Never Buy a Boat in the Spring

[Foswick]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

Insurance is always an issue

Yeah, I was finding insurance to be a huge hassle. Last time I shopped for insurance (about 12 years ago), it was no problem and was cheap. This time, I was having all sorts of hassles and a lot of "no".

Then, I went to Progressive's site and had a great policy in 15 minutes without a bunch of restrictions. Not as cheap as my old policy with Geico, but a much better policy.

[Schapera]

Or, buy a boat in a warm climate. 😂

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Schapera

Or, buy a boat in a warm climate. 😂

You just eliminated half of the earth. Brilliant!

[Kettlewell]

The trick is don't plan on launching when everyone else does. I've bought a bunch of boats over the winter and always plan on being the last one in, possibly in June or July, when the boatyards are slow. Also, much easier to do all the initial work needed on any used boat when the weather is better. One boat I bought in the spring didn't launch until August.

[scareygary]

Originally Posted by PJS

You opened it up with a "rant" and received a comment. The comment was valid. In the NW, the fair weather season is short and if you are a seasoned boater as you indicate, you should know haul out spots are limited and hard to come by. Slips are even harder to come by.

So, I would agree, you could have lined up slip wait lists, you could have got a list of haul out locations and availability, you could have lined up a surveyor ahead and just coordinate dates when the time was right... There were things you could have done to mitigate the position you are in now. You didn't and now want to "rant"?

You put it out there, got constructive feedback and you don't like it. Don't be such a Richard...

He labeled his post as a rant, but I took it as 'advice' to others. He was forewarning us of his troubles with his purchase. I think there was some over-reaction to the post, frankly. There are multiple ways to be a 'Richard'....

[Kettlewell]

Can't say it always works, but I have had better luck getting boatyards and repair folks to do stuff in a timely fashion by not being the person bugging them about getting it done by a specific date. Instead I say, "No rush, get to it when it's convenient." That attitude moves you up the line. In general, in cruising and boatyards setting a schedule is a guarantee of disappointment.

[Auklet]

Originally Posted by Foswick

Wow, really? That is great advice. So, you're saying that I should have considered some of this beforehand, and the process would have gone smoother? That is some revolutionary thinking.

I think you're right though. We should all anticipate things we don't foresee as being a problem because we might later find out that they were, in fact, more difficult than anticipated.

Let me write that down ...

Mocking this fellow is not a good response after he spent time reading your list of complaints (about the way things are). You sign off on a boat purchase and then start complaining about boat ownership “out the gate.” Sir, you haven’t seen much of anything yet. Just wait until you need some repairs done or wish to upgrade. Besides, many future boaters read these posts so they can benefit from his comments.

Wanna a marina transient reservation for a visit?, expect many of them to be booked for much of the summer already. Next, you can start whining about the $2.00/ft per night mooring rate at popular places, unless it’s gone higher recently. Don’t miss out on circling around a fuel dock for half an hour or more waiting to fuel while a big power boat tied in the middle of the dock loads 500 to 1000 gallons. Oh yes, if you like to complain then you have lots of fun ahead.

[thomm225]

I bought in late Spring.

The boat was at a marina 70 miles away.

The marina was about 7 miles further out in the boonies from a town of 2,000 people.

The good news was I was from the area.

No problems launching the boat as the marina wasn't too busy ever. Boat was already on the hard. No survey.

Storage and slip fee was the same at $135/month.

I pay about $10/ft/ month now here in Virginia Beach, but when I retire, I found a place near where I bought the boat for $500 a year!!

Fixed dock. Also way off the beaten path.

[dan104]

I bought current boat in the USVI (I live in Maryland). I signed contract in June and took delivery in Nov. I was able to spend a week with owner in June checking her out but no way to do a survey or hull out till Nov.


Broker and owner were great to work with!



Insurance in USVI was very pricey, spent the winter down there playing a doing boat work. Sailed up to Maryland in May (nothing like 1800nm to shake out everything). Insurance dropped from 4k to 1k. Slip price went from 6k/y to 4k/y, water color went from clear to grey.

[thinwater]

And if you bought it in the fall you would be trying to do work in cold weather (many areas) and would not get to use it until spring.


I have bought fall, winter, summer, and spring. They all worked out. Buying and getting ready just takes a little time, no particular preference.

[Franck Bavaria]

Well at our place in the med, my house boat yard is empty because everybody is already in the water. So, maybe change to "never buy a boat at season start" whenever it fits local conditions.

[Auklet]

The Pacific Northwest is an area where one needs to set up all of the steps in boat buying before an offer is made. Of course, you’d best sure that you will, in fact, be making an offer. Know your target purchase. You may need a pre-approved bank loan amount if financing. For used boats, banks will lend only 80%. Pre-approve is preferable to a loan contingency in a sales contract. Seller might be looking at other offers. A contingency clause loses to a pre-approve which loses to a cash offer. Get the insurance quote on the target. This gives you access to what insurers see as the “blue book” value of the boat. It might be quite a bit less than the asking or likely agreed purchase price.

Surveyors are usually backed up a few to several weeks. You must schedule that person, and then schedule the yard haul-out to coincide. That way you know when to schedule “closing.” BTW, the bank and the insurer might have to “sign-off” on the survey to proceed to sale. But you might still get “lucky” and find a window “on the fly” to get those ducks aligned.

