Selene Auction

[OPUS]

Originally Posted by ScottC

Hi Opus,
I just realized the 27th has come and gone. Any word yet on how this turned out? Were you successful?!

Thanks to all TF members who were kind enough to provide insight and information on the Selene. In the end we chose not to bid. The reasons for not bidding included:
1. Extremely tight time frame between our learning about the auction and the bid date.
2. Quoted cost to ship her from Washington to Miami $60k
3. Commission structure to salvage company at 10%
4. A surveyor was able to review the hull issues but could not schedule the time for a full survey.
5. The hull survey did not identify structural issues but did find significant cosmetic issues. ‘Terrible lay up, about the worst he has seen - and he has surveyed many Selene's”. Recommended the gelcoat be stripped, a new layer added then finished with a professional paint job. Est ~$150k

I noticed another post saying she sold for $800k. I’m surprised about the time extension as we were told that bids were in place and the auction was moving forward as scheduled. Not unreasonable imo for a local bidder with a positive system survey.

[HalcyonDays]

Originally Posted by GMS

OK, so we just received the scoop on this auction from our broker based up in Anacortes.

The boat sold in the upper $800k range (after 12% buyers fee), and the new owners are on board today.

We understand that the insurance company had the salvage company put the boat out for an extra day of bidding after rejecting the first round of bids. So, the auction didn't close until Friday at Midnight.

We also obtained some additional background on the insurance claim from the insurance broker whose client formerly owned the boat. Apparently, the original owner had a Traveler's Luxury policy on the boat that included coverage for latent manufacturing defects. The owner used that clause to force an attempt at remediation (repainting the hull), when that did not fix the issue to their satisfaction, they pressed for a settlement.

We viewed the boat prior to the auction, and if we had paid anywhere near $1.8M we would have pressed the issue too. On the other hand, if we had been lucky enough to purchase the boat through the auction (even at upper $800k range), we would have simply named it appropriately and cruised it as is for the next 20 years ;-)

Everything we learned about this boat suggested it is just a cosmetic issue.

That is the story as we know it.

Congratulations to the new owner, it is an amazing boat!

I'm glad that we didn't see this Forum on the Selene before we bought her. The auction process is daunting and it causes your mind to dream up things that are wrong that really aren't.

My wife and I couldn't be happier with the boat. It is in as close to new condition as you could get. We really like the layout and the options it has over the other Selene's we have looked at. I would also like to mention the sales manager for Selene (Brian) was great to meet to help explain the boat to us. If I ever buy a new Selene it will be through Brian.

So the Million dollar question...Whats wrong with it? I was able to contact the previous owner and find out they only used it three months. As stated above the insurance company paid them out due to latent defects clause.

There are two opinions which both suggest print through. The cause is either post cure or a brittle/ stiff inner layer (bog) that in conjunction with the dark hull color is causing the mat transfer.

The solution that we are going to go with is to strip the paint, use a high build Primer and paint the boat a light color.

The good news, My wife loves the boat and is dying to write the next chapter in our boating career.

Again, thanks to all in this forum, great questions and great wisdom.

[menzies]

Thank you so much for finding this thread and then posting on it as the new owners!

Go ahead and introduce yourselves and then stick around.

One question for now; was there any pucker factor at all during the process. What was in your decision tree (risk/benefit) when you decided to go ahead and bid?

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. Congrats on your new boat. Now we need some photos...

[GMS]

Welcome aboard HalcyonDays, and congratulations on taking the leap of faith required to acquire a beautiful boat through the salvage auction process!

We were fortunate enough to get aboard during the auction process and agree that your Selene has the best layout we have ever seen on a Selene. We particularly liked how they pushed the staterooms forward a bit to have a commissary space between the master stateroom and the engine room.

The boat did seem as close to new as a used boat gets. Curious how they put 750 hours on the engine in 3 months (that is ~8hrs a day of running). Regardless, it looks like an amazing vessel.

Hopefully we will see you cruising the Puget Sound in it soon!

[OPUS]

Originally Posted by HalcyonDays

I'm glad that we didn't see this Forum on the Selene before we bought her. The auction process is daunting and it causes your mind to dream up things that are wrong that really aren't.

My wife and I couldn't be happier with the boat. It is in as close to new condition as you could get. We really like the layout and the options it has over the other Selene's we have looked at. I would also like to mention the sales manager for Selene (Brian) was great to meet to help explain the boat to us. If I ever buy a new Selene it will be through Brian.

So the Million dollar question...Whats wrong with it? I was able to contact the previous owner and find out they only used it three months. As stated above the insurance company paid them out due to latent defects clause.

There are two opinions which both suggest print through. The cause is either post cure or a brittle/ stiff inner layer (bog) that in conjunction with the dark hull color is causing the mat transfer.

