Looking for a boat. Do I need a broker?

[boatman37]

Went to Erie PA and only found one place (RCR Yachts). Nice guy but the only boat they had fitting my requirements was a 1998 Rinker 266 that wasn't really any better than the one I just sold. While we were there wife got a message about one she found on Craigslist about an hour from here so going to look at it tomorrow morning. It is a 2003 Regal 2665. Only concern I see so far is it has 830 hours on the Volvo 5.7 GXi (fuel injected). Seems like alot of hours?

 

[Golfman25]

Went to Erie PA and only found one place (RCR Yachts). Nice guy but the only boat they had fitting my requirements was a 1998 Rinker 266 that wasn't really any better than the one I just sold. While we were there wife got a message about one she found on Craigslist about an hour from here so going to look at it tomorrow morning. It is a 2003 Regal 2665. Only concern I see so far is it has 830 hours on the Volvo 5.7 GXi (fuel injected). Seems like alot of hours?

That's about 50-60 hours per year. Sounds about average for northern location.

But rather than drive aimlessly looking, why not target a handful of boats to look at during a trip.

Not sure what you're looking for, but seems to be a lot along the Lake Erie coast

https://www.yachtworld.com/core/lis...id=137&cint=100&pbsint=&boatsAddedSelected=-1

 

[boatman37]

That's about 50-60 hours per year. Sounds about average for northern location.

But rather than drive aimlessly looking, why not target a handful of boats to look at during a trip.

Not sure what you're looking for, but seems to be a lot along the Lake Erie coast

https://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/cache/searchResults.jsp?cit=true&slim=quick&ybw=&sm=3&searchtype=advancedsearch&Ntk=boatsEN&Ntt=&is=&man=&hmid=0&ftid=0&enid=0&type=(Power)&fromLength=25&toLength=30&fromYear=&toYear=&fromPrice=20000&toPrice=40000&luom=126&currencyid=100&city=&spid=134&spid=137&cint=100&pbsint=&boatsAddedSelected=-1

Cool on the hours. Having a hard time getting a list together to go see...lol. The link you posted is similar to what we have found. 30' is really pushing it for our slip so trying to stay closer to under 29'. The 1999 270 Sundancer on there is the one we went to see today. It is sold pending sea trial Monday. The 270 Rinker above it we tried to see last week in Port Clinton. It didn't sound bad but it was at Skipper Buds and they said it was in a rack in dry storage and they wouldn't have time to get it down for us that day. The other 270 doesn't have the walkthrough windshield.

The 2003 Regal (SRG) (https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/20...228778/Jeanette/PA/United-States#.W0laxbhrzIU) is the one we are looking at tomorrow but he said he wants $24,000 and that it has 830 hours. The ad in your link says Great Lakes Yacht Brokers' and says low hours...lol. That's odd. The 260 DA in Parma I have called and emailed with no response.

 

[Golfman25]

So what I would do is pick a few models you like and then keep your eyes open and ready to pounce when that perfect boat hits the market. It may take a year or more.

 

[boatman37]

So what I would do is pick a few models you like and then keep your eyes open and ready to pounce when that perfect boat hits the market. It may take a year or more.

I hope not. Can't fathom going a year boatless...lol.

 

[Handsome Transom]

Wow looking at what your requirements are and budget it's hard to believe it's difficult to find your boat. Again i advise looking in Georgian bay . I send adds to friends looking go boats all the time because it is by far the cheapest place in Canada to find one.. We are about 2 hours north of Toronto and many from there buy boats to slip here . Msnybof them buy because if the fantasy of boat ownership and boating southern Georgian bay . They will use it a lot and life gets in the way. They decide they can't justify the expense of slip fees maintenance and storage for the little use they get and sell . August is upon us and folks which are boats for sale don't want to get into another winter of storage and winterising shrinkwrap etc . Prices are dropping.
Have a look at kijiji
Search Ontario (Barrie) closest city
You will be amazed especially since your dollar is higher now

 

[boatman37]

