Buying a Boat or Yacht

It's Got Recent Overhauls!

We hear this statement a lot, but the reality rarely lives up to the claim.

Typical Situation: After signing a contract, a client arrives in town from out of state for a survey. He was told by the buyer that the engines were recently overhauled.

Upon completion of the survey, the buyer is told by the surveyor that there is no evidence of recent overhauls. The engines are rusty, there's no sign of a bolt having been turned. Maybe there's some sign of recent spray paint activity of the hit and miss variety. Entire Article

What Does an Overhaul Entail?

In the first part of this series, we discussed how to view the claim that a used boat has overhauled or rebuilt engines.

The bottom line is to view such claims with suspicion until the claim can be proven. In this part we discuss in greater detail why that is so, and just how complex the issue can be. Entire Article

All about Pre-Purchase Surveys

The purpose of obtaining a pre purchase survey on a boat is to gain as much information on the condition of the boat as possible before you buy it.

What the surveyor does, and how he does it has a lot to do with his skill, experience, and personal methods of work. The amount of information that can be obtained is dependent on a variety of factors. These range from the boat itself, to how much you are willing to pay to get that information. Entire Article

After the Survey

You've spent months, possibly even years researching the ideal boat you want to buy. You finally reach the big day when you have found it, have made an offer, and it has been accepted.

The boat has gone to survey, which is now complete, and the survey report is now in hand. Just one problem: Despite the fact that the boat looked great before you made the offer, the survey didn't quite confirm your expectations. Entire Article

Boat Repossessions Auctions

Are boat auctions a good way to find a great deal on a used boat? Having managed a few boat auctions myself, I know a bit about their strengths and weaknesses.

If it’s a real auction, there’s no way of knowing how the bidding will go. It may be heavy, in which case it drives the price beyond reasonable; the lighter the bidding, the better the chance of getting a low price.

The volume of bidding usually depends on the quality or desirability of boats being offered.  Entire Article

Fundamentals of Restoration Project:Part I

During my three decades as a marine surveyor, I've always been amazed about two aspects of restoring old boats what, in the marine trade, is known as a refit.

First is that the people who can best afford to do them, usually don't. Followed by those who can't afford such projects are usually the ones that attempt them.

Such projects usually go wrong because the owner failed to appreciate the costs, and to estimate them in advance. There are no good deals on fixer uppers with boats. There is just expensive and more expensive.

Money is the name of the game, and if you haven't got it, then it's a mistake to think that you can do a refit on the cheap. Entire Article

Fundamentals of Restoration Project: Part II

In Part I, we discussed what makes for a suitable candidate for a major boat restoration project, both in terms of the boat and the person attempting it. In this part, we'll take a look at how to proceed with such a project, and what you need to consider before you buy. Entire Article

Your First Boat - Part I

By far, the most frequently asked question we get in our emails is the one by first time boat buyers asking about what brand they should buy.

Bewildered by literally hundreds of choices out there, they have neither the knowledge to make an informed choice, nor any place to turn for answers.

Indeed, we're almost as bewildered as they are. It would take a cast of dozens of experts just to survey the field of new offerings every year, not to mention hundreds more experts to assess the existing millions of used boats.

That's a feat no one has yet managed to tackle. That's why no one just give you a list of recommended boats. We can't just line boats up on a counter top and evaluate them; they're too big and the boats can't come to us, we have to go to them. Entire Article

Your First Boat - Part II

In Part I, we discussed the relative merits of buying a new versus a used boat.

In this segment we'll take a look at the basics of trying to decide exactly what type, style and shape of boat that you think you need, versus what may actually best fit you purposes.

As a newcomer to boating, it's tough to make intelligent choices mainly because you don't have enough experience. That often leads to the situation in which the boat you think you want ends up not really fulfilling your needs.

Of course, if you've got the money to spend, that won't make much difference. You just go out and buy another one. I'm addressing here primarily those who can't afford to make a first time mistake. Entire Article

Your First Boat - Part III

In Part II, we made the recommendation that an used boat offers excellent value and good prospects for reliability. But how old of a boat? And how do you go about completing a deal?

Our experience indicates that boats in the 2-4 year old range usually offer the best prospects.

Of course, boats that are only one year old are hard to find since not many people sell at that age. Secondly, you have to ask yourself why would someone get rid of a boat that is only a year old?

The reason could be financial distress, but you also have to wonder if they're getting rid of it because it is a turkey. Entire Article.

Chine Riding

Five of the last six twin engine CC boats we've tested chine ride. The sixth one also did, but was generally controllable with careful steering. The others would ride on one side of the hull or the other no matter what you did with wheel, engine trim or trim tabs. Entire Article.

Boat Weight, Hull Design & Performance

Light weight equals faster speeds plus better fuel economy. That's the advertising hawk we see in boat ads over and over these days.

Is that really true? Actually, it is, but unfortunately that is only part of the story. The other side of the story is the one that's rarely told. Entire article

Featured

Marylin Monroe Bertram 42 Convertible

For the lack of a better idea, we decided to use the eye-catching name of this boat as the title of this article. It's been many months that I've been looking to feature a fine example of a restored older boat, particularly a Bertram, but the opportunity hasn't presented itself until now.

Fortunately, we have an exceedingly fine example for you here. Why Bertram? Well, mainly because there has been such a great resurgence in the popularity of these boats, along with a lot of really fine refurbishing projects that have been going on over the last few years. Entire Article

From Cores and Structural Issues

More on Cores

And Why New Boat Surveys are Becoming a Necessity.

Putting cores in boat structures is now THE thing to do. Almost all late model boats we run into have more and more coring. Decks, hull sides, bottoms.

Which leads me to wonder if boat builders know why they're doing this and what the potential consequences for their future reputation is.

Builders are coring everything because their cost analysis suggests that using a lot of foam is cheaper than very high cost plastic resin, particularly the vinylesters and orthos that are needed on bottoms to avoid blistering. After all, cores make structures stronger, right? Entire Article

From Marine Surveying

Moisture Meters on Boat Hulls

This article and the two months of research that preceded it were prompted by the numerous phone calls and e-mails that I receive from boat buyers asking this question.

They have had surveys performed on boats they propose to buy on which the surveyor used a moisture meter on the hull. The surveyors gave them the results of the meter readings, but were apparently unwilling or unable to provide a comprehensive explanation of those results; at best, these people told me, the surveyor’s advice was vague.

This, of course, left the boat buyer with more questions than were answered. Entire Article

Direct Links to Some Chapter Contents
at www.davidpascoe.com

Chapter 1 
Basic Considerations(Mid Size Power Boats)

Chapter 2  
Boat Types: Which is Right for You? Mid Size Power Boats)

Chapter 3  
Old Boats, New Boats and Quality (Mid Size Power Boats)

Chapter 14
The Art of the Deal (Mid Size Power Boats)