Making an offer....

[Tranona]

No. Just a simple sum of a few Ryanair flights to Prestwick to look at boats, odd overnighter in some delightful Celtic hostelry... PLUS hauling out, putting on a big truck and unloading at the home end. All marginal costs not payable if you buy a ready to go equivalent in a marina down the road!

Always its the total cost of getting the boat into service where you want it that is the key figure - not the bare purchase price. But, of course you need to be sensible and maybe having a season in Scotland, taking in the Classic Malts and sailing the boat back to the dreaded south is part of the deal that removes some of the price difference.

 

[blueglass]

No. Just a simple sum of a few Ryanair flights to Prestwick to look at boats, odd overnighter in some delightful Celtic hostelry... PLUS hauling out, putting on a big truck and unloading at the home end. All marginal costs not payable if you buy a ready to go equivalent in a marina down the road!

Always its the total cost of getting the boat into service where you want it that is the key figure - not the bare purchase price. But, of course you need to be sensible and maybe having a season in Scotland, taking in the Classic Malts and sailing the boat back to the dreaded south is part of the deal that removes some of the price difference.

I guess we come back to the question of whether you actually have the choice of a particular make of boat available in a variety of locations, in which you would of course favour the one down the road.
My own boat buying experiences have always been very specific, leading me to have to search far and wide for EXACTLY what I want and I will travel accordingly. As you suggest in your Scotland example, this can cause you to find unexpected pleasures. My current boat, which I bought for use on the south coast, I eventually found exactly what I was looking for on the upper Thames. It had a fully paid up Thames licence worth £400 so I decided to make use of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience for 6 months before heading South - it was something I had never considered.
Now in Greece with it and always wonder if I will have to bring it back to the UK when its time to sell. I really wouldn't want to do that - there would be little fun in it somehow - going back is never quite the same as the promise of new horizons. But if it means having to sell cheap, I would maybe have to bite the bullet. Taking the cost of the return into account of course would mean I could sell cheap abroad and still be ahead.
It would be more than galling to bring it back to the UK and end up selling it to somebody who says "this is just what Ive been looking for to use in the Med".
Anybody know the current market price on crystal balls???

 

[Tranona]

Know just how you feel. after 9 years in Corfu I have just brought my boat to UK - note "to" rather than "back to" as I had it delivered there new from Germany. Lots of complicated reasons, but one was the difficulty in selling the boat there.

My logic (apart from being able to do a bit of local cruising here) is that it is easier to sell when you are 10 minutes from the boat in an active sailing area - plus the attraction of a "ready to go" boat for a trip back to the Med - if folks are still doing it in these staitened times. Not quite ready yet to put my assumptions to the test.

 

[westernman]

I eventually found exactly what I was looking for on the upper Thames. It had a fully paid up Thames licence worth £400 so I decided to make use of it.

In my case the tanks were full - that is about 1000 litres of diesel (which is a lot for a sailing boat)

 

[Joker]

Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but I use it only on the lowest form of life.

(I claim the second part as original!)

 

[blueglass]

Know just how you feel. after 9 years in Corfu I have just brought my boat to UK - note "to" rather than "back to" as I had it delivered there new from Germany. Lots of complicated reasons, but one was the difficulty in selling the boat there.
.

Did you have a go at selling in the Med first, then. If so I would be interested in what problems were encountered?

 

[blueglass]

In my case the tanks were full - that is about 1000 litres of diesel (which is a lot for a sailing boat)

Yes, always a good bet (esp. motorboats) to buy in the winter when sellers have filled the tanks to prevent condensation!

 

[Tranona]

Did you have a go at selling in the Med first, then. If so I would be interested in what problems were encountered?

Lack of demand, over supply, difficulty of attracting serious buyers.

Need to qualify by saying that there were probably 10 or 15 similar Bavarias on the market at the same time and I am not desparate to sell. Whatever the boat, potential buyers almost all live elsewhere so difficult to find them and they may only have limited time to look. Not economic to buy there for use elsewhere (I now know the full cost of getting a boat back to UK), so market is limted to new people wanting to keep a boat there - not so popular as it was a few years ago.

If you have a very unusual boat somebody might be prepared to travel to see it, but on the other hand there may be very few interested at all! From observation, the last 3 or 4 years has seen a significant increase in the number of older boats for sale as that generation of adventure seekers succumb to old age, increasing costs and fall in quality of life. You see a few in Gouvia, although cost has driven many out, particularly to Lefkas/Preveza area where storage can be cheaper.

