Major Seller's Remorse!

Carpediem44DB

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2015
3,230
Sanfransico Bay area
Boat Info
2000 Carver 506
2006 44 DB Sedan Bridge
Engines
Volvo TAMD 74 P
After two weeks on market Carpe Diem is under contract. we settled on a deal 10% under our list. Sea Trial on Thursday and Survey the following Thursday. I spent the afternoon in the engine room replacing the water intake hoses on the engines, cussing and straining the whole time. I finished, cleaned up and as I was securing the boat I could only think "what the hell are you thinking"? We revisited the Carver 564 we are planning as our replacement boat. This time the rose colored glasses came off and we could see all her flaws, none of which would be deal killers but in their totality and juxt opposed to the condition of our 44DB I'm really starting to regret the sale. At worse we will pass on the 564 and wait till the perfect boat lands in our lap. I'm sure gonna miss her.
Carpe Diem
 
We had our 280 for 13 years, I know the feeling... But now onto bigger and better things...
 
Remember it's not selling the boat that is making you sad - it's the memories of the good times you had on her. After selling boats I too have had several sad moments and come to the realization that it was because the boat was the physical glue to those great memories and you are probably feeling that by selling the boat you will lose all that. For the record, I still have those great memories and photos to remind me - I just have a different boat now.

-Kevin
 
A few years back I was frustrated by our demanding children's sports schedules & how it was affecting our ability to utilize the boat during the season. I did a quick cost analysis & decided to put her up for sale. She sold quickly for full asking by a buyers broker. As I looked over the contracts I came to the realization that whatever time I could squeeze out of our schedule for boating was better than no boating at all & took her off the market. Your situation is a bit different but I still feel your pain.
 
I'm in nearly the same situation. Have an accepted offer, exterior survey is done, sea trial next week. Lots of tears from my wife and son. After 13 years of great times and memories from both my kids growing up on the boat, it's very hard to let go. With all the care I've put into the boat its almost like having another child. More that once I've thought about cancelling the sale.

I'm really hoping we will create new memories that as happy on a new boat.
 
I'm with Blue, I've missed every boat I've sold, but not as much as I enjoyed the new ones I got afterwards.
In 2013 we decided to step up to the marina life and see if it was for us. Not wanting to invest to much on a test I found our 98' 310 on Craigslist. It was a short-sale so I offered the seller/bank $36,000 knowing that they probably wouldn't except it, but I was wrong they did. It was kinda rough and needed some TLC. We cleaned it up moved it to the marina and loved the marina life. In 2016 I sold it for $49,000 to move to the 400. You would think that I would have been happy to use a boat for 3 years and make $13,000, but I was still sad when it left. Now that I have my 400 I'm even happier than I was with the 310. I think once you complete the circle of sell and purchase the new one, you will be also. The pics and memories will always be there. Good Luck
 
I had some feelings of remorse after selling my old boat. They were compounded by the fact that it was in the beginning of the season and the deal on the next boat we thought we were going in to a few days later fell apart.
It didn’t help that I kept thinking that I made a mistake by getting rid of a boat that was completely dialed in the way I wanted and I was very familiar with every inch of only to take on the unknowns of another one.
I kept thinking that I should have just stayed with what I had and knew.
It was a long boatless season that was frustrating at times while shopping, but it all worked out in the end.
We saw a lot of disappointing boats over the months before finding something that we immediately knew was the right boat for us as soon as we stepped aboard.
All the feelings of remorse and the regrets of a lost season went away. During the 2 1/2 hour drive home from our first inspection of our current boat we kept talking about how lucky we were that the deal we thought we were going right in to 6 months earlier fell through.
The bonus was that since we closed on the current boat in December I skipped a year of winterization, prep work, storage and wrap fees, Spring detailing, relaunch etc. because the dealer included all of that and delivered the boat to us in April.
It all turned out to be a small price to pay for a missed season.
The problem now is that I’m starting to entertain the idea of yet another move up and considering options and logistics .............
I can’t even imagine how I would approach that subject with my wife though.
 
Last edited:
After two weeks on market Carpe Diem is under contract. we settled on a deal 10% under our list. Sea Trial on Thursday and Survey the following Thursday. I spent the afternoon in the engine room replacing the water intake hoses on the engines, cussing and straining the whole time. I finished, cleaned up and as I was securing the boat I could only think "what the hell are you thinking"? We revisited the Carver 564 we are planning as our replacement boat. This time the rose colored glasses came off and we could see all her flaws, none of which would be deal killers but in their totality and juxt opposed to the condition of our 44DB I'm really starting to regret the sale. At worse we will pass on the 564 and wait till the perfect boat lands in our lap. I'm sure gonna miss her.
Carpe Diem

I just went through the same experience after selling our 420DB that I spent nearly two years making as new as possible. The only difference is we purchased a pristine 47DB before selling. As painful as it may be, it pays to hold out for the right boat.
 
