Boat shopping..am I too anxious

A

Amb

New Member
Oct 24, 2017
12
Boat Info
sear 240 currently, will be upgrading
Engines
not sure
This am we drove 3 hours to see a 2006 340 sun dancer that we had just put a contract on. The owners were nice and the broker met us there. We were paying market price and thought the boat would show better. Low hours and low gen hours. There were about 6 -1 to 2 inch gauges in the gel coat, a couple stains on the vynal, the dash looked very worn and some gauges as well. It was also dirtier than we would expect. We were disappointed as we were told it just needed a good waxing outside but everything else was great.
We are canceling our contract and the search continues. How long does it take the average person to find their boat. Our first boat was a 2005 sun deck that we bought at the beginning of summer in immaculate condition. People think it's new. Am I being too picky or need some patience as I search for our new boat?
 
Hard to say. We got lucky on our ‘06 260DA in 2014. This summer we logged close to 5K miles before we found the right 44DB.

You know the answer-be patient. Do not settle for less than what you wanr.

Bennett
 
Amb said:
This am we drove 3 hours to see a 2006 340 sun dancer that we had just put a contract on. The owners were nice and the broker met us there. We were paying market price and thought the boat would show better. Low hours and low gen hours. There were about 6 -1 to 2 inch gauges in the gel coat, a couple stains on the vynal, the dash looked very worn and some gauges as well. It was also dirtier than we would expect. We were disappointed as we were told it just needed a good waxing outside but everything else was great.
We are canceling our contract and the search continues. How long does it take the average person to find their boat. Our first boat was a 2005 sun deck that we bought at the beginning of summer in immaculate condition. People think it's new. Am I being too picky or need some patience as I search for our new boat?
Click to expand...

I avoid any ad, description, or comment that includes the word "needs". That being said, I've been looking for about a year, so maybe I need to lower my standards :) Going to look at a 2002 310 tomorrow. Good luck in your search and wish me luck on mine.
 
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bobeast said:
I avoid any ad, description, or comment that includes the word "needs". That being said, I've been looking for about a year, so maybe I need to lower my standards :) Going to look at a 2002 310 tomorrow. Good luck in your search and wish me luck on mine.
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Hope it all goes well today! Thx for the advice on the comments... makes since.
 
My 2007 320 has 435 hours, generator has 302 hours. Before I bought it new. I looked at numerous used boats. I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I take very good care of my boat. Some maintenance myself and other portions, pulling out the checkbook. It takes a lot to keep a boat up. Not knowing the area you are looking, I could overlook dirt. I have boated for 18 years. Maybe 1000 hours total. I have put one total 2” scratch/gouge in my boats. I paid to have that fixed right. My point being, there are well kept boats. Curious what the price was on this one. Seats can stain, mine look pretty darn good and my dash looks basically new. I keep it covered. The only thing at my helm is the cord for vhf radio is cracking. Drives me nuts. I look at boats on my dock. The nice ones are the ones that they use each weekend, the rough ones are the ones that never go out. Keep looking and if you find a nice one that is not for sale. Ask the owner, many people are looking to move up. But selling is a hassle. If someone asked me I would consider an offer. I am not looking to sell, so not suggesting my boat. Be patient and you will find the right Boat.
 
Classic case of the broker misrepresenting the boat.

I can also look past some dirt but when the gelcoat is scratched multiple times and the seats and dash are in rough shape..walk. Those are the things you can see. If those basic items weren't maintained then I can guarantee the equipment that you don't see everyday wasn't cared for either

Theres so many other boats out there. You're allowed to be picky, you're the buyer.. This is my fourth boat and I've shipped all of them from other states. Around my location, quality boats don't last long.

skolbe said:
The nice ones are the ones that they use each weekend, the rough ones are the ones that never go out.
Click to expand...
This is 100% true. They're cared for all the time
 
When I bought my 240da I got it at a great price. But it was extremely dirty and needed some gel coat repair. I spent the winter working on it and got it looking like new again. I have no regrets for buying that boat.
 
I hate boat shopping and looking at one filthy boat after another.