Wow looking at what your requirements are and budget it's hard to believe it's difficult to find your boat. Again i advise looking in Georgian bay . I send adds to friends looking go boats all the time because it is by far the cheapest place in Canada to find one.. We are about 2 hours north of Toronto and many from there buy boats to slip here . Msnybof them buy because if the fantasy of boat ownership and boating southern Georgian bay . They will use it a lot and life gets in the way. They decide they can't justify the expense of slip fees maintenance and storage for the little use they get and sell . August is upon us and folks which are boats for sale don't want to get into another winter of storage and winterising shrinkwrap etc . Prices are dropping.
Have a look at kijiji
Search Ontario (Barrie) closest city
You will be amazed especially since your dollar is higher now

Thanks. The guy at RCR Yachts was just telling us a story about an ordeal with customs when trying to get a boat here from Canada and how much of a nightmare it was. Might have a pretty tough time convincing the wife of buying from Canada after that..lol. But I will look.

I think the biggest problem is our location. We have a fairly small boating population and most are either pontoons or <$10000 day boats.

 

[Handsome Transom]

Wow looking at what your requirements are and budget it's hard to beieve

Thanks. The guy at RCR Yachts was just telling us a story about an ordeal with customs when trying to get a boat here from Canada and how much of a nightmare it was. Might have a pretty tough time convincing the wife of buying from Canada after that..lol. But I will look.

I think the biggest problem is our location. We have a fairly small boating population and most are either pontoons or <$10000 day boats.

In my previous reply to your post I mentioned my stepdads business moving boats by water if you should need their services I'll put you together. They move big separate all the time around and through the bug lakes and even down to Florida. He knows how to help with customs and it can be a hhassle but if the psperworkbis in order it us definetly doable

 

[scooper321]

I think the biggest problem is our location. We have a fairly small boating population and most are either pontoons or <$10000 day boats.

I don’t mean to sound flippant, but you really only have two options. Either widen your search area or wait and hope your ideal boat pops up for sale by another owner at some unknown future time. I suppose a third option is to change what you’re looking for, but if you know what you want settling for something else won’t satisfy you. So those are really your only two options. Just budget money for a truck ride if you buy from further away. It won’t be that much as compared to the costs of owning and maintaining the boat!

 

[Stee6043]

You'll find lots of threads on this forum regarding engine hours. 830 can most certainly be "low hours". There's no reason a well cared for gas engine can't go 2,500 hours and beyond.

My '11 GMC Sierra has 118,000 miles on it. Runs like a champ. The engine hour meter currently shows 3,700+ hours. Sure, marine hours are different than over-the-road hours. But with what new trucks cost these days I'm planning on getting 6,000 hours on this thing...

 

[Woody]

You'll find lots of threads on this forum regarding engine hours. 830 can most certainly be "low hours". There's no reason a well cared for gas engine can't go 2,500 hours and beyond.

My '11 GMC Sierra has 118,000 miles on it. Runs like a champ. The engine hour meter currently shows 3,700+ hours. Sure, marine hours are different than over-the-road hours. But with what new trucks cost these days I'm planning on getting 6,000 hours on this thing...

I have 229,000 on my '06 Silverado w/6.0. Hoping to run it about 1 more year and get 250K, she's getting pretty rusty though.

 

[bobeast]

If you go with a buyer's broker, they only get payed if they find you a boat. As such, it doesn't make sense to eliminate that arrow from your quiver.

 

[boatman37]

Went and looked at a 2003 Regal 2665 this morning. Pics looked pretty good. Wasn't quite as nice in person. He was asking $24,000 but on Yachtworld it was $27,000. Funny thing is he said the detailer was on his way to pick it up. We went home then decided to stop at our local boat guy to ask about the 270 we originally looked at. We pulled in and the Regal was sitting there...lol. Went in and talked to the guy and he said they had just picked it up and the owner lied to him about the condition. He said he doesn't even want to touch the boat and have nothing to do with selling it. Said it needs about $10,000 to get it in sellable condition. He said he was actually going to call me about it until he saw the condition.

Called about one in Sandusky earlier. It's a 3 hour drive and he had 2 people on their way to look at it so I told him I wasn't driving 3 hours to find somebody had put a deposit on it. He said that was the only thing he had that fit my needs and that they go out faster than they can get them in. That is the 3rd person this week that told me that. He is supposed to call me after they are gone to let me know the status. He did say it was very dirty. The owner had it buffed from the rubrail down but wouldn't pay to do above and the interior needed a good scrubbing.

