Sea trials

[sunchaser]

But you're talking owners and their employees. The statement I was referring to was brokers starting engines and gensets and, in our area, the vast majority will not. In some cases, owners may be available or have crew on larger boats to do so, but brokers will not take the risk.

I agree.

 

[syjos]

A prudent broker will not show a boat with the owner onboard.

An owner who wants to sell his boat will never be aboard during a showing.

Having the seller and buyer meet before an offer is accepted is a really bad idea.

 

[BruceK]

But you're talking owners and their employees. The statement I was referring to was brokers starting engines and gensets and, in our area, the vast majority will not. In some cases, owners may be available or have crew on larger boats to do so, but brokers will not take the risk.

I assume they do it with owners permission. I can`t recall inspecting a boat where the raw water seacocks were anything but open. Some even frozen open.
A brokerage boat seen this week had the 3 position bilge pump switches set to "off".

 

[Andy G]

Not in our area.

I can understand that for larger boats, but for smaller (<50') vessels, from my experience, it's never been an issue.

 

[Andy G]

Hello all. Currently a sailboat owner I have been reading this forum and learning while searching for a suitable trawler. We had our present sailboat surveyed when we purchased it but did not sea trial, and had no regrets. However a twin engine power vessel is much more complex and we will want a sea trial but have no idea how to conduct one.
How is one done and what do you look for? Does a surveyor or mechanic go along?
Thank you for any advice.

FWIW, an older boat will have issues, that's a given. The trick is to find out what the issues are and having done that, decide if the boat still represents good value.

This may depend on how handy you are with fixing things, if you are not, things can get pretty pricey very quickly.

Good luck with the search.

 

[firehoser75]

When boat shopping a few years ago, we must have inspected (looked at) at least 30 boats prior to making an offer. None of those boats were started or had any of their systems operated prior to an offer to purchase. Just wasn't allowed.

If I were selling my boat, I would not allow a broker that is probably unfamiliar with all aspects of my particular boat, or a potential buyer that is currently "just looking" to operate the systems (including engine, gen set, etc.) prior to an offer. IMHO too much risk, all of it mine!
Even after the accepted offer, I would want to be aboard to avoid any potential problems that could result if someone made a mistake along the way, including the incorrect shutdown (or lack thereof) of any of the systems. I would try to be as discrete as possible and give the buyer and his/her "people" their privacy when needed!
I work too hard and spend too much on keeping our boat in "tip top" condition and would want to avoid future problems that could easily accidentally develop. By the way, I would take my boat up to WOT for up to 15 minutes if that is what the buyer or his mechanic/surveyor asked. Beyond 15 minutes is just not needed.

To the OP, paying for a "complete" thorough survey is "cheap insurance" when compared to the overall costs and potential costs associated with buying a boat!!!
Follow the good advice you have been given here, and carefully check out your potential purchase. Don't be afraid to "walk away" after the survey costs (and a "bad boat") should the results indicate that as your best course of action. Way less expensive than buying a "lemon".
If you can find a boat where the owner has kept good maintenance records and/or receipts, and the boat shows it has been "loved", that is a very good place to start, but still check it out carefully.
Good luck,
Tom

 

[BandB]

I can understand that for larger boats, but for smaller (<50') vessels, from my experience, it's never been an issue.

But then I said "not in our area" and you're not in it.

 

[Okydowky]

Would any of you purchase private.?

We are looking at 36’TT on Monday, which is a private sale! The owner has been great, and has offered us to spend 2 nights on it at the dock to get a feel if it’s for us. So this gives me 2 days to scour the ER and other systems.

We do still plan to get a haul out survey and engine mechanic to check things out.

The confusion for us is the dealing, he has said what he is asking. We have not countered or no contract signed.
At what point would we put deposit down? Before or after we personally view the boat?
Any thoughts, I find this an unusual situation. But very great fuel to owner to allow us to view the boat in this way.

Any thoughts?

