Familiar with Honolulu Yacht Brokerage Int'l, John Dukesherer?

[PaulCrawhorn]

Is this an honest guy?

Apparently a one-man show, despite lots of listings

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats-for...onal-llc-57290

Says he also handles arranging repairs, deliveries, caretaking etc. . .

I'm on the East Coast and not able to fly there soon, but he's got a (claimed) decent example of a boat I've been lusting after for years, ticks all my boxes

at a price much lower than usual, so much so I don't want to reveal the details afraid someone else might jump on it before I can do my due diligence.

Willing to take a chance buying sight unseen if he's not a scammer. Feel free to PM me if you prefer. . .

Also any reco's on a good surveyor there? Or a member lives near Waikiki willing to have a look at her?

[JasonBRose]

Whilst not being terribly responsive sometimes, John is the main yacht broker in Honolulu and has been for decades. He's not a scammer. On the other hand the boat you're looking at is probably not a deal. In general, well maintained boats go for above market value in Hawaii. There are soooooo many neglected boats around here. If its cheap, there's probably a reason. What boat are you looking at? The link above is just taking me to yachtworld's search page

[Creedence]

Originally Posted by JasonBRose

Whilst not being terribly responsive sometimes, John is the main yacht broker in Honolulu and has been for decades. He's not a scammer. On the other hand the boat you're looking at is probably not a deal. In general, well maintained boats go for above market value in Hawaii. There are soooooo many neglected boats around here. If its cheap, there's probably a reason. What boat are you looking at? The link above is just taking me to yachtworld's search page

This captures the Hawaiian boat market very well. Gems are rare, and they are priced accordingly. You’re looking at a market of maybe 200-300 boats. The Hawaiian boat community- and market are VERY small. Chances are, someone knows the boat you’re looking at and it’s back story. If it’s listed at any kind of a discount, then there’s certainly a story to go with it.

To your question, I seem to recall The broker you’re asking about and I think he’s 100% legit. I bought my boat through another local brokerage, Ala Wai Yacht Sales, but I’m pretty sure your guy is also good. The biggest variable is the boat itself from the details you shared.

[PaulCrawhorn]

Wow, thanks for the very quick responses, very helpful and encouraging!

And also for the caveats.

I hope to put in a deal proposal in the next couple of days, put down a deposit

and that we can do a contract subject to at least a "lite version" surveyor's report

so that doesn't cost too high a proportion of my overall acquisition cost.

So, any reco's on a good surveyor in the Honolulu area?

Ideally here on the forum. . .

Any member lives near Waikiki maybe willing to have a look at an older Classic Plastic?

Willing to pay a bit, cover expenses, please PM me.

Thanks again, this community is amazeballs!

[Ferrity]

After sailing from SF to Hawaii, John sold my previous boat. Actually, he sold it twice because the first buyer defaulted after several months. I was totally satisfied with John's work.

Agree with above comments about quality/condition of boats in Hawaii.

[crashkahuna]

Bought and sold my last boat there thru John. Yes, legit guy and all went well. I also think that a lot of the boats there just don't stand up well to the environment or are not maintained well so do a good inspection (especially sails and rigging - or plan to replace).

[Muaddib1116]

I sincerely doubt that a boat in Hawaii is going to get sniped from you, regardless of how good a "deal" it is, especially if it's been for sale there for even a moderate amount of time. The people in Hawaii who might be interested already know about it, and people from abroad rarely buy from remote locations like Hawaii. The benefit of possibly getting 3rd party information that might save you from the hassle of entering into a contract and sending a deposit is probably worth the "risk" of somebody else getting there before you, especially since you are almost ready to move on it.

[robertwcass]

While John is a very nice guy my experience with him was less than stellar. I bought a Canadian flagged vessel in Honolulu and John completely screwed up the US Documentation paperwork. I bought the boat last May 2020 and single handed to San Diego. The paperwork still isn’t done and John went dark on me for over 4 months. He recently resurfaced but I have resubmitted paperwork to the USCG and am hopeful to get my paperwork in 60 days or so.

John was nice to me while I was in Honolulu and helped me with rides to the store for provisioning and other stuff. But like the original poster said, he is a one man show and the amount of attention he is able to provide after the sale is limited.