Oh well. Going to go focus on other things for now. Been spending too much time being frustrated and disappointed during this search, not to mention all the time wasted driving all around. I will keep me eyes open but at this point it looks like we might be waiting until fall when everyone starts pulling their boats.

Everything we see in the $20,000 range is in worse condition than our last one and seems like anything over $30,000 nobody returns our calls...lol. I think we are waiting on 4 returns calls from earlier this week so I'm guessing they are already sold.

 

[northern]

If you are worried about cost you can not afford a boat. Fuel will run you $50 an hour, Moorage will be 300 to 500 a month, insurance will be 700 to 1500 and maintenance should run you 5,000 a year on average. You can pretend the cost are not real but is 4 years you will be selling the boat to pay off the loan you can not afford.

 

[boatman37]

If you are worried about cost you can not afford a boat. Fuel will run you $50 an hour, Moorage will be 300 to 500 a month, insurance will be 700 to 1500 and maintenance should run you 5,000 a year on average. You can pretend the cost are not real but is 4 years you will be selling the boat to pay off the loan you can not afford.

Thanks but those numbers are a little off for our area. We had our boat for 3 years and paid $1300/year for moorage, maintenance was about $500/year, fuel was about $500/year and insurance was about $300/year. I would expect a slight increase due to a little bigger boat. Not sure where I said I was concerned with costs other than flying all over the country looking for boats? I could easily spend 50% of my budget flying around looking for prospects then I'm back at a $10,000 boat. I'd rather wait it out and get a better boat than to spend $5000-10,000 of my boat budget traveling around. Sure I have a budget but don't we all?

I can either spend about $25,000 and get a decent boat that we will be happy with for a few years then re-evaluate or I can spend $40,000 now and plan to keep it a little longer. My problem is I can't find anything in that whole range ($25,000-40,000).

I did find a 2002 260 and a 1999 260 in Port Clinton but both need a little TLC. One was $24,000 and the other was $32,000. The one at $32,000 doesn't have a trailer so add another $5000-6000 for a trailer and now the 15 year old boat is just over priced for the condition.

So far the best we have seen is a real clean 2006 Crownline 250 with everything except generator and windlass. Can do without gennie but need the windlass so add $1500 to the price. They wanted $36,000 but can probably get it cheaper. What I don't like about it is it is small. I'm 6' tall and can't stand up in the cabin.

I don't need an attitude telling me what I can and can't afford. What I can afford and what I want to spend are 2 different things and neither are your business. If you have nothing of substance to add then please refrain from posting!

 

[Golfman25]

Dude, you're all over the place. Not sure you'll find a windless or generator on a 25 foot boat. And pretty much everything you'll see will need some TLC. TLC is ok. Major repair is not. Since you're looking for a trailerable boat, your options are wide open -- only limited by how far you want to drive.

Searching for 25-30 feet, 20-40k, there were 376 boats on boattrader within 300 miles of Pitt. 118 boats within 200 miles. If it was me, I would focus on Cleveland to Toledo -- very popular boating area. You should be able to set up a 6-12 boats to view in a weekend trip.

 

[Todd320]

Enjoy this time, it’s great to be in the market, and it will be even better once you get that boat! I was constantly driven by all the wonderful boating I had planned. Trips here, nights spent there, etc.
You have to do the research, spend the time, it will pay off in the end. Drive as far as needed and have an adventure, look at it as a positive getting to see different scenery each weekend, different boats, new waterways, it’s great.
In 2016, I drove 3 hours to Jacksonville and back in one day, saw 3 boats. None were right. Wasted day? Nope, had lunch at a nice (but inexpensive, non-chain) restaurant, visited several nice neighborhoods to view boats, and had an enjoyable ride up and back (mostly back roads). Went 4 hours to west palm beach, 3 to Daytona Beach, 3 hours to Naples/Ft Meyers, multiple 1 and 2 hour drives to Tampa, st pete, Sarasota, Venice, you name it. 3 five hour trips to Panama City beach (those paid off!), and I “Wasted” 1k on a survey (oil samples came back with high levels of sodium). If I wasn’t driving, I was searching yacht world, or making phone calls, or emails, or visiting showrooms with new boats, or boat shows. We looked at boats from 28’ to 37’. Was I frustrated, sure! But I was happy, I was getting a boat! Pretty sure I was actively hunting from February until August.
Every boat you visit helps you with more information, and more questions for the next boat. Also, don’t focus too much on cosmetics, dirt will wash off. Now sun damage, or engine corrosion, okay.
And if they don’t answer/return your calls, call back, never called a single seller and was told, boats under contract, seems like they get those boats off YW and BT pretty quickly once under contract. I think some people get too many calls, so they just ignore some calls, knowing serious buyers will call back. Don’t take any of this personally. Good luck!

