Boat Buying

[Wolverine]

They say the two happiest days in a boater's life are the day they buy a boat, and the day they sell a boat. I can say the process leading up to the purchase has been anything but enjoyable. After driving hundreds of miles to view several Island Packet 27s, one trip ending with our new vehicle damaged by a hit and run, a Pacific Seacraft Orion came on the market very close to home. We viewed it twice, and made an offer. It was accepted, and that's when the hassles began. The owner would be out of town for several weeks so a captain would need to be hired for the trip to the marina for a short haul and inspection.  I called a captain and he informed me the seller hires the captain. I also contacted a marina and was told although the fee is my responsibility, the seller chooses the marina. The broker is new to his profession and guided me wrong. Finally after 2 weeks of phone calls setting everything up for this morning, I received a call last evening stating the captain was in surgery with an appendicitis. The broker and I called all the captains we had numbers for, but either they were booked, or because of the predicted 50mph winds overnight, refused the job. The surveyor offered to complete the static portion of the inspection so I awoke at 6am to catch the early ferry. I called the marina and explained the situation and they were very understanding. I had informed the broker twice the surveyor needed all the compartments emptied, or they wouldn't be inspected. They had not been cleaned out.  Grrrrr. The surveyor was extremely thorough and the broker found a captain to pilot the boat to the marina next Tuesday. We're still waiting on the surveyor to get back to us on his availability. If this doesn't happen, there is a Dana 24 with a trailer on the market I will checkout next.  Meanwhile, the broker mentioned a friend who owns a Flicka on a trailer that has been sitting in his yard for awhile. I had told him weeks ago I was more interested in finding a Flicka and now he mentions it. Double grrrr. So I asked him to contact his friend and ask if he would be interested in selling it. I also offered him a finders fee if the purchase went through. $28,000 and it needs some work. Ouch!

I'm hoping a "first happiest day" is in the near future.

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[Doug SC]

Wow!   You have my sympathy.

[Norm L.]

I'm sorry to hear that story.
In your area there should be a wide choice of surveyors and also brokers and marinas. The latter two worry me more.  A standard is if you buy he pays if not you pay for a haul-out. If you have done an in water that is acceptable, and he wants you to pay for the haul-out that may be a warning.

Always look for a surveyor that is SAMS or NAMS and in yachts an ABYC member.
After doing the internal you should get a list of recommendations from a surveyor. Recommendations usually cost to remove from an asking price. 

I understand the owner wanting to approve the person running the boat.
Yes, the inside should be completely accessible. Some will even take an oil sample.

Happily, I quit doing yachts a few decades ago. Believe it or not you can do a 600' 8000 hp freighter in the same time as a good yacht survey. For commercial vessels on board will be a thick book of Class surveyor's inspections of every area and piece of interests down to bearing reading of every bearing in everything that has bearings.
The downside is that one will be walking 600' length several times, and going from a wheelhouse 4-5 decks up to the bottom of an engine room 4-5 decks down.

[Captain Kidd]

I hesitate clicking like on a post like this but I did. Not because I like what's happened but because I read it with empathy. Hopefully your happy day will come. Some nice boats on your list!

[noelH]

After reading. A thought of why???  Why there are so many boats sitting in the boat grave yards at marinas.  Made the ignorant comment a couple or more years ago about the expense of people leaving their boats on the hard in the boatyard at the Marina.  Sad to see boats just sit there out of water unused and neglected.  The "owners have left their boats".  Still clueless look on my face. Person clarified. Free storage. Still clueless look on my face. Further enlightenment. "What they owe the marina for storage fees exceeds the boat's value".

Wonder if there are any good deals. Eventually you would think the space becomes more valuable than trying to collect the back storage fees.  Not sure if the marina would have title or could even get title to the boats.

Wolverine, there might be a hidden treasure hiding among the forest of masts. Probably not. Probably more less than enjoyable days. 

[Wolverine]

The broker knows how unhappy I am with the situation. I told him I was done making phone calls. He has everything setup for tomorrow morning. A captain will meet us at the boat where we will sail, or motor if no wind, the 10 miles to the marina where it will be short hauled. The surveyor will meet us there and do his thing. Once it's back in the water, the surveyor will join us for the return trip. As of now, the forecast in the morning is 60* with SW winds at 10mph. We will be heading NNE.  The afternoon is showing 67* and west wind at 9mph with a 38% chance of rain.

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[Norm L.]

Noel, boat graveyards, particularly sailboat graveyards abound.
There was (is still?) a place in the FL Panhandle. It was on the inland water near a small shipyard I would go to ages ago, probably in the 80's. Maybe 30 keelboats all looking sad.

Another one I've been to is Chaguaramas, a sheltered spot that is the Customs port of entrance for Trinidad. There were many on the hard, again some looking sad. The reason is that some sailors who do the Caribbean for months or a few years have had enough. Due to money, time, or being burned out. I've been told the latter is a good reason.
Sailing south is an adventure and getting to the end, out of the hurricane path. Heading back north is no longer an adventure. There are also those who sailed the island chain to Trinidad with the plan of using it as the jump of for the Atlantic crossing for Europe. But had enough.
From yacht surveyors in Hawaii, I've been told a similar story. Getting there is great. Going on a long passage to the Pacific islands no longer as attractive. Neither is beating back to the U.S. upwind.

So, there will be some good boats at good prices if you don't calculate redelivery costs.

[Wolverine]

A long day and not any closer to a purchase. Met the capt and broker at the boat this am. Motor-sailed her to the marina for the short haul where the surveyor was waiting. We found no zinc on the shaft, the teardrop shaped zinc on the bronze gudgeon bad, and a little play in the cutless bearing.  Seller authorized new zincs and while they being installed, the broker scraped the prop clean and found one of the blades has a crack. The capt notified the seller that it wasn't prudent to move the boat and he agreed. So now she will sit on the hard while a new prop is ordered. It was good a day as the surveyor missed the crack and if not for the broker, it may have failed after the purchase. The yard said it could be up to 2 months before the prop arrives and is installed.   

[Norm L.]

The surveyor didn't impress me on not seeing a reasonably clean wheel. What was the growth and how heavy?

I can't find one of my great photos of a yacht prop with at least 40% of its 3 blades eaten away. That one can't miss.

Things could be worse.

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[Wolverine]

Boat didn't have much growth and it was power washed, but the surveyor was performing other tests when the broker, interested in what the prop's pitch was, decided to clean it.  No telling if the surveyor would have eventually found the crack.