Standard Purchasing procedure?

Barlow1016

Member
Jun 3, 2017
45
Farmington Utah
Boat Info
1999 340 Sundancer
Engines
454 merCruiser 7.4 MPI Bravo one outdrive’s 4 blade props. 5.0 Westerbeke generator
I am looking to purchase a 2001 - 2003 410 Sundancer. Will somebody be willing to share the purchasing procedure with me once I find the boat I like? Do I fly down and look at the boat and then make an offer? Do I make an offer sight unseen based on what I am being promised the boat is? So on and so forth. Thank you in advance
 
Hi there. The 410DA is a great boat to be shopping for. There are lots of things to consider, and I am sure many folks will jump in with good advice. One thing that comes to my mind is to ask the group here if someone is local to the boat you are looking at so they can take a look at it for you. That is, if it is available for inspection. Sometimes pictures get buyer's hopes up and then reality sets in after then buyer flys in to possibly be disappointed.

Also, finding a reputable marine surveyor falls in line later in the sales cycle. Doesn't hurt to start your search now.

Best of luck with your purchase!

Vince
 
It is really going to depend on factors you do not know as of now. How far away is the boat? Is it broker or owner selling? Are you in competition with other buyers? There are many ways to do this, some better than others.

MM
 
What I did when I saw a boat very far away. I made an offer contingent on my actual review of the boat. That way I could tell if the seller was reasonable and if the deal was good enough to cover the shipping expenses. Once the money part was accepted, I hired a surveyor and met him at the boat. I traveled a good six hours and the boat didn't make it thru the first six minutes of the survey. Good luck.
 
Maybe I am in the minority - but I could never bring myself to make an offer on a boat with out being on it in person (I could compromise on that point if someone I really trusted did a visit).

We have looked at so many boats over the years. What you see in the add, in 30 photos, and hear in the conversations with the seller (or broker) rarely is representative.

Putting an offer in sets the initial negotiation price, I want to see in person before I start that process.

If this is a 40K boat, maybe. But if I am spending several 100K on a boat the cost of travel is a fraction of the total cost. Especially if you can line up several boats to look at in a single trip.
 
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I am looking to purchase a 2001 - 2003 410 Sundancer. Will somebody be willing to share the purchasing procedure with me once I find the boat I like? Do I fly down and look at the boat and then make an offer? Do I make an offer sight unseen based on what I am being promised the boat is? So on and so forth. Thank you in advance
I see you own a 34 SR and have owned at least one other brand. So, you know how expensive things can get when work needs to be done. How did you you buy your other boats? Buying sight unseen might be OK if money is not much of a consideration, and you can afford to pay for what ever work needs to be done once you own the boat. Your location in the NW places you near some great boating venues. If it were me, I would focus my search on vessels that are for sale within a few hours drive time and have a look them before cutting a check.
 
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Maybe I am in the minority - but I could never bring myself to make an offer on a boat with out being on it in person (I could compromise on that point if someone I really trusted did a visit).

We have looked at so many boats over the years. What you see in the add, in 30 photos, and hear in the conversations with the seller (or broker) rarely is representative.

Putting an offer in sets the initial negotiation price, I want to see in person before I start that process.

If this is a 40K boat, maybe. But if I am spending several 100K on a boat the cost of travel is a fraction of the total cost. Especially if you can line up several boats to look at in a single trip.

I agree.
After shopping for my current boat for about a year, I strongly suggest that you avoid making offers or engaging in negotiation until you see the boat yourself.
The boat I wound up buying was only a 2 1/2 hour drive away from me but after going longer distances to look at others, this is what I did:
Researched the model extensively.
Requested dozens of pictures of specific things be emailed to me.
Asked follow up questions after reviewing the pictures.
Once satisfied with the pictures, I made the trip to see the boat.
Wasn’t able to go for a ride on it because the dealer that was taking it in on trade hadn’t closed on it yet, but it was at their dock ready for inspection. This is the time to look for excess wear, deferred maintenance, moisture or mildew, etc..
I spent a long time inspecting the boat and every area I could access, and I turned on every button and switch. This is important to do because surveys aren’t cheap and you don’t want to throw money away on one for a boat you wouldn’t seriously consider buying.
Made a list of my findings and then made an offer contingent on survey and sea trial.
Came to an agreed upon price, signed a contract, put down deposit, and made appointment for survey of the boat and the motors, and sea trial for the day after the dealer closed their deal.
Went back for the survey and sea trial.
Waited for the surveyors report.
Negotiated with dealer to have them take care of the issues the surveyor raised at their expense in exchange for me paying the price I initially agreed to. I prefer to do it that way rather than deduct the cost of making things right from the sale price because things usually cost a lot more than you think they will.
Closed the deal.
 