Thx
Troy

 

[firehoser75]

Troy,
If I were the seller, I would want an accepted offer and deposit before you were allowed to stay overnight, survey, sea trial, operate systems, etc. Viewing without an offer, no problem! Also, before the overnight, I would want to ascertain your level of expertise to ensure that everything would go well and also to determine who was taking any risks that might be involved in such an arrangement?

There are a lot of "looky loos" out there, and I would not want one wasting that much of my time, or using my boat for an overnight free "adventure".

Private sale, no problem, but as the buyer you still need to exercise the necessary level of care in your purchase process.
Good luck,
Tom

 

[Okydowky]

Tom,
Thanks, yes that makes sense. At first when the owner offered the sleep over I thought it was a little strange. But then We thought if he had anything to hide, this isn’t how one would do it! With him offering this it made us even more interested, thinking we found a gem.

We have viewed the boat before with the owner, but we’re un decided at the time! And crawled on the outer decks many times, even had a few glasses of wine on the upper helm.

Troy

 

[syjos]

Would any of you purchase private.?
Troy

We purchased Sandpiper directly from the seller. It was not for sale when we spotted it on the hard at Port Townsend. The seller had ordered the boat, flew to Taiwan to see it under construction, cruised extensively from Mexico to Alaska for 24 years and in love of the boat. He was being forced to sell the boat by his family since he had dementia.

We did fine until surveyor Matt Harris, one of the foremost surveyors of Taiwan built boats, found $65,000 in required repairs and the owner was in denial and said there was nothing wrong with the boat. We walked.

The family retained an attorney to contact us in order to resurrect the sale since a broker was not involved. Never spoke to the owner again.

The attorney had us get three yard estimates for the repairs, selected the highest estimate and added an extra $10,000 to sweeten the deal.

My wife and I "slept on it" for two days and accepted the offer.

On a previous purchase of a 34' Mainship from across the country in 1986, I bypassed the broker because he was slow responding to questions. I contacted the owner direct and after a lengthy conversation, bought the boat sight unseen. The seller payed the brokers commission since without the brokers advertising, I would have not found the boat.

The seller picked me up at the airport, let me stay at his home while I was preparing the boat for a cross country transport. We became friends.

Two totally different outcomes from a direct purchase.

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

If I wasn't allowed to hear the engine run as a prospective buyer, I'd walk. I understand not getting underway until deposit but whats the big deal of a dockside engine run?

 

[Okydowky]

On a previous purchase of a 34' Mainship from across the country in 1986, I bypassed the broker because he was slow responding to questions. I contacted the owner direct and after a lengthy conversation, bought the boat sight unseen. The seller payed the brokers commission since without the brokers advertising, I would have not found the boat.

The seller picked me up at the airport, let me stay at his home while I was preparing the boat for a cross country transport. We became friends.

Two totally different outcomes from a direct purchase.[/QUOTE]

Your a brave man Syjos! ...Site un seen...? I struggling spending $50 bucks on amazon, because I can’t touch it!

 

[BruceK]

But then I said "not in our area" and you're not in it.

Odd isn`t it. You have a "no running engines before contract" rule, here starting engines at inspection, before offer, seems normal/common practice. I have a memory it was not so,possibly associated with a disaster. I`m guessing brokers do it with express permission of owners.
Getting an appreciation of the power system is as important as assessing the boat generally. Apart from anything else, like the basic "do they run?",I like checking noise levels.

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

I also bought a boat sight unseen... I wasn't even in the market for a boat. Friend from Boston saw an Albin25 locally advertised in Want adds (pre craiglist, fb marketplace). I told him to go look and give me an opinion.. He said great mechanically , needed hull gel coat or paint. Ithen sent my brother down to look at it and he concurred.. Bought it and had it trucked to Saint Augustine ,Fl and did the hull paint and it worked out well for me

 

[firehoser75]

If I wasn't allowed to hear the engine run as a prospective buyer, I'd walk. I understand not getting underway until deposit but whats the big deal of a dockside engine run?

