Broker/Purchase advice needed

[Farmer Piles]

I have just been through a buying process and reading all the posts above I agree with most, what I think is:
Drive down there and doorstep the broker. If you are spending £50K plus work and delivery it's worth the cost and time.
Find out who the appointed engineer is and speak to him. Call in on the surveyor and pick his brains. He will know all the people - good and bad around there. Switch on the charm button and wheedle the information out of him.
You cannot beat face to face, much harder for them to bullshit you if you are looking them in the eye. It also affirms that you are a serious buyer.

It is not your boat to be spending money on, the owner should be doing that and the price adjusted if need be. As volvopaul outlined the process above, it is simple enough and fair to both parties. I think that either you are giving too much or being taken advantage of.

With regard to getting her home: I have just bought an Aquador 32 and she was on the Hamble. I had thought that I would take a mate, ex RN and very experienced, in fact helped him sail his yacht back from there a few years back in hideous weather, and motor home. In the end I had her trucked back to Falmouth last week and so glad that I did. £1200 for a 250 mile delivery. No sweat and she is now at home for me to work and tinker on pre-season. If the engine has issues you want your first trip out on her to be local to home not a 200 mile delivery where she may have to be towed into a port away from home. By the time you add up the costs of a sea delivery I doubt that there will be much in it and the peace of mind element is worth a lot of money in my book.

I hope that it all works out for you. Keep us all updated, you have a lot of support on here.

 

[Parabolica]

I don't agree in the slightest, regardless of any waiting times, a broker should be returning your calls and keeping you updated, especially when requested. The broker should be calming your nerves by keeping you in the loop with what's happening and any delays that occur, keep chasing !!
vista broker if possible and viable.

This entirely. The broker is a business and whilst they are primarily representing the seller, they have an obligation to keep all involved parties informed. Plus they require your funds to earn their commission.

Aside of that it is just common decency as if the broker looks after their character, then their reputation will look after itself !

 

[Falcoron]

send him a text saying you no longer want the boat. i bet he answers or replies toot sweet if he is still selling it

 

[mil1194]

send him a text saying you no longer want the boat. i bet he answers or replies toot sweet if he is still selling it

Don’t forget the broker is still holding the £5k

 

[oldgit]

Perhaps its just me.
Helping to bring a boat back from Dover last summer., buyer had undertaken a short road test pre purchase to check everthing was OK and left a deposit.
Seller assures that the boat has "recently" been serviced and is 100% condition.
We go back a week later to collect the boat and off we go. Its bit lumpy.

Watching the revs slowly but inexorably drop certainly adds a little something to any trip and OG decides that Ramsgate suddenly appears to be a very attractive place despite the evidence of all previous visits.
Engineer takes a look and the primary Racal filters and secondary canisters are brimmed with ****.
Trip continues the following weekend without incident.
Have I ever mentioned the time picked up load of water from a marina along with a little petrol. Boat conked out off of Whitstable.
Fortunately a passing Dutch Yacht took pity and towed us the safety. .
If you ever need any crew

 

[mil1194]

Perhaps its just me.
Helping to bring a boat back from Dover last summer., buyer had undertaken a short road test pre purchase to check everthing was OK and left a deposit.
Seller assures that the boat has "recently" been serviced and is 100% condition.
We go back a week later to collect the boat and off we go. Its bit lumpy.

Watching the revs slowly but inexorably drop certainly adds a little something to any trip and OG decides that Ramsgate suddenly appears to be a very attractive place despite the evidence of all previous visits.
Engineer takes a look and the primary Racal filters and secondary canisters are brimmed with ****.
Trip continues the following weekend without incident.
Have I ever mentioned the time picked up load of water from a marina along with a little petrol. Boat conked out off of Whitstable.
Fortunately a passing Dutch Yacht took pity and towed us the safety. .
If you ever need any crew

It’s not just you…..I have more images (and videos) of a recently serviced boat…..

 

[Portofino]

You could have pulled one you know .Unscrewed a “ recently serviced “ racor and pulled it out to examine at the “ test drive “

When we returned to Naples on my test drive trip trip ( I had not committed by then ) once the lines were some I was down in the ER like a rabbit in a hole . .
Looking for fluid leaks on the nice white painted motors .
Checking the bilges for any changes ….they were dry in the marina before we set off.
And lifting a racor after opening it .Twas indeed as described new and the bowl was clear no water .

I also idiosyncratically rub oil between my fingers from the dip stick .
An old trick my grandad taught me when I was a boy .He was a mechanic in the RAF during the war …RR Merlins etc .

