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From: Faure, Marin (no email)
Date: Thu Nov 01 2007 - 18:08:14 EDT
>So, the obvious question becomes, what do I look for to separate the
possible winners from the also-rans?.....is it just not reasonable for
someone without years of experience with boats (namely, me) to think
that I will be able to identify at least SOME significant structural or
mechanical problems myself?
I think you can spot a lot of things yourself, even if you aren't all
that familiar with the kind of boat you're looking at. Cosmetic issues,
interior fit and finish, and of course the operation of everything
that's supposed to operate on the boat should be well within your
ability to judge. It either works or it doesn't, or it doesn't work
very well. My own opinion is that most potential boat buyers can
determine if a boat should be on their short list themselves. Many
problems give themselves away fairly obviously--- stains, smells,
general appearance. If something looks questionable to you, it probably
is questionable.
There are also things you can read--- David Pascoe's site has some of
them--- about what to look for in a boat in terms of judging its
condition.
Where most of us need help is with the stuff we can't always see--- the
hull's structural condition, the running condition of the engine, the
integrity of the electrical system, and so forth. This is when a
surveyor earns (or should earn) what you pay him. But I think you'll be
able to pass basic go-no go judgment on every boat you look at without
the need for a surveyor. Save that expense for when you have narrowed
it down to the one boat that you really think will fill the bill.
One thing you can do is to take a friend who knows a whole lot about
boats along with you to look at them. He or she won't care if you buy a
particular boat or not, and they have nothing to gain from the sale of
that boat. So they can be totally objective. We did that when we went
to California to sea trial and survey the boat we ultimately bought. A
good friend has been in the marine business for decades, and we paid his
airfare and motel costs to come with us and look at the boat. It was
well worth the cost as there isn't much he hadn't seen when it comes to
boats and their condition. Where I wouldn't have known if an electrical
panel had a problem unless it was actually on fire, our friend could
look at it and assess exactly what was good and what, if anything, was
bad. Other than buying the boat itself, taking our friend along was the
best money we have spent in our trawler-owning experience.
______________________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington
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