I don't understand why hearing the engine before an offer would make any difference??? Unless of course, it either did not start or ran horribly
Coming from a seller's viewpoint, when I sold our sailboat, many "buyer's brokers" showed my boat alone, as my "seller's broker" was located a 2 hour ferry ride away. I would not allow a "strange to me" broker to start my boat's engine just because some "looky loo" wanted to hear it!!!
If really interested in the boat, the potential buyer could make an offer and come back to view the boat again, before the survey, etc. I would definitely make myself available to show the buyer anything he/she wanted to see and hear
If at that stage, the buyer found something not to their liking, the offer could be withdrawn. A "looky loo" would not go to that trouble.
JMHO

 

[ksanders]

If I wasn't allowed to hear the engine run as a prospective buyer, I'd walk. I understand not getting underway until deposit but whats the big deal of a dockside engine run?

That’s easy.

Are the seacocks open
Is the fuel on.

May not sound like a big deal but I would never dream of letting someone unfamiliar with my boat run the engines.

Generator is even worse.

 

[mvweebles]

If I wasn't allowed to hear the engine run as a prospective buyer, I'd walk. I understand not getting underway until deposit but whats the big deal of a dockside engine run?

I respect your experience. And I'm a bit surprised at this position. I spent about 5-years as a full time delivery skipper and had dozens of interactions with sales. While I met many nice brokers/salesmen who were excellent at facilitating the transaction, I only remember two who I felt were skilled at operating a boat (they were ex delivery skippers with serious ocean mules) . Many/Most boats have some quirks about them to start/shut down fire suppression systems that have to be armed prior to the throttle/gear controls, etc. As another post noted, the broker who shows the boat may be a total stranger to the boat, perhaps even to the listing broker.

This could be a regional thing. I was based out of San Francisco and covered the pacific coast. I don't recall this ever coming up - engine start was part of post-offer sequence.

 

[Andy G]

This is an interesting drift.

So a buyer makes an appointment to view a prospective boat. He /she meets the agent, or as it turns out the agents agent who may know nothing about the vessel. This apparently is Ok as far as the seller or the sellers agent is concerned.

The prospective buyer is then told you can't hear the engines up and running until you hand over a bunch of money.

It begs the question what does this prior appointment allow the potential buyer to investigate. Can he flush the toilets, turn on the lights. Is he allowed to look into the engine bay?

Seriously, boats on TF , well for the most of them, are not $2 million vessels. I would suggest that if you really want to sell your boat, appoint a broker on an introduction basis only and show the buyer through yourself. You know your boat better than any one else. Over twenty five years this has worked for me very well.

It really is not that different from selling a car.

 

[mvweebles]

This is an interesting drift.

So a buyer makes an appointment to view a prospective boat. He /she meets the agent, or as it turns out the agents agent who may know nothing about the vessel. This apparently is Ok as far as the seller or the sellers agent is concerned.

The prospective buyer is then told you can't hear the engines up and running until you hand over a bunch of money.

It begs the question what does this prior appointment allow the potential buyer to investigate. Can he flush the toilets, turn on the lights. Is he allowed to look into the engine bay?

Seriously, boats on TF , well for the most of them, are not $2 million vessels. I would suggest that if you really want to sell your boat, appoint a broker on an introduction basis only and show the buyer through yourself. You know your boat better than any one else. Over twenty five years this has worked for me very well.

It really is not that different from selling a car.

It is an interesting drift. Topic of FSBO transactions vs broker facilitated transactions comes up from time to time, and folks seem entrenched in each camp.

I'm not a shrinking violet about dealing with people. But I greatly prefer dealing with an agent vs an owner. As a matter of fact, unless I know the owner a bit (such as via a forum such as this or boat-specific forums like Willard Boat Owners), I don't want to meeting him/her until after I've seen the boat. I don't want to hear about their passion and upgrades and history yet. I want to form my own opinion when i walk aboard and get a sense of the boat, it's general condition, obvious deal killers, and whether it's a good enough match to schedule an in depth inspection on my part that would take a couple hours. I'd prefer to not even have the broker aboard, though I realize he/she may need to be there. From there, I'll decide of a offer is in order.