It indicates to me that the owner is done with it and has been for a while.

I sold a boat this past spring and when the couple boarded, they said (in unison) “Wow, it’s so clean “.

They had been driving all over hell and gone looking at moldy, over priced boats.

The one I replaced it with was dusty from lack of use, but sound and came back nicely.

I bought it well since it needed work and sold the other one better since it didn’t.

Keep shopping. It’s fun.

I avoid brokers...period.
 
I have purchased all new boats until my current one. It was described as a 9 condition. When I arrived it was more like a 7. It was all cosmetic, so I bombed the price and bought it. 3 years later it looks near new. I get asked regularly if it is a new boat.
I recently went to look at a 1.5 year old boat. Described as looking new. It was a mess. The seats were stained, carpet edging was frayed, engine compartment filthy. The gel coat was shiny and looked new. My 9 year old boat looked much much better. I walked.
Point is, most boaters like most car owners, home owners, Rv owners simply just do not keep after their items. I take pride when someone new asks if I just bought my house (I built it 10 years ago), just got a new car/boat... etc. My belongings look spectacular and are maintained perfectly.
 
I had finally convinced my wife to consider a bigger boat this past spring. We weren't sure what we wanted so we checked out a 460 DA & 480 SD. First was the 460. The boat was not just dirty but disgusting! There were actual muddy footprints all over the stained carpet. It had a very foul odor too. The broker claimed the tops were new but the underside was covered in mold! I asked if a homeless person had been crashing on it and I wasn't joking. The broker claimed that he dealt with the brother of the owner who was anal about mechanical maintenance and he was sure this guy was too. My wife asked him how, with all of the deferred cosmetic stuff, that we could have any confidence whatsoever that the important things were done?
The broker of the 480 stated that it had a little moisture but he was sure we could get a great deal. Drove to look at it & after waiting for the fiberglass guy who had found the moisture we went out to look. The ENTIRE hull was soaked! I was utterly disgusted. Total time invested was about 10 hours as the boats were local. The experience totally turned my wife off & ended our search for the season.
As we discuss starting up again this coming spring neither of us is very eager. Not sure we will bother. Best of luck to you in your search.
 
We looked (on and off) for a couple of years before getting our 340. Since we already had a runabout we were not under any self imposed deadlines. Made a lot of phone calls, swapped emails with brokers, and more than a few road trips to have a look-see. It was worth the wait as we got what we wanted.
 
Yesterday I got an email from a friend who is very wise about the process of buying a boat.

His comment was buying a boat is not just a journey - it is an expedition.

After selling our previous boat we have been very active in the boat market for the past several months. Since my wife and I decided to get into boating 10-12 years ago this will be our fourth boat. First one we bought new, after that has been previously owned boats.

We have looked at a lot of "frogs" in the last few months before we ran into a boat that we liked. I am talking some boats that were not anything like they were represented.

One item I picked up from the OP, it seemed that you were under contract before you saw the boat in person.

If you were buying a used car, would you sign a purchase agreement and put money down before you saw it? I know, the broker said you need to lock this down, have some other people coming tomorrow that want the boat.

I don't think there is a magic timeframe - but don't compromise - or if you are comprising - be clear about the cost and impact of the decision.

Know what you are looking for - this means understanding your requirements. In our case, we had all kinds of requirements defined, found that with what we were willing to spend, something had to give.

Once you know your target - get on the boat and look at it. I have items that are important to me before I ever get there. Know what you are looking for.

You get on the boat - you like it. Meets a set of criteria that works for you - then negotiate a price. Go under contract.

Survey the boat! Be present on the boat for the survey. I have yet to have a written survey report that told me as much about the boat as what I found out hanging out with the Surveyor during the day.

Anyway - just some thoughts. Hang in there - the right boat for you will come along.

Mark
 
Amb, my advice to boat shoppers is to buy their second boat first. By that I mean that many people make the decision to buy a boat, look at a couple and buy a boat.

After having it for a year or less they determine the boat doesn't suit their needs. It's not big enough/too big/not a large enough cabin/too small cockpit/too much wear. But they bought it because they wanted a boat. You get my drift.

