Buying my first boat!!!

Espos4 said:
A real nice bunch of people here as long as you don’t........

1.ask about a Honda generator on your swim platform

2. Buy a boat without a survey and complaint when you have issues

:)

All kidding aside, tons of useful info here and many members eager to help.

Good luck with your search/purchase!
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This is going to be a fantasticly helpful site. However, Lowe's is having good deals on swim platform generators!!
 
Sarah said:
Never considered emotionally attached owner. Unfortunately no Marinemax near me but will keep an eye on them. Good to know they have so much experience! I also didn't consider the oh I'll fix the little problem and end up with a disaster. Yes. Launch day = HAPPY DAY!! I love your idea of a partial ship and cruise the rest! That would be awesome. Can't thank you enough for all your advice! And you probably saved me a few bucks!! Thanks so much!!!
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No problem! Look on the Marine Max website every once in a while to see if they have anything within reasonable transportable distance. They take boats in on trade all the time.
Sea Ray owners seem to be mostly brand loyal when moving up, and it seems like the 260 you’re looking at is a first step in the “cruiser market” for a lot of people. I see a lot of them around here.
MarineMax often had a lot of brokerage boats when I was looking. I guess a lot of people looking to move up give their current boats to them as brokers with the idea of buying their next one from them once it sells.
Also, you can ask around on this forum in both the section for your region and the ask a broker threads for recommendations for good brokers in your area.
Brokers don’t make money if they don’t close deals, so they really try to make a deal happen, and good brokers realize the value in referrals and repeat customers so they try to make sure everyone is happy.
Lastly, and this is a very unscientific conclusion, but it’s based on my fairly recent shopping experience.
A lot of the boats listed for sale by owners are listed that way because the seller either wants, or needs to get a certain amount of money for their boat. They either can’t afford to, or just refuse to pay a commission. Sometimes they just aren’t in a rush to sell, or sometimes they still owe the bank a certain amount of money on a boat and can’t afford to sell it for what it really should sell for.
I kind of equate them to the FSBO house sellers.
I saw a couple of boats in my search that I might have bought if they were priced realistically, but the sellers owed the banks more than the boats were worth.
I wasn’t looking to steal a boat, but I wasn’t looking to solve someone else’s financial problems either.
 
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One thing to consider. TAXES.

In Georgia, if boat is brokerd, you must pay use and excise tax on purchase price. It can add 4%-7% to the price tag. Check you state regs. .every state is different.

Private sellers avoid this in Georgia.
 
dtfeld said:
One thing to consider. TAXES.

In Georgia, if boat is brokerd, you must pay use and excise tax on purchase price. It can add 4%-7% to the price tag. Check you state regs. .every state is different.

Private sellers avoid this in Georgia.

Dave is correct though it is called sales tax assessed at the rate of the county in which you live. Private buyer/seller do avoid this tax.

The best thing you will do is to find and read every post of the 05-08 260DA thread started by Dave S. Likely 500+ post all worth reading.

Bennett
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JVM225 said:
No problem! Look on the Marine Max website every once in a while to see if they have anything within reasonable transportable distance. They take boats in on trade all the time.
Sea Ray owners seem to be mostly brand loyal when moving up, and it seems like the 260 you’re looking at is a first step in the “cruiser market” for a lot of people. I see a lot of them around here.
MarineMax often had a lot of brokerage boats when I was looking. I guess a lot of people looking to move up give their current boats to them as brokers with the idea of buying their next one from them once it sells.
Also, you can ask around on this forum in both the section for your region and the ask a broker threads for recommendations for good brokers in your area.
Brokers don’t make money if they don’t close deals, so they really try to make a deal happen, and good brokers realize the value in referrals and repeat customers so they try to make sure everyone is happy.
Lastly, and this is a very unscientific conclusion, but it’s based on my fairly recent shopping experience.
A lot of the boats listed for sale by owners are listed that way because the seller either wants, or needs to get a certain amount of money for their boat. They either can’t afford to, or just refuse to pay a commission. Sometimes they just aren’t in a rush to sell, or sometimes they still owe the bank a certain amount of money on a boat and can’t afford to sell it for what it really should sell for.
I kind of equate them to the FSBO house sellers.
I saw a couple of boats in my search that I might have bought if they were priced realistically, but the sellers owed the banks more than the boats were worth.
I wasn’t looking to steal a boat, but I wasn’t looking to solve someone else’s financial problems either.
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That's interesting about the FSBO. No, wish i could but can't solve anyone's financial problems. I have seen some nice boats (pics) at attractive prices by owners and I'm sure I'll look but the idea of working with a broker appeals to me. There's a broker at Popyachts that sends me ads every so often and we've become friendly. He wasn't a referral though. He told me that people often buy boats sight unseen if the distance is too great and pics/sea trial/survey are ok. However, with patience I will hopefully find something closer and put that shipping fee into electronics!! What is the best way to find a good surveyor? You mentioned there's a place on this forum by location but I can't find it. Thanks so much!!!
 
