Dealing with unresponsive sellers - buying a boat

[Erik523]

I finally decided to buy a small yacht. It will be my first boat so I want to buy something cheaper - up to £5k. I understand this would be a very old and small boat. I understand the condition will not be mint and it may require some touch and repairs. I expect a safe and seaworthy boat, though. I don't need a boat which will sink right after I leave the harbour with her!

I had found a few interesting ads on the Internet and I asked the sellers about some details, like their condition, osmosis, navigational equipment and some other things.

I also asked for more photos. If there is only 5 or 7 photos of the boat, I really prefer to see more. Especially because some people like to hide some problems by simply not showing them in the ad.

I thought, it is in the sellers' interest to try to convince potential buyers to buy their boats. Am I mistaken? Try to understand my position, please: if the boat is far away from my location, I need to drive/take bus/train to see her. It is obvious, I would prefer to know the condition of the boat before I waste time to travel and see that her photos from the ad arey ears old and the current condition is bad.

And my problem is: it is very hard to have anything in return, no photos, no answers! A private seller may not have time or experience how to sell a boat. But I noticed such unresponsiveness even with brokers (in this case, the boat has been for sale for over a year!). Why!?

So the question is: how to deal with boat sellers?

 

[Refueler]

Boats of that money - often stay for sale for long time and sellers get numb to it.

Brokers have no interest in such bargain boats - not enough profit for them.

To be honest - there are lots of boats in UK around the coast for that sort of money ... and in fact you should be able to find a reasonable condition one ... my Sunrider 25 would barely fetch that price in UK .. I've seen one or two at less ...
The sub 26ft older boats are really bargains now .. Colvic .. Westerly ... Snapdragon .... Mirage .... MacWester ... Yes you will see some sellers who think their boats are made of gold ... but there are many out there still good boats - but bargains .....

 

[Irish Rover]

I'd say most sellers in that price range are expecting to sell to reasonably local buyers and figure if you're really interested you'll come to have a look for yourself.

 

[LittleSister]

First of all commiserations regarding the frustrations you've faced.

Unfortunately, some people are just useless at these things, including brokers (especially at the lower end of the market). Occasionally someone might be away, or ill, but that can't account for how often it happens. I never cease to be amazed, too, how many people wouldn't respond just to let you know if they've, for instance, already sold the boat or decided not to sell.

I do think, though, that you have to convince people that you are seriously looking (it is quite a trial to sell a boat, too, and often have to deal with lots of time wasters). They might not have any more photos (or any they want to share), or to talk about condition, kit etc. if it's a bit of a dog. Brokers will rarely know (or be willing to tell) more than they have on their listing (which in my experience might not be entirely accurate - do check what gear is there and condition, dimensions etc. if you go to view).

You could try contacting them again, which might convince them you are serious. If still no response I think you probably have to assume that they've already sold the boat, or are not someone you'd want to deal with.

Whereabouts in the country are you, and what sort of thing did you have in mind? People on here might be able to point you to reliable brokers etc., or point you to similar boats genuinely for sale.

Good luck with your quest.

 

[Erik523]

> Whereabouts in the country are you
West of Scotland (Dundee area).

> what sort of thing did you have in mind?
A yacht, 22-27 feet. In a reasonable condition.

 

[Sandy]

> Whereabouts in the country are you
West of Scotland (Dundee area).

You may want to brush up on your navigation.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Erik523]

I'm sorry. Of course, it is east of Scotland

 

[KevinV]

I wonder if your immediate detailed questions are giving the impression that you're trying to talk yourself out of it, or trying to bargain the price down before start, or just taking a lot of the buyers time when they have no indication that you're an actual buyer. Sailing is an older demographic, those getting out of sailing older still (ideal for fully kitted out boats) - not necessarily digital natives.

I'd suggest starting with "your boat looks like it may fit the bill, could we have a chat on the phone?" That way you get a feel for each other and build rapport.

 

[winch2]

There are umpteen worn out old plastic boats for sale at that sort of money. You just take a look and if its yey than u just hand over the money. In other words you need to go into it with the understanding that your basically throwing cash down the drain. Plying the seller with endless questions is a hiding to nothing because everyone knows boats in that price area are going to have a million probs anyway.. specially old fibreglass which is the devil to repair.
Dont go into it if your not prepared to take a risk.

 

[Tranona]

How about this one - although you will have to travel a bit to view boatshed.com/jaguar_25-boat-335527.html

The reality is in that part of the world it is a struggle to find good boats of that size and price without doing a lot of travelling.

 

[ylop]

I had found a few interesting ads on the Internet and I asked the sellers about some details, like their condition, osmosis, navigational equipment and some other things.

I also asked for more photos. If there is only 5 or 7 photos of the boat, I really prefer to see more. Especially because some people like to hide some problems by simply not showing them in the ad.

How did you ask? Some of the on-line platforms are not great for getting your message seen - e.g. facebook marketplace sends posts from people you are not friends with to "other messages", email forwarding sees a lot of this stuff as junk/spam. My advice would be to go for the old fashioned phone approach. Much more likely to get a response and shows you are serious.