Of course, know where the boat is going. There is usually a waiting list for slips just about everywhere in the PNC except maybe at Blane Harbor for a few lengths. The broker might deliver the boat to your slip if you have one already.

A “SeaTrial” can be hardly more than making a few loops near the marina. You might discover what is or is not working. I recommend getting aboard with the broker a couple of hr ahead of departure to pre-inspect the “systems” you intend to test or observe. Such as the cooling system.

As a sailor who intends to sail the boat, I wish to see all points of sail in optimally 12 kt of wind. (10-15). Perform a couple of “figure-8’s” tacking, and a couple gybing, then a short windward-leeward course. You’ll need crew. Raise the chute if there is one. Deploy/furl the headsail; hoist, reef, and douse the mainsail.

Next of course would be to anchor. Insure that the windlass is working (not frozen) and not cutting out intermittently. Importantly, that it will recover the chain veered; confirm the amount of chain or rope, the type of anchor. Confirm that the depth meter is working; that the speed log is accurate (STW).

Return to the slip & dock.

Get with owner broker to review the results. Anything that appears to negatively impact the seaworthiness of the vessel (such as a frozen anchor windlass; non-functioning navigation lights, dysfunctional helm or steering) or its ability to be sailed (e.g. frozen sheet winches; jammed headsail furler) the owner fixes or you get a credit. Piddly s**t (such as the fridge is not working, head is leaking, sanitation hoses smell bad, dinghy davits blocks broken etc.) is on you; good luck getting credit there. This where the whining comes in. Good luck!

Settle up then you are done.

[Foswick]

Originally Posted by Auklet

You sign off on a boat purchase and then start complaining about boat ownership “out the gate.”

I think you misread the intent of my original post. I'm not complaining about anything. I have owned a few boats over the years and have had tons of haulouts, etc. I've just never had problems scheduling any services because I have always pretty much avoid busy times of the year or am in no hurry.

Despite the fact that I should have known better, I went ahead and tried to get a bunch of stuff done in May. I was being a little tongue-in-cheek with the clickbait title "Never Buy a Boat in the Spring". As ScaryGary, points out, it was meant as a cautionary tale, i.e. don't do what I did.

No complaints. In fact, I think I was pretty clear that I was just ranting and should not be taken seriously.

[Statistical]

Originally Posted by Foswick

Yeah, I was finding insurance to be a huge hassle. Last time I shopped for insurance (about 12 years ago), it was no problem and was cheap. This time, I was having all sorts of hassles and a lot of "no".

Then, I went to Progressive's site and had a great policy in 15 minutes without a bunch of restrictions. Not as cheap as my old policy with Geico, but a much better policy.

If the boat is under 40 years old, under 50 feet, under $200k and you want coastal cruising insurance it is pretty much fill out a form and pay. The numbers might vary slightly by issuers but anything under those is easy find find.

If you want to insurance a 50 ft $1.5M cat to sail around the world that is when it is an absolute nightmare.

[Schapera]

Originally Posted by Auklet

The Pacific Northwest is an area where one needs to set up all of the steps in boat buying before an offer is made. Of course, you’d best sure that you will, in fact, be making an offer. Know your target purchase. You may need a pre-approved bank loan amount if financing. For used boats, banks will lend only 80%. Pre-approve is preferable to a loan contingency in a sales contract. Seller might be looking at other offers. A contingency clause loses to a pre-approve which loses to a cash offer. Get the insurance quote on the target. This gives you access to what insurers see as the “blue book” value of the boat. It might be quite a bit less than the asking or likely agreed purchase price.

Surveyors are usually backed up a few to several weeks. You must schedule that person, and then schedule the yard haul-out to coincide. That way you know when to schedule “closing.” BTW, the bank and the insurer might have to “sign-off” on the survey to proceed to sale. But you might still get “lucky” and find a window “on the fly” to get those ducks aligned.

Of course, know where the boat is going. There is usually a waiting list for slips just about everywhere in the PNC except maybe at Blane Harbor for a few lengths. The broker might deliver the boat to your slip if you have one already.

A “SeaTrial” can be hardly more than making a few loops near the marina. You might discover what is or is not working. I recommend getting aboard with the broker a couple of hr ahead of departure to pre-inspect the “systems” you intend to test or observe. Such as the cooling system.

As a sailor who intends to sail the boat, I wish to see all points of sail in optimally 12 kt of wind. (10-15). Perform a couple of “figure-8’s” tacking, and a couple gybing, then a short windward-leeward course. You’ll need crew. Raise the chute if there is one. Deploy/furl the headsail; hoist, reef, and douse the mainsail.

Next of course would be to anchor. Insure that the windlass is working (not frozen) and not cutting out intermittently. Importantly, that it will recover the chain veered; confirm the amount of chain or rope, the type of anchor. Confirm that the depth meter is working; that the speed log is accurate (STW).

Return to the slip & dock.

Get with owner broker to review the results. Anything that appears to negatively impact the seaworthiness of the vessel (such as a frozen anchor windlass; non-functioning navigation lights, dysfunctional helm or steering) or its ability to be sailed (e.g. frozen sheet winches; jammed headsail furler) the owner fixes or you get a credit. Piddly s**t (such as the fridge is not working, head is leaking, sanitation hoses smell bad, dinghy davits blocks broken etc.) is on you; good luck getting credit there. This where the whining comes in. Good luck!

Settle up then you are done.

Now THAT is good advice!