Should I use the boat to keep her in Shape?

[Nautorius]

My boat has been out of the Water and not used since November 2006. She was serviced before being winterised and has sat on the hard since. Originally I did not want to use her as she is up for sale and looked better Sat outside Sales office. But she has not sold. I am now worried about not having used the engine all year with the potential she may not sell and will need to sit around for another 6 months.

I now have time to use her, so do I plop her in and start using her for day trips/overnights around the solent or do I leave her put with Fingers crossed.

Boat is 2003 Aquador 23Ht with Kad 32 on DP outdrive. 235 Hours. She is also newly Antifouled.

If she does go in I will swop bellows and anodes as they were not done due to time constraints. I will leave her at Hamble point but could use her for the next 4/5 weekends?

Is it better to put her in and use her for the sake of the engine (and a bit of Fun) or is she fine to stay where she is?

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[boatone]

Link to your website isnt working? Possible coincidence with no enquiries for boat?

Oh, I would definitely give it a bit of use. May even be more attractive to a purchaser to see it 'alive'.

 

[Moody]

I would certainly advocate using her.

When you do get a serious punter he will certainly want a sea trial, and if that is the first time that she has been used for almost a year, you stand more chance of something going wrong, and potentially losing the sale.

At least if you have been using her you will have the chance to pick up on any potential problems.

Neil

 

[Bajansailor]

I think that boats tend to deteriorate more if they are just sitting down doing nothing, rather than being used - and especially if they are resting ashore, they seem to get dirty very quickly.

If you have time spare, go for it - throw her in the oggin and make the most of what is left of the summer! I am sure that she will look better, and be easier to keep clean if she is in regular use, compared to sitting on the hard.
And if you have a potential buyer in the offing, then you can always take them for a sea trial, and if they want to pursue matters further, then they can arrange for her to be hauled out for a survey.

 

[Nautorius]

Hi Martin,

She is being washed down on a weekly Basis and looks good (every few weeks cleaned inside the cockpit as well). So from the outside she is fine. I am just a little worried about the Engines not being used a lot (or a little).

I think I will drop her in next weekend for a bit of a blast if no one bites this weekend.

Cheers for all the advice

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[gjgm]

means winterising, and maybe (for sale) servicing. I wouldnt put any store in sudden buying interest simply because you are using it. What has that to do with someone's intitial interest?
So I would say, go ahead if you want some fun for yourself. Who knows, maybe you ll keep it after all!

 

[Nautorius]

Although I would like to, unfortunately I can not keep her as I may have committed to another craft....or will within the next few months. Also still have not sold the sailing boat due to a certain well known brokerage losing all relevnt documentation and denying all knowledge of it! Marina Cays time is up!!

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[mainshiptom]

It makes me sad to see so many boats unsused ! I have lots of neighbours which do notuse thier boats, I remmber when we had a boat in Chiswick marina in London out of about 50 boats we where the only frequent users.

If you have a boat use it otherwise its a shame...or just a dream..

Tom

 

[Wiggo]

Use it! Everything will seize up and die otherwise. Batteries will go flat, rubbers perish, electric motors rust solid...

 

[Fire99]

I'm definitely of the 'use her' persuasion...
A sea trial by a potential buyer is almost certain and as said already if there are any mechanical issues you can sort them out in your time rather than a potential buyer discovering them.

And regardless of winterisation i do believe engines do not like sitting motionless. Gravity plays an affect on oil and from experience can start to leave bearings at the mercy of condensation etc.

Also rubber mounts & bushes etc go brittle and crack etc.

my 5p worth

regards,

Nick

 

[Aardee]

Also, if it's sitting up on the hard for too long (& therefore is obviously unused), it's only a matter if time before the chancers with their ridiculously low offers start to appear - "The poor sod MUST be desperate to sell, its been sat there gathering dust for AGES..."

 

[Fire99]

saying that, i've seen a couple on the 'hard' which look like if someone doesn't buy them soon, the earth is gonna reclaim em... they look terrible.

