Ethical question, re buying a boat

[Roy Halvorsen]

Big Boy

As a sailor and a gentleman what is your responsibility to the seller. If you feel that you have a responsibility honor it.

 

[Ross]

In our throw-away society a boat may not be worth repairing

but if a few days of labor and a couple of hundred dollars worth of material will keep a boat out of the land fill and on the water for me it is no contest.It doesn't require much to make a boat as seaworthy as it was originally. Like almost everything else in this world we blur the line between what we need and what we want. A proper boat keeps the water outside. If it isn't supposed to rain inside the boat then a proper boat will be dry when it rains. Shiny woodwork, upholstered cushions, are not needed. They are very nice and I went to some effort to have them.So when we say a boat isn't worth repairing what are we saying about our regard for the environment, our love for boats and boating. If it floats and keeps the owner safe and dry isn't it a good boat?

 

[timcup]

Last year I bought this humongous lift...

it was one of this manlift things that lift 6 men up to 40 feet high to do construction. I know absolutely nothing about hydrolic lifts, but it was a great deal, and I thought I needed one, so I bought it. 3 days after getting it home, while trimming a tree 30 ft up, it quit working. It was humiliating climbing down in front of my neighbors, but I git a great deal, so I'll just have someone fix it. Two different guys make 4 trips total, and never did get it to work, but I got a great deal. After having this eyesore reminding the entire neighborhood that I'm an idiot, I put it on ebay, disclosed it's checkered history with me, and sold it. And somebody got a great deal.I have no idea if the former owner knew there was a problem... it ran fine for 3 days. You have no idea if the guy knew about the damage, either. What I do know is I made a mistake, and the amount it cost me was tiution for another life lesson. Welcome to school! If ther sail fits the boat you bought, it's yours. If it doesn't, give it back. Karma is a regular visitor in my neighborhood. I know this, because after buying the lift, shipping it home, and paying two repairmen, I sodl it on ebay for a net GAIN of $157. It was a great deal!Enjoy you boat often!Cup

 

[TimCup]

sorry guys

now I'm logged on!

 

[earthtravel]

More info from Russell/Earthtravel

I'm not looking to string him up, I actually like the boat, and it doesn't look like it was a hull breach, or a small one if it was, just some really bad dock rash or a grounding of some type. Hard to say, there's a 14' tortilla covering it and it's all painted inside.It looks like I missed the repair when it was hauled because the straps covered the ends of the repair, and it goes up to the apex of the hull on the starboard side so the color change went unnoticed. It looks to be an amateur repair job, not faired properly and the color is off. I own my decision and the boat, I am not going to sue, I like to be very fair (to a fault sometimes), and just want some input.All of the sails that came with the boat do fit. I am just disappointed that what seemed to be a "friendly old guy" that is too busy "volunteering for the church to use the boat" misled me about the condition. He had it for nine years and showed be the custom made brush he used to "carefully scrub the hull at least twice a year", and he missed the 14' repair during the boat scrub love fest . . . please? And then told me "this boat has never had any hull damage" and "there is nothing I am not telling you about". Looking over the feedback I have so far, I think most of us would agree that he likely new about the repair and should have said something. I am going to call him and politely let him know the deal is done. (I'll post the outcome)And it seems my karma ran over his dogma.

 

[earthtravel]

Conclusion

We have decide to call it a deal, and I never did get him to admit that he knew about the hull repair, but he gave up pretty easily on the exchange.Thanks to everyone for your input!

 

[Ross]

Earth traveling Russel, Crawl up inside there

with a light and look for white spots on the glass where it may have taken a hit. If you bruise glass/resin laminate it shows white spots that have to be ground out and redone with new glass and resin. 10 ounce per square yard glass fabric will use about 10 ounces of resin for a good repair. At 30 dollars per gallon for resin and glass cloth from Ebay you can do a lot of repair work for fifty or sixty bucks.I am glad you resolved this .

 

[earthtravel]

Will do that tomorrow,

and thanks for the suggestion .

 

[higgs]

Survey?

We don't know what earth/russ paid for this boat. Some boats, however, are not worth the price of a survey. This may well be one such boat. He is not going to be taking it to Tahiti and the repair job has obviously held up for at least a season - so it probably is ok. As Ross points out, if it isn't a good repair, russearth can make it so.Earth/Russ, do you like the boat? Are you willing to keep it despite the repair? Do you think the repair is solid? If, after what you have told us, this guy somehow didn't know about it, and you believe him - then I have a great deal for you on a brand new embassy on a river in Iraq.The sail is yours. This guy inventoried the sails as he helped you load them on to your truck. By his very actions he consummated the sale. What the hell do you want? He had to know about the 14' repair and now he is trying to get one of his sails back in order to sell it to a buddy. He is trying to play you for a fool.I am guessing this boat was around $3k or so - hardly worth a survey. You done just fine. You got a decent boat, a bunch of sails, but a slippery guy to deal with. If he wants the sail tell him to write Judge Judy or Alex or whomever. Make sure the TV station pays your airfare and hotel and consider it a vacation. At this point, this is a no brainer, and......a very fun discussion.

 

[earthtravel]

You are right on track with all

your suppositions . . . and we'll need to get all the details on that embassy in writing . . .Cheers!

 

[higgs]

Just send me the check

You can have the embassy as soon as the check clears.

 

[Boat Babe]

Great thread!

Russel, sounds like this episode ended just fine! I'd like to thank everyone for a very enjoyable thread.... I had nothing to add to all your comments but found it very humorous...and a happy ending! Steph

 

[Ross]

Earth-traveling Russel, Just one more question.............

Where are you going to be sailing this boat? That is the one question that the internet helps to keep unanswered.

 

[Mike]

Ross, how do you know so much about my boat?

My boat keeps the wate out, doesn't rain inside, saild fine, and makes me happy. It doesn't have fancy woodwork or cushions not needing reupholstering. but it sails fine and makes me happy.

 

[Ross]

Mike that is the best kind. I like a boat or a truck that if

I should bump into somebody elses I just worry about how much damage I did to theirs. There isn't much I could do to my boat that couldn't be fixed in one afternoon.

 

[higgs]

One more thing

That embassy I sold you......I accidently forgot to tell you that the Humvee parked in the garage was not supposed to be part of the deal. Would you mind returning it to me?

 

[earthtravel]

Ross, I am in Lakeway

Texas, boating on Lake Travis and sometimes we sail in Galveston Bay, putting in at Kemah.

 

[Ross]

The forum has mambers at

Kemah, tx. Now that you have disclosed a place someone may look for you in a friendly way.