The solution that we are going to go with is to strip the paint, use a high build Primer and paint the boat a light color.

The good news, My wife loves the boat and is dying to write the next chapter in our boating career.

Again, thanks to all in this forum, great questions and great wisdom.

Congratulations on your successful bid! It sounds like you are extremely happy with the purchase. Best of luck as you move aboard and start to cruise her to ports

[dhays]

Congratulations on the boat. Given the limited information available, I would have been very comfortable with bidding on the boat if I had a lot more money than I actually have. Looks like a great boat at a great price, and the cosmetic defects frankly wouldn’t have bothered me.

[sunchaser]

HD
Glad to see you were working with Brian from Selene Seattle. Obviously he knew the real story. He is an honest likable guy who really knows Selenes. Who will do the hull work?

[CaptainSEA]

Originally Posted by HalcyonDays

I'm glad that we didn't see this Forum on the Selene before we bought her. The auction process is daunting and it causes your mind to dream up things that are wrong that really aren't.

My wife and I couldn't be happier with the boat. It is in as close to new condition as you could get. We really like the layout and the options it has over the other Selene's we have looked at. I would also like to mention the sales manager for Selene (Brian) was great to meet to help explain the boat to us. If I ever buy a new Selene it will be through Brian.

So the Million dollar question...Whats wrong with it? I was able to contact the previous owner and find out they only used it three months. As stated above the insurance company paid them out due to latent defects clause.

There are two opinions which both suggest print through. The cause is either post cure or a brittle/ stiff inner layer (bog) that in conjunction with the dark hull color is causing the mat transfer.

The solution that we are going to go with is to strip the paint, use a high build Primer and paint the boat a light color.

The good news, My wife loves the boat and is dying to write the next chapter in our boating career.

Again, thanks to all in this forum, great questions and great wisdom.

As a Selene owner I can tell you that I could not be happier with my choice, and as we say, happy wife happy life!!!

[Crusty Chief]

HD,
Welcome to TF and the Selene Family. You got one hell of a boat and hope you get many years of unforgettable cruising from her.
Cheers

[KnotYet]

HalcyonDays: Great news on what appears to be a very good deal on a fine vessel!

[La Sirena]

HalcyonDays, I also bid on the boat, and not too much less than you (I think). But I went as high as I wanted, and I don't regret not going higher. I was a bit put off when the sellers extended the bidding another day. Did you up your ante that extra day?

It looks like a great boat. I would have left the hull alone for a while. When I'm in the pilot house I can't see the defect. I hope to get a Selene 53 some day. Maybe we'll cross paths.

[HalcyonDays]

Originally Posted by La Sirena

HalcyonDays, I also bid on the boat, and not too much less than you (I think). But I went as high as I wanted, and I don't regret not going higher. I was a bit put off when the sellers extended the bidding another day. Did you up your ante that extra day?

It looks like a great boat. I would have left the hull alone for a while. When I'm in the pilot house I can't see the defect. I hope to get a Selene 53 some day. Maybe we'll cross paths.

We did not bid on the boat at first but when they extended it another day we summited the bid on the 11th hour. I'm glad you didn't go higher because we love the boat. I hope you have luck finding a 53 Selene. John Peterson in New Bern, NC has a real nice one that we almost bought. Probably too far away.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200...awler-3680781/

[BandB]

Originally Posted by HalcyonDays

We did not bid on the boat at first but when they extended it another day we summited the bid on the 11th hour. I'm glad you didn't go higher because we love the boat. I hope you have luck finding a 53 Selene. John Peterson in New Bern, NC has a real nice one that we almost bought. Probably too far away.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200...awler-3680781/

Wifey B: Omg an ebay sniper....

I'd say New Bern is a great place to buy if you live in Laguna Beach. What an incredible trip home on your new Selene.

[Recb]

Originally Posted by HalcyonDays

We did not bid on the boat at first but when they extended it another day we summited the bid on the 11th hour. I'm glad you didn't go higher because we love the boat. I hope you have luck finding a 53 Selene. John Peterson in New Bern, NC has a real nice one that we almost bought. Probably too far away.

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200...awler-3680781/

The boat you referred to has me curious as to why it is back on the market so soon. It does not seem so long ago she was for sale under the name Alley G and then she reappeared on the market with the name Queso Grande and the same description, "As I walked down the dock to see this Selene 53 for the first time....."

[HalcyonDays]

My wife and I went to the West Palm boat show in April 2019 and made a offer on her (Alley G). The offer was not accepted. She sold to the current owner a year ago, who as I understand has a change of plans and is selling her. She was in very nice condition only needing a paint repair on the port bow and replace a missing anchor. The same broker (John Peterson) has it listed again.

[Crusty Chief]

HD. Have you joined the Selene Owners Group yet?

[HalcyonDays]

Yes, the pervious owners recommended joining.