dtfeld said:
One thing to consider. TAXES.

In Georgia, if boat is brokerd, you must pay use and excise tax on purchase price. It can add 4%-7% to the price tag. Check you state regs. .every state is different.

Private sellers avoid this in Georgia.
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Good point. Thanks.
 
Hi Sarah , glad your getting into boating. I too own a '06 260 , and love it. As Happy Dayz said earlier, '06 and later is slightly different than '05 and earlier, just fyi. Definitely get a survey, worth the $$. Lots of factory options were available, do some research and keep a list so if you find a boat you like you can know what the boat was fitted with. Mine was heavily optioned, everything but a generator, which I didn't want anyway, which made my decision very easy. A generator is great if you feel you need it, but if not, it is just something that requires additional maintenance.
During the survey, have the surveyor pay extra attention to the outdrive and the "bellows" (just inboard of the outdrive). Good luck with your search and be patient !
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me , I'd be happy to pass along my experience with this model .
Take care .:)
 
GCHOG said:
Hi Sarah , glad your getting into boating. I too own a '06 260 , and love it. As Happy Dayz said earlier, '06 and later is slightly different than '05 and earlier, just fyi. Definitely get a survey, worth the $$. Lots of factory options were available, do some research and keep a list so if you find a boat you like you can know what the boat was fitted with. Mine was heavily optioned, everything but a generator, which I didn't want anyway, which made my decision very easy. A generator is great if you feel you need it, but if not, it is just something that requires additional maintenance.
During the survey, have the surveyor pay extra attention to the outdrive and the "bellows" (just inboard of the outdrive). Good luck with your search and be patient !
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me , I'd be happy to pass along my experience with this model .
Take care .:)
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One thing that really attracted me to the 260's were the models with the fold-up stern seat. It would make an excellent fishing area! Ive seen some advertized with generators and it seems a lot of folks on this forum wish they had one. Any thoughts on their pros/cons? I have found patience is quite important in this process so I'm trying! Thanks for your kind offer to discuss further. Everyone has been so helpful!
 
quality time said:
No personal experience, but I've read a lot of complaints about Pop Yachts. Do a little googling before dealing with them.
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I used Pop Yachts to buy my 330. Purchased it sight unseen from the PO who lived on the East coast of FL. The pictures they posted were very good and gave me an overall idea of the condition of the boat.

The guys at POP were pretty good with regards to getting me information I needed. They got back to me quickly and I actually had them do some extra stuff for me, like getting the boat to a local marina for bottom painting and hull waxing.

What I didn't like about the process were POP's rules. I couldn't see the boat myself to determine if I wanted it or not. There was a 10% deposit I needed to pay before I could have a mechanic come take a look. The deposit was refundable contingent on a good survey though.

I also didn't believe my broker was taking all offers to the seller. I think the first offer was rejected by the broker himself and not the seller. My first offer was a bit low, but it had been on POP's website for a while, so I wanted to see how motivated the seller was to get rid of the boat.

The paperwork process went well, all done electronically over the web. I closed 10 days after the offer was accepted. All in all it was an OK process and I'm very happy with the purchase.
 
Boater420 said:
I used Pop Yachts to buy my 330. Purchased it sight unseen from the PO who lived on the East coast of FL. The pictures they posted were very good and gave me an overall idea of the condition of the boat.