Would you buy a house sight unseen, relying on pictures and conversations with the real estate agent?

Boat cost may or may not be as much as you would spend on a house. But a boat has a lot more that can go wrong $$.

When I get on a boat, start wandering around, I get a feel for how the boat was maintained, how the previous owner treated the boat, etc.
 
I 100% agree with seeing the boat in person before you drop the money to have it surveyed. I made that mistake and had a boat surveyed based on a couple of phone calls with the owner and the pictures he chose to send me. When I paid to have the survey done the boat turned out to be a complete disappointment.
 
Would you buy a house sight unseen, relying on pictures and conversations with the real estate agent?

Boat cost may or may not be as much as you would spend on a house. But a boat has a lot more that can go wrong $$.

When I get on a boat, start wandering around, I get a feel for how the boat was maintained, how the previous owner treated the boat, etc.

I have long enjoyed watching people's expressions when told their boat has way more expensive things that can go wrong than their house. Then I follow up with:

What can break and cost $10,000? $5,000, $1,000. Not talking wear replacement like roof or siding that is equal to gel-coat and canvas.

Then they start tallying engines, generators, etc. The boat wins and boat owners lose. LOL

MM
 
On the flip side:
Whenever I was the seller of a boat, or car for that matter, and I was contacted by a prospective buyer who wanted to negotiate a price sight unseen over the phone I usually dismissed them as not worth my time.
Others may feel differently, but me personally, as a serious shopper I wouldn’t be calling about a boat or a car that I thought was overpriced based on the information advertised.
 
On the flip side:
Whenever I was the seller of a boat, or car for that matter, and I was contacted by a prospective buyer who wanted to negotiate a price sight unseen over the phone I usually dismissed them as not worth my time.
Others may feel differently, but me personally, as a serious shopper I wouldn’t be calling about a boat or a car that I thought was overpriced based on the information advertised.

What if you had broker supplied recent comps that indicated it was overpriced but just the boat you wanted and it was hours away by any means of travel? That is where I might be more inclined to do it.

But the control freak in me would not let me. LOL

MM
 
A friend found a boat that was just what he wanted, his wife is a clean freak to say the least. He told the listing broker he would pay $500 up front if the would detail clean the boat, Listed at $450k, particularly the cockpit and cabin so she would feel comfortable. The broker didn't get it done and the boat was dirty and the wife would not let him buy it...

Could not believe all the filthy boats for sale when we were looking...

MM
 
Since we have been looking and based on my count we have looked at about 12 boats since selling our boat in Sept. What I've resorted to doing for boats that are long distance is when speaking to the seller/broker over the phone or email i would let them know my ballpark budget based on what they have their boat listed for. If they felt i was within the ballpark we would continue with a visit for a showing if not, I just saved myself a trip. Based on how long the boat has been on the market and going into the winterization/storage process in the Northeast the listing price for most sellers were a lot more flexible. Also if you're looking at the same models and vintage boats for a while you sort of know what the sweet spot should be for condition,hours and price. If a boat is new on the market or has had a sharp price reduction that may spark renewed interest there is no harm in signing a sales agreement with conditions that stipulates that you place a deposit after viewing and you liking the vessel. This would put you first in line until you are able to review the vessel. If not you walk away.
 
When I was shopping for the 47DB we owned previously I looked at a lot of 47DB's.

Learned a lot about the boat - that every single one I saw had an issue with the Dinette table. Figured out it was poorly designed and easily "fixable". Lots of other "learnings" about the model.

Same with this last boat.

Every time you step on the boat (model of your choice) you learn something. What is a standard problem for that model - what is unique to that individual boat.

My perspective is buying successfully is about knowledge. The more you learn and see, the better job you will do identifying the correct boat for you and negotiating its purchase.

No substitute or short cut around climbing on boats.
 
I bought a used boat based on pictures on two separate occasions ..negotiated price over the phone, credit card down payment.... all predicated on inspection and survey. Renegotiated price after inspection and survey. In both cases they were 5/8 hours away and in both cases they weren't going to sit for long.
 
What if you had broker supplied recent comps that indicated it was overpriced but just the boat you wanted and it was hours away by any means of travel? That is where I might be more inclined to do it.

But the control freak in me would not let me. LOL

MM

Exactly!
 
And thus, all of you are making my main point, it is all situational based on the individual vessel, owner, buyer, liens, and brokers. No one way to skin a cat. Not that I know why one would skin a cat???

MM
 
Mike,

You seem to be very good at finding interesting things to start threads about recently. That's one for this week?

Why would you skin a cat? (Not how, why?)


Frank
 
Mike,

You seem to be very good at finding interesting things to start threads about recently. That's one for this week?

Why would you skin a cat? (Not how, why?)


Frank

Would it matter if the cat had crossed the road chasing the chicken?
 

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