Busterbrown
Active Member
I am hopeing I can save others from the screwing around I recieved while purchasing a boat in the USA. I had been dealing with a broker on a boat in the San francisco area for approx 1 month. We had exchanged dozens of emails,photos and talked on the phone many times and had come to a deal on price. Now the work and expense starts.I thought I had done my due diligence on the boat. I had a mechanical inspection done,all was good. I then arranged for a survey to be done on the hull and a sea trial scheduled with the surveyor when I arrived to pick it up
I drove 15 hrs down to Sanfran and arrived around 20:00 checked into the hotel and headed to the marina where the boat was sitting on its trailer for the hull survey the next day. When I arrived the boat looked like it had never seen a brush or soap.It looked nothing like the photos I recieved. In addition there was a medium sized area that had a discolouration in the gelcoat,not noticable unless you were looking for it,which I was. I called the broker and explained my pissedoff -o- meter was off the charts.This despite the claim from him that the boat was "like new".At this point I had only spent $800 on mechanical inspection and fuel to get there.They did have my $4500USD deposit.
In the am I arrived at the boat to find 6 people working on it with buffers, acetone and polishing compound.It actually looked like a different boat than the night before
About an hour later everyone involved arrives, two brokers,the boat owner,surveyor and mechanical tech. I showed the surveyor the discolouration on the gelcoat and he explained that it could be as minor as some dock rash or could be major damage repair. Fifteen minutes later he calles me up to the boat as he had pulled the panels off to reveal significant evidence of major structural repair. The first two questions I asked when beginning the process was Any damage history with the boat and any insurance claims. The responce was no, it is like new!!
That was a deal breaker for me. I demanded my deposit returned and which was wired the next day.The owner and the broker claimed they did not know about the damage. Not possible . Another 15hrs home with no boat. In total I had invested $800 in mech inspection,$500 for the survey and $600 in diesel.I guess my recomendation is to get as much info as possible, ask if the photos you recieved are current and see the unit in person. Shipping might be easier or cheaper but may not be the best idea
I drove 15 hrs down to Sanfran and arrived around 20:00 checked into the hotel and headed to the marina where the boat was sitting on its trailer for the hull survey the next day. When I arrived the boat looked like it had never seen a brush or soap.It looked nothing like the photos I recieved. In addition there was a medium sized area that had a discolouration in the gelcoat,not noticable unless you were looking for it,which I was. I called the broker and explained my pissedoff -o- meter was off the charts.This despite the claim from him that the boat was "like new".At this point I had only spent $800 on mechanical inspection and fuel to get there.They did have my $4500USD deposit.
In the am I arrived at the boat to find 6 people working on it with buffers, acetone and polishing compound.It actually looked like a different boat than the night before
About an hour later everyone involved arrives, two brokers,the boat owner,surveyor and mechanical tech. I showed the surveyor the discolouration on the gelcoat and he explained that it could be as minor as some dock rash or could be major damage repair. Fifteen minutes later he calles me up to the boat as he had pulled the panels off to reveal significant evidence of major structural repair. The first two questions I asked when beginning the process was Any damage history with the boat and any insurance claims. The responce was no, it is like new!!
That was a deal breaker for me. I demanded my deposit returned and which was wired the next day.The owner and the broker claimed they did not know about the damage. Not possible . Another 15hrs home with no boat. In total I had invested $800 in mech inspection,$500 for the survey and $600 in diesel.I guess my recomendation is to get as much info as possible, ask if the photos you recieved are current and see the unit in person. Shipping might be easier or cheaper but may not be the best idea