The guys at POP were pretty good with regards to getting me information I needed. They got back to me quickly and I actually had them do some extra stuff for me, like getting the boat to a local marina for bottom painting and hull waxing.

What I didn't like about the process were POP's rules. I couldn't see the boat myself to determine if I wanted it or not. There was a 10% deposit I needed to pay before I could have a mechanic come take a look. The deposit was refundable contingent on a good survey though.

I also didn't believe my broker was taking all offers to the seller. I think the first offer was rejected by the broker himself and not the seller. My first offer was a bit low, but it had been on POP's website for a while, so I wanted to see how motivated the seller was to get rid of the boat.

The paperwork process went well, all done electronically over the web. I closed 10 days after the offer was accepted. All in all it was an OK process and I'm very happy with the purchase.
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So, really, they don't allow anyone to see a boat in person? And was the deposit refundable even if the survey was good?
 
screw that! i make a point of spending HOURS at a boat if i'm interested...and that's before the survey. we had the generator and loved it, although didn't use it as much as i thought i would. HOWEVER, to put one in after the fact costs stupid amounts of money and your resale value goes down if you don't have one. IMHO, get all the options you can afford. That said, if you're looking for a steal, finding a boat without certain options (e.g. radar arch, generator, trailer, et cetera) is a great way to get the price down. Just know you aren't going to be able to sell it as quickly, or for as much when the time comes to sell it. And trust me, you will sell it. It seems the 260 is a right of passage for SeaRays. you'll fall in love with it and want to do more boating, longer trips, and want to move up. you may find really quickly that the 260 might not give you the comfort level you want in your area, too - and by that i mean the size of water you frequently boat in. we quickly found the 260 (although adequate) for the chesapeake, was only enjoyable under optimal weather/sea conditions. it didn't take much for trips or days to turn "unpleasant."
 
Sarah, do yourself a favor, stay away from Pop Yachts. There is a reason they cant list boats on Yachtworld and other sites. They do no adhere to Yacht Broker standards. Find yourself a reputable broker in your area, there are many. They will help you through the buying process. I am a broker in Wilmington NC, so I am to far away to help you properly, but take the advice of a broker with years in the business.
 
importmonkey said:
screw that! i make a point of spending HOURS at a boat if i'm interested...and that's before the survey. we had the generator and loved it, although didn't use it as much as i thought i would. HOWEVER, to put one in after the fact costs stupid amounts of money and your resale value goes down if you don't have one. IMHO, get all the options you can afford. That said, if you're looking for a steal, finding a boat without certain options (e.g. radar arch, generator, trailer, et cetera) is a great way to get the price down. Just know you aren't going to be able to sell it as quickly, or for as much when the time comes to sell it. And trust me, you will sell it. It seems the 260 is a right of passage for SeaRays. you'll fall in love with it and want to do more boating, longer trips, and want to move up. you may find really quickly that the 260 might not give you the comfort level you want in your area, too - and by that i mean the size of water you frequently boat in. we quickly found the 260 (although adequate) for the chesapeake, was only enjoyable under optimal weather/sea conditions. it didn't take much for trips or days to turn "unpleasant."
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I agree!!! That's just crazy! Not ALLOWED? Well anyway, I have my list of must haves and plan on as many options as possible. After the fact anything is expensive. Agree with you on size but for now I think it'll be the 260. Am I the only wife out there who says, "Hey, the boat has to be 10' longer?"
 
bahamabreisus said:
Sarah, do yourself a favor, stay away from Pop Yachts. There is a reason they cant list boats on Yachtworld and other sites. They do no adhere to Yacht Broker standards. Find yourself a reputable broker in your area, there are many. They will help you through the buying process. I am a broker in Wilmington NC, so I am to far away to help you properly, but take the advice of a broker with years in the business.
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Thank you so much. So important to know these things. Love your city!
 
