Day trip with the PO

[FlyWright]

We have a break in the rains on Wednesday, so we're planning a day trip to Benicia with my boat's previous owner. He had been cruising a 42 Mikelson until it sold a couple years ago. Now he's enjoying the RV life. We met during the purchase process and a time or two since, but never got the chance to sit down and talk boats. Subsequent attempts to get together often fell apart due to schedule conflicts.

I thought it'd be fun for both of us to spend some time on the water. He gets a chance to drive the ol' girl again and I learn just a little bit about her past. I'm interested in her history and past condition. I know the previous owner put some time, money and effort into her interior and fuel system before I bought her. Many details were not available when I signed the contract.

The boat's everything I hoped for when I purchased her. I've been fortunate to talk to the designer and builder, Jule Marshall, and his son Gil discussing her build as hull number 1. Gill was a 15 yr old bilge rat during her build. In his words, he spent countless hours in her belly running wires and plumbing.

Since I bought the boat, I've made many changes mods and upgrades. I think it'll be fun to show the PO the changes.

If you could ask your boat's PO a single question, what would it be?

 

[Crusty Chief]

How come you didn't use it more?

He put a hell of a tv system in, now it's ancient tech, that nobody wants to work on. So it seems it sat at the dock and he would hide in it every other weekend. Pretty expensive man cave.

 

[chc]

At one point (again) I'll be referred to as the "PO" on this boat, so I'll go easy on the other "PO" that previously owned Scooter, our Californian 34. Boats swallow either lots of $$$ or lots of elbow grease & time; depends on which one is most available. I'd have to ask why things were so dirty & why wasn't more time spent on maintenance?

 

[hmason]

Well this is interesting and timely. At the end of this month, we are having dinner with the couple that bought my previous boat (GB 36) AND the couple that they have since sold her to. I am still in touch with the original owner that I bought her from. So all 4 generations of owners are in touch. ���������������� Yep, two American and two Canadian.

 

[Aft Deck Capt]

CHC nailed it, we'll all be the PO someday. We purchased Long Shot from a wonderful couple who had her for approx 12 of her 36 years. They weren't "old" but were entering a new season of life with the grand kids now grown. The man remarked that he would not miss crawling around the engine room but you could tell he would miss her....not the maintenance.
I don't know how many POs she's had but I've found numerous questionable and subsequently failed crimp terminations. Each one providing a better understanding of that particular system.
I think I would ask him why he hadn't asked Santa for a "good" set of crimpers!

 

[BandB]

If you could ask your boat's PO a single question, what would it be?

Unless there was something specific I couldn't figure out, I would not go in with any prepared questions. If I had questions I'd hold them to the end to use only if they weren't covered in conversation.

You'll learn a lot more by just allowing the PO to talk and tell you all about it. I'd just ask normal every day open ended questions and let him talk. I'd share my stories and let him share his. Conversation, not inquiry.

 

[FlyWright]

I didn't phrase that well...I didn't mean what should I ask, but what tidbit of info you'd want from your PO that you never got the chance to ask. Thanks for the replies!

I had a great day on the water with the PO and his best friend who I had previously met on the sea trial and shared more than a few beers together immediately following the sea trial, much to the chagrin of the broker! We spent about an hour at the slip just chewing the fat and catching up. It was as much fun for me to walk them through the boat as it was for them to be aboard again. It brought back some great memories of their adventures together aboard the boat! We each learned a few things about the boat and they hardly missed a single improvement right down to the drawer handles.

If you ever get the opportunity to share a day with your boat's PO, I highly recommend it. Of course, it helps if you're happy with the boat and the deal you got on it.

 

[Montenido]

Al, that sounds like a great experience for all of you. The PO that I recently purchased from is very knowledgable and willing to answer all my questions, even after the sale. I just returned from my maiden voyage aboard Godzilla (Harmony) and had a bunch of new questions, which the PO promptly answered.

I think it is so much smoother for all parties if a friendly relationship exists between the new and previous owners, when possible. On my previous boat, the PO was a bit of a jerk, so that relationship never happened .

Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to taking my PO out sometime in the future.

Cheers, Bill

 

[Codger2]

If you could ask your boat's PO a single question, what would it be?

Why on earth did you ever sell such a great boat?

 

[FlyWright]

Why on earth did you ever sell such a great boat?

That's a good one. I knew that the moment we met when I asked him why he was selling. His wife liked the Mikelson 42 layout with walkaround bed and wanted a larger bpoat. Who was he to argue?

I'm sure you can relate to that one, Walt.

He did admit yesterday to having some seller's remorse in the years following the sale. The Mikelson was just big enough that he only felt comfortable going out with crew. By comparison, the 34 Californian with full walkaround side decks and the stbd helm door is a cinch to single hand.

 

[BandB]

Wifey B: Same with houses, cars, whatever. I think of "parting is such sweet sorrow." Often times it is, but some times not very sweet. As an owner my biggest fear would be someone going to whine and complain every time they had any problem. That's why we hesitate to sell to friends.

Our home today was a foreclosure and then an investment group so nothing there. Our NC house was a result of divorce so nothing there but anger.

We always traded cars with the dealer except my last Miata in NC. A father bought it for his daughter's 16th birthday as a surprise. We snuck it into his drive way at midnight, put a ribbon around it, and he got her to look out. I went for a ride with her, then cake and ice cream til like 2:30 AM. She and I became friends forever, still email. She still drives it and it still looks like new even though now it's 7 years old. I loved that car but now it's so special to me. Got to get to know this incredible girl but also such great parents.

I owned one special car I knew the previous on. I figured out too he lied to me about selling it to me for what the dealer was offering him on trade and he sold it to me for less. I didn't know anything about car prices, especially a Mercedes, as a 17 year old living on my own. I realized soon it was 90% gift, 10% sale. Found out when I went to insure it. I knew him through him being a customer where I worked. It had been his wife's car. She'd died four years earlier and he couldn't stand to sell it or to drive it. 1979 Mercedes 300 SD. It was the same age I was. I "bought" it in 1997 and drove it till 2001. I must have thanked him twenty bazillion times. I only told him the good, never the bad. He died of a heart attack in 1999. I'll never forget him or his wife, who I only knew through the stories he told me. I think it was his vehicle for opening up about the love of his life who he missed so. I didn't even know they made cars to run on diesel and he had to teach me all about it. It had like 140,000 miles on it when I got it and over 240,000 when I sold it for over 10 times what I paid for it.

 

[Phil Fill]

I had the chance to talk to the po. My first question is what would be change repair replace. Also how did it handle the coastal waters between San Francisco and the Bauhaus. I was more interested in prioritzing the list and budget as we knew we had a lot of To Do and want list. The Eagle was designed for cruising the Pacific coast.

When I sell the Eagles I plan on talking to the buyer, to make sure they have the time, experience and money to maintain and own the Eagle.

 

[Baker]

Generally, brokers do not want owners to talk to potential buyers. Loose lips sink ships!!!