 

[jimg]

Personaly I would use it. Several benefits: You can have some fun, it keeps every thing working or if any part fails then you know it, finally I am of the belief that a buyer has a little more faith in a boat that the owner is regularly using rather than one that has been sat idle for a long period.

 

[Kawasaki]

Yeh ,s the Majority Vote is obvious, do as You are TOLD!
Anyway it's a wierd thing.
Betcha if You use it peeps will wanna buy it!
Happened to Me once.
Particular Boat had "sat" for a couple of Months.
I was in two minds whether to sell Her.
Sod it I thought , I,ll stick Her back in the water.
Bu%%er Me.
No sooner had I done that.
Splash then Cash!

Actually it was a bit of a Ruse.
A Bod had been sniffing, casual like.
When He saw Her back in-----
"Are You still selling"?

"Naw, well, I dunno really, maybe, I might do, then again---"
Flip, He gave Me a Lumpy deposit there and then!
Could work /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[ontheplane]

FWIW I would use her, although I am in similar position myself and haven't used mine this year due to bad weather and free storage if I don't move her.

If yours is the Aquador outside the offices of a boat broker at Hamble Point Marina and was open with a ladder up to her the weekend of the Sportsboat and Rib show, then you may also want to consider the fact that when we looked at her casually (out of our price range I'm afraid) there was no-one in the sales office, it was all locked up when we passed. Now this is on what must have been one of their busiest potential sales days (and the so-called "Used boat show" as well) - I would have thought if I'd been a broker on that site on that day I would have been there an hour before the show opened to an hour afterwards - but no-one there at all....

The other brokers were all open, just not these guys.

I know I haven't had one offer on my boat, and I'm in no doubt the brokers at fault, so I am going to shift her very early spring next year (about March) - any recommendations for a good broker on the South coast (nearish to West Bay if poss) that doesn't charge storage if the boats on sale with them (or at least very reasonable storage charge)??

 

[Kawasaki]

I might be wrong.
I don't think Your Particular Broker is an Isolated case. ( some are more like an Isolated Danger!)
From My experience with Brokers in the Boat Lark.
They are a Shoddy Lot.
I have been in Sales most of My working Life.
It amazes Me Me how they shape.
Or Don,t Shape more often.
I have owned 5 boats during the last 25 Years.
2 "Bought" from Brokers.
I use the " bit cos actually I didn't "Buy them" I had to wrench them from their Grasp!

 

[DoubleVision]

Dont want to worry you but my pal left his Sealine 328 ( twin 41bs`) at Sealine Hamble for a year. When I went to check it with him there was no compression on one engine as the weather had got into the head and corroded the valves. We took the head off and re lapped the valves, put her back in the water and had a buyer within 2 weeks.
I`d do as everyone saysand plop her back in and have a bit of fun too. Have you tried boatsandoutboards.co.uk? I sold my last 5 boats very quickly on that site. Whats coming next???

 

[Pinnacle]

Yes.

 

[Sneds]

Have to agree with everyone else.
Peeps looking to buy a boat, IMO, want to see it on the water. Thats where it belongs and looks best.
We are buying a used boat that has sat around for 6 months on the hard and had hardly been used before that.
We are having the engines and drives serviced before delivery and the outdrives needed a lot more work than the normal service items.
Rubber things perished and rams leaking oil etc. Everyting worked well though but was ripe for failure in the not to disiant future.
The cost to fix these things came to more than the cost for the standard service (£££££££s).
Our boat was on brokerage for 6 months and the broker seemed more interested in charging me £130 per month mooring than selling the boat, also, when a potential customer rang and asked what the engine was he was told "I don't know!"
So yes, put her in the water and use her, stick a for sale sign on her, and be ready to take peeps out for a spin! I am unable to understand the "you can't have a ride" untill you've paid a deposit mentality. You either want to sell the boat or you don't? Taking a fender kicker for a spin might turn him into a buyer (worked once for me).

Cheers