If you guys have pending sea trials and reaaaaalllly want to back out of the deal it doesn't seem like it's too late.

Perhaps loosen up a couple spark plug wires. See if you can get one of the trim tabs to stay in the down position. Replace a couple fuses at the helm with blown fuses. Unplug the pump from the autopilot. Temporarily remove the waste tank vent. :):)

There are ways to safely tank these deals :)

In all seriousness my admiral sat in the car and cried when the new owners took our 340 away last year. It wasn't until we brought the 400 home a month later that she finally forgave me...
 
If you guys have pending sea trials and reaaaaalllly want to back out of the deal it doesn't seem like it's too late.

Perhaps loosen up a couple spark plug wires. See if you can get one of the trim tabs to stay in the down position. Replace a couple fuses at the helm with blown fuses. Unplug the pump from the autopilot. Temporarily remove the waste tank vent. :):)

There are ways to safely tank these deals :)

In all seriousness my admiral sat in the car and cried when the new owners took our 340 away last year. It wasn't until we brought the 400 home a month later that she finally forgave me...
My wife has been giving me nothing but grief on this and it was her big idea to move up after moving to a new marina with bigger boats as neighbors! I'm sure we will get thru this by keeping our eye on the prize of the next boat. No decision is perfect. Part of me hopes the deal crashes but a bigger part really thinks its time to move onward and upward. Ill share these responses with my wife in hopes that it makes her feel better.
Thanks everyone for your stories and support.
One thing we all need to remind ourselves of is this really is a 1st world problem to have!
Carpe Diem
 
...No decision is perfect...

Heard this saying a long time ago: "We were not put on this earth to make the right decision but to make decisions with the best intentions and then work to make them right".

In life we don't have fast-forward or rewind, only play. ;)

-Kevin
 
If you guys have pending sea trials and reaaaaalllly want to back out of the deal it doesn't seem like it's too late.

Perhaps loosen up a couple spark plug wires. See if you can get one of the trim tabs to stay in the down position. Replace a couple fuses at the helm with blown fuses. Unplug the pump from the autopilot. Temporarily remove the waste tank vent. :):)

There are ways to safely tank these deals :)

In all seriousness my admiral sat in the car and cried when the new owners took our 340 away last year. It wasn't until we brought the 400 home a month later that she finally forgave me...

I’ve offered my admiral several times to back out. She considers it, the admits we need a bigger boat for what we want to do.

She has mentioned wanting to follow it across the LI Sound on the ferry the day the new owners take it though.
 
You guys are all just doing this wrong! LOL

Buy the new boat then sell the old one, you will be damn glad to see her go...

The memories are still cool, but when you own 2 boats, one of which you do not need you are much happier to see her go.

MM
So true, that's been my approach for the last 2 upgrades! My wife absolutely loved our 26' Regal, then we moved up to our 370EC and had 2 boats for about 6 months, she was SO ready to just be done with the Regal. Plus, I didn't have a gap in my boating life, that would be miserable! :)
 
You guys are all just doing this wrong! LOL

Buy the new boat then sell the old one, you will be damn glad to see her go...

The memories are still cool, but when you own 2 boats, one of which you do not need you are much happier to see her go.

MM
The thing is, she would want to keep both boats. It’s already been proposed....
 
UPDATE
Sea Trial was last Thursday and Surveys were set for the 6 th of May. Buyers seemed impressed with the performance and were excited to move forward. Last night our salesman called and announced that the buyers backed out with some babble about not liking the numbers on the smart craft in terms of load at WOT. My wife hit the roof with glee! long and short, even though we received a better back up offer the boat is off the market. We decided we are crazy to sell a 400 hr 2006 boat in near Bristol condition and trade it for a 2003 or 2001 boat with a laundry list of condition issues just to have a bigger master stateroom. We will wait until the perfect boat drops in our lap. Every boat we ever purchased came available within 50 miles of us and we enjoyed each and every one of them.
Carpe Diem every one!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,948
Messages
1,422,808
Members
60,930
Latest member
Ebrown69
Back
Top