Buying a Boat Angel donation boat

[Max Sail]

I'm thinking of bidding on a boat angel donation boat. Has anyone bought through them?

Wondering what pitfalls to look out for and how the experience went...

[marc2012]

There is a long thread here or on sailnet re these.marc

[Mike Vogdes]

I bought a boat on eBay thru them last year,all things considered it went rather smooth. I was able to go see the boat be for hand. So I had a good idea of the condition. The boat was accurately described in the boat angle listing. they were prompted with the paper work, and the closing was easy, I would do it again.

[Celestialsailor]

Well...at least you're not dealing with a broker. I'm assuming it is the Westsail 32. Looks like a nice boat if you're handy. Wishing the best for you.

[jerrymc]

I bought my Newport 30 from them, via ebay, in 2009. No problems, paperwork spot-on, boat as described. Transaction straight-forward, no hitches, no problems.

[endoftheroad]

1975 Westsail 32' Used Sailboat for Sale - Texas in Sailboats | eBay Motors

The boat has the potential to be a good buy.
I imagine its worth 10k, maybe more.
There are some things that were in storage that are gone forever but someone could be getting a decent Westsail project boat.

I've followed Boat Angel auctions in the past, they are legit.

[Mike Vogdes]

Well if it is the Westsail I agree it looks like a worthy project. The missing stuff is probably no great loss anyway, 40 year old cushions, sails, etc is probably stuff you would need to replace anyway. Rewiring should be strait forward, and replacing all electric components with modern stuff would complete the job. The engine is a big item, I know of a fresh Perkins 4108 rebuild with 0 hours on it for 5k, This boat would clean up nicely, good luck if this is what you are eyeing.

[CPseudonym]

Originally Posted by Max Sail

Wondering what pitfalls to look out for and how the experience went...

I have two close friends that have purchased from them on EBay and both have had a great experiences. Except for very rare circumstances you are buying a project so keep that in mind when bidding. The majority need complete refits and the owners could not sell them or got tired of trying.

Buy locally for the best bang for your buck, but then I'm cheap and detest shipping charges. If that Westsail was in California I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Good luck in your quest.

[endoftheroad]

Someone jump in 25hrs remaining. $4,650
1975 Westsail 32' Used Sailboat for Sale - Texas United States Coast Guard Documented

[Mike Vogdes]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

Someone jump in 25hrs remaining. $4,650
1975 Westsail 32' Used Sailboat for Sale - Texas United States Coast Guard Documented

You don't want to jump in until there is 25 seconds remaining.

[TaoJones]

Heh . . . this is funny, because the thread I just put up deals with this same boat (in a way.) See: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1257340

TaoJones

[TaoJones]

Well, the auction's over! The Westsail 32 that was the subject of this thread, apparently, went for a top bid of $7601.99. The winning bidder had resorted to the usual winning practice of placing a single bid that was high enough to top the next highest bid by the minimum raise, plus 99 cents.

In addition, the winning bidder must pay another $249 to Angel Boat Ministries for what they call a "document handling fee." The total paid for the 1975 Westsail 32, then, was $7850.99.

Not a bad price at all from what I could see in the pictures of the vessel.

If the OP got involved in the bidding as he seemed to be thinking of doing, it would be great to get an update from him on his experience . . . maybe he was even the winning bidder!

TaoJones

[CPseudonym]

That really is a decent price. After fit out the buyer will have a well found boat they can get many years of enjoyment owning.

[Mike Vogdes]

The NADA retail low for this boat is $22,800, average retail is $25,800, I would estimate the refit cost at about 20k. Would be a nice boat when done provided there are no big surprises, we all know how that goes...

[tar28usa]

Have been following their auctions for some time looking for a good deal on a boat.What I've noticed is they seem to have a lot of relistings due to can't contact winning bidder and the boat shows up again.I'm beginning to think that if the boat sells for less than they want,they put in the highest bid so they can relist it.