"Off Season" Purchase

Celticknot

Celticknot

New Member
Aug 13, 2011
95
Lake Erie
Boat Info
05- 290 AJ
V-drives - Genset
Engines
350 mags
Looking at a 06 340 dancer that seems "right". As it is put up for the winter (indoor heated) I cannot sea trial or have a complete survey done. Has anyone purchased during the off season and if so what language should be put into the contract. Is it appropriate to hold back $ in the event there are issues at the in water survey. Current owner wants to close the deal this year.

Any and all suggestions or experiences is certianly appreciated.
 
If there are documents showing that the boat has been well maintained and a survey can back it up then your risk will be minimal. A seller that wants to sell this year may be in financial trouble and it could be a chance for you to get a really good deal. Offer accordingly.
 
I sold my28 footer out of the water based on past service records. As noted you should be able to get a good deal. Have you looked at other boats of similar type to get a feel for price, condition, how it feels in the water, and how you like it.
 
I bought my 300DA in the off season. I purchased it from Marine Max, and they put the boat in the water, in the winter for the sea trial and rewinterized. The alternative was to make the purchase contingent on the spring sea trial. I believe they did not wan to give me the winter to change my mind. If I were the seller, and the cost of rewinterizing the boat was the preventing the sale, I would splash the boat for a serious buyer... Another option would be to hold money in escrow until the sea trial was conducted...
 
I'm sure he wants to close prior to winter but there is no way to close without, well closing. Which means he has the money and the boat is yours. This means you must sea trial and do all your due diligence as you would. If it's inside heated storage and paid for it's just a matter of launching and hauling again. If you buy a boat on land I believe it's your responsibility but even so everything is negotiable. I cut a deal when I bought mine in February, we didn't shrink wrap again and he paid to rewinterize everything and I closed. good luck
 
Bought mine off season indoor heated , they launched it for the sea trial. If the owner is motivated and knows the boat is fine he will launch it . I personally would not buy it without a full survey and inspection. If he wants to move fast without a sea trial that raises a flag for me.. Good luck let us know .
 
As you can see from other responses it all comes down to very simple items:

- You as a buyer need to go through all necessary steps to make sure that you're buying a good boat that's worth the money, which includes finding all history and do a survey with proper sea-trial. BTW, lack of full survey most likely be a showstopper for your lander (if using any) and/or insurance.

- Seller, on the other hand, needs to do everything possible for you to achieve your tasks. This means that the boat has to be available for sea-trials and full survey.

This is part of the negotiation process as far as who pays for what, but I'm as a buyer always ask myself why do I need a hassle of a boat that I cannot sea-trial and survey fully while there's another one that doesn't have this problem? Of course every boat is different and every model has different invetory on the market, but unless this particular one is a so much better deal b/c the boat offers a lot more for a lot less (usually not the case when you're looking at overall picture) then it might be worth it. But, anytime I looked there are tons of 320s/340s on the market.
 
Some good info here but there are too many variables that are unknown before people go saying "take it out of heated storage and put it back in".

-I dont know for sure about Ohio but around here if the boat is indoors and there is even one boat in front of it they will not move the boat in question until the other boat(s) is moved or scheduled to be launched.

-Having dealt with this before, since its only October the seller MAY want to close the deal this year because he is accepting a lower number in his mind than he would if it were spring, or he wants to close the deal now so he doesn't have the boat locked up in a contract until spring "missing out" on other deals that may come along.

As always good advice here, I would not close on a boat unless I was 100% confident that the boat was in top shape or knew the history.

The way I would approach this as a buyer and as a broker would be:

1. Inspect the boat personally
2. Hire Surveyor to completely survey the boat with power hooked up to all items. (Should be simple in heated storage) Everything but Engines, Generator, and Reverse Cycle AC/heat is able to be powered up.
3. Hire independent mechanic to compression check the engines.
4. Look at all service records.

Once all of the above has been accomplished I would do one of the following the boat is held up in storage and truly cannot be taken out until spring (which is likely):

1. Collect all reports paid for by buyer, add it all up and figure out if it is a good enough deal to close on without a sea trial or the boat in the water.
2. Close on the boat but hold back $10,000 in escrow to be released upon launch and successful sea trial and running the generator and reverse cycle airs.
3. Give deposit of 10%, hold on to your survey and hope the seller doesn't back out of the deal before spring calling his bluff!

I have to say as a seller, I would be reluctant to accept a number after the boat just went into storage without closing on it before the new year. There is always that chance that somebody else could come along and offer a better deal.
 
Did a sea trial when I sold my 260 and there was some chunks of ice on a section of the river. Marine Max was involved in the deal and they rewinterized my boat. MM would not take my boat without running it for 5 minutes at WOT. MM was the broker. The air temp was 20 degrees. It was cold and it was hard to get the boat started initially. Oil was so thick.
 
If he is $40,000 less than all similar boats you can get two new engines in the spring. If he is the same prices as other boat why concider it?
 
Keep the replys/advise coming - The boat is in great condition- It is buried in a building with 4 boats in front of it. I sea trialed another 34 dancer two weeks earlier - 07 that needs much more than this one.

The 06 under consideration - 122 hrs. on the 8.1's m- 87 on the Gen, Has a Raymarine E 120/Radar/Auto pilot ect.

Opinions on holding $20k back pending sea trial ?
 
$20k is a lot to holdback. It depends on his motivation for closing by year end. If he has a big loan and needs to sell. Holding back is probably not realistic. If he owns the boat outright, then who knows. Moving 4 boats may be a big deal or maybe not. I would want the running gear thoroughly inspected and the engine run. You would need to do a compression check. Or another option is that the seller would pay for some form of extended warranty? I personally would want a sea trial.
 
Is it priced below other comparable boats you have seen?
 
Bucit - It is not priced below - It is right in the middle - I am meeting this weekend going to float the holdback idea and/or down the warranty path.
 
The value of the boat will be less in spring be cause it is older and he will be more desperet. Comonwelth boat brokers in Richmond Va has 2 340 2006s for 115,000.00.
 
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