My master plan was always to do the "big trip" back, but health problems curtailed the leisurely meander through the canals so sailed to Spain and then trucked to UK. So at least I can see the boat out of my bedroom window (almost) and will be able to sell it myself when the time comes.

 

[blueglass]

Lack of demand, over supply, difficulty of attracting serious buyers.

Need to qualify by saying that there were probably 10 or 15 similar Bavarias on the market at the same time and I am not desparate to sell. Whatever the boat, potential buyers almost all live elsewhere so difficult to find them and they may only have limited time to look. Not economic to buy there for use elsewhere (I now know the full cost of getting a boat back to UK), so market is limted to new people wanting to keep a boat there - not so popular as it was a few years ago.

If you have a very unusual boat somebody might be prepared to travel to see it, but on the other hand there may be very few interested at all! From observation, the last 3 or 4 years has seen a significant increase in the number of older boats for sale as that generation of adventure seekers succumb to old age, increasing costs and fall in quality of life. You see a few in Gouvia, although cost has driven many out, particularly to Lefkas/Preveza area where storage can be cheaper.

My master plan was always to do the "big trip" back, but health problems curtailed the leisurely meander through the canals so sailed to Spain and then trucked to UK. So at least I can see the boat out of my bedroom window (almost) and will be able to sell it myself when the time comes.

mmmm al rings true and I see the writing on the wall for a slow trip back some day soon.
The cheapest/quickest route back seems to be up the Adriatic to Slovenia and truck from there.

 

[Tranona]

Toss up between that route and the one I took which was via Sant Carles. Adriatic is shorter and potentially easier sea passage, but road transport more limited back to UK. Better to just go to channel port.

Longer sea journey to Spain/France, but better choice of trucking. Mine was £4250 direct to Poole.

With your boat - if you have the time - a long, slowish French canal trip seems a much more sensible idea.

 

[blueglass]

With your boat - if you have the time - a long, slowish French canal trip seems a much more sensible idea.

Yes have thought of that but all those locks - again!

 

[jonic]

Yes have thought of that but all those locks - again!

Yes, did that a few years ago and still getting over it. 183 locks all done with a six month old baby on board too.

 

[blueglass]

Yes, did that a few years ago and still getting over it. 183 locks all done with a six month old baby on board too.

Yes the novelty wears off fter a while. I remember days we travelled from dawn till dusk and covered about 12 miles!!
Actually wouldn't have missed it for the world, but just don't fancy it again. SWMBO says I'll be on my own!

 

[jonic]

Same here, enjoyed the experience but not falling over myself to repeat it. Champagne region was heavenly.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

I too don't want to sound rude, but if you have to lower your offer to allow for the "extras" then may be you should be looking as cheaper boats.

If your limit is 30k the most you should be looking at spending is around 25k by the time you have negotiated, had her surveyed, sorted everything for the insurance, paid the yard fees and had her relaunched you'll have spent anything you managed to save on the purchase price.

Apologies for joining in late, but many boats will have the yard fees paid and even a lifting in fee paid up to date... check on this if you are making an offer because everything is negotiable before you have made an agreement.

As well as sorting out your birth/mooring which you still have until spring to save up for, you can sail in whatever clothes you have already and avoid the requirement to look like an advert for Musto etc.. until there is a real need for it. Of course the survey fee is a vital thing to get right as this too can be negotiable.
Don't agree to a full survey until the surveyor has had a walk around and a general check before he gives the go ahead for a full survey. I did this with my 2 surveys on both my boats and for the first the surveyor had already told me not to buy one boat which he only charged me £60 for. A 'tyre kicker' survey. You have to discuss this in advance of course and if you can;t find a surveyor that agrees, then let me know by PM and I'll put you in touch with one.

Also make sure all bills have been paid by the vendor before agreement. My broker failed to do this on my first boat and I therfore paid him the final balance, less the amount outsatnding by the seller on his unpaid marina bill.

A boat is only worth you paying what you think it is worth to you. 'Perceived value'. If in doubt you'r possibly right, but we've all paid too much for something in life.
Too easy to sell something cheap and pay too much for something.... I should know I've been working alongside kitchen salesmen for 10 years!"
A reminder also if you havn't heard this before....'the two greatest days of owning a boat, are the day you buy it and the day you sell it!"
best of luck
S.