Viewing a Boat For Sale
You are looking for your first, or your next boat. Let’s assume that you have narrowed your boat search down to a few boats that might be suitable. Now we get to the exciting bit. Viewing potential purchases. All you need to do now is view them, and then make a decision. Sounds easy? Sadly, no it’s not. This article is intended to give you a few hints to help you through this potential minefield so that you (eventually) get the right boat for you. Create the short-list The typical purchase process involves doing a boat search (something that Go Earth can assist with) by trawling through a variety of sources. Eventually, you may have a short-list. How many boats should be on your short-list? You may think that one or two are sufficient. After all, you have read the particulars carefully and may have spoken to the broker who assured you that the boat was excellent. The reality is that many of the boats simply turn out to be very unsuitable. What could go wrong? What should you look for? Possible issues to identify on the viewing You need to view each boat with open eyes. It’s the ‘head vs heart’ syndrome. Definitely do not set your heart on a boat before you have viewed it and thought about it. There are a few things that you can do to ensure that your viewings are not a waste of time. Take your camera with you and photograph all aspects of the boat. This is ideally a good digital SLR if you have one. Fit it with a wide-angle lens, so that you can see more in each photo. It is also handy to have a telephoto lens, so that you can take photos from different angles and distances. You should also take a good torch or use the flash on your mobile phone, and ideally bounce the flash off a white or pale surface. This will help you see the darker areas of the boat (such as in the engine bay), without sharp shadows hiding possibly important details. A mobile phone (in addition to your main camera) can be pushed into recesses that a full-size camera cannot reach. Keep a careful record of which photos belong to which boat. Make copious notes during the visit. The whole boat should be examined for obvious signs of damage or problems. For example, we viewed a boat for a client where the area where the mast went through the coach roof had a repair. (See the photos.) That by itself might not have been a cause for concern. However, the repair had been badly done and most importantly, the repair itself seemed to have cracked again, possibly suggesting continuing stress at that point. On further investigation, we noted a jagged line of gelcoat cracking along the starboard side of the coach roof. Again, there had been attempts to repair this. (See the further photos.) The point is that this investigation suggested the possibility of a major structural event at some time, such as a de-masting causing significant damage. We recommended that our client should not touch this boat with the proverbial bargepole. One issue that often worries people is ‘osmosis’. This is frankly very difficult to identify on your visit. Even the ‘worst case’ – stage 3 osmosis – will typically only show blisters below the waterline. If the boat is out of the water, then look along the line of the hull. Ideally with the sun in line with the bow-stern, so that it will cast shadows on any blisters. This is really a job for the surveyor. One useful tool to use when viewing a boat is your nose! If it smells damp and dank, that may be a warning sign. Of course, when you find potential issues, you need to decide how serious they really are. Some issues are simply what you must realistically expect on an older boat. Others are easily fixed. We viewed another boat for a client that looked like it had a coral reef growing off its hull (see the photo). In this case, it was simply that the owners had not used the boat and the antifouling had worn off. The boat itself was actually perfectly fine, with no issues with the hull, and no signs of osmosis. Once it had been cleaned off and anti-fouled, it looked almost like new. Crack near the mast Gelcoat cracking along the coach roof Continuing cracking with a poor repair Coral reef growing off a boat? Time-poor? How many on the short-list? Pre-view service? It is a truth universally acknowledged (with apologies to Jane Austen), that most boats you visit will be entirely unsuitable. We see a lot of boats on behalf of clients and we think that about 75% should be rejected; and of the remainder only about half of them will really hit the mark. In other words, as a rough rule of thumb, only about 1 in 8 will be really suitable. It follows that if you want to have a couple of real possible candidates to choose from, you need to have, on average, some 16 boats on this initial ‘short’ list. (Feel free to check the maths!). If you have the time, like visiting boats, and have the expertise to identify issues on a first visit, then this is not really a problem for you. On the other hand, if you are ‘time-poor’, are better spending your time running your business or career, don’t like travelling far and wide, or wish to reduce the risk of missing issues with a boat, then you might want to consider using an agent to do pre-viewing. We (Go Earth) provide a ‘pre-view’ service where we will visit a number of boats on your behalf, and provide a report with many photos so that you only need to visit boats that are at least potentially viable. This service is available in the UK and globally.