Once I got a sales guy and service team at a official Porsche centre in deep do da .
The car in the showroom was supposedly fully serviced had it 111 point Porsche approved check , been through the workshop ready to go there and then .
Asked the sales guy for a tissue .He obediently went to the bathroom and came back .Opened the engine hatch pulled the dip stick ……black oil !
Not golden yellow fresh Mobile 1 O -4 0 W .

Rubbed it between my fingers and placed a tiny bit on the tip of my tongue….full of carbon 5hit = old oil .Another grampa trick .I know odd .

Insisted “ get the dealer principal “
Of course the book was stamped up oil change last week and the car has done 1 mile .
Stud my ground and threatening to escalate this up to PGB .
They all backed down “ admin error “ “ it needs fresh oil “ etc etc .

Walked out went else where . Before social media and camera phone etc .

 

[fred247]

Thread Drift,
getting back to op's question, as most brokers work weekends any comunications or updates , C Adventure?

 

[Seastoke]

Hello all,

Not sure here was the correct place for my post, but it is a motorboat so here goes.

I viewed a boat around a month ago, made an offer subject to survey, agreed a price after the broker spoke with the owner, and sent a 10% deposit.
I was then sent a contract which I signed and returned.
I was informed the boat would need the engine checked out before it could be taken to be lifted for the survey. I agreed to pay for the engine work, which I know is unusual but it would have to be reliable to move the boat to its new mooring some 200 miles away.
I spoke with a surveyor who contacted the broker and agreed to view the boat with a view to assessing the engine state. He came back to me saying it was too much for him so the broker said he’d arrange an engineer to service and make any minor repairs.
I wrote an authorisation email allowing the work to go ahead over a week ago. Since then I have called a couple of times and left a message for a progress report but the broker seem reluctant to speak with me. He called me this morning but when I answered he hung up and didn’t pick up my return call. On top of all this the boat is still for sale on his brokerage website and a text message I sent enquiring if he’d received the signed contract has been met with science.
If feels as if despite my efforts he doesn’t want to sell the boat to me.

Can anyone tell me how I stand legally?

I have my own ideas about what’s going on but to preserve everyone’s anonymity, if you’d my thoughts please PM me.

Thanks for reading.

Why don’t you say what area it is in then some one on here could go and speak to the brokers and engineer you could speak via pm so not common knowledge.

 

[fred247]

Why don’t you say what area it is in then some one on here could go and speak to the brokers and engineer you could speak via pm so not common knowledge.

I had thought same !

 

[Bigplumbs]

To be honest I think the OP might have gone as in my view most of you have jumped on him and rubbed his nose in it. I also think that many are forgetting what the current market is like. It is now very much a sellers market so many of the old ways are gone and as a buyer if you want the boat you might have to do what you have to do to bag it because if you don’t someone else will

 

[Portofino]

To be honest I think the OP might have gone as in my view most of you have jumped on him and rubbed his nose in it. I also think that many are forgetting what the current market is like. It is now very much a sellers market so many of the old ways are gone and as a buyer if you want the boat you might have to do what you have to do to bag it because if you don’t someone else will

Always tricky with cloak and dagger threads ……..drip drip info + sheds loadsa secrecy .

We still don‘ t know enough about the motors .
Collectively we try peel back the onion . .No malice .
The cadre of experience = advise was free btw ,

 

[ashtead]

Let’s just hope the OP doesn’t lose his deposit as that will be a salutary lesson given the complete lack of broker regulation which makes even estate agents look positively like compliance professionals.

 

[C Adventure]

Hello all.
I had to step away from this thread for a while. I knew exactly what I was buying and are now the proud owner of a superb motor yacht.

Please see attached pics, inc engine which was inspected by an engineer and only needed the cooling system pressure checked and topping up.

As you will notice, she needs some love but it’s all atheistic having been unused for a few years.
Any fears I had turned out to be unfounded and was the buying process.
Thank you for your advice and comments.

 

[Seastoke]

Well done , nice looking craft I hope all goes well , ps don’t forget we are all still experts , and never wrong.

 

[harvey38]

Are you moored at Ramsgate by any chance?

 

[C Adventure]

Are you moored at Ramsgate by any chance?

Portland. Needs new batteries and a few minor jobs before I move her to the Essex coast.
Hopefully some time in May, though I suspect it could be June. I have a very nice residential mooring waiting for me.

 

[C Adventure]

Well done , nice looking craft I hope all goes well , ps don’t forget we are all still experts , and never wrong.

I appreciate your comments.
Thankfully I wasn’t wrong. (This time)