So they start searching again. Now they have a better idea of what they want and don't want in a boat. They take their time, do their due diligence, make boat shopping trips a fun road trip, and after a few months they find the right boat and buy it.

Had they done their due diligence and spent more time looking the first time around, they'd have saved themselves a lot of frustration, time and money.

Trading in a boat you've only owned a year or so is VERY expensive. So take your time, do your home work, walk a lot of docks, talk to a lot of brokers and individual sellers and then buy your second boat first.
 
Took us about nine months to find our 310 with the v drive being the hardest to find. The low hour boats at first look good until till you take a closer look and the lack of hours correlated to lack of maintenance considering the boat we bought was 17 years old.
 
It took us 2 years to get the boat we have. We created a very specific description of want we wanted and gave it out at the Seattle Boat Show for 3 years. At the bottom of it in bold letters "IF YOU CALL ME WITH A BOAT THAT DOES NOT MEET THE ABOVE I WILL NEVER TALK YOU AGAIN". I had a few calls from people with what we did not want. Then finally I got a call from a broker with the boat we wanted. It was 2 years since I gave the broker the paper. It is like house hunting the agents know more than the client let them do the work.
 
If you’re looking for a Sea Ray you may want to go talk to Marine Max.
It took me about a year to find my 410. We closed on her last December and while there was a lot of frustration and disappointment over the year long search, after coming close to the end of our first year of ownership I can say that it was well worth the wait for the right boat. My maiden voyage was a trouble free six hour trip to take her home to the south shore of Long Island on her own botto and we’ve had a fantastic first season.
I looked at boats presented for sale by private sellers and several brokers over the year. After the first few months I limited my dealings to just brokers because I felt they were slightly more honest about condition when pressed with detailed questions before wasting hours driving to see boats, and liked that they were less emotionally involved with the boats. That’s just a personal preference. Your experience with private sellers could be different.
Along the way (April of 16) I encountered a Marine Max salesman in New Jersey that although the boat I initially called him about wasn’t for me, he seemed to understand exactly what I wanted in condition and was eager enough to sell me a boat to actively look for the right one.
He stayed in contact with me over the course of 6 or 7 months to discuss different boats while I continued the search on my own, then in November of last year he called me as soon as he got wind of a boat they were taking in on trade up in Ct.. Although he himself had not seen the boat yet he had the salesman up there take more than 50 specific pictures of it and he emailed them to me so I could decide if I wanted to drive 2 1/2 hours to see it.
We went to see it, put a deposit on it, and once Marine Max closed on it we went back a few weeks later for Survey and Sea trial and after agreeing on contingencies to a previously negotiated price we closed last December 9th.
It was a hairy few weeks in November because we had to wait for the previous owner to close on his new boat and actually turn over his title in trade to Marine Max so we could do the Survey and Sea trial. It was also a bit of a leap of faith in our part and theirs.
On the flip side I was reassured because I felt that they wouldn’t knowingly take a crappy boat in trade and risk getting stuck with it if something came up at sea trial that prompted me to walk away from the deal.
The few minor issues that came up at sea trial were all things they had disclosed during my initial inspection and had already agreed to address as a condition of sale.
As part of the deal they took care of winterization, wrap, storage, make ready, spring launch and delivery.
My overall experience with Marine Max and all their employees I dealt with during the process was excellent and when all was said and done the price I paid was about what I would have paid a private seller, and maybe even a little lower.
I’m a very demanding consumer, and they seemed to welcome that.
I personally know of two other people who bought used boats from them in the last two years and had similar experiences.
If you can find a salesperson there that you click with I highly recommend them. Nobody buys and sells more Sea Rays or knows them better than they do, and they seem highly motivated to make deals happen. They also struck me as being eager to go out of their way to make sure that you give them positive feedback because of a good experience. That’s a great business model for a sales organization.
 
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Sounds like you're dealing with POP Yachts.
They advertise way overpriced dirty boats and won't let you view the boat until you make an offer over the phone without seeing it.
 
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