You Old Seadog
Dogs and Boating Wikipedia reliably informs us that ‘seadog’ can refer either to a sailor or a dog. Well, it occured to me that many of us have actual dogs, of all breeds, shapes and sizes that come out on our boats, so a few words about them might be helpful. Some dogs do genuinely love being out on a boat and take to it like a fish to water (if thats not mixing metaphors). Others are less sure or even nervous about the whole adventure. This article is intended to help dog owners acclimatise their dogs to the boating life. Let’s start at the beginning … Walkies Most dogs are happy to go to a marina, even they can sense the excitement. However, some dogs don’t like walking along the pontoons or on a linking bridge. This is not a good start, before you have even got onto the boat.. I have seen owners trying to pull their small, but apparently powerful dog by his lead along a pontoon. Even the offering of a tempting morsel of chicken would not get the dog to move. Often the issue can be quite simple, the dog is uncomfortable with the gaps between the wood on the pontoon, or the patterns of holes in plastic pontoons. Their claws can get painfully caught, especially in plastic ones. The solution is take it slow and steady. The first time you take your dog to a marina, have it walk just a few staps, and then get back on dry land. Reward its behaviour. Then try a little bit of a longer walk along the pontoon. Again use positive reinforcement so that the dog enjoys the whole experience. Smelly Toys and Beds Ok, let’s assume that you have now got the dog happily on your boat. He will be more comfortable if he has some of his toys and his usual bed on the boat. Don’t make the mistake of buying him a new bed for his boat – use his existing one, with it’s existing small. Yes, even if the smell is a bit strong – hopefully the sea air will take some of the pong away. Your Dogs First Boat Ride Get the dog used to the boat before you venture out on the water with him. Once he is happy with the boat, then he is far more likely to be happy going out on the water. Be gentle with your dog on his first trip out. The noise, the strange rocking of a boat can all be very worrying for some dogs. We suggest that your first ride out with your dog should be on a very calm day. Act naturally, and give your dog a treat ot two. What sometimes works with dogs is to take them out in a small dinghy (RIB) so that they can put their paws on the tubes and look around the marina. We know our own dog loves this. Note that dogs can actually get seasick, so watch out for signs of this. If the noise of the boats engine seems to be worrying your dog, then just slow down to a speed and noise that he is comfortable with. Over tie, you can get him used to faster speeds and noisiers engines. Also, ensure that your dog is hydrated and has enough water to drink for the journey. Safety First The RNLI quite correctly say of lifejackets “useless unless worn”. The same applies to dogs. Dogs should have a life-jacket of the correct size, and must wear it (despitetheir objections). Some dogs have a habit of jumping into water at the fi rst chance they get. Labradors are real experts at this (and also at drenching bystanders when they get out of thewater and shake their fur). Note that dog life jackets are really just floatation devices – they don’t automaticallyinflate if (or when!) your dog jumps in the water. What they should have is a grab handle on the back so that you can safely (and unceremoniously) lift your dog out of the water. If you really want to embarrass your dog, lift him out with a boathook under the grab handle!! Which Breed? Different breeds react differently to the water. Naturally nervous dogs may not like their time on the boat, being concerned about strange noises and motion. Other breeds will love it. If you are thinking of getting a dog to go with your boating, then there is a useful article on the suitability of a few breeds. Please remember though, that a dog is for life and has to fit in with all aspects of your life. Success Treat your dog right, and train him well, and he will come to regard your boat as part of his home – even to the extent of guarding it and barking at strangers. He will be happy on your boat and look forward to his boating adventures with you. However, you need to train him not to bark loudly in the middle of the night when he is guarding your boat against real or imaginary noises! Responsible Dog Ownership Of course, owning a dog brings responsibilities as well. The following tips may help: Take ‘your’ dogs for plenty of walkies – but ALWAYS on a lead in the marina. Consistently, encourage your dog to wait until you are in a dog-walking area before relieving himself. If ever there is an accident, please clear it up immediately. I suggest always having a few ‘poop bags’ with you. If there are some doggie waste bins in the marina, please do use them. If there is any residue left, please wash it away thoroughly with the nearest water tap. If your children take the dog for walkies, please emphasise to them the importance of following these tips. I hope that the above is helpful, and gives assurance to non-dog owners that the majority of dog owners areesponsible.
Moving On Up (With Apologies to M People!)
