Advice for buying a used F37

Momac said:
What a very biased statement that is .As a couple we really like our flybridge boat. Plus we have a lazaretre which is usually absent on a sport cruiser of similar size.
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Excellent idea. Everyone should buy a 37 foot flybridge, to get a bigger lazarette. I'm only teasing, I wasn't being biased, just that people new to boating should get several perspectives, that's why we are all on this forum, sharing views.
 
Lola69 said:
Hi folks - I recently asked you for some advice if what to look for when considering what type/size of boat for a newbie novice couple.
You were fantastic with your advice so I’m back to ask for more!
We’ve seen a used F37 which we both really like but I need to ask - what sort of things are essential to have been completed after a survey so avoid being stung down the road with big maintenance bills?
She’s had a survey done in June this year and some of the issues appear to have been addressed (we have a list if work carried out by the broker) but I guess it’s trying to work out what’s essential and whats not.
I take it things like water marking aren’t a big deal - plus there are a number of cosmetic things plus failed locker catches etc - but she’s a 2008 boat so we expect this. There is mention of previous ingress below the side cabin plus we’re waiting on confirmation of last engine service - broker couldn’t find anything past 2015.
Any advice about big red flags we should heed would be greatly appreciated- thanks in advance ☺️
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I bought a 2003 F37 last year.
She was very well maintained and had every single piece of paperwork for the work that was done. Worth mentioning she was out of the water with a blasted hull so the surveyor could check the hull then we got her epoxied and coppercoated.
No signs of water marking and the survey came back clean- everything worked except the toilet light which was a simple fix (remove the old light fitting and replace with 12V LED light) and the searchlight didn’t turn (bought a new one).
As everyone has said, you need to a) take her for a sea trial if you haven’t b) pay for your own survey.
Locker catches are £20 to replace and easy to buy and fit. Worry about the big things as people have said.
 
Again thanks everyone for the great advice. We certainly don’t expect any boat that age to be like new but just trying to avoid making daft mistakes and not checking whats really important.
 
Sticky Fingers said:
The big red flags would be problems with the big ticket items, basically - engines, gearboxes, underwater gear eg props, rudders, p-brackets. Could be missed maintenance, coolant leaks, failure to make wide-open throttle, excessive smoke, oil leaks. Any evidence of dirty fuel tanks ie diesel bug. Water ingress can result in damage to cabinets and finishes which looks simple to fix but in fact is very labour intensive ie costly to repair, so you need to sure what you're dealing with. Your surveyor should also check for structural issues in the hull, including any evidence of repairs, delamination, water ingress into the fibreglass, or raising and cracking in the superstructure.

The absence of any information since 2015 on engine servicing and maintenance would bother me, it would be prudent to get a technician experienced in the engines that you have fitted to undertake a full assessment of their current condition and likely repair or servicing needs today.

I'd want to see documentary proof of the service history of the oily bits of this boat in the current and ideally previous ownerships, going back several years at least. A recent service with no previous history won't tell you very much at all.

If the survey done in June was not commissioned by you, it's pretty much useless in terms of any comeback against the Surveyor. If that survey was overall very positive, you might take the view that an additional survey isn't necessary, but as a newbie buyer that's not a decision I personally would make in this position. In other words, I'd commission my own survey. You should also undertake a comprehensive sea trial before completing the deal, to ensure that everything works properly, there are no unexpected issues arising during the sea trial. This trial must include a period of running the boat at wide open the throttle for at least five minutes or so. If the boat's been kept on a river, it's very unlikely it's ever been run at full throttle, and latent problems are common.

Any significant issues would be costly to repair after you've done the deal, so if any of these issues are present then you are faced with a choice of making a lower offer to reflect the possibly significant costs; agreeing with the vendor that they will undertake the repairs after which you will have the boat re-surveyed; or pulling out of the deal.

Regardless of the survey question, it would be prudent to have a healthy budget set aside for any servicing, repairs, maintenance etc that you might need to do in the months after you buy the boat. If you're totally spent out buying the boat, and then get a 10k bill, that might be a bitter pill to swallow.

Best of luck!
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As always - brilliant detailed advice sticky fingers ☺️
 
Following my previous post, may be worth mentioning after we took ownership we spent around £10K on the hull (epoxy/ coppercoat) and fixing a few niggling things + full engine service. I know the hull work and coppercoat was expensive but I did it to try to avoid any hull issues for a few years. I would advise keeping somewhere around that amount available just in case. We went into it knowing this but until you get the survey I’d assume things will need to be done.
 
Sticky Fingers said:
Yup agree with this. I spent 37k on my boat after buying it, some def discretionary of course. Probably 10-15k of that was essential spend for peace of mind / confidence.
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I wasn’t factoring in the instrument upgrades either to be honest- that was definitely not needed (but oh so nice 😁)
 
As a a non motor owner but someone who realises that one day we might move to the dark side I’m interested to learn what attracts to a Sealine 37 compared to other makes ? I just wondered why you buy a Sealine compared to say a Princess or others? Our current thinking is a swift trawler BTW or a Nimbus
 
ashtead said:
As a a non motor owner but someone who realises that one day we might move to the dark side I’m interested to learn what attracts to a Sealine 37 compared to other makes ? I just wondered why you buy a Sealine compared to say a Princess or others? Our current thinking is a swift trawler BTW or a Nimbus
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Mostly it's down to desired configuration within a budget. So say you're looking for a 40ft flybridge with two good sized berths. Then you look around at what's available and the rest is subjective.
 
Clash said:
Mostly it's down to desired configuration within a budget. So say you're looking for a 40ft flybridge with two good sized berths. Then you look around at what's available and the rest is subjective.
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Exactly, or nearly exactly. In our case there were some features we wanted / needed and some brands we liked / disliked, but other than that it was a case of what’s available and affordable.
 
If i understand it correctly and you are a complete novice to boating and it will be your first boat my deepest respect you look at something in the 37 foot calibre .

if you need a "turnkey" boat where really everything is done by a yard think twice to not experience a financial nightmare since there are countless minor and major systems onboard which get older and need some care .

Next point is proper handling , manouvering , mooring , organizing haul in/out , winter storage / winterizing and much more . Everybody of us makes mistakes and pays for lessons learned , learning from scratch on a f37 or anything else comparable size is imho a ( financial ) bomb ticking .

Not saying to stay away but trying to tell you its a challange what you plan as a complete novice
 
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ashtead said:
As a a non motor owner but someone who realises that one day we might move to the dark side I’m interested to learn what attracts to a Sealine 37 compared to other makes ? I just wondered why you buy a Sealine compared to say a Princess or others? Our current thinking is a swift trawler BTW or a Nimbus
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Sealines usp is their use of space and packaging. They packed more into the same square foot than others, albeit with some restrictions on storage space. Their reputation for interior quality is not quite the same as Fairline/Sunseeker/Princess, but they have a very loyal following. You will not go far wrong with an F37. It has all the right ingredients.
I have never owned a Sealine, but have been on board many over the years.
 
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