for $3200. 
I think the more information you provide the better chance you have of finding a real buyer.  There are a lot of tire kickers out there.  If you offer demo sails make sure you charge $100 for it, up front, and apply it to purchase price if they buy the boat.  Twice I had people on vacation get a ride on my first Sea Pearl Trimaran I sold because I didn't charge for a demo sail.
You have done all kinds of work on Urchin.  List the recent stuff and post lots of pictures. 
#53
TSBB General Talk / Re: Help me sell my boat!! . ...
Last post by Brian N. - May 28, 2025, 02:09 PM
Charles - We all will face the point where you now find yourself. Very recently I had to see a neurologist and received a diagnosis that is not great (sorry, not ready yet to share exact condition on a public forum). However, as my wife pointed out, I have friends and family that with a days notice, can go out on the boat with me. Perhaps that might be an option for you as well, before giving up sailing completely. Yes I might only get out a few times a season, but that is a fair compromise given the alternative of not sailing at all. If you go ahead with the sale of your boat, I would guarantee a prospective buyer would appreciate an honest assessment, in full detail. Best to you
#54
Precision / Fire Sale
Last post by talbot - May 28, 2025, 01:44 PM
As some of you know, 2008 P21 Starlight (PCW21347J708) was damaged by a battery fire. The insurance company will not cover the loss. At some point, I will parting out the boat. Nothing topsides beyond the starboard cockpit was damaged and some interior items were not on the boat and are unscathed. So are the custom trailer and Honda BF5 motor. If you are seeking particular parts, let me know off of the forum (t-a-l-b-o-t-b-at-c-o-m-c-a-s-t.n-e-t). The boat is being stored for now at the Under Way boat yard on Clear Lake Rd. in Eugene, OR.
#55
TSBB General Talk / Re: Help me sell my boat!! . ...
Last post by Monroe - May 28, 2025, 12:19 PM
I agree with what Jim B suggested. When I gave up solo sailing my 15 year old Flying Scot about 5 years ago, I couldn't sell her for what I felt she was worth so I donated her to the local community sailing club on Lake Norman, NC. They already had a few Scots and were pleased to get one in prime condition with some extra features I added over the years to make sailing easier for me as I got older and weaker with balance issues.
#56
TSBB General Talk / Re: Help me sell my boat!! . ...
Last post by Doug SC - May 28, 2025, 11:33 AM
Jim has a point but if you do sell, just be up front with both its strong suits and deficiencies. That you have not felt the need to change sailboats all those years speaks for itself. Its history demonstrates its capabilities. That you recently did any needed work on it, and the trailer is very road worthy with superior bunks. I would think a listing between 3 and 6 thousand would be fair depending on sails and rigging, but the market will decide the value. I have seen Potter 19s go from 4 to 8 mostly the higher number that were built around 1995 to 2000.
#57
TSBB General Talk / Re: Help me sell my boat!! . ...
Last post by Jim B., CD-25 - May 28, 2025, 10:57 AM
The end of an era.

No doubt the emotional attachment will color your discussions with a potential buyer.  How do you put a price on 50 years of that attachment?  One thought: don't put a price on it... donate it to a sailing club, especially if there is a youth program.  There will be people there who will know how to maintain the boat and give it a new purpose.

The value to you has to be nearly priceless.  The value to the general public: it's a 50 year old boat... it hurts me to say this, but it has very little value.  And to a sailing club: the potential to generate some enthusiasm could also be nearly priceless.

As we age, we have to make some heart-felt decisions.  In 1999 (same year I joined here), I was riding a Harley and flying airplanes (as well as sailing).  These days, I ride a dual clutch transmission motorcycle and a small(ish) scooter; my flying days are behind me.

Good luck with the decisions, Charles.  You are a good man with a good heart.  If you need to write a novel about Urchin, there are some long-timers here who would enjoy that read.

Best wishes,
Jim
#58
TSBB General Talk / Help me sell my boat!! . . . ...
Last post by Charles Brennan - May 28, 2025, 10:02 AM
It's tough selling a sailboat, especially if you've been the sole owner, approaching 50 years.
I'm getting ready to sell Urchin since I am rapidly aging out of being able to handle her in all conditions by myself; a non-negotiable personal requirement.
(That my wife keeps telling me not to mention to the people I want to sell her to.)   :P

Does that make you blind to what a buyer would see as a defect?
Does it give you an inflated idea of the boat's true worth?
Are the "quirks" that you haven't minded for half a century, a non-starter to a buyer, and how do you manage to see those things from a buyer's point of view?

Having been a regular contributor to TSBB since May of 1999, many of you are familiar with Urchin and her exploits. 
(Not like I've been shy about posting pics; the good, the bad and the ugly!)  :P

What do you think are her best selling points?
Weakest selling points?
Significant drawbacks?
Concerns, but not deal-breakers?
I've sold boats before, 3 power boats and one sailboat (a Sailfish; plywood pre-cursor to the Sunfish), but never a boat I'd invested most of a lifetime in, and I'm not sure how it colors my perceptions.
How do I describe everything pertinent to a potential buyer, without writing a novel?

Any and all opinions, welcome!  ;D

Thanks,
Charles Brennan
#59
TSBB General Talk / Re: DEJA VU!
Last post by Charles Brennan - May 28, 2025, 09:45 AM
Ed, I am curious as to your statement: 

Quote from: Ed on May 27, 2025, 07:51 PMThat is pretty much what we experienced with every boat we looked at, the write up was anything but accurate on all of them, even the one nice one that slip fees kept us from buying, didn't have everything listed that a 5 minute conversation with the seller revealed.   

Do you mean that they left out defects or shortcomings, or do you mean that they did not mention features or selling points?  ???

I am getting close to putting Urchin on the market and do not want to be perceived as one of these types of sellers, wasting everybody's time and (more importantly!)  :o not selling the boat.
I would like to avoid all those shortcomings, if possible.

Inquiring minds want to know!
Charles Brennan
#60
TSBB General Talk / Re: DEJA VU!
Last post by Wolverine - May 28, 2025, 08:48 AM
a couple of years ago i saw a boat on yacht world that looked good so i made an appointment with the broker, flew down to tampa, rented a car, and drove 2 hours to look at it. at first sight i new it wasn't the boat listed. he said the listing pictures were of a "sister" boat. this boat had been donated to a charity that teaches troubled youths to work on boats. it did have new sails, a new westerbeke and transmission. however all the interior drawers, doors, electronics, and what nots were removed and sitting in the v-birth. the deck looked like a dried up lake bed that the broker said only needed "a little paint". i took pictures and  told him he misrepresented the boat and how angry i was. my plan was to report him as i figured there was some organization for brokers, but never looked into it.