Moving from this… …to this There comes a time in the life of every boater when they decide it is time for a change. You have had your boat – and it’s been great while it lasted. However, now you may want a faster, younger or bigger (or possibly smaller) model. Or perhaps simply move from sail to power, or power to sail. Why move? Your motives may be many. Possibly you are no longer as active as you once were and now is the time to move from sail to power. Maybe you bought your first boat with limited knowledge and now have a better view of what exactly suits you. It could be that your first boat was simply a trial – to see if you liked boating – and you have now decided that you do and want something better (= more expensive!). Possibly the ‘joys of berthing’ have convinced you that you now need a boat with greater and easier manoeuvrability in crowded marinas using features such as a bow thruster, twin engines, joystick control and automatic fenders. Perhaps you want to cash in part of your pension, have just sold your business, have won the lottery or received a great inheritance. Whatever your source of finance, you want to enjoy the benefits of it. Making the move – sell and buy, or buy and sell? The first question is – do you have to sell your current boat first – or can you buy your next boat without having sold your first one? This is primarily a question of finance. If you have the funds, there is no need to wait until your current boat is sold. However, don’t forget that you then have expenses on two boats, not one, until your current boat is sold. Of course, you could try and do a part-exchange. This might work for you – however part-exchanging is far more problematic than part-exchanging a car. If it’s a private sale and purchase, you are very unlikely to find someone who has a boat that you want and who also wants the boat you currently have. If it’s via a broker, then usually the broker would have to take your boat into stock. Most brokers are reluctant to do this, as their business model is a broking one, unlike most motor traders. They rarely take into stock and sell on their own behalf. For those brokers that are willing to take boats into stock, they are often only willing to do so if the boat you are buying is of much higher value than the one you are selling. Also, you won’t be surprised to hear, they often don’t give great prices for boats they buy. Therefore, you usually get best value by separating out the selling part and the buying part of getting your next boat. Making the move – what do you want, really really want? (with apologies to The Spice Girls!) Next, consider exactly why you are making the move. If it is for space on board – then this is the most common reason why people move. However, there is an unfortunate rule of thumb about this – the price of a boat is (very roughly) proportional to the cube of its length, everything else being equal. So – to move from, say a 25 footer to a 50 footer, this doesn’t just double the cost – it multiplies it by a factor of (maybe) about 8 times. This ‘cubing rule’ is logical if you think about it – you are increasing not just the length, but also the beam and the height. Bottom line – if you want to move to something significantly bigger, you have to be prepared to spend the money. However, at Go Earth our speciality is boat procurement, so we can help you save at least a proportion of that extra cash. That’s what we do. Some factors to take into account include: Budget – capital expenditure and ongoing expenses Will you be travelling further afield – in which case, this impacts: Boat size and ocean-going capability Storage requirements on board Specialist kit, such as water-makers Boat category Insurance Communications – such as satellite radios The wishes, experience and capabilities of your crew Internet access- such as the need for your daily fix of Facebook? For a superyacht, you may not be able to get into some local marinas and harbours. So you would anchor off and use a tender to get ashore. You would therefore need to budget for a decent tender – one that will get you comfortably ashore even if the weather is a bit ‘dodgy’. You may be using a crew for the first time. Getting good advice WHERE TO GET ADVICE Having had a boat already, you already know a bit about boating. However, if you are moving up, you may be moving into a different league, with different issues, different technologies, a different mix of good and not-so-good brands with different makes and models. In particular, you may be spending more than you did on your current boat. Indeed, it is not uncommon for our clients to spend substantially more on their next boat than their current one. You need to get it right. At Go Earth, we argue that you still need unbiased advice from a trusted representative that is acting on your behalf – on the buyers behalf, not the sellers. This is a service that we provide. When we first started the company, we expected the majority of our clients to be people buying their first boat. In fact, we have had roughly a 60/40 split in favour of people buying their second or third or even fourth boat. We have often heard the comment “we wish that we had known about you when we bought our first boat!”. Our initial consultations are free – that is, free of cost, free of hassle, free of any commitment. We have
Boat Brands and Companies at Goodwood Festival of Speed
