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Old 06-25-2019, 06:53 PM   #11
dhays
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City: Gig Harbor
Vessel Name: Kinship
Vessel Model: North Pacific 43
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 9,046
Expectations During a Seatrial

Quote:
Originally Posted by OldDan1943 View Post
Got a question that may or may not fit in here.
When you are considering a boat and the owner invites you to ride along, does he let you drive the boat, away from the dock?

Your scenario is quite a bit different than most of our experiences and the way that most are answering your question.


Being "invited to ride along" is not the same as a seatrial which is done after there is a signed contract. As such, this would be an informal event and the owner will do anything he wants. Personally, while I can imagine a scenario where I might take a prospective buyer out on the boat, I doubt that I would offer them the helm anywhere near an obstruction.


A seatrial is a different beast. As a buyer, I would expect to be able to run the boat, but I wouldn't necessarily expect to operate it around the dock. It isn't my boat yet.



OTOH, when I did the seatrial on my current boat, after we dropped it back in the water after the lift and hang for the survey, the broker had me take the helm to move the boat to the slip. This was the first time I had ever docked a power boat. First time I had ever used thrusters. First time I had ever operated a boat from anywhere other than the cockpit (only a sailor until that point). I was a bit nervous. The broker was right at my shoulder should I need assistance which I fortunately did not. I would not consider that a usual situation and I never expected to do it when we went on the Sea Trial.
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Dave
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