Boat for sale in excellant condition

[Denis]

We have started to look for our next boat larger boat and I am amazed at the number of people out there who do not keep their boats clean and in proper repair. We went to look at an Albin 31 TE only six years old and I stood with my mouth open while the broker told me of the virtues of a boat like this. Im not sure what the 31 sold for new but they were asking 160K for this one and after a short look see, I would not have paid what I paid for my 28 three years ago. Bilge was full of oil, engine covered with rust and grease, every hatch and latch and hinge was damaged, rusted or cracked in some way. All upholstery in very nasty throw away condition, the head was a mess and the list goes on. The more boats I look at the more amazed I am at the total disregard people have for their investment and for their comfort and safety on the water. What could they be thinking? Denis

[RicM]

Dirty, ill cared for boats IF mechanically sound (survey, survey, survey) represent an excellent buying opportunity. Low ball them and pay someone to detail it for you if the deal goes through. Houses are the same way, people stop taking care of things that are burdensome and eventually they just want to dump them. Shocking, yes but one person's loss can be another's opportunity.

[Veebyes2]

That is basically how I got my 32. 4 years old, 400hrs, the engine had blown a hose & given itself a spray of seawater so the engine does not look good, it had flooded up to the bottom of the stringers, it was not being used & it was the end of October, not a good time to be selling a boat.

I had no intention of using the boat before April the following year so I got it, shipped it to Bermuda & had it trucked directly to my property where I spent 5 months cleaning & getting to know the boat.

Just a few days of cleaning can add thousands to the value of a boat.

[Legacy]

Shame on the broker too for not having the seller hire a kid for a couple of days to spruce up the boat. Who knows what the seller's personal situation is? But I'm with the original poster, I hate to see any boat neglected.

We bought our '98 35 TE that looked very tired at showing. We're still getting her back to showroom condition. Turns out the owner was getting on in age and could not manage a big boat and it got ahead of him. We had a surveyor pore through the boat, hired Cummins to check out and tweak the engines and spoke directly with the people who worked on the boatover the years. I think we got a good deal on a solid boat and in the next year or so, we'll really have a head turner worth more that we paid for it. Of course my architect wife thinks the tuna tower and outriggers spoil her lines, but what does she know!

[RobS]

Just a few days of cleaning can add thousands to the value of a boat.

Yes, even if you spent a $1,000 having a full detail and tidy things up you would recoup that and more and just overall have a much better chance of getting the prospective buyer interested. To show a boat that is dirty and untidy is a reflection on your overall lack of maintenance and proper upkeeping. Here are some shots of a 2000 28TE I looked at this summer and did not buy. I blocked out the reg numbers on the hull. From the look of the bildge you would think they just drained the oil into the bildge and then used the bildge pump to pump it out. And the broker knew the distance I was coming from - This was a 400 mile trip for the wife and I to see this boat, so he knew I wasn't just a tire-kicker. I commented him about the conditions and he said he knows, it's the seller that doesn't want to take the time or cost to make it show better....

[RicM]

Rob:

Those pictures are amazing. That boat is worth more than some peoples' homes and many peoples' yearly salaries. To try to sell it in that condition is just plain stupid, but hey, there are a lot of stupid people out there. I hope you bought it right and with enough left over to buy a power washer. We bought from Peter at Prestige Yachts in Stamford CT. He showed us 2 boats, a Luhrs Alura and an Albin 28. Both had bilges you could eat out of. The engines were painted, and every switch and light bulb worked. I have a lot of respect for a good broker after our experience.

[RobS]

Rob:

I hope you bought it right and with enough left over to buy a power washer.

I did NOT buy that boat. Same year, blue hull, but not the one I bought.

[RicM]

Even better!