importmonkey said:
screw that! i make a point of spending HOURS at a boat if i'm interested...and that's before the survey. we had the generator and loved it, although didn't use it as much as i thought i would. HOWEVER, to put one in after the fact costs stupid amounts of money and your resale value goes down if you don't have one. IMHO, get all the options you can afford. That said, if you're looking for a steal, finding a boat without certain options (e.g. radar arch, generator, trailer, et cetera) is a great way to get the price down. Just know you aren't going to be able to sell it as quickly, or for as much when the time comes to sell it. And trust me, you will sell it. It seems the 260 is a right of passage for SeaRays. you'll fall in love with it and want to do more boating, longer trips, and want to move up. you may find really quickly that the 260 might not give you the comfort level you want in your area, too - and by that i mean the size of water you frequently boat in. we quickly found the 260 (although adequate) for the chesapeake, was only enjoyable under optimal weather/sea conditions. it didn't take much for trips or days to turn "unpleasant."
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We started out with an '06 260DA and had all options except for the TV and DVD player which were outdated by 2014 anyway. We loved "camping on the hook." Having the gen meant we always had hot water, AC, and the battery charger. Maintenance on the gen was a once/year oil change, 2-plugs every 2 years, and an impeller every 2-3 years. We also kept it on a trailer. Loved the way we could go where we wanted and when we wanted. I miss that part.

Get a good hull surveryor and at a minimum, get a compression check on the engine and gen. We bought our 260 from a private sale and used the seller's broker for our 44DB.

I have never heard one good thing about POP YACHTS and would run away from them.

Bennett
 
Sarah said:
That's interesting about the FSBO. No, wish i could but can't solve anyone's financial problems. I have seen some nice boats (pics) at attractive prices by owners and I'm sure I'll look but the idea of working with a broker appeals to me. There's a broker at Popyachts that sends me ads every so often and we've become friendly. He wasn't a referral though. He told me that people often buy boats sight unseen if the distance is too great and pics/sea trial/survey are ok. However, with patience I will hopefully find something closer and put that shipping fee into electronics!! What is the best way to find a good surveyor? You mentioned there's a place on this forum by location but I can't find it. Thanks so much!!!
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Scroll down the main forum page to listings by region.
Be careful with Pop yachts.
I listed my old boat for sale a few years ago and they contacted me once it was listed.
They must have a program or something that alerts them to new listings in other places.
Anyway, their deal was that I send them a bunch of pictures, info, and my asking price. Then they add their commission to my asking price and list it in their website sight unseen.
I suspect they have absolutely no first hand knowledge of the boats they list.
They are basically just an Internet listing service.
Also, it’s probably never a good idea to buy a boat sight unseen. Run, don’t walk, away from any broker who thinks that’s okay.
Surveys are expensive, but usually worth every penny.
But I would want to make sure any boat I was going to make an offer and have a survey done on passed my initial inspection first.
Even someone who isn’t particularly familiar with boats can determine if everything works by having the seller demonstrate all systems, and make a determination of condition based on personal observation.
If a seller offers a ride before you make an offer contingent on survey and sea trial, then that’s great, but I wouldn’t hold it against a seller who didn’t want to give away free boat rides to potential buyers who haven’t demonstrated how serious they were yet.
Generally, how it works is that you find a boat you like enough to make an offer to the seller through a broker or directly. That offer is contingent on Survey and sea trial, Once accepted, you give a deposit (generally around 10%) arrange for the surveyor yourself, pay their fee, and any cost to haul the boat for hull inspection and relaunch it for the seller.
Once the written survey report comes back you look for things that need repair or replacement that you weren’t aware of, assuming of course it all goes well with the survey, decide if you still want the boat, and negotiate with the seller over the things that the survey revealed that you didn’t know about.
I wouldn’t provide a seller with a copy of my written survey unless they wanted to pay for it, but I wouldn’t confront them about something that came up in a survey without having a written report either.
They usually know what to expect ecause their broker, or them personally, are present for the survey and sea trial.
Personally, if there are things I want addressed I prefer the seller address them at their expense and demonstrate the corrections before I would take delivery.
Once you’re satisfied, you close on the boat at the previously agreed upon price. It’s generally unreasonable to ask a seller to both address something at their expense, and then discount the boat on top of that. I wouldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t expect anyone else to do it either.
Others may feel differently, but my experience is that more often than not things wind up being more involved and costly than you initially think once you start to address them.
That’s why I prefer that the seller take care of the things the surveyor finds that I was unaware of when I made my accepted offer.
 
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