Pics on Yachtworld are misleading!

[caltexflanc]

If you can, through face to face interviews and references, find a good buyers broker in each geography you are looking, they can be a god send. The good ones know what to look for, may well know some history of the boat, and know if they waste your time you will fire them and damage their reputation. We were living in Dallas when we bought this boat, and everything we were interested in was at least 1000 miles away. I had three guys in different areas, paid their expenses, bought them good meals when we met, and gave them good recs despite in two cases not buying through them. I was very upfront about the rules of engagement and what their territory was. Really worked out well. I am a leery of having someone I don't know previewing boats for me, who may be an amateur at worse or prone to imposing their own likes and dislikes on boats at best. A good broker will get to understand what you want, what your hot buttons are, as well as educate you as needed.

[Slowboat 37]

While we were pleasantly surprised with our boat, we looked for about seven months and almost always were disappointed with what we saw in the photos and the real thing. I would just assume it's not as nice as it looks and one of the first things I look for is discolored wood under the ports. Good luck and take your time

[FlyWright]

Originally Posted by dwhatty

Umm. I don't believe that it was the French that gave us the phrase "caveat emptor".

Those Latins! They have a different word for everything!!

Thankfully, we have a retired attorney here to keep us honest ad infinitum!

(Is that a contradicto in adjecto??)

[fryedaze]

I spent 5 years looking for a boat. After reflection of all that research, I believe its not the pictures that are miss-leading. I would find boats in my price range and my optimisum would create my own visualization of a great boat. I would go to the boat location and find a tired worn out boat. The pictures are not close enough or defined enough to see the real detail.
Yatchworld isnt the problem, the lust for a fine boat scrambles the brain. :-)

Dave

[psneeld]

Twice I traveled at least a half day to boats that looked fine in pics and even the broker was STERNLY asked were they in need of cosmetics or were they project boats. Guess who lied too?

A 36 Albin had an engine room that had water to the dipstick...it was ultimately sold for around $6000 (for the engine only)...the hull was broken up and put in a dumpster.

The guy wanted something like $35K.

Another had 2 feet of water in her, plenty of leaks, everything moldy, the mast broken by rot/shrink wrap, terrible wiring...an almost $50L boat.

Even the one I bought was represented by over 2 year old pics where a REALLY BAD finish was slapped over the interior teak to hide stains, the now almost gone varnish looked great, etc...etc... even the owner said the engine was a new long block for a Lehman 135....it's actually just a 120 rebuild.

The surveyor missed so much...I think he missed the day of the survey (I did tell him to not be "insurance" picky...but writing up issues as "notes" would have alerted me without the insurance co. going to general quarters.

So to me...you are pretty much on your own out there unless you get a great buyer broker (pr a really honest selling broker)...who is familiar with your type vessels or are lucky enough to have another trawler guy around the boat that is generous enough to take some time to give you a decent report.

[marinetrader]

I am well aware that photos can make a boat look better than she really is; it can also make a boat look worse. As a yacht broker and having an account on Yachtworld that we use for our brokerage I offer the following.

1. Get yourself a buyers broker before you begin, I can find out more about a boat in 15 minutes than you can in a week.
2. If you call a broker, ask him how old are the photos
3. Ask the broker if the photos accurately represent the boat
4. Ask the broker how he rates the boats exterior, interior, mechanicals- fair, average, above average. Why?

Keep in mind that owners take a dim view of brokers listing deficiencies in writing; I had an owner once take away a listing I had because I told the prospective buyer what he needed to know .



A honest broker will give you the straight scoop.

[windmill29130]

Originally Posted by marinetrader

I am well aware that photos can make a boat look better than she really is; it can also make a boat look worse. As a yacht broker and having an account on Yachtworld that we use for our brokerage I offer the following.

1. Get yourself a buyers broker before you begin, I can find out more about a boat in 15 minutes than you can in a week.
2. If you call a broker, ask him how old are the photos
3. Ask the broker if the photos accurately represent the boat
4. Ask the broker how he rates the boats exterior, interior, mechanicals- fair, average, above average. Why?

Keep in mind that owners take a dim view of brokers listing deficiencies in writing; I had an owner once take away a listing I had because I told the prospective buyer what he needed to know .



A honest broker will give you the straight scoop.

[mahal]

Originally Posted by fryedaze

I spent 5 years looking for a boat. After reflection of all that research, I believe its not the pictures that are miss-leading. I would find boats in my price range and my optimisum would create my own visualization of a great boat. I would go to the boat location and find a tired worn out boat. The pictures are not close enough or defined enough to see the real detail.
Yatchworld isnt the problem, the lust for a fine boat scrambles the brain. :-)

Dave

Well said. This was my experience too. I added 40% to my original cap and the boat shopping became a better experience.

Regarding photos, I am more handsome in them than in real life. So heed the OP's warning.

[MurrayM]

As a photographer, albeit of the wet darkroom large format fine art nature variety, I know photographs lie. It may not even be the content of that photograph of the engine compartment, but what horrors lay just outside the frame.

