Am I being unreasonable ....

[ashtead]

Seems a wise move -my understanding and I think our resident. Bav expert MrT endorsed this in his comments are these Bav are one of the preferable versions so when will the next one come along in same condition. Also while the broker acts for the seller he/she will have seen such situations many times and I recall you said in your post you were an early viewer . Live with it and see if down the road you can use your flexibility here to extract something which you value in the deal but is simple for the seller to offer. I feel you might gain more this way particularly if the seller is accessible in marina post sale for advice etc on those little questions which might arise .

 

[billskip]

I've never met the seller so can't judge if he is a reasonable person or a cantankerous old git.

He might also be reading this.....

 

[Baggywrinkle]

He might also be reading this.....

It's a valid speculation - haven't met him yet.

I'll tell him how happy I am that he is not a cantankerous old git when I meet him

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Hope all goes well. We've tried to buy twice over the last year and both fell through. Unfortunately we know what we want and that doesn't come up often so I think it's a good decision to be flexible and make sure you get what you want even if it is frustrating. Lead keel would be nice, the little rust marks on ours drive me crazy every time!

I have friend in Germany who really wanted a Sunbeam 37 .... he has a 22ft Sunbeam on the lake here and is a big Sunbeam fan. He eventually found one he really liked in the Ostsee and it was on the market for €125,000 - being sold by a widow from her husbands estate if I recall. He made an offer on the boat, not ridiculously under the asking price, but enough for the seller to say they needed to think about it. While she was thinking about it, a broker offered the full asking price in cash and bought the boat on the spot. It was then re-listed at €150,000. My friend was obviously a bit upset, but decided in the end to buy it from the broker, at quite a bit more than the original asking price. An extreme example of paying what it takes to get what you want in the timescales you want them. It's easy to get worked up and emotional about these things, but in my experience it is better to be very objective and not be ruled by emotions .... which is all fine and well until you find "that boat" and really must have it now.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Seems a wise move -my understanding and I think our resident. Bav expert MrT endorsed this in his comments are these Bav are one of the preferable versions so when will the next one come along in same condition. Also while the broker acts for the seller he/she will have seen such situations many times and I recall you said in your post you were an early viewer . Live with it and see if down the road you can use your flexibility here to extract something which you value in the deal but is simple for the seller to offer. I feel you might gain more this way particularly if the seller is accessible in marina post sale for advice etc on those little questions which might arise .

I was indeed the first to view, the broker phoned me to give me a heads-up that it was coming on the market. Pictures can be misleading but I made the 1300km round trip to view it in the same week he phoned, and as the advert went live. It was absolutely spotless inside and out, and showed no signs of wear on any of the woodwork. The shower rooms in the heads also show no signs of moisture damage to the wood either. The bilges are dry, shining, and the keel bolts and bilges look like they left the factory and have been sitting in dry storage ever since. The broker had a smile from ear to ear as I couldn't hide my reaction, this was the one - I'd been following these particular Bavs for a while and watched a few come and go with maybe a couple on par with this one but much more expensive, they don't stay up for sale long and considering the relatively middle-of-the-road asking price, I offered to buy it there and then to avoid ending up like my friend in post #24.

That's when the stress started, I have since sold a VW Camper van, a House in which I have a 1/3 share, and my motorbike will go up when I've finished prepping it for sale - hence my strange request for a 2 month delay until final payment.

The plan is holding though and I'm on the home stretch - survey next Tuesday, final sales contract signed on Wednesday, money paid in a couple of weeks. First night aboard planned for the end of July due to summer holiday commitments - but it might be sooner if I can escape for a long weekend.

 

[capnsensible]

Like a tidal gate. Better to be early than a single minute late!

Good luck with it all.

 

[Bouba]

It's a valid speculation - haven't met him yet.

I'll tell him how happy I am that he is not a cantankerous old git when I meet him

If he is a member of this forum I can guarantee he is a cantankerous old git

 

[Bouba]

but I also think that if it is something you want you have to be willing to accept that, while the whole package is perfect, sometimes the ingredients might not be.

 

[benjenbav]

but I also think that if it is something you want you have to be willing to accept that, while the whole package is perfect, sometimes the ingredients might not be.

