Buying a used boat. What do you expect??
 

With another thread going about "bunk surveys", I thought I'd ask the question.
When buying a used Offshore boat, do you expect it to be immaculate? Showroom, the day it was born Condition??
It seems there are some people that expect this.
Maybe I'm not the normal person, but I went into it EXPECTING to have some things that needed attention. This is why I was looking for a single with a good reputable manufacturer. The owners of the boat before me didn't necessarily do things the way I would have, so I'm making my changes on a boat I can afford to make the changes to.
And let's face it, I've done upgrade type work in the past, and did a half-azzed job getting it done to make sure it works, with the intention of later going back and tightening up the install, and then getting sidetracked.
Am I the only one guilty of this?
These are USED hi-performance machines. If the seller is selling in good-faith, he'll let you know if something is wrong. If he gives it a clean bill of health, it doesn't mean that it isn't going to blow up next week. Who Know's??
Every boat I've ever been on had it's own "nuances" and if you own and run it, you learn what the boat likes or doesn't like.
Example, I had a boat that from a cold start, pump the throttle twice, and she'd start on the first tick, and go right into a nice even idle. Try to start her any other way, and you were in a fight.
As the previous owner, there are always things that you know you need to fix (a scratch here, tighten something over there) and you're not gonna go crazy fixing little things when it comes time to sell. The new buyer is the one that's gonna get in there and do it their way.
So, what do you expect when buying used?

I expect that stuff will need to be fixed.

It depends on what I am paying for it.

It seems like everyone is always trying to "steal" everything.

If thats the case, then the lower the price the more of a gamble you take.

In a perfect world there would be full disclosure but that is probably not happening.

When buying a used boat ,of course i know its used and dont expect it to be new but the way it is represented by the owner . You cant sell a bought as 100 hours when it has 500 or motors are fresh with 10 hours and pull a motor and drop the pan and the bearings have 300 hours and motors are plenty tired :p

If I expected it to be like new, I'd buy new.

What I expect is an honest seller that does not try to hide anything. I know its used and that stuff breaks. There are things that may happen that the seller has no idea of. You can often tell a lot by the appearance of the boat and just talking to the seller.
When I bought the Pantera, I sea trialed it, and all was good. It was stored for winter after I bought it. The second time out in the Spring,with less than 5 hrs run time, the drive upper blew apart. There is no way this could have been predicted by the prior owner. I never even thought about trying to get him to help pay for it.

Bottom line--It is used, as is, and without warranty, just like the contract says.

I expect it to be in the condition it was represented to be. I can deal with a boat that needs work, I HATE liars and thieves!!!!

Exactly! When ever I've sold a car, truck. or boat, and the buyer starts pointing out ticky tack chit, I always tell them I'm not trying to pass this off as new.:mad:

I always point out anything that I know may need fixed, or may need attention soon, but I can't see into the future. I gave up predicting the future, when I took this job.

That's why I'm not selling at the price of a new one.

I personally made the jump from your "Average" boat (Bayliner, Sea Ray, Ebbtide, etc.) under 20ft with at best a 4.3 litre to my first "performance boat". in the early spring of 2007.

I looked for value of my dollar vs. the overall condition of the boat. I looked at several used boats before I settled on my 92 Galaxy Lazer. I paid the man $13k in cash, hooked it up to my truck and drove 600 miles home with her. Used it every weekend through summer of 2007 without any issue. Pulled her out the Monday after Labor Day and sent her to Cathouse Performance Marine for total re-power and drive swap.

The bunk survey thread imho is allot of neglect on the part of both the surveyor and the buyer. I seem to recall the phrase that there is 2 sides to every story and typically the truth lies in the middle....To me it depends on the purchase price vs. what needs to be done to the boat right now before going to the water or what needs to happen after using it a few times. In the bunk survey situation I'm not totally convinced the buyer was completely familiar with the boat he was buying, or he possibly was somewhat of a novice boat buyer if there is such a thing? None the less he handed over his money and he bought what he bought. There isnt enough posted details (purchase price and so on) to determine if it was a bad deal or not, he only made claims against the surveyor. If he bought the Velocity for $10k I think he got a smoking deal, even with the problems noted.....if you follow what I mean... you buy a $40k boat for $20k you should expect some problems.....hopefully your seller will at least point you in the right direction of the problems he has experienced.

If your buying a boat that is far under it's "real value" you should expect problems. I have no problem paying top dollar for a top condition used boat. I think I paid top dollar for my Galaxy, and I think I got a top dollar used boat.....now I'm sinking more into the boat than I paid for it to re-power and re-drive it because I love the boat......I will keep it for a while or until someone comes along and offers me stupid money for it.

Bottom line is .....Good things aren't cheap & cheap things aren't good.
I'm in the used car business & the 1st thing I tell people is

I don't sell cheap cars !

