Pre-purchase advice sought....

[BobWad]

Morning all,

After much deliberation, we've decided to make an offer on the 2011 Trophy 2352, fitted with a Mercruiser 5l 260 hp petrol engine, less than 100 hours.

The boat broker has been very helpful, mentioning a number of items that we should stipulate in the offer - but I was wondering if there was anything we should add to his list, particularly with regards to the engine service aspect, so I thought I would come to the font of all knowledge....

What he said we should stipulate:

Hull:
In the couple of areas where the Coppercoat (manufacturer applied) has got scraped off, sand back, re-apply coppercoat, make good.
Same for areas where the Gelcoat needs sorting.

Engine / propulsion:
Full service on the main engine and the outboard (Tohatsu 9.8 hp) - Should we be more specific as to what should be done in this service ????
2 x new batteries
Replace the anodes
Prop, rudder and trim tabs - sand clean re-paint

General:
New covers
Full valet job.

Any thoughts please ????

Cheers, BobWad

 

[Stats007]

Personally I would make a lower offer on the basis that I would get these done myself. You're at the mercy of when the local businesses can carry this out and in mid-summer you could be waiting a month. I suspect the owner would be more recptive to a lower offer and you carry out these jobs rather than have the hassle of arranging it himself.

Engine and leg services (I doubt you have a rudder) should be based on whatever has been done previously and whatever is imminent. A basic service is impeller and oil change - I'd check other items like timing belt, valve adjustment, engine mounts, spark plugs, fuel filters etc and when they were last done. Even if you contribute to this you'll have the peace of mind knowing it's been brought up to date. If it's a 2011 you're probably on the 4 / 5 year schedule for a lot of these items regardless of hours used. Speak to Bates Wharf - I believe they're the distributor for Trophy in the UK.

 

[Richardcm]

Pretty certain valves are hydraulic so no need to touch them and its a gear driven central camshaft so no cam belt.

 

[Bigplumbs]

I think the amount you ask to be done is relative to how much you are paying. If you are paying a low price I think your list is a little over the top. If however you are paying top dollar then go for it

Dennis

 

[BobWad]

Thanks all,

Stats - I'm buying the boat through Bates Wharf, so I guess I'm on pretty safe ground as all the stuff on my little list are items which they recommended should be conditions of my offer !!

I'll be getting a Marine Survey done too of course, so I guess anything untoward should show up on that....

Cheers, BobWad

 

[simonfraser]

find out all you are not 100% with and make a lower offer.
if the owner has not done whats required in the past, why would he do it now ?

sort it yourself, that way you know its all been done to your satisfaction.

 

[QBhoy]

Hi
I can offer a bit of advice perhaps...if it is the 5.0 MPI (sounds like it, if it's 260hp), this is the same engine as mine. Ask the dealer to replace the rotor cap assembly and brush. These are known to fowl up after storage and generally last a year or two at most. They are around £100 for a genuine part and are a pain in the bum when they fail ! Misfire and worst case, engine doesn't start half way through an otherwise pleasant day out ! Past experience, you will gather !
Local mercruiser dealer came clean about their problems and informed me it was a known problem with the MPI engines.

 

[BobWad]

Thanks for all the advice - I've made an offer subject to multiple criteria being met (and subject to satisfactory Marine Survey of course).

QBhoy - yes it's the 5.0l MPI engine - I'll ask for a new rotor cap assembly and brush - thanks for that !

Cheers, BobWad

 

[Sneds]

Hi Bob

If I were you I would get a price on the stuff you need doing and speak to the owner when you have that information
I save just sold my boat and a buyer came along making similar demands to yours, I gave him the knock back.
The next prospective buyer came up with an offer based on the cost of a few niggles, about £3k and we agreed to go halves on that and did a deal, in fairness he knocked me down a little bit as well so all paid for in the difference between the asking and the selling price, but came across a lot less demanding
Good luck with the purchase and post a picture when you buy it!

 

[Bigplumbs]

I would also agree that if a buyer seems too demanding I would not sell to them. It is ok to think it is a buyers market but being too pushy can loose you the boat. All depends on the attitude of the seller, how much he wants to or needs to sell and the price you are offering.

Dennis

 

[BobWad]

Cheers Sneds + Dennis,

I hear what you're saying, but at the mo I'm making these requests as per the sales broker's (Bates) recommendations.
The background is that the owner has lost interest in boating and the boat's been out of the water and taking up space in Bates' yard for some time, so she does need all the work done.
There's been a couple of price reductions and the broker is keen to conclude the sale as she's been there too long and they've got some other boats coming in and they want the space - I guess they might be thinking of charging the owner storage costs if he won't take a 'reasonable' offer including bringing her up to snuff, or the owner will have to move her somewhere else.
Either way, I'm thinking that now that I've made a firm offer, the owner is going to lose his free storage and start to incur unrecoverable costs if he doesn't sell pretty soon....

As for pricing up the works, Bates will be arranging/performing it all whether on the sellers behalf or mine, so the end result should be the same - give or take a bit of negotiating I guess.

So for now I'm waiting to hear the official reaction to my offer - with fingers and toes crossed !!

Cheers, BobWad

 

[Sneds]

Ah, now it all makes sense
In your shoes I'd be exactly the same, hope you get her at the right price

Cheers