There are many people who will pipe-up about only seeking FSBO boats and their great experiences and great deals. I'm just not one of those people. As a matter of fact, I avoid FSBO in houses and boats - my observation is that many FSBO sellers have a skewed view of the market and over price their goods.

I don't think boats are the same as a car. More like a house due to uniqueness of each example, overall cost/value, complexity of having multiple systems installed, and inaccessibility of some of the inspection criteria (mold, rot, bugs, etc).

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

I don't understand why hearing the engine before an offer would make any difference??? Unless of course, it either did not start or ran horribly
Coming from a seller's viewpoint, when I sold our sailboat, many "buyer's brokers" showed my boat alone, as my "seller's broker" was located a 2 hour ferry ride away. I would not allow a "strange to me" broker to start my boat's engine just because some "looky loo" wanted to hear it!!!
If really interested in the boat, the potential buyer could make an offer and come back to view the boat again, before the survey, etc. I would definitely make myself available to show the buyer anything he/she wanted to see and hear
If at that stage, the buyer found something not to their liking, the offer could be withdrawn. A "looky loo" would not go to that trouble.
JMHO

The reason I want to hear them run is the same reason for engine room checks...Look, Listen and smell....

 

[syjos]

On a previous purchase of a 34' Mainship from across the country in 1986, I bypassed the broker because he was slow responding to questions. I contacted the owner direct and after a lengthy conversation, bought the boat sight unseen. The seller payed the brokers commission since without the brokers advertising, I would have not found the boat.

The seller picked me up at the airport, let me stay at his home while I was preparing the boat for a cross country transport. We became friends.

Two totally different outcomes from a direct purchase.

Your a brave man Syjos! ...Site un seen...? I struggling spending $50 bucks on amazon, because I can’t touch it![/QUOTE]


I also bought a 2008 Pontiac Solstice GXP sight unseen from Indiana in 2016. The low milage car was in better shape then described by the seller. Same with the Mainship.

I would not buy anything sight unseen from any owner. You can tell by talking to the sellers if they are honest and sincere by their emotional attachment to the boat/car. Both owners, were reluctantly selling. Car because he was having a hard time getting in and out. Boat because of health issues.

The owner of the 5 year old Mainship grilled me about my maintenance and care routine on the boat I had at the time. It felt like he was interviewing me to see if I was worthy of owning his beloved boat.

The car owner refused to sell the car to an out of state buyer and hung up on me. I had to call him a couple times and convince him to sell to me. I bought it in January and he did not want me to drive it cross country in snow. Made me wait until March for pick up.

I checked maintenance on the boat by talking to the yard that stored the boat in winter and CarFax for the car.

 

[syjos]

The purpose of the first visit to a boat by a prospective buyer should be to determine if the boat is for them. Size, layout, ergonomics, storage, equipment, overall condition and other things that were not evident in the listing or pictures are explored.

The condition of the engine, generator and other major equipment can be assessed by appearance and maintenance/service log.

If a buyer insists on running the engine and generator before engine survey, that stipulation should be written into the offer. Ask for a cold start.

I recommend adding some sort of language into any offer that if the engines and generator are not absolutely cold on the engine survey day, you either walk or the seller is liable for the surveyors fee or something to that effect. A lot of engine surveyors insist on a cold engine so they can observe and listen to it starting cold.

And I would be suspicious of a seller prewarming an engine prior to the arrival of the engine surveyor.

 

[firehoser75]

This is an interesting drift.

So a buyer makes an appointment to view a prospective boat. He /she meets the agent, or as it turns out the agents agent who may know nothing about the vessel. This apparently is Ok as far as the seller or the sellers agent is concerned.

