buying a older boat (sunseeker marinque 91)

C

captaindan

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 Oct 2012
Messages
230
www.discountfascia.com
Just been to spain to look at a sunseeker martinique that i have agreed a price on, when i got over there for a look round the vessel i found a few bits that were wrong with it, and am in two minds whether to proceed with survey and transaction. I would like your opinions and veiws on this and am wondering weather i have a bargain for the price or am buying a wreck.

The first off put was that the generator does not work as it is seized.

The windscreen has bad sun damage and the perspex has little cracks in them

there was a problem with the domestic battery no life there however the broker said this was new problem which the seller would investigate.

the cock pit fiberglass console had loads of little pits in it.

the fridge looks like its been leaking

the go faster stripe on one side has faded from the sun

wasn't able to have a sea trial (however I can go back for one)

Now this boat is a old boat 1991 so I was expecting wear and when looking round the other ones in the Uk there up for around 45000 to 50000 even though they aint going to sell for that ,the Spanish boats seem to be slightly cheaper than the Uk.
I have agreed a price of 32500 pounds sterling

I have an estimation in my mind that im gonna have to spend £3500 to £5000 putting these bits right, do you think its viable option to buy this less loved vessel or should I look to spend a little extra money for a better example. :confused:
 
You will spend the top end of your budget on replacing the genny with a basic model (e.g. a Vetus) if you go down that route so your budget is probably a bit of an underestimate. The other stuff doesn't sound too major but when you add it all together along with the costs of getting the boat to the UK (if that is what you are planning) it doesn't sound like a bargain overall.

I know of one for sale in the Uk and have sent you a PM.
 
All the stuff mentioned is cosmetic hull minor irritations,amounting to 5% of stuff that could cost you money on a boat..
The important 95% is mechanical.Absolutely vital you satisfy yourself that engines/drives and to lesser extent electronics are OK.
If easy to spot cheap to fix hull is neglected what hope for super expensive hidden away stuff.
I would want to satisfy myself that powertrain is at least in reasonable running order with a few servicing bills knocking around before even thinking about a bid.
Does not matter how "cheap" it is compared to similar boats....you do not want to be doing somebody a big favour by taking on their neglected money pit. :)
 
Hi Greg

Yeah your probably right with the generator I had estimated on 1600 or so for a second hand one, quite like the idea of leaving it abroad for a season to see how I get on with boating with sunshine,

Interested in the one you know for sale but your pm has not come through for some reason,

thanks
 
If you need a gennie then a replacement used one's going to be about £2.5k plus fitting which could be several £100's. If you don't need one then fair enough. All the other bits seem quite minor and some bits like fading and cracks/pits are just indicative of an old Med boat!
Be more worried about the engines than any of the things you mentioned. Be sure to get them checked thoroughly and don't be scared to spend a few bob doing so as it could save you thousands in the long run.
Good luck and let's have some pictures please:)
 
captaindan said:
Hi Greg

Yeah your probably right with the generator I had estimated on 1600 or so for a second hand one, quite like the idea of leaving it abroad for a season to see how I get on with boating with sunshine,

Interested in the one you know for sale but your pm has not come through for some reason,

thanks
Click to expand...

You should have it now....had some issues sending it but hopefully it went on the second try. Let me know if it didn't. Chris is at work today if you wanted a chat with him.

A second hand genny might be an option but they are like rocking horse droppings.....not many around!

Cheers

Greg
 
Yes i am in agreement with survey mechanical and hull but due to the boat being in spain and me being in blighty I agreed a price in principle, have loads of service history with regards to the engines and replacement of one and overhaul of the other I thought it was best to veiw the boat before instructing surveyor and mechanic in case i did not like the boat.
 
The worrying thing is no Sea Trial. An excuse like a flat battery is a ridiculous reason. All brokers should carry a jump start in their car. Gene....do you need one. Screen will be annoying and think nearer £5k if you can get one. Sun damage is standard but look further behind scenes. You may find the pumps all broken, water system leaking, Fridge expect £650 to replace. Old Sunseekers from the Med are a good price because they are normally tired and suffer from erratic use (2/3 weeks a year and erratic service. Pay for a decent survey now and you will get the piece of mind you need. Where about in Spain is she? BTW, I have an old 1991 Med Sunseeker......which I am 12 months into restoration!
 
Yes I must admit I was disapointed that they couldnt give a sea trial as I had discussed with his colleague prior to booking flights my intentions etc. In his defense the bloke ive been dealing with has had some personal issue that he needed to attend too at short notice and the veiwing was taken over by his collegue and the weather was not ideal for sea trial either.

Now we had it started up engines and they were running nice and started on the button, the issue was with domestic battery I wouldn't go near the boat without a sea trail survey and even a mechanical opinion on the boat and agree with you that this was a long off reason. A survey, sea trail and mechanical opinion would be my next stage in my process.

What I am really trying to get too is that is this what to expect on a older boat for that sort of money the things which i mentioned or is it a bad example.