That’s Just my experience.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by PaulCrawhorn

Is this an honest guy?

Apparently a one-man show, despite lots of listings

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats-for...onal-llc-57290

Says he also handles arranging repairs, deliveries, caretaking etc. . .

I'm on the East Coast and not able to fly there soon, but he's got a (claimed) decent example of a boat I've been lusting after for years, ticks all my boxes

at a price much lower than usual, so much so I don't want to reveal the details afraid someone else might jump on it before I can do my due diligence.

Willing to take a chance buying sight unseen if he's not a scammer. Feel free to PM me if you prefer. . .

Also any reco's on a good surveyor there? Or a member lives near Waikiki willing to have a look at her?

Just be aware that the main boat haul out in the Ala Wai has been closed for several years now. That's where most people dealt with repair issues in the past. Currently, your only option would be Keehi Lagoon which is several miles to the west just inside the reef runway at Honolulu Airport. Make sure you can get in there should you find anything that needs attention. For a place that's surrounded by water, Hawaii is very thin on yachting services. If you do find yourself in Keehi Lagoon be sure to check out the La Mariana Yacht Club - classic tiki bar spot with decent food and you don't have to be a member to go in.

[MultiCountryDon]

I also have dealt with John.
Good guy.

[Gudgeon]

Paul
I have use Robert Oakley of All islands Marine Survey for my last two surveys very thorough and was responsive to my requests. Phone: (808) 597-0086 E-Mail: allislandsurvey@gmail.com
Joel
Ala Wai marine has been gone for so long locals consider the Keehei Marine the primary yard here now. There is another option further to the west at Ko Olina a bit of a drive from downtown/Waikiki.

If planning on doing a haul out make a reservation as soon as possible it is sometimes hard to get a reservation. This august will be busy with some Transpac boats being shipped back to the west coast. Slips are scarce in Honolulu with Transpac and the number of condemned slips in the Ala Wai You have a limited time in the transient slips at the state docks.

[roverhi]

We're talking more than a decade ago but John was Ala Wai Yacht Brokerages far and away their most successful agent and the brokerage folded soon after he left the company. Don't know any of the details but he seemed to drop out of the market for awhile. He resurfaced a while back and has once again dominated the brokerage business. People must be happy for him to be so successful over several decades. I had a couple of conversations with him that went no further since I decided not to sell my boat but he seemed straight forward and a straight shooter.

There are deals that turn up here. Hawaii is the first destination of many around the world cruises but the end of their cruising dream. Craig's list has had some super deals on boats that people were motivated to get out of. Apparently didn't have luck selling through a broker and put what seemed like a very low price on their boat and they sold quickly. Nothing looks interesting at the moment, however.

The market is thin as moorage is very limited. On Oahu you've got a few State Marina's that tend to be relatively cheap but poorly maintained with decades long waiting lists and a couple of private marinas that are beautiful but with commensurate costs. Oahu has the one boat yard so you are limited in getting any work done unless you want to take the boat to Kona on the Big Island. I'm sure the Keehi yard would be able to fit you in just not on a last minute basis. Not at all familiar with their work. In Kona the yard has just hauls the boat. Any work is DIY or by local craftsmen.

FYI In Kona finally got my slip after a 5 year wait. Bounced around the marina on sub leases for 5 years before that so there are ways to keep a boat here just keep your head down, don't be an *******, pay your bills and be persistent in searching out moorage. There is dry storage in Kona. The lease on the land has recently changed hands and don't know what's going on other than cost has gone up. PM me if you want anymore information on the Big Island.

[Mrfish]

You're going to spend how much for a boat, and you can't fly to Hawaii to check it out?

Just my question!

[Muaddib1116]

Yeah, unless you're planning to move to Hawaii or start your cruising adventures from Hawaii, there would have to be a very specific set of circumstances to justify buying a boat in Hawaii and to then sail it back to the States, or even worse have it shipped somewhere.

[jmschmidt]

As someone else mentioned, you didn't describe the kind of boat you are looking at. I expect to have a 41' monohull on the market in a couple of months. PM me.