The prospective buyer is then told you can't hear the engines up and running until you hand over a bunch of money.

It begs the question what does this prior appointment allow the potential buyer to investigate. Can he flush the toilets, turn on the lights. Is he allowed to look into the engine bay?

Seriously, boats on TF , well for the most of them, are not $2 million vessels. I would suggest that if you really want to sell your boat, appoint a broker on an introduction basis only and show the buyer through yourself. You know your boat better than any one else. Over twenty five years this has worked for me very well.

It really is not that different from selling a car.

I would suggest that it doesn't take a $2 million investment for a boat to qualify as a large investment (when compared to the net assets of some boat owners) , to say nothing of the fact that as a boat owner, I do what I can to minimize problems (such as arguments over who caused the damage, was it there prior to the viewing and starting of systems, who will pay, the hassle of having to repair, etc.). Why go there??
In my area, the first viewing is a general viewing to determine many things. Is this style/model of boat appropriate for how I plan to use the boat? Will it meet my and my wife's needs, wants, and desires for a boat? What is the general condition of the vessel? Does the boat have any bad smells such as mould, sewage, etc.? Overall impressions about the care that the owner has given the boat. Nothing was actually operated, as in the vast majority of cases, I was not interested in purchasing the boat I was viewing then. However, giving a boat that does "tick off" some of your boxes a thorough inspection (ER, all compartments, visual of systems, batteries, etc.) for any obvious signs of issues is no problem (although I did P_ss off a broker or two with how long I wanted to stay aboard to satisfy my investigation on a boat that I was actually giving serious consideration).
Around here, most brokers DO NOT WANT the owner on board (at least for the first viewing). I am told the reason for this is the owner can "get in the way" of the buyer(s) and/or their broker from feeling free to have a good look around and to privately discuss their findings as they go along. They want to "form their own first impressions", etc.

As far as allowing a broker to start up and properly operate and close down my boat's systems is concerned (as a seller), NO WAY without me being there! I have come across too many brokers that really don't know as much as you think they should, or are just plain lazy!
For example, there was one broker (seller's broker) showing us a boat that had many errors in his listing for the boat. When asked for an engine serial number so I could contact the manufacturer prior to viewing the boat, he would not walk from his office to the boat (a distance of 200-300 feet) to write it down. Once on board, I got the number, called the manufacturer (whose main office was only a few miles away from the boat) and found out that the engine was not the one listed in the for sale documents. This took me about 3 minutes of my time.

On another boat, the broker allowed the owner to store a propane bottle and gas can in a sealed compartment where there was also 2 batteries and a battery charger, as well as the motor for the stern thruster. This boat was at the broker's docks! When I pointed out that this boat also had a stringer that had separated from the hull, the broker told me that stringers were not that important and it wasn't anything to really worry about!
Sorry, but those guys are not going to operate my boat (should I be selling) just so someone who has not demonstrated any serious interest in purchasing my boat can "play with my systems".
If a potential buyer is truly interested in a boat, write up an offer and give the broker a deposit check (if the second viewing or surveys are scheduled very soon, the check may not even be cashed). Only someone that is actually interested will do this, but withdrawing from the deal is still fairly easy with a full refund. If the buyer is worried about the cost of survey, then ask to operate systems and engines prior to the survey. Most sellers would make themselves available to accomodate that request as the buyer has demonstrated a true interest. Yes, it is possible someone could write an offer and not really want to complete (and just "play around" with your boat), but that is very, very unlikely and should that occur, at least the seller would be there to operate or oversee their boat.
To me, it is a lot different to selling a car. However, I would not just hand my car keys over to a "stranger" (to me) and let him "drive off" and operate my car and it's systems without supervision.
Just my opinion, and the way it seems to be done around these parts

 

[syjos]

