How to estimate repair costs from survey??

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Juho

Don't forget the other alternative of buying a slightly more expensive boat and having less need to spend time and money in restoring her.

I suggest simply looking for a better boat, in better condition, and a better price. A boat that needs work might be cheaper, but the opposite might not always be true. There are lots of reasons a boat might have a low price, aside from condition.

If you look for a boat that needs a lot of work, then thats likely what you will find. I try to look for a boat thats in good condition, at a good price.

I have been asked..."how do you find such good deals on boats". The answer is obvious..."by looking for them".

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by hamburking

On an "insurance survey" the value of the boat is pretty much all they care about.

No, they want to know condition.

[tikirawker]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Originally Posted by tikirawker View Post
...we would get more intimate with the boat fixing and upgrading so when we made our first long voyage we could have the best education possible...

Intimacy is one thing, and i agree with your point.

One thing not mentioned in all the posts about working with yard guys is SAFETY.

The more you know about your boat, the safer it can be. (Not always with two left handed spanner slingers, but usually. )

Over the years I have worked on my own cars, motorcycles, and power boats. Even as a kid with go karts... Understanding how something works is always a plus. I will also concede it may have gotten me out of as many jams as I have created...

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by tikirawker

My friend and I are in the process of getting our first sail boat.
The surveyor had a mixed report but said the boat has a decent foundation.
We are on a budget so we knew going in there would be some repairs etc...

This was part of the plan as we would get more intimate with the boat fixing and upgrading so when we made our first long voyage we could have the best education possible (everybody has their first trip sometime....).

The report listed all kinds of items that i do not even know how to guestimate the cost or repairing. So how do we make the final negotiations or requests for concessions?
here is an example - during the trip from the dock to the marina the impeller had an issue so it was fixed before the survey. during the repair they discovered an unknown aux fuel tank and for some reason it leaked diesel fuel. so now the boat smells like diesel and the tank needs to be removed and/or replaced. Do we request $500 or $5000...

I had to go back to this OP. Find a boat in decent shape even if is smaller. First boat and removing fuel tanks? Those shouldn't even be in the same post. The stuff about knowing the boat, because it is falling apart, is crap.

Best of luck and exercise some sense.

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by Juho

Don't forget the other alternative of buying a slightly more expensive boat and having less need to spend time and money in restoring her. In this approach it is easier to estimate the amount of money you need to make her safe and comfortable enough to sail (=lower probability of costly surprises).



I would try to save by checking numerous boats and selecting the one that has the best balance in this scale from a repairable wreck to a well tested ready to sail boat. I believe the best deals can be made closer to the "ready to sail" end of the scale (since new parts will cost a lot anyway), but it may take some time to find the best deal.

Having done both: grew up sailing and fixing family sailboats from age 5 to 25 so had some experience when I started? My own first boat was a project boat, but at the time it had a new engine, great structural integrity, and "just needed cosmetic work." Except like all aged, slightly neglected boats it's always always always much more. Luckily it was prior to having kids so I had time and money. Got to use the boat a lot, but spent TONS of time fixing it up. All my labor, but I put same as I spent on boat back in between sails, line, paint, parts, hoses, etc etc etc. i really enjoyed the fixing as a hobby, but wouldn't again.

So when it was time to upsize, I went looking for mint condition versions of the models I was interested in. 10-20% increase in purchase price is a no-brainer in downstream savings in time and money, if the more expensive model is in better shape. Heck, even 40% more for some boats will actually, materially, save you money even if your labor is free.

I would offer low on this boat.


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[malbert73]

Oops forgot to finish last post. Would bid low if you are set on this boat, but i still say the best choice is fund the funds for a boat oriced 20k more without same issues.


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