Considerations after buying

[oGaryo]

Hi again.. following on from my 'First Boat' thread I posted a couple of days back, I'm in a position to go and view a couple of boats, possibly as early as tomorrow afternoon, work permitting.

Can you let me know what actions I need to take immediately after purchasing a boat (if that's what I do) to get her home safely, stored and then out for her first trip.. These are the things that spring to my novice mind:

1. sufficient insurance to tow the boat back home both for the boat itself and the car.. I can check the latter to ensure there's no exclusion clauses in my docs (is it typical there is?)... I'm going to ask the seller to give me a combined weight of the boat and trailer before towing to ensure it's within safe driving limits for my car.

2. on the insurance front again.. do I need to have any special certifications to become eligible for insuring a boat either to just own it and / or to take her out on the water whether that be sea or river?

3. security.. I need to find a secure lockup in the local area clearly but are there any further measures I can take to protect my purchase.. again, insurance clauses specific to boats, an alarm, other security devices on the trailer and boat etc... what should I look out for in an ideal boat yard?

4. do I need to hold a rya 2 certification in the UK to take the boat out?

5. worthiness.. do I need by law to have paperwork to show the boat is sea/river worthy?

6. I then assume there's river licence, life jackets (I have two already), flares, launching fees etc to contend with when I take her out for the first time.. is there anything else I need to conform to law or indeed, plain old common sense from a safe boating perspective.

Hope you can help again... and once more, really sorry for the dumb questions whilst I get up to speed with what will no doubt become a bit of a passion /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

kind regards Gary

 

[misterg]

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Hi again.. .

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Hi, go on, then. I'll have a go at replying (it's a lot to bite off /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). First things first - You can buy a boat like a 2nd hand car: go and kick the tyres, make an offer, suck your teeth at each other, come up with a deal, pay the cash and drive / tow it away. Nothing wrong with it, but you can also buy a boat more like you would buy a house: do the tyre kicking and teeth sucking thing, then make an offer subject to certain conditions (usually survey, or survey + sea trial). This gives you the opportunity to get an expert to look the boat over, and to re-negotiate / walk away if anything untoward comes up. After everything is agreed, you can set a completion date when the actual transfer of ownership takes place, and arrange for insurance, etc. to kick in at that point.

I think you were looking at £10k (ish). IMHO, that's about the level where engaging a surveyor becomes well worth it, even if you're a bit savvy about boats. If you're not savvy about boats, then get a surveyor or knowlegeable friend involved, anyway - fer gawd's sake! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
[ QUOTE ]
... These are the things that spring to my novice mind:

1. sufficient insurance to tow the boat back home both for the boat itself and the car.. I can check the latter to ensure there's no exclusion clauses in my docs (is it typical there is?)... I'm going to ask the seller to give me a combined weight of the boat and trailer before towing to ensure it's within safe driving limits for my car.

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Towing would usually be covered in your car policy, and excluded from your boat policy (in my experience). Unless the vendor has had the rig on a weigh bridge, all they'll have to go on will be the published data. Probably better to suss this out yourself - the trailer should have a plate on it stating the weight. I've also heard dark things about the towing vehicle needing to be suitable for the rated weight of the trailer, regardless of whether it is actually that heavy or not.

{edit to add:

I don't know when you passed your driving test, but if it's in the last 10 years, or so, you may not have a licence that allows you to tow anything (?anything this heavy?).

Make sure your car insurance covers you for towing - some super-cheapies don't
}

[ QUOTE ]
2. on the insurance front again.. do I need to have any special certifications to become eligible for insuring a boat either to just own it and / or to take her out on the water whether that be sea or river?

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Nope, you own it, you can insure it if you want to. The caveat is that most places where you moor or launch will want to see evidence of insurance (usually with a specific 3rd party liability amount).

[ QUOTE ]
3. security.. I need to find a secure lockup in the local area clearly but are there any further measures I can take to protect my purchase.. again, insurance clauses specific to boats, an alarm, other security devices on the trailer and boat etc... what should I look out for in an ideal boat yard?

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't really help with this, but outboards are desirable, as are any big bits of aluminium, stainless steel, or bronze. Power boats on trailers seem to be targetted by tea-leaves. Most of the trailers with boats on around here are up on blocks with the trailer wheels taken off. It's not unheard of for a chainsaw to be used to cut the transom off, complete with outdrive / outboard.

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4. do I need to hold a rya 2 certification in the UK to take the boat out?

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No, but it doesn't mean it's not a good idea.
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5. worthiness.. do I need by law to have paperwork to show the boat is sea/river worthy?

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No, but.... Your insurers *may* want to see a survey, particularly for an older boat. If you're launching on inland waters, you might need a 'BSS' safety certificate (Boat Safety Scheme) which has some very specific requirements which might mean work even on a factory spec. boat.

[ QUOTE ]
6. I then assume there's river licence, life jackets (I have two already), flares, launching fees etc to contend with when I take her out for the first time.. is there anything else I need to conform to law or indeed, plain old common sense from a safe boating perspective.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's all about common sense, but you might need someone to show you what common sense means (if that's not too perverse) - it's obvious once you've been shown, but one see's so many people making an @rse of things that it can't be that obvious to the uninitiated. If you can, get someone with previous experience to come with you the first few times. It'll be worth whatever bribe you have to come up with.