Some boats at that size might never get advertised - sold between club members, friends etc - or aren't officially for sale but might be if someone made them an offer. Check club / marina notice boards. Perhaps even put up a wanted sign yourself...

 

[Erik523]

Yes, exactly - I sent them text messages/emails or Facebook marketplace messages. Yes, it seems, the only way is to call them.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

How about this one - although you will have to travel a bit to view boatshed.com/jaguar_25-boat-335527.html

The reality is in that part of the world it is a struggle to find good boats of that size and price without doing a lot of travelling.

That’s a great find, assuming it’s as described. Would suit the OP’s needs. My limited experience with Boatshed has been positive, although they’re all independent franchisees so experience must vary; I’d be giving the broker a call (not an email).

 

[Refueler]

There are umpteen worn out old plastic boats for sale at that sort of money. You just take a look and if its yey than u just hand over the money. In other words you need to go into it with the understanding that your basically throwing cash down the drain. Plying the seller with endless questions is a hiding to nothing because everyone knows boats in that price area are going to have a million probs anyway.. specially old fibreglass which is the devil to repair.
Dont go into it if your not prepared to take a risk.

What a depressing view on boating !!

I agree that you are not wrong - but your post implies that the world of the ~5K boat is a pit of disaster ... I can say from my own experience - that that is far from the truth - there are plenty of good boats out there as well ...

I mentioned a few brands ... many of which are still in good sailaway condition. Market just pushes the prices down as they are 1970 .. 1980's boats ..

But your comment : "specially old fibreglass which is the devil to repair." Is it ... I better tell the GRP guy who has just repaired the stbd bilge keel that we hit concrete block with and cracked the keel to hull joint .... boat is 1973 Sunrider 25

Better warn him on the other boat he's repairing for me ... Kormoran 5m mid 1970's ... where the drop keel plate housings have cracked and also after a storm - the portside toe-rail strake cracked ....

 

[LittleSister]

There are umpteen worn out old plastic boats for sale at that sort of money. You just take a look and if its yey than u just hand over the money. In other words you need to go into it with the understanding that your basically throwing cash down the drain. Plying the seller with endless questions is a hiding to nothing because everyone knows boats in that price area are going to have a million probs anyway.. specially old fibreglass which is the devil to repair.
Dont go into it if your not prepared to take a risk.

That's an unduly pessimistic take on the situation.

There are indeed many 'worn out' plastic boats (actually GRP boats are rarely worn out, but often their accommodation/gear/engine has been let go) for sale at that sort of money, but there are also some very decent boats that require very little, if any, urgent attention. It just takes care, and likely a bit of time, to find them among the dross. Far from throwing money down the drain, if you're discerning and careful (and enlist the advice of someone experienced if you are new to the game) you can get afloat in what is now considered a small boat (but not too long ago would have been considered a family cruiser), have lots of fun, adventures and travel far and wide, for remarkably little money these days. (In boat purchase terms at least. It's the mooring/berthing etc. costs that are the challenge these days.)

I have recently been advising a friend who is looking for a boat locally, and have been shocked by
(a) how much utter dross that is for sale (some aren't even 'projects' but a complete liability);
but also
(b) that there are some real gems - tidy, well-looked after boats, of classes that people positively want to own, and with the relevant gear - for a small fraction of the price that I would have paid for them a few years back when I was in the market for just that sort of thing. (I've wanted a couple of them for myself, and am actually tempted to downsize to take advantage of the bargains.)

I'm surprised, too, that you say 'specially old fibreglass . . . is the devil to repair'. Fibreglass, old or new, very rarely requires repair unless it has been damaged, and even if it does, compared to all the alternatives it is relatively easy to repair.

 

[Refueler]

Here's a Colvic ... little more headroom etc ...

Colvic 26 For Sale, 8.21m, 1979

Bilge Keeler - giving greater freedom on moorings / storage ashore etc.

 

[Erik523]

> often have to deal with lots of time wasters
Why is there so many time wasters? If boats were advertised properly, there wouldn't be a problem! A few days ago, I was inspecting Sadler Frigate 27. Had I known about: white mould inside, water in the bilge and wires in this water, dirt, no gas for the stove and non-operational GPS, I would have wasted neither my nor the seller's time... Fortunately, the boat was located nearby, just 60 miles or something. I wouldn't want to go 300 or 400 miles and see junk...


Thank you very much for all your answers! I think, I know what direction to take when trying to contact sellers: phone them.

 

[scozzy]

Up your expectations as to what you'll get for 5K imho....there is,without doubt.. more than a few sellers of boats advertised for 6,7 even 8K with expected better kit/condition than a 3ish, maybe 4k boat would have who would be sweating a bit on your offer of 5K on one hand while in the other an impending pile of bills for mooring,crane out,winter storage etc etc awaits their consideration for a boat they no longer want.....worked for me,its a numbers game

 

[Concerto]

Most owners association web sites have boats for sale adverts. For example have a look at the Westerly Owners Association web site.

Craft for Sale

Check out Moody, Hunter Boats, Sadler, etc.

 

[fredrussell]

See if boatshed.com has a rep/broker near you. The nice thing about Boatshed is they put a ton of photos on ad.