I would suggest that it doesn't take a $2 million investment for a boat to qualify as a large investment (when compared to the net assets of some boat owners) , to say nothing of the fact that as a boat owner, I do what I can to minimize problems (such as arguments over who caused the damage, was it there prior to the viewing and starting of systems, who will pay, the hassle of having to repair, etc.). Why go there??
In my area, the first viewing is a general viewing to determine many things. Is this style/model of boat appropriate for how I plan to use the boat? Will it meet my and my wife's needs, wants, and desires for a boat? What is the general condition of the vessel? Does the boat have any bad smells such as mould, sewage, etc.? Overall impressions about the care that the owner has given the boat. Nothing was actually operated, as in the vast majority of cases, I was not interested in purchasing the boat I was viewing then. However, giving a boat that does "tick off" some of your boxes a thorough inspection (ER, all compartments, visual of systems, batteries, etc.) for any obvious signs of issues is no problem (although I did P_ss off a broker or two with how long I wanted to stay aboard to satisfy my investigation on a boat that I was actually giving serious consideration).
Around here, most brokers DO NOT WANT the owner on board (at least for the first viewing). I am told the reason for this is the owner can "get in the way" of the buyer(s) and/or their broker from feeling free to have a good look around and to privately discuss their findings as they go along. They want to "form their own first impressions", etc.

As far as allowing a broker to start up and properly operate and close down my boat's systems is concerned (as a seller), NO WAY without me being there! I have come across too many brokers that really don't know as much as you think they should, or are just plain lazy!
For example, there was one broker (seller's broker) showing us a boat that had many errors in his listing for the boat. When asked for an engine serial number so I could contact the manufacturer prior to viewing the boat, he would not walk from his office to the boat (a distance of 200-300 feet) to write it down. Once on board, I got the number, called the manufacturer (whose main office was only a few miles away from the boat) and found out that the engine was not the one listed in the for sale documents. This took me about 3 minutes of my time.

On another boat, the broker allowed the owner to store a propane bottle and gas can in a sealed compartment where there was also 2 batteries and a battery charger, as well as the motor for the stern thruster. This boat was at the broker's docks! When I pointed out that this boat also had a stringer that had separated from the hull, the broker told me that stringers were not that important and it wasn't anything to really worry about!
Sorry, but those guys are not going to operate my boat (should I be selling) just so someone who has not demonstrated any serious interest in purchasing my boat can "play with my systems".
If a potential buyer is truly interested in a boat, write up an offer and give the broker a deposit check (if the second viewing or surveys are scheduled very soon, the check may not even be cashed). Only someone that is actually interested will do this, but withdrawing from the deal is still fairly easy with a full refund. If the buyer is worried about the cost of survey, then ask to operate systems and engines prior to the survey. Most sellers would make themselves available to accomodate that request as the buyer has demonstrated a true interest. Yes, it is possible someone could write an offer and not really want to complete (and just "play around" with your boat), but that is very, very unlikely and should that occur, at least the seller would be there to operate or oversee their boat.
To me, it is a lot different to selling a car. However, I would not just hand my car keys over to a "stranger" (to me) and let him "drive off" and operate my car and it's systems without supervision.
Just my opinion, and the way it seems to be done around these parts

I agree 100%

Brokers will not know most of the details about a listed boat.

After the first viewing, make a list of questions and email it to the broker to forward it to the seller. If the broker and the seller really want to sell the boat, they should provide answers. Plus you will have the answers in writing.

A sellers broker should know more about the listing than the buyers broker. It's always better to deal with the listing broker. Elliminate the intermediate link. Plus with one broker involved, no commision splitting, more income, more incentive for the broker to work harder.

 

[slowgoesit]

A prudent broker will not show a boat with the owner onboard.

An owner who wants to sell his boat will never be aboard during a showing.

Having the seller and buyer meet before an offer is accepted is a really bad idea.