In the age of digital, photographs are to be trusted even less;

dove evolution - YouTube

[windmill29130]

Originally Posted by mahal

Well said. This was my experience too. I added 40% to my original cap and the boat shopping became a better experience.

Regarding photos, I am more handsome in them than in real life. So heed the OP's warning.

Would you say I could get a decent boat for $100,000?

[Lucy 11]

I'm still shopping!!! Went by and looked at an Allweather on my way to Oregon in Dec. All comments about this boat were very positive with the exterior pics. looking "clean" ...... Looking at the boat was a different story--although it's a great hull and looks very seaworthy the Interior was Very rough--wiring, woodwork, engine compartment, aft deck, trailer,electronics , were all Major projects .... I think this boat has been seen as a "perfect" trailerable cruiser --------- Seems that it would be an ideal Alaskan fishing boat but for recreational purposes they would need BIG $$$$ to bring them up to a comfort level that would work for most ....... Back to the Albin and possibly the C-Dory....... really different boats ..... now I have to decide what I really want(keeping in mind that I don't really Need it!!!!!!) Enjoy 2013....john

[mahal]

Originally Posted by windmill29130

Would you say I could get a decent boat for $100,000?

You probably could, but it will require more patience and you will be disappointed more often than if you had 200k to spend or even 150k. This will also depend on your standards of course.

[yachtbrokerguy]

The pictures on the interent are helpful but you can not tell the really good boats or the really bad boats from these pictures, plus you must remember that Yacht World is simply a way of advertising a boat, a paid advertisement paid by the broker.
I have sold boats now for 17 years and have found that if I tell a client about problems before they come to the boat they are not surprised and feel that I have been up front with them.
I have often suggested to a buyer that they hire a local surveyor to do a 15 minute inspection.
The market I deal with here in Fort Lauderdale is different than many other places as I have clients from all over the US and other countries as well. I offer to my clients to do what is called a broker preview of boats listed by other brokers that are located in Florida. If I represent the buyer I can look at boats listed by other brokers and give an unbiased opinion, if I find a good boat at a good price I am more likely to make a sale, but finding the right boat at the right price is always a time consuming exercise.

[BruceK]

Originally Posted by dwhatty

Umm. I don't believe that it was the French that gave us the phrase "caveat emptor".

Quite right, but they gave us "agent provocateur", so unacceptable there are no words for it in English.
There will always be bad brokers with misleading pics, like real estate brokers/agents photo-shopping out power lines obstructing views,or making the sea look more blue, I even saw a house pic "repainted".
Asking for very specific pics a broker has to actually go and take is a good idea. Trouble with long times on market, pics get hopelessly out of date.

[Sharkey]

I am looking for a live aboard boat now, something in the 40- 50 foot range. I'm not in a hurry and will know the right boat for me when I step aboard her.

I have a broker. I trust him. We have traveled half a day to look at boats that the other broker said were"perfect" only to find them unacceptable. Unwaxed hulls that were billed as freshly detailed, new bottom jobs that were 2 plus years old, new canvas that had been up for years. I look real hard for a few months and then take some time off to re-group. Seems to help.

[dhmeissner]

sous l'entière responsabilité du client

[Carolena]

Having just gone through the process of buying our Nordic 32, and having looked at many boat online and quite a distance from us, I agree that Yachtworld pictures can be misleading. We got around this by contacting the broker and asking for additional and higher resolution photos. Most brokers were happy to oblige. Even if it is the same photo from the web, a higher resolution photo sent by email allows you to zoom in on particular aspects of the boat. Just my two cents, but certainly helped us to narrow down the boats we traveled to see.

[windmill29130]

Originally Posted by Sharkey

I am looking for a live aboard boat now, something in the 40- 50 foot range. I'm not in a hurry and will know the right boat for me when I step aboard her.

I have a broker. I trust him. We have traveled half a day to look at boats that the other broker said were"perfect" only to find them unacceptable. Unwaxed hulls that were billed as freshly detailed, new bottom jobs that were 2 plus years old, new canvas that had been up for years. I look real hard for a few months and then take some time off to re-group. Seems to help.

I have been looking for a year now, and very disappointed in what I have seen. I am just like you, not in a hurry and will know it when I see it.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by windmill29130

It's amazing how the pictures you see on yachtworld of a boats interior and exterior are misleading. Have you ever view a boat on Yachtworld and then gone to view the boat in person? I have done this quite a few times lately and the boats I have seen are a lot different in "quality" in person. The pictures you see online are not a good representation of the boat.

My suggestion before you travel a long distance to view a boat, is to ask the broker a lot of questions and your expectations of what condition a boat you are in the market for before going.

Anybody else had this experience?

oh yes. The last one i looked at was bristol according to the pix and broker and when i got there it had cracked windows and dry rot al over the tak deck. I'm going to look at another tomorrow that involves a thousand mile trip.

[Sharkey]

1000 mile trip! I hope the best for that one.