The 2019 Festival of Speed saw an exciting selection of boating companies exhibiting within the brand-new Marine Section. Go Earth Ltd Stand 248 Go Earth offers a variety of services to its clients who are considering buying a recreational boat. These range from an initial, no obligation advice and consultation right the way through the entire process until the client has taken possession of their new pride and joy. We act for the buyer, not the seller. Go Earth are known for their expertise and outstanding service to their clients, helping them procure boats or yachts with the minimum of risk, hassle, time and cost. As regular readers of Boat Trader know, Go Earth also contributes a number of knowledgeable articles each month to Boat Trader (and occasionally to other publications). They cover multiple aspects around buying a boat, and are intended to be genuinely helpful to the boat buyer. As Go Earth has curated a number of boating companies for the festival, they are offering a free advice tent. If you visit their stand (248), they will gladly provide you with a ‘goody bag’ full of useful information from the other boating companies, plus a free copy of Boat Trader. If you have any queries that other boating companies might be able to assist with, then they will helpfully point you in the right direction. Go Earth will also be showing its innovative automatic fender system. This system removes the hassle associated with deploying and storing fenders. Also, there will be some festival only very special deals on Indespension trailers – offering a significant discount. These trailers cover everything from boats to cars (including covered trailers) to motorbikes, and even livestock! Bates Wharf Stand 410 Bates Wharf are a very well-established family business based in London & the South Coast. They can offer a superb range of new and used boats from these prestigious recommended boat manufacturers: Fairline Chris-Craft Bayliner Brig Beneteau Sessa SACS RAND They offer a personal service, whether you’re buying your first boat or upgrading to your next one. Bates Wharf will provide a day to remember at the festival and welcome you to their boat showrooms. Bates Wharf pride themselves on their high level of customer service and with four established offices in Chertsey, Eastbourne, Poole & Southampton, which are all open seven days a week, you can view the boat of your choice every day! They look forward to meeting you at the festival. At the show they expect to be exhibiting Chris-Craft Launch 27 and Bayliner E5. Please feel free to come along and talk boats. Mercury Stand 403 The biggest and latest Mercury outboard engines will be showcased for the first time at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the Mercury Racing Verado 400R and the new V8 platform released last year. Visitors to the Mercury stand will have the chance to get up close to the latest RIBs and tenders from boat builders such as Pascoe International and Axopar and benefit from expert technical advice; either from boat builders or the Mercury UK team. For more information, please see our additional article in Boat Trader magazine. Multihull World Stand 256 Multihull World is an international Yacht brokerage specialising in catamaran and trimaran sales, repairs, maintenance and training and was established over 30 years ago. MHW act on behalf of multihull owners seeking to sell their vessels and on behalf of buyers looking to enjoy the benefits of catamaran and trimaran sailing. The wide range of designs available, enormous variations in design criteria and specific features of each vessel make our experienced staff a highly valued asset in selecting the right boat for each buyer sailing agenda. They are all experienced, passionate multihull owners, each with over 20 years experience. This allows us to provide all the benefits of a professional brokerage service with an exceptional pool of knowledge on these sailing yachts. We sell new and pre-owned vessels, acting as sole new boat UK agents for Outreme and Rapier performance catamarans (both designs have won their respective classes in international yacht races) and Broadblue and Gemini cruising catamarans, designs which prioritise crew comfort and security above all else, together with Corsair trimarans, suppliers of fast and energetic performance trimarans. Each marque is outstanding in its own field. The Broadblue range is the only production catamaran still manufactured by a British Company – if you prefer to buy British then look no further!! We are all excited to introduce visitors at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to these high performance and luxurious sailing yachts. Boat Club Trafalger Stand 276 One of the most important things in life is making memories with family and friends, Boat Club Trafalgar helps you make that happen. Boat Club Trafalgar offers you Hassle Free, Unlimited Boating, for a simple monthly fee and as a member you have the choice of using a large range of premium boats anywhere within the Solent. You have all the fun of boating without the costs and responsibilities of being a boat owner. With our varied pool of boats we’ve got boats that will meet your needs for any occasion. Our dedicated team will take care of cleaning, maintenance, servicing, storage and insurance leaving you free to spend all your leisure time out on the water with no worries. Boat Club Trafalgar is convenient, just book online and once you arrive you simply get on board and drive away, it’s that simple, all you pay for is your fuel. We provide all the training and support that you need. Come and visit us on stand 276 to find out how you can enjoy boating, without the cost of owning at the same time have a coffee and find out more about our amazing one-off Goodwood Festival of Speed special offer! Dads’s Boats Stand 306 Introducing The Pedal Boat. A unique design, 50 years in the making, which allows two people to face each other and both pedal forwards in comfort.