Probably true from a Seller's perspective, but personally, I would not purchase a boat without meeting and talking at length with the actual owners. Listening to the Seller's broker alone is a good way for allowing problems with the boat, shall we say, to be "omitted" from conversations. Boat we looked at last year stated 1000 gallons of fuel, also that all systems were operational. After dealing with the Seller's broker over several e-mails, and 1 phone conversation over a period of about two weeks, I was STILL not able to get straight answers to some of my questions. Finally found the owner's contact info. During conversation, it came out (readily admitted) that the two aft fuel tanks leaked and hadn't been in service in almost 18 years . . . , and that the Seller's broker KNEW that! Seller's broker can, and will, hide behind a disclosure somewhere in the ad that says "While condition is represented to the best of the broker's knowledge, broker is not responsible for any misrepresentation of boat" Or some such legalese . . . Basically, Broker can lie, misrepresent and omit information in the interests of making the sale, and can't be held responsible . . .

Soooo, long way around, for me personally, if I cannot meet with and discuss the boat with the owner, except in circumstances which I cannot currently think of, I would not proceed any further on purchasing a specific boat. YMMV

 

[syjos]

Probably true from a Seller's perspective, but personally, I would not purchase a boat without meeting and talking at length with the actual owners. Listening to the Seller's broker alone is a good way for allowing problems with the boat, shall we say, to be "omitted" from conversations. Boat we looked at last year stated 1000 gallons of fuel, also that all systems were operational. After dealing with the Seller's broker over several e-mails, and 1 phone conversation over a period of about two weeks, I was STILL not able to get straight answers to some of my questions. Finally found the owner's contact info. During conversation, it came out (readily admitted) that the two aft fuel tanks leaked and hadn't been in service in almost 18 years . . . , and that the Seller's broker KNEW that! Seller's broker can, and will, hide behind a disclosure somewhere in the ad that says "While condition is represented to the best of the broker's knowledge, broker is not responsible for any misrepresentation of boat" Or some such legalese . . . Basically, Broker can lie, misrepresent and omit information in the interests of making the sale, and can't be held responsible . . .

Soooo, long way around, for me personally, if I cannot meet with and discuss the boat with the owner, except in circumstances which I cannot currently think of, I would not proceed any further on purchasing a specific boat. YMMV

It all depends on the particular owner and the circumstances of why he's selling. Not all owners are going to be friendly and helpful.

I bought two boats directly from owners. One went smooth and the owner and I became friends. The other not so smooth. Details in previous posts.

Some owners can become defensive. competitive, argumentative and some are reluctant or unhappy about selling. Some are not that knowledgeable.

After the offer is accepted is the time to meet the seller.

 

[sunchaser]

Soooo, long way around, for me personally, if I cannot meet with and discuss the boat with the owner, except in circumstances which I cannot currently think of, I would not proceed any further on purchasing a specific boat. YMMV

A very unrealistic and not a conventional approach. First, as a seller wasting my time talking with tire kickers is silly. Secondly when my boat goes on the market we will either be at our house 1,800 miles away or traveling. Thirdly, the selling broker can relay or email truly relevant questions to me. Fourth, I'd certainly be willing to spend some rump time with the lucky buyer once the deal is done and familiarization is requested.

Personally I've been involved in enough used vessel marine buying and selling positions to know that an adversarial situation is more common than not since large sums of money are involved. Stuff like drapes, helm seats, wipers, bottom painting and TVs are best left to the brokers to iron out prior to sale.

 

[BandB]

Soooo, long way around, for me personally, if I cannot meet with and discuss the boat with the owner, except in circumstances which I cannot currently think of, I would not proceed any further on purchasing a specific boat. YMMV

You will never meet with us. Never talk to us or see us. However, you will meet with a captain representing us with detailed logs and history and capable of knowing all there is to know about the boat. Also, all boats we sell will be one owner boats.

 

[syjos]

Your a brave man Syjos! ...Site un seen...? I struggling spending $50 bucks on amazon, because I can’t touch it!

I forgot to mention that the Mainship, Sandpiper and the Pontiac were all one owner.

I only buy from original owners.