 

[boatman37]

Yeah. Been trying to get a list together but seems about 80% of the ones I call/email about I get no response. I went to Catawba Island last week with a plan to get a list of boats to go see but couldn't get anybody on the phone so we postponed going Saturday as we didn't have any on the list. Figured Sunday we would just drive up and see what was there. Called about one today in Sandusky and left a message with the sales guy and waited about an hour. Called back and he answered but said there were 2 people already coming to see it today. Called another place about one about 11:00 this morning and no answer so called back a little later and left a voicemail. They were open until 5 but no return call back. Seems like nobody wants to return calls.

@Golfman, as far as being all over the place I kind of am. I started out wanting to stay between $20-30k but have increased my budget to try to find more boats and in better condition. As for the search, once you filter for 26-30', cabin cruisers, windlass, walkthrough windshield, etc, it drops pretty quickly. I know with our requirements it makes it harder but there are reasons for those. I NEED the windlass since I can't use my right arm and pulling the anchor isn't easy, especially with arthritis in my good shoulder. Need the walkthrough windshield because we would be going through locks often and my wife will not/can not walk along the 4" walkway around to the front. Also want a comfy seating layout. We normally go out a mile or so and anchor and just sit and relax. The seating was so uncomfortable in our last boat that after an hour we were ready to come in and if we took another couple it was pretty much undoable. We could fit one up front and 2 on the aft seat and that was about it. We want to make sure the next one has a good seating situation so others can go with us and be comfortable. Genny isn't a must have but would be nice. AC is a must. Wife really likes the port lounger setup so trying to target those. Trailer is a must at least for storage. We only have one place on our river that hauls and stores boats but they are jam packed so we have to take care of our own storage. We have guys at our marina that have 30-35' boats that had to buy trailers because they had nowhere to store them locally in the winter.

I was amazed at Port Clinton last week with all the boats and dealers/shops. We have 1 new boat dealer around and 2 other places that have a couple of used boats and thats it. In Port Clinton there were probably 5 boats every mile we went...lol. I was just as surprised at the lack of boat dealers in Erie PA. Figured there would be a bunch but only found 1 and even asked around at other marine supply shops.

We will be patient and keep looking. Might have to wait until the end of the season but it is what it is.

 

[Golfman25]

I hear you on the call backs. "Brokers" seem to be terrible at it -- which is the title of your post. I had one where the owners posted an ad on craigslist while listed with their broker. Owners responded. Broker did not. Go figure. Had another that seemed disinterested in selling the boat. It had its warts, but was the right boat for us. Just needed updating. Wasn't a project I was willing to take on (already have that old boat needs updating life) but surely could have been talked into it at the right price (come on that's part of my fun). Boat languished all year. Never had a follow up call towards the fall (or at all). Bottom line, the leg work is really on the buyer.

As for the windlass, I would budget that as an add on. Why? When I was looking years ago I found a boat 6 hours away. Was perfect. Put an offer in, contingent not only on survey/sea trial, but also my approval as it would be the first time I saw it. Surveyor got out of his car, went right to the windlass, and boom -- wet deck. He knew that would be a problem area and saved us all time. If it was me, I would want to make sure the windlass was installed right, sealing the core properly. You may find yourself going thru a few boats for the same reason.

 

[boatman37]

Funny about the windlass. The 270DA we looked at had one and I was using my cheap Lowes moisture meter and the only place it beeped was around the foot controls on the deck.