Buying a repaired boat

[lw395]

I would be tempted to walk anyway, don't like the bit about "several stiff corners showing cracks". Sounds like the boat was squashed and there may be other hidden damage which comes to light later.

It sounds like the glory days of Sigma 33 racing, when they'd all bounce off each other at marks and the hulls would bounce back but the interior could be damaged.
This isn't good for any GRP.
If there was any sandwich structure in the boat, I would be very cautious.

 

[oldharry]

If the repairs havent been completed and signed off, I very much doubt you will get insurance until the work is done to your Insurers' satisfaction, and your company's surveyor will almost certainly specify more remedial work than originally specified , to cover themselves. A boat that has been squeezed like that could have all kinds of hidden nasties which don't come to light until dismantled further Sounds a total minefield to me. As Skipper Stu says, there's plenty of others out there.

One corner of my mind is flashing up serious alerts - why are they keen to get shot of it so quickly they cant wait to put it back in good order for sale? And why did the broker alert you to potential problems? He's employed to sell the boat for the current owner, not to put off potential buyers. Be thankful for an honest broker!

This deal has more than the beginnings of a nasty smell somewhere, and I guess the broker knows it and doesnt really want to sell until the work has been done and signed off.

 

[maby]

...

One corner of my mind is flashing up serious alerts - why are they keen to get shot of it so quickly they cant wait to put it back in good order for sale? ....

Summer is just around the corner and they probably want a reliable boat that is in a fit state for some serious sailing. We sold our last boat while it was out of the water, in pieces, waiting to be repaired - for exactly that reason. But we sold it to a dealer in part exchange for a brand new boat - he had the knowledge to assess the implications of the defects and the influence to ensure that they were properly repaired. With respect to the boat being discussed here, I think the OP should be very cautious and make sure that he/she is fully protected against the potential for the job to turn out more difficult than is currently expected. If it were me, I would have walked away - we did exactly that a few years ago in the face of less serious defects than those which could be the case here.

The messages from the OP seem rather inconsistent - the first post said " had an accident 3 years ago but since has been professionally fixed." but his most recent post seems to indicate that the repairs have not yet been completed. The boat in question is a 2006 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42ds - even at that age, not a dirt cheap boat. At the prices that is likely to command, I would certainly be commissioning a detailed survey before completing the transaction - any professional marine surveyor should be able to offer a strong opinion on the adequacy of the repairs.

 

[oldharry]

Yes, one can be charitable and assume the vendors motives are pure. Perhaps I just have a nasty suspicious mind! But as you say we are not speculating on a 'back of the yard' deal of a few grand on an old Centaur or whatever. OP definitely needs a professional Surveyor's opinion before taking this any further IMHO. Doesnt have to be a full (therefore expensive) survey. I have several times paid a surveyor just to take a look and give an opinion on a boat whose condition I was unsure about, at a fraction of the cost of a full survey. Its saved me a great deal of money and probably a lot of grief too!

 

[miha90]

Considering how many production boats like this are on the market I would have a hard time justifying buying one that has been damaged. I would want to know exactly what was fixed and see some invoices. If the boat was privately owned I would probably ask to talk to the owner to confirm everything.

 

[AlexKT7]

thanks a lot for the suggestions. I have decided not to proceed with this option and to look for alternatives.

 

[Kukri]

My last two wooden boats - which between them carried my family around the North Sea and the Channel for 40 years, and are still doing the same for their present owners now, had both been sunk before I bought them. But wood is a very different thing.