Osmosis - should that put me off?

[avole]

I found a boat in which I'm interested, a Jeanneau Brio. The Broker just contacted me. They've taken the boat out of the water for inspection, and have found "the beginnings of osmosis" on the port side which he says is easy to treat or repair.

Is this a showstopper?

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Talk to the surveyor and not the Broker, the surveyor is protecting your interests, the broker is trying to sell the boat for the client.

Depending on the extent of the Osmosis it may not be a show stopper and you may be able to negotiate a reduction in price if the Osmosis fact was not disclosed and reflected in the sale price.

Personally I would not purchase a boat with visible signs of Osmosis as I want to go sailing, not get involved with a repair.

 

[macd]

"the beginnings of osmosis" on the port side which he says is easy to treat or repair.

I'd doubt that. If there really is osmosis in one place, it's quite likely it will occur elsewhere: same resins, same lay-up, same environmental conditions as the affected part. It may well be that grinding out a few blisters and filling would affect a localised repair, and that would indeed be quite easy. But it's not a fix.

That said, there's so much paranoia about osmosis (although probably less than there was). The boat might never require a comprehensive treatment. There's no way to tell. And, as you'll often read, no boat was ever sunk by osmosis (or almost none).

To my mind there are two critical factors.
1. if an irresitible price reduction ensues from this discovery, then maybe that would swing your decision.
2. is about you. Are you the sort of person who frets about unseen problems? If you are, the boat may be a noose around your neck rather than an object of pleasure. Walk away.

 

[GrahamM376]

I found a boat in which I'm interested, a Jeanneau Brio. The Broker just contacted me. They've taken the boat out of the water for inspection, and have found "the beginnings of osmosis" on the port side which he says is easy to treat or repair.

Is this a showstopper?

Don't be put off by osmosis, it can be cured but is expensive if done professionally and time consuming. It all depends on what price the boat will stand you at when fixed.

Don't always believe the broker, he's working for the seller. Get a couple of quotes for fixing the problem (before you pay a surveyor vast sums to tell you it has blisters) and talk to the owner to see if he's willing to reduce the price to cover cost of repair. If it looks like you can deal, then get a survey.

 

[ratbag]

find out how much it will cost for full osmosis treatment , before making any decisions ,

 

[rivonia]

I found a boat in which I'm interested, a Jeanneau Brio. The Broker just contacted me. They've taken the boat out of the water for inspection, and have found "the beginnings of osmosis" on the port side which he says is easy to treat or repair.

Is this a showstopper?

Do not under any circumstances take the word of the broker. You MUST get a fully qualified expert on osmosis to inspect it, usually most surveyors have the expertise. BUT ask him first if he has.

Good luck

Peter

 

[Lakesailor]

Don't be put off by osmosis.

Negotiate a big discount.

Go sailing.

When you sell it pass on the discount.

A few blisters aren't going to sink the boat. (By all means get a surveyor to report on it but remember that specialist reports are by people who make profit from treating osmosis, so not quite impartial)
Remember the never-ending stream of spoilers in the house buying market.
Read this post from an earlier thread about osmosis.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Will the cost of repair exceed the cost of the boat? Quite possible with a boat that size and age. Maybe the vendor will pay you to take it off his hands!

 

[Lakesailor]

Just looked up the Brio.
Why is a broker even involved in a low-value boat?
Just offer half the asking price and sail away. It's not going to sink.

I've antifouled four sub-20 ft boats over the past few years a couple of times each. They all had some micro-blister and never got any worse.

 

[Bobc]

I agree. Just offer half the price and live with it. In 5 years it might be worhthless, but will that really matter?

On the other hand, it probably won't cost any more than a new suit of sails to get it fixed.

 

[TQA]

Ask yourself if ease of resale will be important to you in the future.

A boat with osmosis will be harder to sell than one without.

 

[avole]

Good points all. The boat is only a stopgap for a couple of years to get us started, and to enjoy the waterways and lakes close to us. I don't really want to waste time fixing it (still have the dinghy to finish) and future retail value isn't important, so I'll follow your advice and, pending inspection, offer a substantially lower price.

Thanks everybody.