What would you do ?

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GrumpyOldGit

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What would you do, If you saw a boat ( Dufour 39) advertised for sale, knowing that it had been a total loss, sunk, and had then been 'Home repaired' and was being advertised as very good condition ?

In a quandary about this because the boat may well have hidden issues with wiring etc. and any potential new owners will be buying it for top market price without, it seems, the benefit of knowing it's history...
 
Err perhaps go along and take a look at it, in its present condition. Might just surprise you at the amount of remedial works done on it, and if you spot dodgy or badly done works, you could point them out and ask a question or two.

Then your worst fears will either be confirmed or allayed on the present condition of the vessel.
 
GrumpyOldGit said:
Easier said than done Capn Popeye, it is nowhere near me to look at and in fairness, I am out of the country in a few days for several months. Hence my question..
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Are you thinking of buying it? If not there is little you can do. It is up to the vendor to describe the boat correctly and the buyer to check it out. You don't owe either any obligation.
 
It seems unlikely to me that a sunk boat, particularly an AWB with factory-built interior, could be restored so well that a reasonably knowledgeable observer couldn't tell that something had happened to it.

Pete
 
There was a 33ft twin keel boat that had folded one keel under the hull when dried out near to my mooring in Wales. On looking at the failure of the GRP it was clear that the GRP stub that the steel keel bolted to had been very poorly bonded and looked to be only about 6mm in places and the matting was not properly wetted out. A few years later I saw the boat in a boatyard in Dublin and chatted with the owner who had just bought the boat. I was uncertain whether I should say anything to him about the keel having been repaired. On the one hand the keel stub was repaired in a reputable boatyard so that should have been fine but what about the other keel stub, had that been re-enforced and was that suspect and likely to go. He was so thrilled with his new boat I could not burst his bubble of joy and the other keel stub may have been be checked/re-enforced but would he have been better knowing the history. I am still unsure whether I should have said anything?
 
Thanks for that info GoG, can I ask is it being sold through an agent or broker by any chance?

Suggest a quick call to broker and ask the Q, about previous history, just poss that the Broker is not aware of history in this respect.
 
prv said:
It seems unlikely to me that a sunk boat, particularly an AWB with factory-built interior, could be restored so well that a reasonably knowledgeable observer couldn't tell that something had happened to it.

Pete
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Pete, you would be surprised at just what can be done if you throw enough money at it. When I was in the industry, we used to do this all the time for the insurance companies. Our guys were some of the most skilled in the business. Apart ftom the structural issues (which was the easy part), all other systems would have been checked and replaced as necessary. The end result would have to be checked and passed by an independant marine surveyor before payment would be approved by the insurance company.
 
itchenseadog said:
Pete, you would be surprised at just what can be done if you throw enough money at it. When I was in the industry, we used to do this all the time for the insurance companies. Our guys were some of the most skilled in the business.
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I have no doubts about the quality of the work - just that it's likely to be different (almost certainly better!) in small ways than what came out of the factory. Maybe it would need someone very familiar with the marque to tell the difference after a pro refit like you describe, but in any case the OP describes this one as a DIY job.

Pete
 
GrumpyOldGit said:
Thanks for that, being sold through brokerage.
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Then the usual process of offer in ignorance, get survey, amend offfer if necessary will doubtless work as well as it invariably does.

Slightly less sarkily, I would expect the difference between "bodged" and "properly repaired" to be pretty instantly visible.
 
When I sold our HT five years ago I had to declare on the brokerage form both known faults and previous serrious damage or insurance claims on the boat whilst in my ownership - seemed very sensible. If they are using the same form then it will be declared. If it's been professionally re-built it may be a used boat at least as good as new but with an actually new interior and systems.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
If it's been professionally re-built it may be a used boat at least as good as new but with an actually new interior and systems.
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Yeah, I wouldn't automatically discount such a boat, but I would want to know the whole story and exactly what work had been done, and be able to trust what I heard. And finding out myself that it had been sunk rather than seeing it declared in the initial advert would not foster such trust.

Pete
 
prv said:
Yeah, I wouldn't automatically discount such a boat, but I would want to know the whole story and exactly what work had been done, and be able to trust what I heard. And finding out myself that it had been sunk rather than seeing it declared in the initial advert would not foster such trust.

Pete
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My original point was, the boat was HOME repaired, not yard done, hence I was wondering if the Brokerage should be informed, as if they are in the dark, someone could end up £100s adrift just on survey etc.
 
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