New skipper required, suggestions please

[PhillM]

To be honest, putting together the site, reliving all the adventures we have had and gathering all the information together has made my father more reluctant to sell her with a hope of returning to health, so we are in no desperate rush.

I came close to putting my boat on the market earlier this year for various reasons. When I showed the broker round, I found myself saying, well I've done this or that (major job), but I'm going to do this next, when I get the time. Most of them were "silly little things" but jobs that would make her smarter or easier to live in or just good things to do.

At the end of the "tour" I had voiced so many of my plans, that it was clear to us both that I was just not ready to sell her.

 

[Kukri]

I sold the boat I had owned for 29 years, through Woodenships, (Peter and Richard Gregson) who did a first class job of finding the right new carer for her, and within 24 hours I had bought another wooden gaff cutter through Foundry Reach (Andy Ladd)

(In fairness, I have known Andromeda's former carer for forty years, and he had owned her for 24 of them, so not much risk in the transaction!)

My children are hugely amused that Dad, having spent a couple of years talking about buying something plastic, Bermudian and sensible, immediately bought another wooden boat!

Anyway, two brokers that I can happily recommend.

 

[phanakapan]

Beautiful boat. Fantastic name.....


ps agree with others re photos of interior etc etc.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

I echo some of the comments of others, particularly about presentation of the vessel as a going concern for sale.

We run a small, rather amateurish but moderately successful, 'listings' page of wooden boats for sale out here -- http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/boats.htm -- and some of the several things we request the owner to provide, apart from technical details about size, construction, equipment, and so on, are plenty of photos of the vessel -- sailing (or at least afloat), on the hard, on deck, in the cockpit, of the accommodation, any special details, and so on.

Of course the potential buyer wants to know all the technical details about the boat, but his wife and kids will also be stakeholders, and they may all be looking for different things from her. No-one is probably particularly interested in where she's been (except perhaps as a measure of her capabilities) but rather, in their imaginations, where they'll be taking her. So in my opinion you need to show the galley as well as the chart table, the head as well as the anchor stowage, the berths as well as the sheet winches, the folding table as well as the forehatch, the heater as well as the hounds, the clock and barometer, an oil lamp burning if there is one, and so on. Photographs of seascapes taken from on board are irrelevant unless they're incidental to a close-up of the furling gear or something, while photos of other vessels are irrelevant altogether.

I take your point about your father's not necessarily being quite willing to sell at present after all, but I think that if the decision is finally made you could make up a much punchier webpage that will market her more successfully than does your present quite-large site.

But having said all that, I hope your father's health improves to the point where he takes her off the market altogether and enjoys several more years of sailing her.

Mike

 

[skipper681]

I came close to putting my boat on the market earlier this year for various reasons. When I showed the broker round, I found myself saying, well I've done this or that (major job), but I'm going to do this next, when I get the time. Most of them were "silly little things" but jobs that would make her smarter or easier to live in or just good things to do.

At the end of the "tour" I had voiced so many of my plans, that it was clear to us both that I was just not ready to sell her.

I sold my 27ft clinker double ender a few years ago, worst mistake I ever made, I miss that boat everyday, now I have what I tastefully describe as a 'tupperware' boat. There's nothing like a good wooden boat.

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Thanks for all the advice on getting Wanda to a new owner. Acting on that and after talking to Barney Sandeman (who was exceedingly helpful and pleasant) I've altered the contact details on the site to point directly to the broker who is better equipped to answer questions and talk about the boat and will be more approachable. I've also added a link to their site right at the top of the homepage of http://wanda1930.info/, and they provide lots of shots of the interior of Wanda. As my fathers condition has worsened, we discussed price and I asked for her to be reduced to £55k, which makes her a lot of boat for the money.

Thanks again for the advice, let me know if there is anything else you can suggest.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

MUCH better.

I hope she sells without much trouble. And I hope your Dad stays okay notwithstanding.

Mike

 

[Transcur]

Have you thought about advertising her with the Old Gaffers Association? - Free if you are a member and it reaches people who are looking for a gaff rigged vessel.

 

[MagicalArmchair]

Hello Transcur, Thanks for the suggestion, and yes, she will be in the next edition of the OGA mag referencing http://wanda1930.info/.

 

[Bru]

She is as beautiful inside as out and I so so wish I could afford her! Good luck with the sale and best wishes for your father

 

[nimbusgb]

Nice looking boat but these days you can get a low maintenance glass boat, longer, with more room, less years and modern equipment for 20k less.

You have a miniscule market!

 

[diapason]

She's a lovely boat, and many people prefer character and history to modern reliability/ease of maintenance. Sadly, I can't begin to afford her, but I hope she finds a caring new owner.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

In my view, there's actually just about as much work in properly maintaining a fibreglass hull as there is a wooden one. It's because fibreglass is a modern material that many people think there isn't as much maintenance required -- and this is essentially why there are more old wooden boats still sailing than old fibreglass ones.

Mike