Frustrated with the boat buying process

Sep 3, 2013
109
Hunter 34 Marina Del Rey
Still looking to buy a cruising sailboat. For 2/3 years now we have been talking about buying/outfiting a boat for cruising the Caribbean. Are estimated departure date is Nov 2018. Which gives us about 2 months to close on our new boat/home.

Unfortunately the last 3 boats we placed offers on all fell through for various reasons.

We want a comfortable, large cruising sailboat in the $150k-$250k range. Looked at a few Hunter 450/456 but most of the fleet is looking old and few have been well maintained. We love the Hunter 50CC but only found one for sail in the US and the sellers broker is refusing to work with my broker.

Looking for some guidance, encouragement and maybe a recommendation on a great boat for sale...?

Just thought I would share my experience and see what advice comes back. Thanks.
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Still looking to buy a cruising sailboat. For 2/3 years now we have been talking about buying/outfiting a boat for cruising the Caribbean. Are estimated departure date is Nov 2018. Which gives us about 2 months to close on our new boat/home.

Unfortunately the last 3 boats we placed offers on all fell through for various reasons.

We want a comfortable, large cruising sailboat in the $150k-$250k range. Looked at a few Hunter 450/456 but most of the fleet is looking old and few have been well maintained. We love the Hunter 50CC but only found one for sail in the US and the sellers broker is refusing to work with my broker.

Looking for some guidance, encouragement and maybe a recommendation on a great boat for sale...?

Just thought I would share my experience and see what advice comes back. Thanks.
Seems like you are set on a Hunter? It's a buyer's market, as far as I can tell. There are lots of beautiful, late 80's Sabre 42's and 90's 425's for sale, and 90's Tartan 4100's and 4600's, in your price range. Maybe too old for your taste?
 

KD3PC

.
Sep 25, 2008
1,069
boatless rainbow Callao, VA
I am with Jviss, and I owned a Hunter 42 CC for some years, but also owned a Sabre and they are well worth a look - especially in your range.

might try another broker, or at least ask your guy what the holdup was on the other boat.
 
Sep 3, 2013
109
Hunter 34 Marina Del Rey
Thanks for the recommendations. I haven’t looked at most of those models but I will. We had a 34’ hunter and I guess it’s just comfortable to stick with what you know. I have a lot of respect for some of the proven designs of old but we are partial to the modern designs and interior size is important to us. At 6.3” and 250lbs I don’t fit in most boats designed for the French.

The other boats I put offers in on didn’t pass survey and the owners weren’t willing to fix the issues.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
@Blackacre were the listed boats what you were considering? They were located on the east coast, which appeared to be beneficial if you are planing to head for the Caribbean.

I suspect you might find a boat and a favorable price in the fall on the North East Coast or the Great Lakes. One issue is you will have to travel to look at the boat.
 
Sep 3, 2013
109
Hunter 34 Marina Del Rey
Jssailem,

Thanks for sending me the listings. The deck salon looks like a middle ground between Center & Aft cockpit. I’ll have to see one in person but looks interesting.

The newer 45CC there’s probably the most logical next choice after looking at the 50CC over the past few weeks.

It’s hard to go down in size but there appears to be far more 45 foot boats on the market. Also the reduced beam should allow for less expensive transportation over the road in the event we move the boat back to the West Coast in the future
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,399
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Thanks for the recommendations. I haven’t looked at most of those models but I will. We had a 34’ hunter and I guess it’s just comfortable to stick with what you know. I have a lot of respect for some of the proven designs of old but we are partial to the modern designs and interior size is important to us. At 6.3” and 250lbs I don’t fit in most boats designed for the French.

The other boats I put offers in on didn’t pass survey and the owners weren’t willing to fix the issues.
It is quite common for the survey to reveal a few issues, and it is also common for the seller to consider some or all of them to be "conditions of age." In other words, a used car is not perfect and they may feel they were within the range of reasonable expectation for the offered price. Many buyers react badly to what they see as changing the deal. And as you know, there will always be something.

Just sayin', I've bought and sold 4 boats, some over $100K, and never found the process frustrating. Surveys turned up stuff, but never anything I had not noticed and or allowed for in my offer.
 