Watch the weather forecast (& figure out tide tables / charts if you're on the sea).

There, my 0.02p.

Happy to be corrected on any points.

Andy

 

[NorthUp]

If its not new- check the trailer very carefully, especially the wheel bearings, cos' if its been dunked in the water a few times by the previous owners and not well greased you might not make it home with the boat!
Jack up each wheel in turn and spin the wheel, it should not rumble or feel rough.
I towed a 2 ton boat 200 miles (reached home) from Edinburgh a few years ago, and at 210 miles the trailer folded!
It looked OK on the surface....
Misterg seems to have covered everything else.

 

[realslimshady]

for insurance-covermyboat.com
quarter of the price of my previous insurer

 

[oGaryo]

Thanks guys.. this has to be the most helpful forum there is out there I've also received pm's from some very helpful souls too.. really am very impressed and grateful for the advice given.

thanks again.

 

[oGaryo]

by the way... this is a copy of the email I sent to the vendor (it's not a private sale) asking them to ensure we cover at least the following, including ensuring no outstanding HPI is due on the boat from previous owner(s):


- engine and leg service history.. I'm presuming there's full Service History available

- show me any remaining warranty on the boat, manufacturer or otherwise.. including details of any warranty you provide as part of the sale (I presume there will be a period of warranty) and service you carried out.

- any certifications for the boat.. sea worthiness etc

- ownership history

- a jack to raise each wheel of the trailer so that I can check out bearings etc

- show me that the winch works correctly if that's at all possible.

- again, show me the handbrake and trailer brake operate efficiently along with the lighting board

- give me an idea if the engine's been looked after (flushed etc).. a chap has also mentioned that I should check the riser for rusting and ensure there a pair of 'leg muffs' that come with the sale.. haven't a clue what he's talking about so please explain.

- I'd like to see the engine running so I can check oil temperature etc

- help me check that all electrics work fine on the boat

- take me through the typical area's that are prone to water ingress, leaks etc and help me understand how I can check if the gelcoat is in good condition (I presume it has its original coat).. I'll be checking fittings etc for hairline cracks

- let me know if you'll give me a short sea trial as part of the sale

- comment if you'll valet the boat before collection and indeed, before my wife comes back with me at the weekend to view the boat and complete the sale.. she'll want to see it sparkle and smell nice ;-)

- finally, let me know the fully laden weight of both the boat and the trailer as I will need to know this before coming down to collect the boat... it may mean I have to use something other than my wife's car which is limited to 1500kg/ 3000lb towing capacity or bring along my roof box to load the car up and reduce the towing weight of the boat.


In effect I'll go from top to bottom, length and breath of the boat to check things out and then take either a surveyor or knowledgeable friend along to the final purchse as per your good advice.

Note: he seems a really nice bloke and has agreed to do what he can to take me through the above with the following caveat regarding running up the engine which seems reasonable to me:

"since engine has just been serviced, inhibited and drained down for winter we would only want to run it if a definite sale is agreed first (subject of course to you being satisfied with the engine when it is started and run)"

 

[NorthUp]

Sounds reasonable...
the leg muffs are a fitting to supply cooling water from a hosepipe to the engine via the outdrive leg, they look like (surprise) a pair of earmuffs for a thin head!
http://www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk/Engines...ubber-Suctions/

they're cheap so don't worry if they don't come with the boat.
If the engine has been 'winterised', the seller is right to not run it until he is sure of the sale- basically its been flushed through the seawater cooling system with an antifreeze mix, and possible the air intake has been sprayed with fogging oil, google for more info.
Good luck!

 

[realslimshady]

what boat are you going for, Gary?

 

[gjgm]

Id guess insurance will be £2-300, BUt they will be very very specific about security, as its all too easy to nick a boat on a trailer.
The usual "car clamp" wheel locks are fine, but bit more of a hassle storing. Cant remember who makes it, but there is a wheel lock that looks like just a yellow bar; thats pretty good.
Also a hitch lock.. feeble, but worth thinking about when the trailer is attached to the car. Remember to lock the trailer if you stop for a cuppa somewhere (motorway service station), or you might find it gone when you come back out!

 

[oGaryo]

I'm looking at a Flecther 19 gts 3.0ltr 2001 at £9950 with twin wheel trailer (Degraf?).. comes with mooring and camping covers and looks in good condition from the photo's he's sent me

 

[Dave_Seager]

A couple of quick observations:

According to Fletcher's web site, the 19GTSC has a dry weight of 1370 Kg. If you add on an allowance for extras on a used boat and the weight of the trailer you will almost certainly exceed the 1500 Kg towing weight for your car.

You mention using the boat on the river. Although the boat is not particularly suitable for river use I would still recommend you start there as it is far more forgiving than the open sea. However, most rivers will require some sort of licence, usually from the Environment Agency.

Good luck.