Well, when it comes down to it the boat is the thing. If the OP loves it and is content with the price, who cares what the vendor is like? No need for them to be given a second thought once the deal is done.

 

[Bouba]

Well, when it comes down to it the boat is the thing. If the OP loves it and is content with the price, who cares what the vendor is like? No need for them to be given a second thought once the deal is done.

You have to think about the whole buying experience....a suitable boat for sale could be anywhere any country....the travel costs, hotel costs, meals out, time off work, lost sailing time....would that have paid for fixing the rudder on the first boat rejected ?
On the plus side....we do all enjoy searching for boats

 

[lustyd]

we do all enjoy searching for boats

I used to, but there are such slim pickings these days it's getting frustrating. That and the last two I had surveyed had so many and such major issues I may as well have bought a new boat for what it would have cost overall!

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Bit of an update: .... survey is planned for next week, so we were sent the documentation to check VAT, ownership etc. etc... The seller is the same owner who originally ordered the boat back in 2008, so one lady owner from new. It was launched in Croatia and has been in the Adritic for 16 years and has a warranted 1400 hrs on the original engine and has never been chartered. VAT was paid in 2013 when Croatia joined the EU at a rate of 5% on their VAT scheme at the time... I only hope the apparent lack of use hasn't caused any issues, but as it stands, it's a really nice blank canvas to turn into a self-sufficient live-aboard retirement home and it should be perfectly capable of going further afield should we choose to do so. Link to pics is in post #8 , it's a Bavaria 44 Vision - not everyones cup of tea but just what I wanted.

Not often the model of boat you have on your wish list turns up in such good condition, at an affordable price, with an impeccable history..... fingers crossed it's as good as it appears, I've got a German surveyor with a checklist longer than War & Peace so we shall see.

 

[Bouba]

Good luck

 

[benjenbav]

Bit of an update: .... survey is planned for next week, so we were sent the documentation to check VAT, ownership etc. etc... The seller is the same owner who originally ordered the boat back in 2008, so one lady owner from new. It was launched in Croatia and has been in the Adritic for 16 years and has a warranted 1400 hrs on the original engine and has never been chartered. VAT was paid in 2013 when Croatia joined the EU at a rate of 5% on their VAT scheme at the time... I only hope the apparent lack of use hasn't caused any issues, but as it stands, it's a really nice blank canvas to turn into a self-sufficient live-aboard retirement home and it should be perfectly capable of going further afield should we choose to do so. Link to pics is in post #8 , it's a Bavaria 44 Vision - not everyones cup of tea but just what I wanted.

Not often the model of boat you have on your wish list turns up in such good condition, at an affordable price, with an impeccable history..... fingers crossed it's as good as it appears, I've got a German surveyor with a checklist longer than War & Peace so we shall see.

Sounds great. Hope the survey goes well next week.

 

[Mister E]

I am sure there is a joke in there "about one lady owner "

Best of luck for the new boat.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

I am sure there is a joke in there "about one lady owner "

Best of luck for the new boat.

Thanks!

Pehaps this one ....

Appearances can be deceptive these days .... there was a 40 something, rather attractive blond lady who had a 40ft motorboat in the marina where I had my last boat moored - seemed more than competent and usually went out with another female friend who just sat and watched as she single-handed the boat in and out of its berth - never saw her mess it up once. Amazing how many offers of help and the general amount of attention she got from all the boat bachelors on the same pontoon (whose significant others were notably absent most of the time).

Takes all sorts, and I'll find out next week if this lady owner was the principal user or if it was some tax avoidance strategy or asset hiding ruse - the previous owner is also a partner in a family run tax accountancy business so we shall see.

Incidentally, in order to pay for this boat I sold my VW camper van - a couple came to view it and although the man was the one who asked all the questions, organised the viewing, and did the test drive, it was his lady friend who actually bought the van and went on the registration documents.

 

[B27]

Well, when it comes down to it the boat is the thing. If the OP loves it and is content with the price, who cares what the vendor is like? No need for them to be given a second thought once the deal is done.

Within a few months of purchase, the 'Vendor' morphs into 'Previous Owner', a strange species of human with crazy ideas about doing odd things to boats