Being the author of the bunk survey thread it would be nice to hear your opinion documented in the appropriate place, never the less.......what difference does it make what you pay for something if you are mislead in what you have bought. Why should you expect problems if you are buying something markedly under market value? I certainly am not a novice boater, new to performance boats. That being said I hired a surveyor to do his job, make me aware of what I was buying. To do for me what I knew I didn't have the ability to do, and he did me absolutley wrong---thanks for the chance to respond to your opinion

I've always had a personal rule that applied to all transactions and dealings. " I'd rather buy an excellant boat at a fair price, than a poor boat at a great price". You can substitute the word boat in this quote for almost anything. ie. cars,stocks, bikes, houses, etc.

HEAR HEAR


Well said.......there are boats in new condition (used) and then there are used boats (really used) and then there are new boats that look like there used......................AND then there are new boats that are new.

2 boats ago, I wanted one that was in Florida....now Floridians look at boats differently that me. They leave them sit outside, uncovered, opened to the world....hatches, motors, electronics and all. NEW boats and when you look at them, they are filled with water (from the rain and what not) dirty and all. They just say...it will dry and wash up.

Me, I'm anal...it if isn't right...I make it right or have someone make it right. a great majority of the time, when I sell something......it's better than when I bought!

I here ya, I'm the same way. When I sold my last boat, I gave the new buyer all the nitty gritty details of the boats history. Nothing bad, but I want to be honest and he really appreciated it.

I look until I find one that looks like new. Won't consider one that needs work more than a good buffing. When we went to look at my last boat, it was kept in a heated garage, on CARPETING :) and the interior had sheets all over it. While we were looking at it, my wife and the owner were sitting in the cabin, when the owner mentioned that was the 1st time she ever sat in there without sheets. We bought it right then and there! An older couple, anal as can be. That's who I like to buy from. :)

They're out there, just got find them.

He likes anal!!!:Whatever: J/K couldn't resist

[QUOTE=enticer;2326489]HEAR HEAR



2 boats ago, I wanted one that was in Florida....now Floridians look at boats differently that me. They leave them sit outside, uncovered, opened to the world....hatches, motors, electronics and all. NEW boats and when you look at them, they are filled with water (from the rain and what not) dirty and all. They just say...it will dry and wash up.

wow,gross generalization,my boat sits indoors on a rack that cost more than the boat.:hitfan:

I follow the same rule that works with cars. Figure out a budget and look at as many you can find within that budget. Then buy the best one (mechanical and appearance) within that budget. The one time I did not follow this was the only Porsche I've bought that did not sell for more then I paid (slightly over 20). That includes service/repair bills paid out.

A used boat is just that, used. All that means is chit is gonna happen and its gonna cost money. Period.

I bought a one year old cat, 5 hrs later i bought a drive rebuild. Thats the way it goes. No one KNEW the drive would toss its teeth in 5 hours. It wasn't new so I sure couldn't expect warranty. Thats just the way it goes.

I bought a new cat and in 4 years put 8 drives in it....it's the nature of the beast and how it is driven. (A new drive each time)...rebuilds don't last long on a cat....they don't like being IN water :D:D

Lets not forget that some owners just want to get out from under the boat. It does not mean someone is stealing the boat. I might low ball you because of my budget,gas prices and insurance all you have to do is say NO, or counter. Just because a guy asks 50k does not mean he wont take 40. Sometimes just moving on is cheaper then waiting for top dollar. Now if you owe money on the boat then thats pretty much your bottom line. Considering where gas prices are now I would think sellers with guzzlers know to expect low offers now. When I purchase used I just ask that everything works when I take delivery so there are no surprises when I take something broke only to find out this is going to be alot more involved then I thought($$$$).

Okay...now for a real-live novice buyer to chime in... :p

I just purchased my first boat (older Sunsation Dominator- will be bringing it home next weekend :D). The boat is located several hours from home. Prior to even looking, I advised the seller that my price ceiling was well below his asking price. I politely explained that I wasn't trying to low-ball him. It was just budget is budget and I didn't want to waste anyone's time. As stated earlier, I figured he'd just say no and I'd move on. Turns out he wanted to unload and we agreed on a tentative price.

I took an experienced friend (and no...I'm not an idiot. This is the same guy whose going to be teaching me what I need to know about operating this machine! :D ) and drove down to look at it. Not even including it's age, this boat was immaculate; minus the requisite couple of quirks. Very well cared for and the agreed upon price was WELL below market. Obviously, a survey was in order...and that's when the seller started looking a little nervous. :rolleyes:

Survery uncovered a small hull crack with some likely internal delam. I called various glass shops and got a WIDE selection of estimates and ways to go about the repair. After these conversations and a few more with my surveyor, I was able to get a better approximate understanding of what the level of severity was with this issue.

I contacted the seller and he stated the price we agreed on was his bottom line...period. With all information in hand, I made my decision to purchase and repair based on value of the boat vs cost of repair vs selling price.

So home and direct to the glass shop it goes. The way I looked at it, and as someone stated earlier, these are used performance machines...not Chevy Malibu's. When someone is that willing to move, you should always expect something to pop up. Under the tamest conditions, these machines face a tough existence....things break. Everything else on the boat "seems" in good working order. However, I've learned fast with these machines that it's often a "hope for the best and prepare for the worst" mindset that's required if you're going to enjoy your purchase.

Cheers! Hope to meet many new friends this coming summer! :ernaehrung004: