Help with buying my first boat

Ah forums. It seems like there is always someone ( @Buckethead905 ) who doesn't read everything thoroughly.

Did I ever say I was going to buy it at full price? Never. Not once.

I am taking everyone's opinion into account as carefully as possible and I appreciate most of it (your most recent excluded).

I'm actually offering much less for the boat and I haven't heard a peep from the guy. Fingers crossed I haven't insulted him because I actually get along with him well and I love his boat.

I have backup options that are excellent.

Thanks to everyone here, I have a really good sense of what I should look for and what I should be weary of, and I still welcome more.

That I haven't already bought one is due to serious anxiety about the process. It isn't easy weighing so much at once and I am hard on myself - I expect to make an excellent choice... I don't want to regret it.

Have a super fantastic day.
 
Buckethead905 said:
To be honest it sounds like you’re on here looking for peoples advice but ultimately are going to make the entirety of your decision on what you’re wanting to tell yourself is a good idea, regardless of what everyone else has to say. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum, and some experienced people have stepped up and offered some very sound advice to which you are smiling and nodding but everyone knows you’re not really listening. I think you should buy that 35k-40k whaler for 57K so everyone on here can say “we told you so” when it all goes belly up and you’re 30K into a repower wondering how the hell you ended up there.
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Exactly, sad but true, same thing with towing with a SUV, now size don’t matter , a bit confusing. Towing that whaler with a SUV is insane, but I see a lot of big boats towed with 1/2 tons
 
brutus said:
Exactly, sad but true, same thing with towing with a SUV, now size don’t matter , a bit confusing. Towing that whaler with a SUV is insane, but I see a lot of big boats towed with 1/2 tons
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This thread has been a bit tough to follow. I think that in one of his replies @aeroblade has suggested that a family member's vehicle will be used for towing so that requirement is no longer valid.

I really think that @aeroblade is putting too much pressure on himself to "make an excellent choice". Boats are all projects. Deteriorating and depreciating. And every boat is a compromise. Don't overthink it. Get a good, well-known boat (Campion 542 is an example) and go boating
 
No, boat last
Pineapple Express said:
This thread has been a bit tough to follow. I think that in one of his replies @aeroblade has suggested that a family member's vehicle will be used for towing so that requirement is no longer valid.

I really think that @aeroblade is putting too much pressure on himself to "make an excellent choice". Boats are all projects. Deteriorating and depreciating. And every boat is a compromise. Don't overthink it. Get a good, well-known boat (Campion 542 is an example) and go boating, boats last forever with endless supplies of disposable cash
Click to expand...
 
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aeroblade said:
Thanks all.

I already have an accepted offer on the Whaler. I'm now doing the survey and motor inspection.

That is a great deal, though. I'm sure it will sell soon.
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Good luck with the Whaler - Hull looks good, and hopefully the motor gives you many seasons before a re-power.

Its hard, but don't get emotionally invested when you are doing inspection/due diligence (if you have a kid(s), don't bring them - my son would 'name' the car/boat while I was looking at it). Set yourself some criteria for either 'walk away' or negotiate down, and don't deviate.
 
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As part of purchasing a second hand boat, familiarize yourself with the transfer and registration process. You will need to write up a solid bill of sale - you will need this later to transfer the hull registration, and also for insurance purposes. Don't write it on a napkin with crayon.

Couple of pointers. It is hard to do a title search on boats - you can have a notary do a serial number search in the Personal; Property Registry, but its not definitive. Get them to show you the hull registration papers, ask them point blank to show you ID and confirm they own the boat free and clear and can sell it. For mine, I added the following terms to the Bill of Sale:

1) Seller represents that they are the legal owner of the item being sold and have the right to sell it.
2) Seller warrants that the item is free from any liens or encumbrances and will provide all necessary documents to transfer ownership to the buyer.

I'm not a lawyer, and don't know if this would actually help me in the end - but its definitely going to put the seller in legal jeopardy if they decide to be cagey about ownership/debt.

Anyway, get your ducks lined up, be well organized and have the funds ready. Anytime I negotiate for something I actually want I negotiate hard and use being organized to my advantage. In a universe of tire kickers, being the guy who shows up with no stories, cash on hand, and a pre-drafted bill of sale is a negotiating advantage: definite-money today is worth more than maybe-money tomorrow.
 
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Nice boat! Test out the windlass during the sea trail. That’s a really nice feature I didn’t see but it looks like it has one. New Trailer, Lowrance are both big ticket items not to mention a great kicker. Stainless disc brakes are sweet and cost a pretty penny and are worth it.
 
Max123 said:
As part of purchasing a second hand boat, familiarize yourself with the transfer and registration process. You will need to write up a solid bill of sale - you will need this later to transfer the hull registration, and also for insurance purposes. Don't write it on a napkin with crayon.

Couple of pointers. It is hard to do a title search on boats - you can have a notary do a serial number search in the Personal; Property Registry, but its not definitive. Get them to show you the hull registration papers, ask them point blank to show you ID and confirm they own the boat free and clear and can sell it. For mine, I added the following terms to the Bill of Sale:

1) Seller represents that they are the legal owner of the item being sold and have the right to sell it.
2) Seller warrants that the item is free from any liens or encumbrances and will provide all necessary documents to transfer ownership to the buyer.

I'm not a lawyer, and don't know if this would actually help me in the end - but its definitely going to put the seller in legal jeopardy if they decide to be cagey about ownership/debt.

Anyway, get your ducks lined up, be well organized and have the funds ready. Anytime I negotiate for something I actually want I negotiate hard and use being organized to my advantage. In a universe of tire kickers, being the guy who shows up with no stories, cash on hand, and a pre-drafted bill of sale is a negotiating advantage: definite-money today is worth more than maybe-money tomorrow.
Click to expand...
 
Well, the survey came out spotless. It's officially in "Above Average Condition" with a higher than asking insurance valuation.

The mechanical is being done tomorrow by Ina Marine.

I went on a sea trial on Saturday with the nice folks that own it. It was good and blustery out there (gale force), so I couldn't do much, but I got in the bare minimum tests.

I find the hydraulic steering to be a bit... I don't know how to describe it, but it's easily 5.5 turns from max side to side. That's a lot looser than any steering I've experienced before... not loving that.

The main engine just purred the whole time. Not a single issue with startup or strange sounds.

The 9.9 Yamaha kicker took more time to warm up and behave. But it performed well after wards. Not a big deal.

The electric windlass (a huge perk for my back) works well.

I checked all of the storage (clean as a whistle)

The built in toilet works with a new macerator. Officially I can't use that unless we're 2 miles off shore, but it's there.

Things I wish it had.
1) A hard top. I love the flexibility those offer. I
2) More seating. It only seats 4 comfortably. Technically it has two seats behind the captain chairs, but the captain chairs get in the way a bit, which would make sitting behind them awkward. This is the biggest x against it so far.

All in all, I'm having a hard time not getting exactly what I want, but I can clearly see this is a superb opportunity for a really well cared for boat.
 
The mechanical went well. It ran without issue and all of the boxes on the test were good.

Even at that, I suppose hoping to get a straight answer on a 1500 hour engine is pointless?

Heh, here is my pointed question to the mechanic's boss that sent me the report:

Me: Overall, does this seem like a good test for the verado? I realize it's dated, but did it (overall) seem to be in great shape and ready to go for many more hours?

Rep: Verado was Mercury’s main line for 14 years. Tech saw no outlying issues, visible leaks with any rotten parts that have salt water going thru them, etc….

... I think the head mechanic moonlights as a politician.
 
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