Putting an offer on a Sealine, how low to go?

Update, bought an S34! One without osmosis, rusty sumps or anything else wrong with it. Boat has been surveyed, had Volvopaul check drives, engines and hewas onboard for the sea trial /WOT tests yesterday. Maxed out at 28 knots. Then had a BSS survey yesterday afternoon, which it passed.
Next step is get her transported to The Thames. Which is booked with Coast2Coast on 7th June.
Back to the original point of the thread, I got a small discount off the asking price. Its a 2002 model so later model then than we had an offer on originally. Same price. But the best conditioned one we viewed. The owner really cared and looked after her.
Will post photos once she is 'home'. First job is to get a holding tank fitted

Excellent news - incidentally I used Coast2Coast to move my F50 Flybridge across the continent and they were excellent.
 
I've not heard that theory before. Where did it come from?

Are boats more prone to Osmosis in freshwater.
"As the amount of water soluble components enriches, another process starts - osmosis (in the chemical sense). It is this process that builds the blisters. It works as long as the concentration of water solubles are greater inside the GRP than outside. The driving force is this difference in concentration. Here salt or fresh water makes a big difference. This is because the critical level for start up for this process is lower in freshwater and is reached earlier. The blister growth is also stronger as it takes more water to dilute the stuff inside the GRP to the outside level."

Can osmosis cause my boat to sink? - 18 Jan 2024 - Practical Boat Owner Magazine - Readly.
"The difference in density between freshwater and saltwater (saltwater is more dense) means vessels kept in freshwater are also more likely to suffer from osmosis. "
 
Are boats more prone to Osmosis in freshwater.
"As the amount of water soluble components enriches, another process starts - osmosis (in the chemical sense). It is this process that builds the blisters. It works as long as the concentration of water solubles are greater inside the GRP than outside. The driving force is this difference in concentration. Here salt or fresh water makes a big difference. This is because the critical level for start up for this process is lower in freshwater and is reached earlier. The blister growth is also stronger as it takes more water to dilute the stuff inside the GRP to the outside level."

Can osmosis cause my boat to sink? - 18 Jan 2024 - Practical Boat Owner Magazine - Readly.
"The difference in density between freshwater and saltwater (saltwater is more dense) means vessels kept in freshwater are also more likely to suffer from osmosis. "
Brilliant, thanks, I live and learn!
 
Good point. Dealing with the broker. I'm probably over thinking it, but like your view of starting at 20% off via the broker and see what he says. Obviously all subject to survey etc
Make sure your contract to purchase after survey and sea trial is totally at your discretion. You need to be able to reject the boat if you're not happy for any reason. That's a lot of your money to spend on a first boat, you want to make sure you don't make a big mistake.
 
Brilliant, thanks, I live and learn!
We got advised by the surveyor and others to avoid boats that have spent all their life in freshwater. We were looking at boats over 20 years old. Spoke to a broker on The Thames recently, I voiced my concern about one of his boats May have osmosis. His comment was "they all probably do". Bought a boat on the coast. Although it had spent some of its life on inland waterways, which worried us until we got the survey report.
I did get a written estimate for full treatment of osmosis that was very detailed. £20-25k. 501 man hours!
 
Make sure your contract to purchase after survey and sea trial is totally at your discretion. You need to be able to reject the boat if you're not happy for any reason. That's a lot of your money to spend on a first boat, you want to make sure you don't make a big mistake.
Bought a boat from a private seller. Not much movement on price. Downloaded a sales contract from the RYA. All worked well, but the seller and me got on, which helped the process. Paid for the boat yesterday and he texted me this morning to say he wasn't happy with the tension on the belts ( as pointed out by VolvoPaul), so he was going to sort them. Yes he still has a set of keys as he needs to clear his possessions, and I'm using his mooring for a couple of weeks
 
Bought a boat from a private seller. Not much movement on price. Downloaded a sales contract from the RYA. All worked well, but the seller and me got on, which helped the process. Paid for the boat yesterday and he texted me this morning to say he wasn't happy with the tension on the belts ( as pointed out by VolvoPaul), so he was going to sort them. Yes he still has a set of keys as he needs to clear his possessions, and I'm using his mooring for a couple of weeks
As I said yesterday he was the dream seller , he did everything we asked without any questions at all , explained all the recent work he had done and who did it , the boat is in amazing condition for its year , patience paid off after rejecting the previous one , you got there in the end and have an excellent boat .
Wishing you happy times and thankyou for using mine and Nick Vass services on this purchase.
 
Bought a boat from a private seller. Not much movement on price. Downloaded a sales contract from the RYA. All worked well, but the seller and me got on, which helped the process. Paid for the boat yesterday and he texted me this morning to say he wasn't happy with the tension on the belts ( as pointed out by VolvoPaul), so he was going to sort them. Yes he still has a set of keys as he needs to clear his possessions, and I'm using his mooring for a couple of weeks
I hope this goes well and you have fun on your new boat. The cynic in me thinks he should have cleared his possessions before you handed over your money and shouldn't really be messing with the engines now it's your boat. Have you insured it?
 
There will be many thousands of older boats suffering from high moisture content, and even blisters, which it seems will only make the boat a bit heavier and slower, but not endanger the boat in any other way. .

I've heard this theory before and it always makes me smile. How much water do you suppose a (say) 30ft boat hull can absorb through osmosis? Let's say a litre. No, lets go mad and say two litres. If you pop a two litre bottle of water (equivalent additional weight) on the saloon table of a 30ft boat without osmosis, how much loss of speed due to the extra weight would you expect?
 
I hope this goes well and you have fun on your new boat. The cynic in me thinks he should have cleared his possessions before you handed over your money and shouldn't really be messing with the engines now it's your boat. Have you insured it?
Yes she is insured. By both of us at the moment. Seller couldn't be more helpful, he was only selling because of ill health. We are not using the boat until its transported to our marina in a couple of weeks, so there was no need to hassle the seller especially, as even the small faults found on the survey he resolved, fixed.
He's even given me this, which he made.
 

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Yes she is insured. By both of us at the moment. Seller couldn't be more helpful, he was only selling because of ill health. We are not using the boat until its transported to our marina in a couple of weeks, so there was no need to hassle the seller especially, as even the small faults found on the survey he resolved, fixed.
He's even given me this, which he made.

Making an outdrive is quite an achievement!
 
I think the days of free berthing from MDL have sadly passed. New contracts are only offered on their Otium package which doesn't provide anywhere near the same perks. I the change is in part due to berth holders playing the system. Taking out a contract at the cheapest marina but then using the free berthing offer at a much more expensive marinas.
We get free nights on Otium as the points cover them. Works out pretty well.
 
We are on otium , wife like them , but when I fill up I take the discount not the points because all you are doing is lending them money at 0%.
 
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