Its interesting that the windscreen could cost that much is there any companies that refurb them.

this boat was over san pedro

it would be nice to see some pics of your one
 
I think that the windscreen is Perspex so it won't be too expensive.....possibly even a DIY job if the old one can be used as a template. It's not like have a glass one made, which would be very expensive.
 
Yes the one in it at the moment is perspex the only bit that might be a issue is replacing the curved sections, would be good to hear from someone who may have replaced them
 
captaindan said:
Just been to spain to look at a sunseeker martinique that i have agreed a price on, when i got over there for a look round the vessel i found a few bits that were wrong with it, and am in two minds whether to proceed with survey and transaction. I would like your opinions and veiws on this and am wondering weather i have a bargain for the price or am buying a wreck.

The first off put was that the generator does not work as it is seized.

The windscreen has bad sun damage and the perspex has little cracks in them

there was a problem with the domestic battery no life there however the broker said this was new problem which the seller would investigate.

the cock pit fiberglass console had loads of little pits in it.

the fridge looks like its been leaking

the go faster stripe on one side has faded from the sun

wasn't able to have a sea trial (however I can go back for one)

Now this boat is a old boat 1991 so I was expecting wear and when looking round the other ones in the Uk there up for around 45000 to 50000 even though they aint going to sell for that ,the Spanish boats seem to be slightly cheaper than the Uk.
I have agreed a price of 32500 pounds sterling

I have an estimation in my mind that im gonna have to spend £3500 to £5000 putting these bits right, do you think its viable option to buy this less loved vessel or should I look to spend a little extra money for a better example. :confused:
Click to expand...


If its 36 your after there is a good one that I know the history of as I've looked after it, local to south coast uk.

It's at Hayling island on with jaykaymarine If our interested I can give you some info.
 
captaindan said:
Yes the one in it at the moment is perspex the only bit that might be a issue is replacing the curved sections, would be good to hear from someone who may have replaced them
Click to expand...

I think that the refurb work on the one at NYA had the whole screen done by the owner using the old parts as templates. The Perspex was then just flexed into place.
 
Greg2 said:
I think that the windscreen is Perspex so it won't be too expensive.....possibly even a DIY job if the old one can be used as a template. It's not like have a glass one made, which would be very expensive.
Click to expand...

Curved Perspex can get expensive, especially if it is the wrong size after making it and bending it (long story). It is bending it correctly that can cost as you have to make a former etc.

Glad to hear a full survey will be carried out. Med boats generally cost a fair few extra pounds to get right due to usage. I bought a baby 24 Mexico..with a new engine, nav gear etc but am still into her for several thousand and have done a lot of DIY. To be fair I wanted a little project and having sold my big boat wanted something small for the summer. She really puts a smile on my face though and they handle great! Highly recommend buying a good one as it is cheaper in the long run unless you enjoy a project.
 
Generator tales.
Mate of mine bought a boat which had spent its life in the Med and returned to UK.It had been specced with a good quality genny from new.
Boat was about 20 years old and had done about 400 hours.
The genny started playing up and was hauled out and fixed....again and again. Getting fed up with this my mate decided to have it totally overhauled and rebuilt...... It lasted for about a season.
After wasting a lot of money he finally bit the bullet and bought a new one.
The old one is probably still out there somewhere emptying someones pocket.
 
It isent a "Bad Example" its a "Good Example" of a boat that has been neglected and you can probably double what you are budgeting to spend.
On a boat of this age you should have had a sea trial. And been there when they were trying to start it.
You indicate that you are going to have a survey.
I would go back and insist on a sea trial, and then if you are happy, then have a survey.
On my last boat I went out on a Sea Trial and as we cleared the harbour the engine broke down.
 
As long as the hull is sound and the drive train is up to scratch then everything else is easily fixable, either DIY or professionally. Cosmetics on med boats are the domain of people who don't use them much. Well used usually means scruffy. Med boating is a different mind set with most time afloat vs weekends in the marina primping and polishing.
If the screen is dodgy then get a copy made in the UK and ship it out if you're not happy with local boat wrights. The plans can be obtained from sun seeker.
The genny is a necessity if you plan to hang on your hook for any length of time so new batteries and a functional genny are a necessity. if not capable of a rebuild, buy a good one. I would focus more on the fridge. It will be in constant use and worked hard. Cold drinks and ice are not a luxury, they're a necessity.
Plan to spend triple what you've budgeted over the next three years and you'll be about right.
No mention of a Passerelle? But then that's another subject.
 
Hi, I recently bought a Martinique 39 ,19 years old and while I love the boat I am carrying on from where the last owner left off with upgrading etc. I had issues with the large curved Perspex screens and these originally were made by Trend. , who I believe still supply sunseeker. Trend will not deal direct with the public and refer you back to sunseeker who add their bit. I was quoted over £10k for 4 sections of screen. I hunted around and it is very difficult to find any independants who can fit these large screens in their ovens. Getting the curve just right is a real issue, not sure how big your screens are but mine in old money are 84" long and that is right on the border line for a lot of ovens, hope it. Works out ok for you,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top