Yacht 5 views, not sold - should I view?

D

David McAuley

New Member
Joined
18 Feb 2019
Messages
1
Visit site
I've looked at a couple of yachts and identified problems with both, so following failed negotiations I never bought.

There is another I'm interested in but it's already had 4 or 5 viewings, and no offers.

I tend to think if it's been viewed so much and hasn't sold then there's something wrong and I shouldn't waste my money and time viewing.

What do the forum think?
 
I agree with Hoolie (and Justsayin).

I would be more troubled by a boat that had had offers later withdrawn after survey. (Not that a broker is likely to tell you this has happened, but sometimes you can deduce it.)

Even that said, I bought a boat where that had happened once (broker claimed, rather vaguely, purchaser pulled out for personal reasons - which I treated with great scepticism), and it's turned out very well.

To extend the story further, I was told (after some prompting) by the boatyard (not broker) that it had had very few viewings over the year and more it had been on sale. I viewed it twice, and dithered (it wasn't the type of boat I'd originally set out to get, but I liked it) before eventually making my offer. I later met someone else who had also viewed it around that time, had rung to make an offer but had been pipped to the post by me. (They ended up getting another boat same model, but told me they regretted missing out on mine.) My point being that many or few viewings may not indicate anything at all. Some of your 4 or 5 preceding viewers may be making an offer while you are reading this.
 
Last edited:
David McAuley said:
I've looked at a couple of yachts and identified problems with both, so following failed negotiations I never bought.

There is another I'm interested in but it's already had 4 or 5 viewings, and no offers.

I tend to think if it's been viewed so much and hasn't sold then there's something wrong and I shouldn't waste my money and time viewing.

What do the forum think?
Click to expand...
Buying a yacht is a serious business and sensible people will look at many before deciding; unless an unmissable bargain appears.

I think you should use your own judgment, based on expert advice where necessary.
 
Would you discount a house just because it had 4 or 5 previous viewings without an offer?
 
David McAuley said:
I've looked at a couple of yachts and identified problems with both, so following failed negotiations I never bought.

There is another I'm interested in but it's already had 4 or 5 viewings, and no offers.

I tend to think if it's been viewed so much and hasn't sold then there's something wrong and I shouldn't waste my money and time viewing.

What do the forum think?
Click to expand...

Why not post a link to the boat on here? You'll get lots of opinions....;)
 
When we bought our first boat we must have viewed a dozen to try and narrow down what we were looking for. Not much wrong with the ones we didn't buy, but having viewed them we realised it was not suitable for us. This was to do with the make and model rather than condition.
When we bought our second yacht it was the only one we viewed, because by then we knew what we wanted
Personally I would view it
 
When I was looking for my first 'big' boat, I was advised unanimously to 'get a Centaur'. These days they're not really considered big enough - times change. (I didn't actually buy one anyway as I didn't like dinette layout.)
 
David McAuley said:
I've looked at a couple of yachts and identified problems with both, so following failed negotiations I never bought.

There is another I'm interested in but it's already had 4 or 5 viewings, and no offers.

I tend to think if it's been viewed so much and hasn't sold then there's something wrong and I shouldn't waste my money and time viewing.

What do the forum think?
Click to expand...

How far are you travelling to view it? How have you found out the number of viewings? Assuming it was only 5 viewings, you have no idea why none of them have bought. I started viewing boats a year before I had the money. I wasn’t going to buy any of the boats I viewed in 2010.

If you like the look of it in the ad., it might be just the boat for you, if not for anyone else.

“You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a handsome prince”

If you view and don’t buy, you’re one frog nearer your prince.

Also, if you view and don’t buy you might see some features that you like and some that you don’t, all of which can inform your future decisions.
 
Presumably it's somewhere other than "just around the corner" or you'd have popped in. It's a trade-off of time and money to make visits.

Given that we "viewed" about two dozen yachts before buying ours, I can't see have you have evidence of a problem. Of the two dozen, about half were to identify if we liked the design. So maybe 4 or 5 people saw the yacht, simply didn't like it, and it's ideal for you.

OTOH if they were "serious" viewers who came near to making offers and the rest, they have done a great job of softening up the seller and the broker etc. So you may be able to get a bargain. If there's something "wrong" discovered on viewing or survey, it's seldom necessarily a case of walk away, rather "what does it take me to fix the issue, and is the seller willing to accommodate that in the price?".

My approach would be: Assuming again a viewing is a non-trivial matter, have the broker email you an itemised list of all known defects as at the asking price. Indicate what offer you might be willing to make IF the yacht is exactly as described. Lay down the law that anything further you or a survey finds requires reduction in the price. Ensure before you travel that the seller is signed up to that expectation. Get it in writing. Not that it counts for anything legally, but it's a negotiating tool that helps justify your train/plane ticket and can be useful as you approach the altar.

Or pay a local broker to do your viewing.
 
You should view and make your own decision whether it is for you. When I returned to sailing after a 22 year break, I knew a lot about sailing and had a large budget, but I could not justify buying a new yacht even though every boat my parents, and my previous boats, had all been new. I did not really know what I wanted, but knew I would be sailing singlehanded most of the time. Eventually I decided a Fulmar was the most suitable for my needs. Even once that decision was made I still went to a local agent's open day and looked at a number of different yachts ranging from 28 ft to 38 ft. None struck a chord with me, but how they were presented did. One was absolutely filthy inside and out, and a number were grossly overpriced in my opinion. The only one that was a possible was a 35 ft ex sailing school boat, but I decided it was slightly too large. If you are unsure about boats, take someone with you who knows more than you. Do not rush the process and remember with older small boats (below 30 ft) it is a buyers market.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top