Am I being toooo pickie?

[Grajan]

Whilst looking around for a replacement boat I have come across an anomaly and unfortunately mainly with dealers selling secondhand craft.
Vessels physically built in a particular year become a year or years younger because they are claimed not to be commissioned until year(s) later, Outboard engines that have their manufacture date stamped on them are claimed as being two or three years younger than they really are.
Okay I can nearly live with these comments when buying a 20 or 30 year old boat as records can be lost and at that age "Caveat Emporer" but a vessel under 10 years old where depreciation can be worked out, give or take a percentage for appearance/ condition, and engines when claimed to be years younger than they are, could be totally different animals especially in the past ten years, if purchasing a 2004 engine in 2006 there could be quite a saving due to model and production improvements which could falsify the true value of the craft and engine(s).
When I confronted one dealer with my calculations (I had knocked the best part of £3000 of of the £23000 asking price) I was virtually banished from the showroom and was told that was not the way they did business and then, to add insult to injury ,I was told that the trailer the vessel was sitting on wasnt included in the price albeit being advertised as a trailer / sailer!

 

[exfinnsailor]

Not really .. Its your money .. Why buy something off a salesman when he says well really it didnt get used till 2005 so its only 3 years old .. Hmmmm .. I know some boats get commissioned later but if the plate says 1970 then its 1970 not 1980 + .. Happy hunting .. Personally I never leave a tip .. If I didnt go in they would not have a business so why should I pay for the food to be delivered to the table .. SWMBO agrees .. Walked into a pub the other day .. Ordered drinks .. Asked for menu .. BIG SIGN OUTSIDE Food Served All Day .. Sorry No Food .. Left drinks unpaid for on the bar and departed .. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[No Regrets]

Shamby was manufactured in 10:04 yet on blocks until 10:05. when launched in the Thames.

She is a Rio 700, and a current model to this day, unaltered in any way from the latest spec.

So how should I describe her for sale?

I ststed it was a 2004 boat, launched late 2005 to be safe, but she's as good as a 2005 in every way....IMHO

 

[Marmalade]

I think stating the facts is the best policy. Our boat was manufactured in 1993 but was a boat show boat that winter so wasn't commissioned until 94. It's useful to know how many seasons sailing she's had. I wouldn't try to hide the real age - just set out the facts.

Simon

 

[narooma]

quote.
So how should I describe her for sale?
..................................................................
Surely, as you did, manufactured in 10/04 launched in 10/05?
If I offered my car for sale, remembering it could be a year since it left the factory, Do I put built in 10/03, registered in 10/04 or, as it sat untouched in my garage for a year after I bought it, first used in 10/05.
Anyway, whats the difference between not using it in year one and not using it in year three or four?

 

[boatmike]

____________________________________________________________________

whats the difference between not using it in year one and not using it in year three or four?
____________________________________________________________________

Take my cat. I bought the bare mouldings from Prout in 1996. Built her myself and first launched her in 2002. The coachroof had small modifications after I bought mine so clearly 1996 model with hull number stamped that year. Engines were purchased new in 2000 but were "old model" built in 1998. The rig is a double diamond design that was not adopted by prout until the very last models they built just before I launched mine. So she was built during 1996-2002 and first commissioned in 2002. If I sold her the buyer would get all that information but I think the value would be primarily determined by the build quality and condition rather than year of manufacture although the insurance company call her a 2002 Snowgoose although aware of all that.

With regard to the original question: You can be as picky as hell and tell the salesman to shove his attitude. The value of anything is what the customer percieves it is and is willing to pay. Also the Trade Descriptions Act requires things to be described honestly. If you see things deliberately misrepresented report the booger!

 

[yoda]

Seems reasonable to me, I would talk to the owner and not the broker, if they won't let you then walk away.

Yoda

 

[Grajan]

Thanks for all your comments.
I have worked in the small boat industry all my life and I know all the companies (and the people who founded them) that I have been dealing with so it should have been easy
thank goodness I have knowledge of boats, their construction and their worth so god help Mr Joe Public who is at the mercy of these supposed sales “advisors” who can be as glib as any s/hand car salesman, and tell even better stories, maybe it is just the stage that the industry is at but it is painful for those of us who do have some knowledge.
I suppose my biggest concern is that should I have an Insurance claim the insurers would not pay up as the contract info that I have given them doesn’t tally with the remains of the boat/engines