Sep 3, 2013
109
Hunter 34 Marina Del Rey
It is quite common for the survey to reveal a few issues, and it is also common for the seller to consider some or all of them to be "conditions of
In my case the repairs would have exceeded $100,000 on a $400,000 boat. Standing fuel in the cabin, serious electrical deficiencies and numerous other material issues. There are definitely some people who are looking for a sucker. Which is why so many non boaters are afraid of buying a boat because there are countless horror stories of unwitting buyers getting taken advantage of. Don’t get me started, I can’t tolerate dishonest people.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Surveys turned up stuff, but never anything I had not noticed and or allowed for in my offer.
I think that the survey is used by some individuals to decide if the boat is worth trucking across country to see it. If the survey is positive the buyer is elated... if negative deflated.
Searching for that one boat is the challenge, the Holy Grail. I like your approach, using the survey to confirm the "suspicion of condition" you developed after personal inspection.

I wonder how many folk do a personal inspection first then do a survey.

I suspect that some rely on others to do the inspection and then have mixed results depending on the individual chosen for the task.
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
I wonder how many folk do a personal inspection first then do a survey.
I think the usual sequence is:
  • inspect (personally or agent);
  • offer, negotiation, arrive at a price;
  • purchase and sale agreement;
  • survey;
  • sea trial;
  • decision.

I bought a boat in September and am selling one now, and that's how it's proceeded for both.

There are differences, like whether the boat's on the hard or in the water, who pays to launch, haul, recommission, winterize, etc. But the sequence is essentially the same.

Of course you could pay for a survey (big bucks) without a P&S, if the broker will allow it, but it could be sold out from under you during the process.

No one will be surveying or sea-trialing my for-sale boat without a P&S in place! Look all you want, that's free.
 
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Sep 3, 2013
109
Hunter 34 Marina Del Rey
I have bought and sold 2 boats, 2 airplanes and way too many cars to count. The boat buying process is the worst IMO. When I sell a boat it’s accompanied with a recent survey to establish a baseline. After all, how does the seller claim a value without knowing the condition of the boat? Of course some sellers are just looking to dump their problems on to some unexpecting buyer in which case they want to conceal the true condition. This is where most of my frustration is with the process.

I looked over the boat best I could with my abilities and experience, I relied on the sellers representation of the boat and it’s condition. Then I spent a considerable amount of money for a professional to verify those assumptions only to find out the seller was misrepresenting the boat but I have no recourse. The sellers says “well you caught me” and moves on to the next unwitting buyer and so the process continues until an unfortunate soul gets taken advantage of.

I realize most people in the forum are to smart to fall for those kinds of traps but this is a highly informed consumer base. These sellers are looking for newbie. As a group we are dependent on new boaters entering the market or the industry will deteriorate within one generation. Just look at what happened to the private aviation industry.

We all should be appalled by dishonest sellers and out them when at all possible.
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I'm not sure why the dishonesty is always assigned to the Seller. I'm sure there may be a lot of arrogant buyers whom think they are so smart that they will never over-pay for a boat and go into a transaction with the attitude that their low-ball offer is reasonable. It's always a give-and-take process, there is no way around it. Sellers probably have plenty of horror stories about buyers, don't you think? ;)
 
Sep 3, 2013
109
Hunter 34 Marina Del Rey
Scott

My point was directed to misrepresentations being made. If the buyer is demanding something that wasn’t offered that would be a different situation. But when the listing says it’s a 9 out of 10 and the sellers says you want find a thing wrong with the boat then you find out it’s a death trap... Well that’s called lying.

I’m advocating for more transparency. The seller should know what he is selling and disclosure any and all deficiencies, deferred maintenance, accident history, etc.
 
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dakno

.
Jun 22, 2009
209
Hunter 41DS new orleans
It can be tough. In your price range you have to stick with yachtworld and you evidently like your broker, which is also important. Look at the 06 to 12 H49. There is a 08 in florida that shows as new, Valkyrie, very low hours, has everything x2, asking 250k. I believe I also saw a few examples on the west coast. They are aft cockpits...The fit and finish on these boats seems exceptional. Good luck
 
Sep 3, 2013
109
Hunter 34 Marina Del Rey
Thanks Dakno

I believe the 49AC and 50CC share the same haul and the specifications look very similar. The AC has a much larger cockpit however you lose the aft owners suite which is really the best feature about these boat IMO.

That said, I would very happy to own a 49AC. I’ll have to give them a closer look as well as the 45CC.

For a cruising boat, should I be placing so much emphasis on the CC?